Airplane Geeks Podcast

Episode 197 – APG Listeners Rock

maxflight — Wed, 16 May 2012 00:06:03 +0000

This time we go without a guest to give more time for listener mail. We cover such topics as long, long takeoff rolls, pilots who seee UFOs, and airbags in A320 seat belts. We have more from a 14 year old listener on his aviation aspirations, cell phones on airplanes, and the Russian Irkut MC-21.

We also deliver our personal “Happy Mother’s Day” message to Hariett, an octogenarian aviator and one of our favorite listeners.

The week’s aviation news:

Rob’s report on the Collier Trophy Event at DCA for the Boeing 787.
American Airlines now considering merger scenarios
American Upgrades Business Class, Downgrades Coach on Widebody Fleet
Putin’s Aerospace Rebirth Ambition Hangs on SuperJet Crash Probe

In memorium:

In this week’s Australia Desk report:

Qantas pilots union lose an appeal in the Federal Court against the management decision to ground the airline last year, Federal budget cuts affect Defence procurement programs, including the F35A & P8 – they also bring forward the retirement of the C130H fleet to this year, instead of 2013 – The RAAF confirms a purchase order for 10 Aleania C27J Spartan aircraft in a move worth $A1.4billion, Federal Government announces a 17% hike in departure taxes, raising the cost of leaving Australia to $A55…..and GM for PM?? Could be a theme coming here….

Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124.

In the Across the Pond segment:

Last year we were contacted by Bill Jones from Kansas City, Missouri to ask if we could help with a flight he planned to take in a small GA aircraft across the North Sea from Holland to the UK. Unfortunately it didn’t quite work out but we managed to get Bill connected to our friend a recent guest Jelle Hieminga who was featured on our VC Tenderness episode and then again on GA in Holland in Episode 169. On Across the Pond this week we hear how Bill got on.

Find Pieter Johnson on Twitter as @Nascothornet, on his blog Alpha Tango Papa, and also on Facebook at XTPMedia.

Mentions:

AirSafe.com, Dr. Todd Curtis’ excellent resource.
General Aviation Airport Coalition - Find the user fee petition on the Alerts page, or go direct to the whitehouse.gov page.

From the listener mail:

Russian (okay Ukrainian actually) Plane uses ALL of Canberra Airport’s Runway (YouTube).
Japan Air Lines flight 1628 incident
UFO over Chicago O`Hare Airport Nov 7, 2006
UFO Files | Black Box UFO Secrets
PilotEdge, ATC service for a range of flight simulators.
Offered on Virgin Atlantic (Upper Class Cabin) flights…
Planeview: browse the upper class suite
Pocket Casts by Shifty Jelly.
ExpertAviator.com – Increasing Your Aviation Knowledge One Blog Post At A Time.

Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at www.brotherloverocks.com.

Episode 196 – A Military Fly Mom

maxflight — Wed, 09 May 2012 01:08:45 +0000

Guest Linda L. (Heid) Maloney had a 20 year military career as a naval flight officer flying the A-7, EA-6A, and the EA-6B Prowler. She was one of the first women to join a combat military flying squadron. Since then, she’s provided engineering and technical support to the Navy’s aviation acquisition programs and has just authored the book, Military Fly Moms ~ Sharing Memories, Building Legacies, Inspiring Hope.

We talk with Linda about being a female military aviator, and the time she had to eject from her plane. In her book, a collection of women military pilots tell their stories, the decisions they have had to make, the legacy they want pass down to their children, and the encouragement they give to other women. A portion of the proceeds from the book go to Girls With Wings.

Find Linda (and her book) at www.LindaHeidMaloney.com or on Twitter as @militaryflymoms. Also see the Military Fly Moms ~ Sharing Memories, Building Legacies, Inspiring Hope Facebook page.

The week’s aviation news:

David’s Aircraft of the Week: The EA-6A Electric Intruder.

In this week’s Australia Desk report:

In addition to the airshow noise, Grant and Steve talk about CASA grounding another animal themed airline, Qantas considering laying off 400 maintenance workers in Melbourne, Qantas delaying two A380s but increasing domestic capacity to fight off Virgin Australia and the recent Australian decision to delay making a decision on when to purchase the F35.

Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124.

This week on Across the Pond, Pieter again talks with UK airline consultant Tim Gresty from Cognitio. Tim shares more of his views on the way the industry is developing and where he thinks things will develop for some of the carriers.

Find Pieter Johnson on Twitter as @Nascothornet, on his blog Alpha Tango Papa, and also on Facebook at XTPMedia.

Mentions:

Martin Baker, maker of ejection seats.

Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at http://www.brotherloverocks.com/.

