Airplane Geeks Podcast

A United Nations plan to regulate airline emissions, the U-2 accident and the current role of that airplane, the FAA provides some aviation career guidance, a U.S. Department Of Transportation committee is reviewing accommodations for disabled passengers, and F-117s back in the air.

News

More Nations Sign on to Plan to Regulate Airline Emissions

Landmark deal to curb airline emissions expected in Montreal

A UN-led proposal to address commercial aviation pollution emissions has gotten a lot of international support. The agreement would take effect in 2021 and be voluntary at the start. It would become mandatory in 2027. The program would require international airlines to limit their emissions to 2020 levels, or buy credits to offset their pollution.  The credits would support renewable energy development, forest preservation, or other environmental efforts.

U-2 Spy Plane Crash: Why 'Cold War' Aircraft Are Still Relevant Today

A Lockheed U-2CT on a training mission crashed in northern California September 20 shortly after takeoff from Beale Air Force Base. Both pilots ejected, but one did not survive. A memorial fund for Lieutenant Colonel Steve “Shooter” Eadie has been established.

 

The FAA Explores General Aviation Careers In Their Latest Safety Briefing

The September/October 2016 edition of the FAA Safety Briefing is titled “Avenues to Aviation.” [PDF]. In it, the FAA explores different and aviation careers, with a focus on general aviation. Feature articles explore flying and non-flying aviation career options, and some of the new vocations that the small Unmanned Aircraft Systems rule has enabled.

Airlines Seek To Curb Service-Animal Rules

There is a distinction between Service Animals and Emotional Support Animals. The exact definitions of each depends on the Act that applies: the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the 1986 Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA). The ACAA recognizes emotional support animals as service animals, so U.S. airlines must allow them. But some passengers seem to abuse this and claim their pet is an emotional support animal. In April, 2016, the DOT created an Accessible Air Transportation Advisory Committee looking at passengers with disabilities. In October, the government/industry Committee is to propose a rule based on consensus recommendations.

F-117s Back In The Air

“Retired” F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighters have been seen flying in Nevada. Speculation as to the reasons for this run rampant.

Arnold Palmer flew, set records in Learjets before turning to Cessna

Arnold Palmer was a long-time supporter of aviation, and he will be missed.

Airplane of the Week

The F-105 Thunderchief. In Part 1 of a two-part series on the Thud, David explains the airplane’s development and the single seaters.  Check out these articles comparing the modern-day F-35 to the Vietnam era Thud:

America's F-105 Thunderchief Fighter-Bomber: The F-35 of the Vietnam War?

Joint Strike Fighter = Thunderchief II?

And then there is this that David mentioned: VH1 Corvette Collection - Tease.

Mentioned

Miraculous Water Landings Before There Was "Sully"

Columbia Memorial Space Center

A Pilot’s Review of the Movie “Sully” in The Rogue Aviator

Aeroengine Corporation of China plans to compete with the likes of Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce and General Electric from Defence Aviation.

Credit

Intro music courtesy Brother Love from his Album Of The Year CD. Outtro by Bruno Misonne from The Sound of Flaps.

Pay for regional pilots, prospects for the A380, Auto-GCAS saving F-16 pilot’s lives, travel security, large airports and GA airplanes, a rebate for ADS-B, and flying the Eclipse 550.

News

American Airlines raises pay for regional pilots

American Airlines Group subsidiary Envoy Air announced they are raising their starting pay for new hires 47% to $37.90 per hour. AA subsidiary PSA Airlines is increasing starting pay 56% to $38.50 per hour. This is in addition to opportunities for bonuses. First-year pilots can make about $58,000.

Singapore Airlines Won’t Extend Lease on First Airbus A380 Jet

Singapore Airlines operates 19 A380 jets. The first five of them were obtained on a 10-year lease deal. Now Singapore has announced they will not be renewing the lease for the first A380, which expires in October, 2017. The WSJ notes that it “isn’t a fateful blow for the program” but “it is another symbolic hit for the double-deck aircraft.”

