Aviation Blog

Proof you can fix anything with duct tape!

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 16:55:00 +0000

An Alaskan pilot posted these pictures and this story on a forum at ArmyParatrooper.org. According to the story, a charter pilot and his fishermen passengers left bait in his airplane during a trip into the Alaskan wilderness. After smelling the bait, a bear shredded the airplane. The pilot then radioed another pilot, asking him to bring plastic sheet, two tires and... wait for it... three cases of duct tape! He patched up the plane and flew it home.

(Props to Gizmodo)

Site Offers "Aviation Ring Tones" For Phones

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 21:39:00 +0000

A site name, appropriately enough, AVIATIONringTONES.com offers for sale cell phone ringtones of recorded cockpit sounds like the classis "whoop!, whoop!, whoop!" sound you hear just before CFIT; the Boeing altitude alert sound; auto-pilot disconnect; and even an F-16 low fuel "Bingo-Bingo" warning.

Is This the Future of General Aviation?

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 14:52:00 +0000

A consortium of European designers and companies are working on a radical redefinition of what a general aviation aircraft is. Modeled after a tuna, the SmartFish flies without slats, spoilers or flaps.

The SmartFish project intends to create a totally new kind of airplane type that can be used for everything from light sport aircraft to business jets to commercial puddle jumpers that carry up to 20 passengers. The goals include fuel economy, safety, visual beauty and a minimization of moving parts. Who's involved? According to the SmartFish web site:

The SmartFish proof of concept will be realized in collaboration with following companies: Extra (world leader in aerobatic aircraft) for system integration and test flights, Leichtwerk for interpretation statics and dynamics, LTB Borowski for composite manufacturing, Liebherr Aerospace for Landing Gear System development, DLR (German Aerospace Center) for flutter analysis and inlet optimization, RUAG Aerospace for wind tunnel testing, and EPFL, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (they did a great job for Alinghi) for overall design optimization.

The group even has a working prototype. They're also working on a fuel-cell version.

Plastic Pilot Certificate May Become Mandatory

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 15:02:00 +0000

The FAA Friday proposed a rule that would require all pilots to get a plastic certificate within two years of the rule going into effect. The new rule would also require owners to notify the FAA within five days of selling their aircraft.

Eclipse Aviation Delivers First Jet

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 20:19:00 +0000

Albuquerque, New Mexico, based Eclipse Aviation delivered its first-ever jet to Jet-Alliance today. The airplane is the Eclipse 500, a $1.5 million six-seater.

Why You Should Buy a New Airplane

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 20:13:00 +0000

Flying Magazine's Richard Collins makes the case for buying new, rather following the conventional wisdom that "you can get a comparable airplane for a lot less money" by buying a used airplane.

Warning: Runway Reports Unreliable -- NASA

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Mon, 23 Jan 2006 21:33:00 +0000

NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System has found that in at least 42 cases since 1995, pilots of commercial and corporate aircraft reported skidding off runways after receiving reports that the runways were safe.

Bird Hits Cessna, Breaks Windshield, Strikes Passenger

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Mon, 23 Jan 2006 21:11:00 +0000

A bird broke through the windshield of a single-engine Cessna bound for Orlando Executive Airport, and struck a passenger. The airplane made a safe landing. Further details on the accident are expected shortly.

Indians Playing Cricket On Runway Force Go-Around

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Mon, 09 Jan 2006 23:46:00 +0000

An airplane trying to make an emergency landing Friday in Solapur, India, had to buzz the airfield to shoo away hundreds of people watching or playing cricket. The airfield's open space is commonly enchroached upon by people who go there to play cricket or soccer.

Program Teaches Compton Kids to Fly

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Sun, 08 Jan 2006 20:35:00 +0000

Plane & Pilot has a nice piece on Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum, which is a non-profit flight school that provides programs for inner-city kids to work and earn credit for flight lessons. They're also building an airplane. Check it out.

New Jeppeson Online Flight Planner Updates Automatically

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Sun, 08 Jan 2006 20:16:00 +0000

Jeppesen's new subscription ($10.95 per month) Internet Flight Planner lets you use online information such as graphic weather overlays, graphic METARs, graphic TFR NOTAMs, detailed airport information, FBO services, airspace, terrain, obstacles, and a special-use airspace activity notification. But if any of that information changes, the new data is automatically updated next time you log in.

Nearly All Airports to Get Wi-Fi - Survey

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Sun, 08 Jan 2006 19:55:00 +0000

Over 90 percent of the airports surveyed recently plan to offer public access to a Wi-Fi network within the next two years. The survey -- the 2nd Airport IT Trends Survey - 2005, commissioned by SITA, Airports Council International, and Airline Business magazine -- also found that some 33 percent plan to roll out some kind of biometric identification system for passengers within the next four years (only 3 percent now have biometric check-in).

Alaska Pizza Joint Delivers Free Via Airplane

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Sat, 07 Jan 2006 23:14:00 +0000

A delivery pizza restaurant called "Airport Pizza" has opened at the Nome, Alaska, airport that delivers locally by car, but will deliver pizzas hundreds of miles to remote villages via airplane -- and it's free. An outfit called Frontier Flying Service does the flying, and doesn't charge Airport Pizza for their services (although they are given plenty of free pizza).