Episode 195 – Kelly Murphy

maxflight — Wed, 02 May 2012 02:27:12 +0000

Guest Kelly Murphy is a founder of Emerald Media, which handles public relations, media services, and all the editorial aspects of producing publications for aviation clients. Kelly runs the group’s publishing activities and that includes newsletters, magazine, brochures, and presentations. She is the editor of Regional Horizons, the magazine of the US Regional Airline Association, and Saab Aircraft Leasing’s Saab Market Report and Saab Aerotech’s Support Solutions. Kelly is a member of the Aero Club of Washington, a private pilot license holder and occasionally flies a Cessna 172 for her family’s aerial photography business. She’s the former editor of Professional Pilot magazine, Water Flying magazine and Commuter/Regional Airline News (US).

We talk about last week’s World Airline Training Show in Florida and where the next generation of pilots is going to come from, and the special supplement produced for the Women in Aviation Conference in Dallas. The RAA 37th Annual Convention is coming up in in Minneapolis next month and comments for the NPRM closed on Monday, April 30, 2012.

The week’s aviation news:

In this week’s Australia Desk report: Tiger Airways ditches $1 fares but is looking toward better use of technology for check-in, Australian Government introduces a National Airline Customer Advocate, Avalon Airport in Victoria to allow greater GA utilisation….but check out those user fees!…Virgin Australia shows off its latest A330s, Australian Government refuses to fully fund a trip for the 70 remaining veterans of Bomber Command from WW2 to attend the opening of the official memorial in London.

Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124.

This week on Across the Pond, Pieter talks to heavyweight airline executive Tim Gresty from Cognitio about the challenges of the low cost airlines versus the full fare carriers and what impact the new High Speed Rail Link in the UK will have on the regional airline sector. Tim gives us a real insight into what senior airline executives think about these challenges as well as enlightening us to some fascinating views on airline performance. Tim and his business have worked with British Airways, Air France/KLM, Hapag Lloyd, Etihad and Air Belin as well as working in some very interesting markets such as Mauritius, Iran and South Africa.

Find Pieter Johnson on Twitter as @Nascothornet, on his blog Alpha Tango Papa, and also on Facebook at XTPMedia.

Mentions:

US Regional Airline Association
Saab Aircraft Leasing
General Aviation Airport Coalition
Culpeper Regional Airport, Culpeper Air Fest, October 6, 2012
Pilots: JJ Quinn by Kelly Murphy
Regional Horizons Women in Aviation Supplement (PDF)
Regional Horizons, Regional Airline Industry Forecasts

Links from Listener Email:

Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at http://www.brotherloverocks.com/.

Episode 194 – The Aeroscholar

maxflight — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 00:53:02 +0000

Guest Steve Harris is currently a senior at the University of Michigan in Aerospace Engineering and writes the Aeroscholar blog. He’s also the president of the UofM Student Chapter of The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), and is a member of the Jet Engine Team of Michigan. Steve is starting to pursue a private pilot’s license, he has taken students on a tour of the top aerospace companies in southern California, he attends the Aerospace Sciences Meeting every year, and through the AIAA he lobbies for the aerospace industry in Washington D.C. Steve Tweets as @Aeroscholar.

The week’s aviation news:

David Vanderhoof gives us a report on the Space Shuttle swap-out at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles Airport. He spoke with NASA Director Charles F. “Charlie” Bolden, NASM Curator Dr. Helen Morill, and Senator John Glenn.
Dan spoke with Virgin Galactic’s CEO and President George Whitesides aboard Virgin America’s inaugural flight from Los Angeles to Philadelphia.
Warbirds Facing Doom?
American Airlines unions, US Airways announce deal to support merger
Merged airline would be called American Airlines, headquartered in Fort Worth
Bates: US Airways has a good plan, American Airlines doesn’t
A JET FLIGHT PASSENGER’S NIGHTMARE: Delta flight forced to emergency land after bird strike takes out a 757 jet engine
Business Expert Videos Delta 1063 Mid Air Bird Strike

David’s aircraft of the Week: the Aérospatiale SA 315B Lama.

No Australia Desk news report this week, but you can still find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124.

This week on Across the Pond, Pieter talks again to Rohit Rao from AeroBlogger about developments in India with the focus on airlines. There’s more news from Kingfisher and the guys look at some of the new airlines starting up in the region. Find Rohit on Twitter as @TheAeroBlogger.

Find Pieter Johnson on Twitter as @Nascothornet, on his blog Alpha Tango Papa, and also on Facebook at XTPMedia.

Links from Listener Email:

How Things Work: Lightning Protection

Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at http://www.brotherloverocks.com/.