Auto-GCAS Saves Unconscious F-16 Pilot—Declassified USAF Footage

An international F-16 student pilot experienced G-induced loss of consciousness, and his aircraft went into a steep supersonic dive with full afterburner. The Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System (Auto-GCAS) kicked in and executed a recovery maneuver, saving the pilot. This was the fourth confirmed "save" of an aircraft by the system.

This Muslim Woman Says The TSA Stopped Her At Least 10 Different Times In One Round Trip

25 year-old Zainab Merchant from Gainesville, Florida was traveling with her husband and 6-month-old baby to a wedding in Vancouver, Canada. Over the course of the trip, she and her family experienced many security checks, rechecks, missed flights, they were held overnight, the at times the family was separated.

Pilot Sues SF Airport Over General Aviation

For the last three years, Robert Reinheimer's Cessna 182 has been the only piston airplane tied down or home-based at San Francisco International Airport. Reinheimer claims the airport is trying to force him out.

ADS-B Rebate Reservation System to go Live

The FAA is offering a rebate reservation system for Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) systems. Aircraft owners will be able to apply online for a $500 rebate toward the cost of installing ADS-B Out equipment in their aircraft. A total of 20,000 rebates will be available through the program.

Mentioned

Rob tells us about his flight in the Eclipse 550, and compares it to the original model. He also attended the EAA chapter 932 meeting at Galt Airport, in Greenwood, Illinois, and the AOPA regional Fly-In at Battle Creek, Michigan.

Max West posted his first Facebook Live video from the traffic pattern.

Max East visited the South Dakota Air & Space Museum at Ellsworth AFB, home to B1-B Lancers.

Design a Boeing Dreamliner! Hainan Airlines is hosting a Design Your Own Livery contest in which you can design a paint scheme on a 787 airplane through a custom built web based tool. Whoever wins the contest could get their design painted on a real Boeing 787 Dreamliner airplane, and also get a free business class trip to China.

Listener at Large Launchpad Marzari sent a recording examining the question, “if you fly a drone, are you a pilot or an operator?” To go along with that, he sent a link to Brain Surgeon - That Mitchell & Webb Look , Series 3 - BBC Two.

https://youtu.be/THNPmhBl-8I

John Mollison, producer of Old Guys and Their Airplanes sent a nice little animation he made with his new Apple Pencil. It’s a study for an upcoming quick-short featuring an RAF pilot.

Spitfire from 41 Squadron nails a Doodlebug

https://youtu.be/pcKEemEE0SE

Navy: Pilot Error Primary Cause of Fatal Blue Angels Crash

A member of the Blue Angels flight demonstration team killed during practice in Tennessee lost control of his fighter jet because it was traveling too fast and then failed to recover because it was too low for the maneuver he was performing,

Aviation security since 9/11, smartphones on airplanes and more lithium-ion battery woes, the Boeing middle of the market airplane, another idea on how to find MH370, flying commercially to Cuba, and a review of the movie Sully.

Guest

Cynthia Drescher is a professional travel journalist, a contributing digital editor at Condé Nast Traveler, and a contributing editor at the Runwaygirl Network.

We discuss how airline and airport security have changed in the fifteen years since the 9/11 attacks. Also, the current issue with smartphone battery fires and how the airlines are responding. Cynthia recently examined safety problems when passenger smartphones fall into airplane seats, and we talk about what the airlines might do in response.

Cynthia visited Cuba, having flown there on the first JetBlue flight. She tells us about the travel experience and her impressions of the country and its people. We also learn which airplanes Cynthia enjoys, and the one that is not her favorite.

Follow Cynthia on Twitter at @JetSetCD, and on Instagram.

News

How Airport Security Has Changed Since 9/11

It is estimated that the U.S. has spent almost $100 billion on security since the September 11 attack. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was created by Congress, we have hardened and bulletproof cockpit doors, no-fly lists, detection machines of various sorts, shoe removal, limits on liquids, profiling, checkpoints, and much more. Are we more secure? And what’s next?

Air Force, Running Low on Drone Pilots, Turns to Contractors in Terror Fight

Drones play a large role in the military response to terrorism. A drone requires a pilot, and with lots of drones, the U.S. Air Force needs lots of drone pilots. Private contractors are being used for reconnaissance missions, but are prohibited from being “trigger pullers” and firing weapons.