Micron's Stunt Pilot CEO Says Flying Sharpens Business Skills

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Sat, 07 Jan 2006 21:10:00 +0000

They say that being a pilot makes you better at everything. Micron's CEO Steve Appleton would agree. The 45-year-old chairman, president and CEO of Micron Technology Inc., the biggest maker of computer memory chips in the United States, is also an avid stunt pilot.

Finally: A Paper Airplane Simulator

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Mon, 02 Jan 2006 17:49:00 +0000

Here's a little amusement that has little to do with actually flying -- the Fetchfido Paper Airplane simulator.

Japanese Airport Codes Leaked On Internet

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Sat, 10 Dec 2005 18:07:00 +0000

The passwords for 16 Japanese airports and one Guam airport, including both Tokyo airports, have been leaked online, according to Japan's Transport Ministry. The codes are used to provide access to restricted areas at airports. The information was leaked through a computer virus that infected the personal PC of a Boeing 767 co-pilot who works for Japan Airlines.

Dreamliner Flight Deck Unveiled

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 17:48:00 +0000

The Boeing Company unveiled the flight deck for the all-new Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Here comes the press release:

"The new flight deck features much larger display screens than previously seen in airplanes. The five 12-by-9.1-inch screens offer 546 square inches of display space -- twice that of the Boeing 777.

Other key features of the new 787 flight deck are the dual head-up displays (HUDs) and dual electronic flight bag. Boeing has offered HUDs and electronic flight bags on other models but with the 787 they are standard features. HUDs display information on clear screens mounted at eye level so the pilots can see flight data while looking out the windows. Electronic flight bags are the digital equivalent of the pilot's flight bag and include maps, charts, manuals and other data.

"One of the ways we are making the 787 a more valuable asset for the airlines and the financiers is by making more features standard," explained Bair. "In this way, 787s can be more easily moved as needed between fleets."

Another way that the 787 helps operators is by retaining a significant amount of commonality with the 777. Pilots who fly the 777 will need only five days of training to be ready to fly the 787. Airlines that use "mixed fleet flying," scheduling pilots to fly more than one kind of airplane, will find that the 777 and 787 are effectively configured for such operations.

Bair said: "Our job in configuring the flight deck and determining how the airplane will operate is to help the pilot have better access to information so that he or she can make the best decisions possible."

The 787 offers new information formats including an airport moving map for safer ground taxi operations and a vertical situation display to give a graphic rendering of approaching terrain profiles.

"This flight deck was designed to provide the best work environment possible for pilots," said Mike Carriker, chief pilot for the 787 program. "Anyone who has flown a Boeing commercial jetliner will feel right at home in the 787, and also will notice definite improvements."

Like the passenger cabin, the flight deck will feature unique styling that helps to create a pleasing atmosphere. And pilots will also enjoy the reduced maximum cabin altitude of 6,000 feet.

"As much as passengers are looking forward to the improved flying experience we are designing into the cabin of the airplane with its bigger windows and pleasing architecture, pilots are also going to want to fly in the 787 because of its flight deck," said Carriker."

A Day In the Life...

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Fri, 19 Aug 2005 01:33:00 +0000

Here's a cool aviation, courtesy of NASA: A Day In the Life of the U.S. Air Traffic Control System.

Silent Passenger Airplane Invented

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Thu, 18 Aug 2005 23:14:00 +0000

Engineers at Cambridge University have unveiled a design for airplanes that are silent once airborne. The "flying wing" aircraft has engines on top of the back that direct engine noise upward. They hope to have a prototype working within a year.

'Singing Wings' Increase Lift At Low Speeds

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Thu, 18 Aug 2005 14:15:00 +0000

New technology that uses a plastic coating that makes sound can increase the lift of small airplane wings at low speeds by 22 percent, which could prevent stalls long enough for pilots to regain airspeed or come out of a turn. Invented by an Australian Quantas engineer doing research at the University of New South Wales, the invention, which could be applied as a film coating to parts of the wing, actually prevents -- or, at least, delays -- the separation that occurs with a too-high angle of attack.

Small Altitude Change Would Benefit Environment

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Sun, 07 Aug 2005 17:07:00 +0000

Airline contrails create cirrus clouds, which trap additional heat in the atmosphere and contribute to global warming. But Hermann Mannstein at the German Aerospace Center in Oberpfaffenhofen has found that aircraft fitted with specialized sensors would be able to determine and fly at a "sweet spot" just below the altitude where contrails form, which would not require a major change.

Onboard Motors Could Replace Tow Tugs

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 14:59:00 +0000

Boeing has successfully tested the use of electric motors that power the nose wheel of huge passenger jets as a replacement for on-the-ground tow tugs.

Amazing Video: Bird In Military Jet Engine Incident

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 14:23:00 +0000

Here's what it looks like -- and sounds like -- when a bird gets sucked into your engine, forcing you to eject.

Go2Altitude Ships Low-Cost Hypoxicator

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Sun, 31 Jul 2005 15:57:00 +0000

A company called Go2Altitude is now shipping a personal hypoxicator for about $350. The device enables pilots (and others) to acclimate their bodies to higher altitudes.

Aerial Photos Replace Chicago Scenery In MS Flight Sim

noreply@blogger.com (Mike) — Sat, 30 Jul 2005 22:09:00 +0000

Horizon Simulation Ltd. will release in August the latest addition to its photographic scenery for Microsoft Flight Simulator: VFR Chicago.