Post photo by David Vanderhoof

Episode 193 – Just the Geeks

maxflight — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 00:32:48 +0000

This week our scheduled guest was called away at the last minute, so the Geeks go it alone to talk about some of the recent aviation news and discuss a lot of interesting listener mail. Of course, we also have David’s This Week in Aviation history segment, Steve and Grant’s Australia News Desk, and Pieter’s Across the Pond Segment.

The week’s aviation news:

David’s aircraft of the Week: the Rockwell Space Transportation Systems OV-103, otherwise known as the Space Shuttle Discovery.

In this week’s Australia Desk report: Steve has a new get rich quick idea as Qantas operates an A330 from Sydney to Adelaide on April 13th partially powered by biofuel, Qantas A380 VH-OQA takes to the skies after 18 months of repairs following its infamous incident above Indonesia in 2010.

Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124.

This week on Across the Pond, Pieter talks to Frenchez Pietersz from Aviation Platform about airline news from the Benelux countries of Europe, that’s Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg. With so much to cover we focused this week’s talk on Belgium and Holland, how the KLM Air France merger is developing, and how Lufthansa is challenging them with flights from Brussels.

You can dind Aviation Platform on Twitter as @AviPlatform, on Facebook, and on LinkedIn. Find Pieter Johnson on Twitter as @Nascothornet, on his blog Alpha Tango Papa, and also on Facebook at XTPMedia.

Links from Listener Email:

Lightning Strike via John Arvin.
Bush and Arctic Pilot, recommended by Chris.
DC-3/Dakota Historical Society, Inc. also from Chris.
Lost In Oscar Hotel, celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Piper Cub.
Space Shuttle Discovery to Fly Over Washington Metro Area April 17 and…
Shuttle lands here soon, so sorry Houston from Harry.
RAF sonic boom jets spark resident alarm after helicopter emergency from Ben.
Squawk codes & Transponders via Tim Robinson.

Permission to use the post photograph has been obtained from the photographer.

Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at http://www.brotherloverocks.com/.

Episode 192 – Mike Flies Seaplanes

maxflight — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 01:15:41 +0000

Mike Kincaid is a CFI/Designated Examiner at Mountain Lakes Seaplanes, based at Pappy Boyington Airport (COE) in Hayden, Idaho. He learned to fly in Alaska, where seaplanes are a must, and he had a career with the Alaska Department of Public Safety. In Alaska, Mike hiked, fished, hunted, skied, snowshoed, mushed dogs, flew bush planes, chased bad guys, protected the wildlife of Alaska, and built log cabins deep in the woods. He now shares his passion for seaplane flying with students from around the globe in his restored Piper J3 and writes when the weather grounds him.

We talk about how Mike ended up in Alaska and learned to fly, and what it’s like to fly with floats. He offers a few stories about his adventures in Alaska, some good and some very much the opposite. Mike’s books include Seaplane Rating Basics and several others based on his Alaska adventures. Mike was also involved in the movie The Frozen Ground based on a real case about a serial killer in Alaska. The movie is scheduled for release December 2012 and stars Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, and Vanessa Hudgens. Mike did the flying (some if it spectacular glacier flying) which director Scott Walker referred to as “organic flying.” He was the stunt double and pilot for John Cusak.

The week’s aviation news:

Benet Wilson joins us with her impressions from Sun ‘n Fun
Man Tries to Board Plane at PHL With Fireworks
Man Arrested At PHL Checkpoint With Loaded Firearm
JetBlue co-pilot calmly and quickly got jet down

David’s aircraft of the Week: the Thwipplenut Parakeet.

In this week’s Australia Desk report: Qantas announces Jetstar Hong Kong in partnership with China Eastern….but will Hong Kong’s lawmakers allow it? Fiji’s military government causing problems for Qantas’ 46% stake in Air Pacific, RAAF ramps up plans for EA18G “Growler” conversions, Melbourne Airport announces a $A1billion upgrade.

Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124.

This week on Across the Pond, we get our own student pilot back: Neil Bradon. When we last talked to Neil back in Episode 168 he had just solo’d in Ireland and was planning to spend the next few years in the USA. Well, he arrived, found his school and is flying again. Find out how he’s doing.

Neil is an avid Airplane Geeks listener and supporter and has his own blog at www.getmyppl.blogspot.co.uk and lives his life on Twitter as @Pilot_ngb.

Find Pieter Johnson on Twitter as @Nascothornet, on his blog Alpha Tango Papa, and also on Facebook at XTPMedia.

Links from Listener Email:

Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at http://www.brotherloverocks.com/.