Samsung's exploding Galaxy Note faces airline bans

Some Galaxy Note7 smartphones have experienced lithium-ion battery fires. While Samsung has stopped sales of the phone and has initiated an Exchange Program for U.S. consumers, airlines and the FAA are taking action.

The necessity of smart stowage for smartphones on aircraft

Guest Cynthia Drescher describes the safety implications of smartphones that slip inside airline seats, and what might be done about it.

Can Boeing compete with the Airbus A321neo? And does it want to?

In the mid-size aircraft arena, the Boeing 737 MAX 9 is losing to the Airbus A321neo, which is larger and has a longer range. This size-class has been called MOM, or Middle Of the Market, while Boeing is calling it the New Mid-range Airplane or NMA. Such a plane could be a 737 stretch, while others are saying a new twin-aisle is possible.

Drifting Flaperon Decoys Next MH370 Gambit

There’s a new idea in the search for MH370: Drop Boeing 777 flaperon replicas into the sea at suspected crash sites, and see if any end up at the beach on Reunion Island. That’s where a flaperon from the 777 drifted. If one of the replicas does as well, the drop point gives you a targeted area to search.

Lawsuit seeks to block Alaska Airlines' $4 billion acquisition of Virgin

The plaintiffs argue the deal would weaken competition in the industry, causing job loss and higher fare prices.

The Aircraft of the Week

David continues through this collection of listener-requested aircraft of the week. This week’s aircraft was requested by Mike Stuemer. The Grumman AF Guardian was the bridge between two Classic aircraft: the Grumman TBF Avenger and the S-2 Tracker. It was too big, too slow, and flown in pairs, but it wrote the book on how to track subs.

In the next few weeks, David will take on the challenge brought forth by Chris Ruark: the F-105 Thunderchief, or THUD!

Movie Review

Rob Mark reviews the film “Sully.”

Mentioned

Airventure 2016 in my Sonex - from Mike Smith

https://youtu.be/BkyufUBHSUQ

How to Eat an Airplane

Tesla hires top designer Randy Rodriguez,

Interviews from National Aviation Day with American Airlines at Philadelphia International airport, a listener reflects on one effect of September 11, a story about the Missing Man formation, a lesson learned as a student pilot, a review of an aviation history book, an opinion piece on a lawsuit against United Airlines, a bit more from Farnborough 2016, and something about 82 foot tall pylons for air racing.

National Aviation Day

David participated in the National Aviation Day activities with American Airlines at Philadelphia International airport, and recorded three interviews. First, David spoke with American Airlines first officer and chief pilot Deborah Hecker. Look for available scholarships at the Women in Aviation International website.

David also spoke with Philip Moore, the manager on duty at the American Airlines flight control tower in Philadelphia. And finally, David has a short conversation with Anthony Stanley about flying the Eagles football team to away games. Also, how they handle other teams flying in for Eagles home games.

Thanks to Ryan Ewing at Airline Geeks for all his organizational efforts to make National Aviation Day in conjunction with American Airlines a great success.

September 11

Listener Launchpad Marzari recorded a piece reflecting on September 11. He calls it “What I Lost in 9/11.”

The Missing Man

Back on Episode 404, David provided us with the history of the Missing Man formation. This got Micah to thinking about one of his experiences with this somber event. So for this Labor Day Bits & Pieces episode, our Main(e) man Micah tells us his story titled, “The Missing, Missing Man.”

A lesson learned

Xavier posted a short story in our Slack Listener Team about a time when he was a student pilot. We asked him if he could record it in his own words for this episode and he graciously agreed. It was sparked by our episode 415 with guest Jason Blair, an FAA Designated Pilot Examiner.

Book Review

David reviews Jet City Rewind: Aviation History of Seattle and the Pacific Northwest by Timothy A. Nelson.

An opinion on the United lawsuit

Associate producer Brian shares his opinions about the the lawsuit being brought against United that we talked about in episode 416.  Longtime listeners to the show might be surprised to hear Brian’s position.