Episode 191 – Fatigue Risk Management

maxflight — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 01:56:10 +0000

Guest Leigh White is President of Alertness Solutions. We talk about the science of fatigue and how it can be applied to aviation, be it for pilots, cabin crew, air traffic controllers, and others. Leigh talks about new fatigue management requirements, how to integrate those with existing processes, and how fatigue management is really an enhancement of operator safety management systems.

When managing a flight department and incorporating fatigue into the operation, there are four main factors to be aware of:
1. a continuum of performance impairment, not just falling asleep
2. focus on circadian rhythm
3. the hours of wakefulness (at 16 hours there is a significant performance drop) – impact on long duty days
4. sleep debt – the cumulative effect of insufficient sleep

The week’s aviation news:

David’s aircraft of the Week: the Lockheed JetStar.

In this week’s Australia Desk report: Grant is out sick and Steve has been in South Australia covering the Parafield Air Show where among others, he recorded an interview with Flight Lieutenant Richard Morris, a pilot with the RAAF Display Team “The Roulettes.” We give the airline news a break this week as we hear about life in the RAAFs elite display team. Find out more about the Roulettes at www.airforce.gov.au/roulettes and follow the RAAF on Twitter @airforcehq.

Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124.

In the Across the Pond segment, Gareth Stringer and Tim Robinson talk with Pieter Johnson about the English Electric Lightning, C135′s at Mildenhall, the Singapore Air Show, and an old piece of Royal Aeronautical Society film footage that has surfaced of some great historical aircraft.

Find Gareth at Global Aviation Resource and Tim at the Royal Aeronautical Society. Pieter can be found on Twitter as @Nascothornet or at XTP Media’s Facebook Page.

Links to items in the Across the Pond segment:

Links from Listener Email:

Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at http://www.brotherloverocks.com/.

In this week’s Australia Desk report: Grant is out sick this week and Steve has been in South Australia covering the Parafield Air Show where among others, he recorded an interview with Flight Lieutenant Richard Morris, a pilot with the RAAF Display Team “The Roulettes.” We give the airline news a break this week as we hear about life in the RAAFs elite display team. Find out more about the Roulettes at www.airforce.gov.au/roulettes and follow the RAAF on Twitter @airforcehq.

Airplane Geeks – Episode 190 – Steve Fulton Knows RNP

maxflight — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 23:51:35 +0000

Guest Steve Fulton is a Technical Fellow with GE Aviation. He was the pilot at Alaska Airlines who helped develop the world’s first RNP procedure (that’s Required Navigation Performance), and he was a co-founder of Naverus, now part of GE. RNP enables aircraft to be placed on efficient predefined paths from top of descent to the runway.

We discuss RNP, the FAA reauthorization, and what the U.S. Congress has mandated. We talk about bringing what was developed in simpler situations to more complex ones here in the U.S., and mention “The Highways in the Sky” study where GE identifies significant benefits at airports that are not at the top of the FAA priority list. Steve points out that besides techincal challanges, this technology requires attention to the human element because it represents such a large change for pilots and air traffic controllers. Controllers, for example, have great vectoring skills that work well for loading the runways, but not very efficiently. RNP brings efficiency, but the task is more about managing automation. Steve also talks about translating the benefits of RNP to general aviation and unmanned aviation as well.

Steve writes for the GE Aviation Skyward Blog, and you can follow him Twitter at @captstevefulton.

The week’s aviation news:

In this week’s Australia Desk report: Virgin Australia restructure goes ahead despite Qantas trying to block it, damaged Qantas A380 V-OQA repaired and returning to Aus next month, AirNZ ATR 72s grounded due to wing cracks, and Air Asia X pulling out of Christchurch route.

Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124.

In his Across The Pond segment, Pieter Johnson talks with AeroBlogger Rohit Rao about the situation for airlines in India. Rohit gives his views on Kingfisher and their well publicised troubles as well as looking at Indigo. It’s a fascinating insight into Indian aviation.

Follow Rohit on Twitter as @TheAeroBlogger and Pieter can be found on Twitter as @Nascothornet or XTP Media’s Facebook Page.

Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at http://www.brotherloverocks.com/.

Episode 189 – Darryl Jenkins

maxflight — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 01:29:03 +0000

Guest Darryl Jenkins is a seasoned airline analyst, Chairman of the American Aviation Institute, and author of the Handbook of Airline Economics.

The week’s aviation news:

In this week’s Australia Desk report: the Qantas Asian venture takes a dive as Malaysia Airlines pulls out of the Red Q proposal, Air New Zealand is upsetting customers with its new “bid for a seat” frequent flyer programme, and Airbus Military offers the RAAF a 6th KC30A tanker.

Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124.