Top Ten Airlines, from Farnborough

You might have thought we were finished with Farnborough content, but Brian and Micah were able to contribute one more for this Bits and Pieces show.  As guest hosts on the Plane Talking UK Podcast, they sit down with Matt, Carlos and Capt Al to go over the results of a top 10 list of the best airlines.

Controlling air race airgates

From Sun n Fun 2016, Launchpad Marzari speaks with an airgate controller for the Red Bull Air Race World Championship. They were demonstrating the 82 foot tall pylons and how they quickly repair them during the races.

Upcoming Red Bull Air Races in the Unites States:

Indianapolis October 1-2, 2016

Las Vegas October 15-16, 2016

Credit

 

Intro music courtesy Brother Love from his Album Of The Year CD. Outtro by Bruno Misonne from The Sound of Flaps.

The grand prize winner of the first annual EAA Founder’s Innovation Prize explains his concept for reducing the number of accidents induced by loss of control. Also, an Airbus autonomous flying vehicle concept, Part 107 regulations for small commercial UAS, a laser pointer goes to prison, a federal lawsuit against United Airlines, pay raises for airline employees, and 787 Dreamliner engine woes.

Guest

Ihab Awad is the grand prize winner of the first annual EAA Founder’s Innovation Prize for his Airball concept designed to reduce accidents induced by loss of control. Ihab explains how the loss of correct relative wind can result in stalls and spins, and how the Airball graphical representation (a blue ball) allows the pilot to quickly understand and manage the flight state of the airplane.  Airball does this using air data from a number of sensors.

 

Ihab is a programmer working at Google in Silicon Valley. He holds Master's degrees in mechanical engineering and computer and information sciences from the University of Minnesota. Ihab is a Sport Pilot with 150 hours, and looks forward to building his own experimental aircraft.

Follow the project at Airball.aero. Also, find Ihab on Twitter and Facebook.

Airball EAA Founder's Innovation Prize Entry

Founder’s Innovation Finalists Forging Forward by Beth E. Stanton describes the five finalists in some detail, with videos.

Airball demo for EAA

http://youtu.be/X1SMLq7FfQ0

News

Airbus Vahana autonomous flying vehicle concept under development

In Airbus Group: Future of urban mobility, My Kind of Flyover, the company says, “By 2030, 60% of the world’s population will live in cities… Airbus Group is harnessing its experience to make the dream of all commuters and travellers come true one day: to fly over traffic jams at the push of a button.” Vahana is the Airbus concept for an autonomous flying vehicle for passengers and cargo. It’s under development at the A3 “innovation outpost” in Silicon Valley.

FAA Begins Accepting Applications for Remote Pilot Operator

The new small unmanned aircraft rule for non-hobbyists (also known as Part 107 to Title 14 CFR) became effective August 29, 2016. The person flying a drone must have a remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating, or be directly supervised by someone with that certificate.

For more information about the new small UAS rules, see:

The UAV Digest, episode 151: Part 107: Operation and Certification of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems where we provide a summary of the major provisions of Part 107.

The UAV Digest, episode 159: Taking the FAA Online UAS Training Course where Max Trescott talks about completing the FAA UAS online training course.

Press Conference - FAA (Small UAS Rule) (Conference starts at 10:00 into the video.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3T_lwU0qxvM&start=600

Man sentenced to federal prison for pointing a Laser Pointer at Sheriff's Helicopter

A 35-year-old California was has been sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for pointing a laser pointer at a police helicopter flying over a traffic accident.

U.S. lawsuit says United denied sick leave to pilot on active duty

The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit in Chicago federal court claiming that United Airlines failed to provide a pilot with sick leave when he was called to active duty by the U.S. Air Force. The suit charges that the pilot, a reservist, was denied his employment rights and violated the federal Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA).

Airline employees are getting huge pay raises

After years of concessions, airline employees are starting to benefit from high airline profits.

Boeing 787 engine trouble prompts ANA to cancel some flights

All Nippon Airways (ANA) is seeing sulfidation-corrosion cracking of turbine blades on some of its Boeing 787 Dreamliner jets. All 50 aircraft in the ANA 787 fleet are powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines.