In his Across The Pond segment, Pieter Johnson talks with Diego López-Salazar from Aeropodcast.com to give us an update on the airlines in Spain. They discuss Spanair, Iberia Express and Volotea and the Spanish Government’s step down from privatisation. Pieter can be found on Twitter as @Nascothornet or XTP Media’s Facebook Page.

Mentioned in the episode:

Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at http://www.brotherloverocks.com/.

Episode 188 – The Mach 1.4 UAV

maxflight — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 01:50:40 +0000

Guest Ryan P. Starkey, Ph.D. has been working with University of Colorado students to develop a Mach 1.4 UAV. Propulsion for this very efficient aircraft comes from a 20 pound turbojet that features an afterburner and thrust vectoring nozzle. We talk about the design of the vehicle, possible commercial and military applications, and the timeline for first flight.

Ryan is Assistant Professor and a McAnally Faculty Fellow, as well as Director of the Busemann Advanced Concepts Lab at the University of Colorado Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences. You can also learn more about this project at Starkey Aerospace Corporation.

The week’s aviation news:

This week’s Australia Desk report was recorded live at the Tyabb Airshow, 70km southeast of Melbourne. Air Australia owes creditors $A90million but had less than $A500,000 in funds when it went bankrupt, Qantas fails in its bit to have to Federal Government change the Qantas Sale Act (1992), Virgin Australia restructures into domestic & international companies, tour operator, Jetset, has an incredible profit increase thanks to the high value of the Aussie dollar, ATC Ben makes a cameo appearance, Grant is horrified that Steve left light beer in his fridge!

Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu. Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124.

This week on Across The Pond, Pieter Johnson talks to John Greenway from the Manchester Airport Group about Manchester Airport’s growth and success at becoming the first Aerocity. Manchester has an innovative style to accommodating its customers, has a great Twitter feed and is performing well in a demanding market. Hear how the Airpark (the place for aviation spotters and enthusiasts) homes some of the nations most prized assets, including a Concorde.

You can find the Manchester Airport Group at www.manchesterairport.co.uk and on Twitter as @manairport. See also the Airport City website at airportcity.co.uk. Pieter can be found on Twitter as @Nascothornet or XTP Media’s Facebook Page.

Mentioned in the episode:

Links from listeners:

Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at http://www.brotherloverocks.com/.

Post photo by Paul Thompson: Three Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft based at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire UK. He liked the picture as they flew towards him at around 500 feet and then went and had a little play ( vertically to about 20000 feet) as it were.

Episode 187 – Ducky Does Airplanes

maxflight — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 02:00:10 +0000

Guest David Allen produces the great video podcast Other People’s Airplanes, where he takes you with him on flights in, well, other people’s airplanes. He also co-hosts the popular Pilot’s Flight PodLog, a hangar flying podcast. Follow David on Twitter as @DaveFlys.

We talk about how David uses multiple GoPro cameras mounted on the airplane to capture an immersive in-cockpit video experience, and some exciting changes coming to the Pilot’s Flight PodLog. David has also seen the first rough cut of the documentary film, A Pilot’s Story and he gives us a little taste of that. This will be a DVD that we’ll all want to own when it becomes available. David tells us what it takes to do what he does, and how you can too. Also, if you stick with the show, you’ll hear where the handle Ducky came from.

The week’s aviation news:

In this week’s Australia Desk report: In this week’s Australia Desk report: Grant has been to an air show without Steve! Air New Zealand announces job cuts following low profit figures, Air New Zealand confirms the purchase of two additional 787-9s, Virgin Australia announces profit increase of 118% on same time last year, RAAF may reconsider purchase of C27J Spartans – Airbus Military keen to sell them C295s instead.

Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu. Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124.

This week on the Across The Pond segment, Pieter Johnson talks to Simon Atack, one of the world’s greatest aviation artists. We find out how Simon starting drawing and painting aeroplanes and what inspires him to keep producing his amazing pictures.

You can find Simon Atack on Twitter at @SimonWAtack on the Web at www.simonatack.com, and on Facebook. Pieter can be found on Twitter as @Nascothornet or XTP Media’s Facebook Page.

Mentioned in the episode:

A Pilot’s Story

Links from listeners:

Isaac’s Seattle links:

Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at http://www.brotherloverocks.com/.

Episode 186 – Joe Bellino on Air Traffic Control

maxflight — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 02:25:31 +0000

Our guest this episode is Joe Bellino, a retired Air Traffic Controller. He was with the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO) and after the 1981 Controllers strike he became the local union rep for the new National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA). Joe was a regional union VP from 1986 to 1990, and also the Executive VP of NATCA from 1991 to 1994.