An FAA Designated Pilot Examiner talks about checkrides, the old Practical Test Standards (PTS) and the new Airman Certification Standards (ACS).  Also, government interest in airline IT system failures, pilot recruiting in China, the Boeing cabin of the future, the huge ATC applicant response, and Textron interest in Learjet.

Guest

Jason Blair is an active single and multi-engine instructor. He is a National Association of Flight Instructors Master Flight Instructor, and an FAA Designated Pilot Examiner for both part 61 and part 141 training providers. Jason was involved in the early stages of the FAA/industry efforts that developed the new Airman Certification Standards (ACS) that became effective June, 2016.

In this episode, Jason explains the differences between the Practical Test Standards and the new Airman Certification Standards, and when they apply. He offers advice for private, CFI, and ATP checkrides, and explains some of the common errors made by applicants. Jason tells us about the checks that Examiners make, the process they follow, and what the FAA is looking for. We also hear about the process for becoming an FAA Designated Pilot Examiner.

Jason was named the 2016 Michigan CFI of the Year by the FAA, and over 1000 pilot certificates have been issued in Jason’s role as Examiner. Jason writes for a number of aviation publications and he’s active in the general aviation industry.

Starting his flying experience at the age of 15, and soloing at 16, Jason received his private pilot’s certificate at 17. While he pursued both undergraduate and master’s degrees from Western Michigan University in non-aviation fields, he continued his aviation passion through flight training at local FBOs, obtaining his instrument, commercial, and instructor certificates.

Jason flies general aviation aircraft for much of his personal and business travel, and has served as the Executive Director of the National Association of Flight Instructors, and represented the flight training community on a variety of committees including the FAA’s Runway Safety Council, the General Aviation Joint Steering Committee, the TSA Aviation Safety Advisory Council, NATA’s Flight Training Committee, and others. Currently, Jason works for a variety of companies and associations focusing on flight training regulations, procedures, and safety as a writer and consultant.

News

U.S. senators quiz airlines on IT systems after Delta disruption

Senators Richard Blumenthal and Edward Markey sent letters of concern to a number of airlines in the wake of recent computer system failures at Southwest and Delta. They point out that with such a concentrated industry, any one outage can affect a large portion of commercial aviation, and inconvenience many travelers. The senators want to know how affected travelers will be accommodated, and what measures are being taken to ensure the security and reliability of airline IT systems.

China-based airlines are putting up lots of cash to recruit foreign pilots

Industry projections put the greatest airline growth in Asia. Boeing projects that the number of commercial planes in China will triple by 2034. Bloomberg says that means China will need to hire 100 pilots per week over that time period, and they are paying big salaries to get them: as much as five times more for new hires, and in some cases about 50 percent more than senior captains at Delta. See also Chinese Airlines Wave Wads of Cash to Lure Foreign Pilots.

Dim the lights, order lunch: Boeing develops smartphone app for jet cabin interior of the future

Boeing is looking at a future cabin experience that includes the ability for passengers to interact with the airplane from their smartphone. Commercial Airplanes’ Product Development engineers have created an airplane cabin technology demonstrator they call v-Cabin where concepts can be developed and tested. Passengers could control personal lighting, order food or drink items,

More interviews from the Farnborough 2016 Airshow. We also discuss the future of widebody airliners, the U.S. Air Force pilot shortage, jetBlue air turbulence, an F-22 grounded by bees, an evacuation at a JFK terminal, a ride with the Geico Skytypers, and does the U.S. needs an airshow like Paris?

Farnborough International Airshow 2016

We bring you more interviews from the Farnborough 2016 Airshow. You’ll hear about the F/A-18, the F-16, the PBY, and the P8.

News

Atlas backs the B747 freighter as Boeing considers its future

Boeing has announced a cut in the 747 production rate, and in a regulatory filing stated the possibility that production of the 747 could end. At the same time, Airbus plans to cut the production rate of the A380. Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings chief executive Bill Flynn said there are three options for large widebody intercontinental cargo aircraft: the B747-800, the B747-400 and the B777. The 747 has load and loading advantages and Atlas Air looks forward to a long useful life.

Air Force sweetens bonus in facing pilot shortage

The U.S. Air Force needs 700 more fighter pilots by the end of 2016, and the shortage could reach 1000 within a few years.. Airlines offering higher salaries, better benefits, and long term career opportunities entice pilots to leave the service.

JetBlue turbulence puts 24 in hospital

A JetBlue A320 flying from Boston to Sacramento encountered rough turbulence, and was diverted to Rapid City, South Dakota. At least 22 passengers and two crew members were taken to a hospital for evaluation. Passengers reported flying out of their seats and even hitting the ceiling.

In a February 2016 article titled What Causes Turbulence? 10 Things You Need to Know, Conde Nast Traveler reports that the FAA says approximately 58 fliers are injured by turbulence each year. And PetaPixel tells us about a Military Plane Plunged 4,400ft when Pilot’s Nikon Got Stuck in the Controls.

F-22 Raptor grounded by swarm of almost 20,000 bees

192nd Fighter Wing Aircraft Maintainers at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia discovered a swarm of honey bees attached to the exhaust nozzle of an F-22 Raptor engine.

Airplane of the Week

 

David went flying for the first time in 2 years.  He had the privilege of flying with the Geico Skytypers in a three ship formation over the Atlantic City, New Jersey coastline. Thanks to Jim Record for being an awesome pilot, and to Brenda Little for the opportunity.

 

 

Geico Landing over KACY 08-15-2016 (Raw video of the flight.)

http://youtu.be/8UQ5p1HekwA

Mentioned

UK fraud probe casts shadow over Airbus jet sales

Credit

Intro music courtesy Brother Love from his Album Of The Year CD. Outtro by Bruno Misonne from The Sound of Flaps.

We talk with an experienced travel writer about the air travel experience, frequent flyer programs (should they be regulated?), and an idea to centrally lock overhead bins. Also, regulating commercial balloon operators, the future of the A-10 (yet again), GA and biz jet sales, and a massive FAA hiring plan for Air Traffic Controllers. We learn who really did fly first, and why an AMT career might be worth a second look.

Guest

Kyle Stewart is a travel editor for Upgrd.com, a freelance travel writer, and he writes the Trip Sherpa blog. Upgrd.com is a resource website for frequent fliers featuring tricks of the trade and how to enjoy a first class experience on a coach budget.

Kyle tells us how frequent flyer programs and the travel experience have changed to what they are today. We also learn about airline mileage runs and status runs, what’s in Kyle’s “travel goodie bag,” and why the most important travel decision is to pay for the services that are most important to you.

Kyle flies several hundred thousand miles every year and has visited more than 50 countries on every continent except Antarctica. He has contributed to articles for Time, USA Today, Reuters, CNBC, MSN, Yahoo!, Huffington Post and many other media outlets.

News

Let’s Regulate Frequent Flier Programs. Here’s Why.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s has released an investigative report on airline loyalty programs. The report concluded that the government has the authority to regulate frequent-flier programs and asked for disclosure rules. The Office of Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings at DOT wants to learn more about problems with frequent flyer programs, and has a complaint form to collect data: DOT Air Travel Complaint - Comment Form.

Should overhead lockers be centrally locked?

When an emergency evacuation occurs on an airliner, passengers are instructed to immediately exit the airplane and leave all carry on luggage behind. Of course, that’s not what happens. A fire safety expert from London's Greenwich University has called for a central locking system controlled by the flight deck.

Tighter oversight of balloon operators urged after Texas crash

The NTSB is investigating a hot air balloon accident in where the balloon struck power lines, exploded, and all 16 aboard were killed. Should commercial balloon pilots be more strongly regulated in the U.S.?

Air Force To Make A-10 Replacement Recommendations as Early As Fall

The U.S. Air Force will begin working on its next five-year budget plan, and part of the plan will include a strategy for a close air support aircraft. Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said options they’ll be looking at options for replacing or augmenting the A-10 Warthog. See also, The US Air Force has an absurd plan for replacing the A-10 Warthog.