We talk about NextGen ATC, controller fatigue, types of people who make good controllers and how to test them (or not) for native ability, aircraft separation, and other air traffic control topics.

The week’s aviation news:

In this week’s Australia Desk report: Air Australia goes bankrupt only three months after re-branding from Strategic, leaving 4,000 passengers stranded and 96,000 ticket holders wondering if they’ll get any refund. We’re joined by senior aviation journalist Ben Sandilands as we discuss the events and what led up to them. The news provided a perfect diversion for Qantas CEO Allan Joyce, as he delivered very poor profit figures and announced 500 job cuts during the week.

Find Ben Sandilands online at Plane Talking and follow him on Twitter as @planetalking. Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu. Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124.

On Across The Pond this week, Pieter talks to James Cliff, PR Executive and Commentator for the Blades Display Team, one of Europes best aerobatic display teams.

You can find The Blades team on Twitter at @thebladesteam on the Web at www.theblades.biz, and on Facebook as The Blades Aerobatic Team. Pieter can be found on Twitter as @Nascothornet or XTP Media’s Facebook Page.

Mentioned in the episode:

White 767s at Dulles maps.google.com 38.942792,-77.449264

Links from listeners:

Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at http://www.brotherloverocks.com/.

Episode 185 – Richard Aboulafia Returns

maxflight — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:24:16 +0000

Richard Aboulafia, Vice President, Analysis from Teal Group joins the Geeks to talk aviation. Benet Wilson, Director of Media Relations for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, is back as guest co-host.

We talk about the A380 and B787, program breakeven vs. recurrent breakeven, lessons the airframers can apply to the 737MAX and A320neo, and why the A380 doesn’t have swimming pools, bowling alleys, and fast food restraunts. Richard opines on the poor state of the business jet market and the impact on Wichita. We talk about the Chinese aviation market and why Richard isn’t worried about the Comac 919. Shades of the IPTN N-250! Richard also talks about what Bombardier needs to do to gouge out CSeries market share. We touch on the EU Carbon Trading Scheme, the American Airlines bankruptcy, the Boeing 747-8, the Heli Expo in Dallas and the Singapore Airshow.

The week’s aviation news:

In this week’s Australia Desk report: Qantas inspects another A380 for wing cracks, Etihad very happy with pax numbers after aligning with Virgin Australia, Virgin Aus pilot sues company over use of a heavy flight bag, Taser found on board a Virgin 737, full body scanners to be rolled out in Australian airports, Qantas CEO Allan Joyce claims in a Senate hearing that changes to the Qantas Sale Act would potentially force the sale of Jetstar.

Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu. Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124.

On Across The Pond this week, Pieter talks to David Bickerton, Director at Airclaims. He tells us about his aviation career and what services Airclaims delivers to the aviation sector., which includes insurance claims, aviation risk management and aviation consulting among other activities. Its a part of the aviation industry rarely seen by the public.

You can find Airclaims on Twitter at @Airclaims and at www.airclaims.com. Pieter can be found on Twitter as @Nascothornet or XTP Media’s Facebook Page.

Mentioned in the episode:

Follow the @AirplaneGeeks on Twitter and on Facebook, send us email at thegeeks@airplanegeeks.com, or leave a message on our listener line: (361) GEEKS01.

Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at http://www.brotherloverocks.com/.

Episode 184 – Vicki Portway, National Air and Space Museum

maxflight — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:20:10 +0000

Guest Vicki Portway is Head of Web & New Media for the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. We talk about the Museum’s online outreach, the fantastic Become a Pilot Day in June, and the Space Shuttle Discovery target arrival of April 17 at Dulles Airport and transfer to the Udvar-Hazy Center April 19, replacing the Enterprise, which goes to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York City.

You can find the National Air and Space Museum on Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, and Twitter. Vicki is on Twitter as sluggernova.

The week’s aviation news:

David’s Aircraft of the Week is the Supermarine Attacker.

In this week’s Australia Desk report, Steve is back from vacation, Rob Fyfe announces his pending retirement as CEO of Air New Zealand, Qantas announces Carbon Tax related fare rises (Steve vents about the Carbon Tax), Qantas credit rating downgrade, and Grant tries the mood detecting music machine one last time.

Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu. Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124.

On Across The Pond this week, Pieter talks to Dave Lees, Managing Director of Southampton Airport in the UK. Dave explains to us how he will make Southampton already one of the UK’s highest performing regional airports, even better.

You can find Southampton Airport on Twitter at @SOU_Airport and at www.southamptonairport.com. Pieter can be found on Twitter as @Nascothornet or XTP Media’s Facebook Page.

Mentioned in the episode:

Follow the @AirplaneGeeks on Twitter and on Facebook, send us email at thegeeks@airplanegeeks.com, or leave a message on our listener line: (361) GEEKS01.

Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at http://www.brotherloverocks.com/.

Episode 183 – Just the Geeks

maxflight — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 03:17:35 +0000

The Geeks go it alone in this episode, but despite the lack of an aviation guest we manage to have a great time talking aviation.

The week’s aviation news:

David’s Aircraft of the Week is the Lockheed Model 10 Electra.

In this week’s Australia Desk report, Grant flys solo this week and covers a few headlines, an overly accurate mood-sensing music system, and some voice mails.

Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu. Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124.

In the Across the Pond segment, Gareth Stringer and Tim Robinson talk with Pieter Johnson about aviation news items from Europe. Making the cut this week is the Neuron-UCAV, the RAF buying second hand transport aircraft and the latest idea for runway capacity in the UK.

Pieter can be found on Twitter as @Nascothornet or XTP Media’s Facebook Page.

Mentioned in the episode:

Follow the @AirplaneGeeks on Twitter and on Facebook, send us email at thegeeks@airplanegeeks.com, or leave a message on our listener line: (361) GEEKS01.

Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at http://www.brotherloverocks.com/.

Episode 182 – Alan Epstein and the Geared Turbofan Engine

maxflight — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 01:11:59 +0000

Guest Alan Epstein is Pratt & Whitney’s Vice President of Technology & Environment. We talk about the PurePower family of geared turbofan (GTF) jet engines: how long the technology has been around, what the GTF is trying to achieve, propulsive and thermal efficiency, biofuel, technology push versus pull, and more. Alan even has his own “grill the geeks” question!

The week’s aviation news:

David’s Aircraft of the Week is the Sikorsky S-61L.

In this week’s Australia Desk report: More A380 cracking issues for Qantas to keep an eye on, Australian Army grounds Blackhawk fleet as a precautionary measure, China Southern establishes the “Canton Route” – Sydney to London, Air Asia X announces extra services to Sydney, Virgin Australia add A330s to the Melbourne – Sydney route.

Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu. Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124.

This week on Across the Pond, Pieter talks to Paul Fowler from Enstone Flying Club, about the Club and the airfield. Set in Oxfordshire, a stunningly beautiful part of the UK, Paul tells us about the history of the airfield and its residents and what its like to fly in this part of the world. Enstone Airfield has some great residents and has a fabulous community relationship, many others could learn from.

You can find Enstone on Facebook and YouTube and you can find Paul Fowler on Twitter and LinkedIn. Pieter can be found on Twitter as @Nascothornet or XTP Media’s Facebook Page.

Mentioned in the episode:

Chris Manno’s new JetHead Live Podcast, which you can find on iTunes.
Screenprints of airport runway patterns from NOMO Design

Follow the @AirplaneGeeks on Twitter and on Facebook, send us email at thegeeks@airplanegeeks.com, or leave a message on our listener line: (361) GEEKS01.

Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at http://www.brotherloverocks.com/.

Episode 181 – Craig Fuller from AOPA

maxflight — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 02:10:10 +0000

Guest Craig Fuller is President and CEO of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). We talk about the U.S. Government proposal to charge $100 per flight for flights in controlled airspace, Representative Mike Pompeo’s America Flies petition, NextGen Air Traffic Control, EU ETS, and other topics.

The week’s aviation news:

David’s Aircraft of the Week is the O2U Corsair.

In this week’s Australia Desk report: Reality TV pilot in trouble with CASA, Australian registered Beechcraft Debonaires & Bonanzas affected by a serious airworthiness directive, Miranda Kerr is the latest celebrity promoter for Qantas, ex Qantas bean counter suggests a “fat tax” for larger airline passengers.

Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu. Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124.

This week on Across the Pond, Pieter Johnson talks to Pele Johnson, a frequent business traveller across the Atlantic. Pele often gets the chance to travel business or first class and so we ask him what its like (because not many of us get to do this) and which of the two major British carriers he prefers to fly with. He’s a photographer and a talented guitar player. Maybe you have heard him play. Listen in and find out.

You can find Pele on Twitter as @denhelderstudio, on the web at www.denhelderphotography.com and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/denhelderphotography. Pieter can be found on Twitter as @Nascothornet or at the XTP Media’s Facebook Page.

Mentioned in the episode:

America Flies

Geveral Aviation Serves America

No big changes in air show safety rules likely

Other listener submissions:

Transparent Pricing at Thromby Air

Airport Love: Passengers Get Christmas Surprise in Quebec

So Many Errors: The Runway Incursion of United 1448

Aircraft maker set to land elsewhere

Maine gov still hopeful of landing Kestrel, says ‘we’re ready to make this happen’

Follow the @AirplaneGeeks on Twitter and on Facebook, send us email at thegeeks@airplanegeeks.com, or leave a message on our listener line: (361) GEEKS01.

Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at http://www.brotherloverocks.com/.

Episode 180 – Mary Kirby from APEX

maxflight — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 01:53:00 +0000

Guest Mary Kirby is is Editor-in-Chief of the Airline Passenger Experience magazine and the APEX media platform. We talk about the current state of inflight internet connectivity, what passengers expect aboard the flight, the GoGo IPO, and why we’re going to see more announcements. Also, pressure on interior suppliers as a result of the huge numbers of narrow body orders going on the books, and how that’s delaying aircraft deliveries. We touch on airline alliance interior commonality, and the outlook for embedded IFE.

Find Mary at the APEX Editor’s Blog and on Twitter as @APEXmary. The Airline Passenger Experience Association is at apex.aero.

The week’s aviation news:

David’s Aircraft of the Week is the Cessna A-37 Dragonfly, also known as the Super Tweet.

In this week’s Australia Desk report: 12th A380 arrives for Qantas, more A380s coming to Melbourne as Emirates signals their intentions, cracks appearing in some A380s including one QF aircraft, 150 Qantas pilots now working for Gulf based airlines during their down time, tragic balloon crash in New Zealand kills 11 people.

Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu. Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124.

This week on Across the Pond, Pieter talks to new aerobatic pilot and author of The Aerobatic Project, Lauren Richardson. Lauren explains what’s its like to transition from a 152 to a Pitts Special and what it was like in her first aerobatic competition. Lauren can be found on Twitter @Groovy_Nut, while Pieter can be found on Twitter as @Nascothornet or XTP Media’s Facebook Page.oba

Mentioned in the episode:

Follow the @AirplaneGeeks on Twitter and on Facebook, send us email at thegeeks@airplanegeeks.com, or leave a message on our listener line: (361) GEEKS01.

Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at http://www.brotherloverocks.com/.

Episode 179 – Airplane Geeks Unplugged

maxflight — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 02:37:39 +0000

In this first episode of 2012, we look back at some aviation highlights from 2011, look ahead to what we might see in 2012, and in so doing find it impossible to avoid politics and the economy.

Unlike our usual episodes, this one is pretty raw and largely unedited. You can decide if you like that or not, or if you can even tell the difference.

Grant McHerron and Steve Visscher from the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast drop in for a bit. David Vanderhoof kicks off his new This Week in Aviation format with an aircraft of the week: the Aermacchi MB-326. He also teaches us the meaning of the word Sequestration.

In the Across the Pond segment, Gareth Stringer and Tim Robinson discuss with Pieter Johnson the things we might see happening in aviation in Europe in 2012. Will there be another conflict in the world and will Airbus drive forwards with more orders given the tough Euro Financial crisis?

Next week we return to our usual format with another great industry guest.

Follow the @AirplaneGeeks on Twitter and on Facebook, send us email at thegeeks@airplanegeeks.com, or leave a message on our listener line: (361) GEEKS01.

Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at http://www.brotherloverocks.com/.

Episode 178 – Bill English from the NTSB

maxflight — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 02:36:30 +0000

Bill English is a commercial pilot, multi and instrument CFI, and he’s flown corporate, charter, and was an air traffic controller in Boston and NY. Bill has written for IFR Magazine and worked on procedures design and internal investigations for the FAA. Currently, Bill is a National Transportation Safety Board Investigator in Charge, in the Major Aviation Investigations Division.

The week’s aviation news:

In this week’s Australia Desk report: Snow at Christmas?? Surely not! We’re having a beach BBQ for this report! Air New Zealand’s financial losses spell bad news for staff numbers and routes to Europe, Air Pacific doing better financially than last year, Virgin Australia catching up to Qantas in customer satisfaction ratings – Tiger Airways came last….again. The final Australia Desk for 2011 finishes with some messages of thanks and best wishes for 2012.

Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu. Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124.

This week on Across the Pond, Pieter Johnson talks to Mark Maiden, the presenter of The Maiden Flight Podcast. Mark is a student pilot in Dublin, Ireland and explains what is required to gain a private license in Ireland. We hear aboiut some lessons learned in finding a flying school, airsickness and having the throttle on the left hand side of the pilot. Its a worthy listen if you are learning to fly.

Mentioned in the episode:

Bonus:

Santa & F-104 Midair!

Follow the @AirplaneGeeks on Twitter and on Facebook, send us email at thegeeks@airplanegeeks.com, or leave a message on our listener line: (361) GEEKS01.

Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at http://www.brotherloverocks.com/.