GAMA: Airplane shipments, billings down across the board

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) reports that in the first half of 2016, shipments for general aviation aircraft, turboprops, and business jets were down 4.5 percent over 2015. Billings were down 11 percent.

FAA Set To Hire 1,400 Entry-Level Air Traffic Controllers. The Catch: Only One Week To Apply

The FAA expects more than 25,000 people to apply for 1,400 Air Traffic Control Specialist – Trainee positions, so the application period is only one week: August 8-15, 2016.

The Airplane of the Week

More like the pilot(s) of the week, this time. After the 2016 Rio Olympic Opening Ceremonies, David was once again thrust into the argument of who flew first. It wasn’t Alberto Santos-Dumont for sure, but he does deserve to be a Hero of Brazil. Listen to David prove it.

Some of the articles:

The Opening Ceremony Uses The First In Flight Controversy To Fan The Flames

Opening Ceremony stirs up debate: Who invented flight?

Mentioned in the segment:

Gustave Whitehead

Richard Pearse

Karl Jatho

NASA faked it

Ancient Aliens created the Saqqara Bird or the Tolima Jet

We report on AirVenture Oshkosh 2016 and the Farnborough International Airshow. As a bonus, David tells us another story about his favorite little Cirrus Suzy, who goes flying with some astronauts.

AirVenture Oshkosh 2016

Rob Mark attended Oshkosh and gives us his thoughts on the event. He tells us about the Martin Mars, Camp Bacon, and the Airbus E-Fan electric airplane.  The EAA celebrated the two millionth Young Eagle and the AOPA Air Safety Institute honored Cirrus Aircraft with the first Joseph T. Nall Safety Award.

Rob took a look at the very interesting 2.5 ounce ADS-B unit from uAvonix. (See his article in Flying magazine.) He also tells us about FlyOtto, a service that makes it easy to find, book, and pay for trips on privately chartered aircraft with a mobile device or from your computer. Rob comments on the Textron Cessna Denali single engine turboprop that debuted at Oshkosh.

The EAA announced that Ihab Awad had won the inaugural Founder’s Innovation Prize presented by Airbus Group for his “Airball” flight display. This creative concept combines a variety of sensor inputs into a graphical ball that the pilot uses to help prevent loss-of-control. The paper submitted to the EAA for Airball is publically available.

See also Hillel’s Oshkosh photo album.

Farnborough International Airshow 2016

Brian Coleman and Micah attended Farnborough this year, and they bring us the first group of interviews from the Airshow:

Micah and Brian talk with Raul Tenna of Airbus and discuss the capabilities of the new A400M Military Transport.

Carlos Stebbings and Matt Smith from the Plane Talking UK podcast tell us about their show.

Brian and Micah team up with Carlos Matt Smith to talk about the engine and capabilities of the F-35B.

Airbus Captain Al Evans specializes in fear-of-flying and Micah and Brian discuss his techniques that help fearful flyers overcome their anxiety.

Eoin, a long time listener from Ireland, just moved to England and recently started a new career in aviation as cabin crew.

Listener Nelson from Portugal talks about his favorite aircraft at Farnborough.

Brian and Micah speak with Mary B. Lyons, who has been attending and photographing the Farnborough Airshow since 1998. She is the author of Fabulous Farnborough Photos, documenting almost 20 years of the Airshow in pictures.

We'll have additional interviews from Farnborough in the next episode.

Aircraft of the Week

Suzy Goes to the Stars

David’s favorite little Cirrus Suzy goes flying with some astronauts, and Pilot Rob gets a jaunt in a T-38. Also, we have a new friend at the airport, Jenny.

Some hints about the story:

NASA Langley Research Center uses a SR-22 as optionally manned aircraft to test UAS integration.

The NT-38s are named after Christa McAuliffe and Judith Resnick, both of whom perished on the Challenger.

The Lockheed Vega was made famous by Wiley Post and Amelia Earhart. Post flew it around the world solo using the world’s first pressure suit. Amelia flew it solo across the Atlantic, and non-stop across the United States. Vega also became a division of Lockheed, and this is the reason the Navy used the company code “V” in the PV-1 Ventura,  P2V- 7 Neptune, and the greatest of all military transports, the GV-1.

Lockheed also built the Altair, designed by Jack Northrop like the Vega. There never was a Denab, (maybe the name wasn’t sexy enough).  Lockheed’s aircraft were named after stars and constellations. Think about it.  Hercules, Galaxy Constellations, Neptune, and Orion.

Mentioned

Max was a guest on episode 20 of the Podcast Engineering Show, talking podcasting tech.

Skydiver Jumps into Net from 25,000 Feet - a skilled professional, or a foolish stunt?

Credit

Intro music courtesy Brother Love from his Album Of The Year CD. Outtro by Bruno Misonne from The Sound of Flaps.

Airline branding and marketing strategies, Farnborough International Airshow 2016 coverage, an MH370 update, Southwest Airlines revenue and a system glitch, a large Chinese amphibian, a few world records, and news from Maine.

Guest

Shashank Nigam is the CEO of SimpliFlying, a large aviation marketing strategy firm. We talk with Shashank about airline branding strategies and how they need to be different from those of typical consumer goods. He tells us about the changes implemented by some of his airline clients to better serve the new connected traveler, how airlines should manage crisis, and the value of empowered employees.

A sought-after consultant and speaker on aviation marketing, Shashank started SimpliFlying in 2009 as a blog on airline marketing. Since then, he and his team have built SimpliFlying into a global leader in airline consulting, having worked with more than 70 airlines and airports over the past seven years. Their latest projects include the Bombardier CSeries launch, and a re-design of the customer service strategy for Cebu Pacific. Shashank has a book coming out about airline marketing called SOAR. The book shares how some of the most innovative airline brands delight customers and inspire employees.

Farnborough International Airshow 2016

We kick off our coverage of the Farnborough Airshow with two interviews by Brian and Micah. First, we hear from Capt. Jeff and Dr. Steff from the Airline Pilot Guy show. They discuss their efforts to put together the live recording and meetup at Farnborough. Then Brian and Micah have an interesting conversation with Airbus A350 XWB marketing director Mike Bausor about the A350. We'll bring you many additional interviews in future episodes.

The guys also had an opportunity to speak with Rolls Royce about the Trent Ultra in development. The Ultra will be a geared turbofan with all-carbon fiber fan blades. Perhaps most interesting, the fan blades will have adjustable pitch and be fully reversible, eliminating the need for thrust reversers. The engine in development after the Ultra features electrically driven fans powered by constant speed turbines that drive a generator.

News

MH370 Pilot Flew a Suicide Route on His Home Simulator Closely Matching Final Flight

This publication “obtained a confidential document from the Malaysian police investigation into the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 that shows that the plane’s captain, Zaharie Ahmad Shah, conducted a simulated flight deep into the remote southern Indian Ocean less than a month before the plane vanished under uncannily similar circumstances.”

Southwest Sees Revenue Reversal As Terror Fears Hit Delta, United

Southwest's second quarter earnings per share were up 15.5% to 1.19, slightly under estimate.  Revenue was up 5% to $5.38 billion, and traffic growth was 6%, while capacity was up 4.8%. See also Southwest Airlines: “Things Are Getting Better” An Update and an Apology on Systemwide Outages and Delta Air Lines Will Slow Growth to Ensure Business Travelers Pay Higher Fares.

China introduces Boeing 737-sized seaplane

The state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China just introduced the AG600, the biggest amphibian of any modern military.

Fedor Konyukhov breaks world hot air balloon record

64-year old Russian balloonist Fedor Konyukhov flew around the world solo in eleven days.

The Last Flight of the Round-the-World Solar Flight

Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg have realized their dream of achieving the first ever Round-The-World Solar Flight! From the Solar Impulse website: "Beyond this historic milestone, the two Swiss pioneers will continue to urge the global implementation of energy efficient solutions through the creation of the International Committee for Clean Technologies and leverage the expertise and technology gained over the years in Solar Impulse by launching new innovative projects, such as the development of solar powered drones.