Tag Archives: airpark

454 Bits & Pieces XVIII

We have a collection of aviation topics this episode: A flight in a Robinson R-44, a look at residential airparks, the General Atomics MQ-1C Gray Eagle UAS, imaging instruments for aviation maintenance, US Air Force F-35A avionics and a walk around the aircraft, the Commemorative Air Force, honoring the Women Airforce Service Pilots, and using a portable ADS-B receiver.

Bits & Pieces

As long-time listeners know, when our recording day falls on a major U.S. holiday, we forgo our usual format and instead bring you a collection of pre-recorded segments from the co-hosts, and from our listeners and contributors. That’s the case this episode.

Segments

The segments that make up this episode [with start times]:

Our Main(e) man Micah talks with helicopter pilot and Airplane Geeks listener Ernie Eaton at the Hampton Airfield Cafe after their flight in Ernie’s Robinson R44. [2:27]

Ernie Eaton's Robinson R-44.

Ernie Eaton’s Robinson R-44.

Ernie Eaton and our Main(e) Man Micah.

Ernie Eaton and our Main(e) Man Micah.

Bill Armstrong, developer and partner at Big South Fork Airpark, explains what it is like to live in a residential airpark community, and what to consider when you are looking for that lifestyle. [13:14]

Residential airpark living. Photo courtesy Big South Fork Airpark.

Residential airpark living. Photo courtesy Big South Fork Airpark.

Airplane Geeks reporter-at-large Launchpad Marzari speaks with Captain Richards, Company Commander, F company 227 Aviation Battalion, and Sergeant Elbert about the General Atomics MQ-1C Gray Eagle UAS. [24:27]

General Atomics MQ-1C Gray Eagle UAS

General Atomics MQ-1C Gray Eagle UAS. Photo courtesy General Atomics.

Max recorded a call with Liam Hanna, a product specialist with Olympus Europe in Germany. Olympus Europe provides test, measurement, and imaging instruments for the aviation industry. Liam explains the different types of borescopes, how they are used and inspector training requirements, technology advancements that have been made, and dealing with a shortage of inspectors using live inspections and remote experts. Be sure to see the Olympus Application Photo Gallery for a great selection of videoscope and borescope images and videos. Max’s favorite is the High Pressure Turbine Movie, where the laser-drilled cooling holes are clearly visible. [38:12]

Jet engine turbine blade inspection. Photo courtesy Olympus Industrial Measurements.

Jet engine turbine blade inspection. Photo courtesy Olympus Industrial Measurements.

At the Chino Air Show, Brian talked with listener Matt Haines about the 60th Anniversary of the Planes of Fame Airshow [1:04:23]; with Staff Sgt Alexandra Dougherty, an avionics specialist for the US Air Force F-35A [1:06:30]; and with Colonel Eddie Bentley of the Commemorative Air Force in front of the beautifully restored C-53. The Commemorative Air Force operates the world’s largest collection of Flying WWII Airplanes. [1:11:47]

Launchpad Marzari spoke with Allison Hoyt about the Commemorative Air Force’s Rise Above: WASP program. The CAF Rise Above program provides young people with real-world examples of how courage, self-confidence, and perseverance can allow them to triumph over the adversity they face in their own lives. The WASP program looks to encourage young women to become involved in aviation. [1:15:15]

Using a portable ADS-B receiver, often connected to an iPad, is a low-cost way for pilots to display nearby traffic. However, the displays can be misleading, as they often don’t show the most important traffic, which is the traffic closest to the plane with the portable ADS-B receiver. Max Trescott talked about the limitations of these devices in a recent episode of his Aviation News Talk podcast, and we have that segment for you here. [1:19:42]

Our Main(e) man introduces an interview with F-35 pilot Captain Roar conducted by Brian, Carlos, and Micah at Wings Over Pittsburgh 2017. In the interview, they discuss the transition from the F-15E Strike Eagle and low military flying in the UK. Capt. Roar mentions the Mach Loop we talked about a few episodes ago and describes the 3 different F-35 versions. We also hear about high G flight. Following that, Capt. Roar takes Brian, Carlos, and Micah on a walk around the F-35. [1:30:31]

The F-35A at the 2017 Wings Over Pittsburgh Airshow. Photo by Carlos Stebbings, Plane Talking UK Podcast

The F-35A at the 2017 Wings Over Pittsburgh Airshow. Photo by Carlos Stebbings, Plane Talking UK Podcast.

Video

Wings Over Pittsburgh 2017

Carlos and Matt from the Plane Talking UK Podcast pulled together a video presenting many of the faces at the Wings Over Pittsburgh air show.  Have a look and see how many (sunburned) people you recognize from Airplane Geeks, the Airline Pilot Guy Show, the Plane Talking UK Podcast, as well as friends of the podcasts.

 

Credit

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

AirplaneGeeks 372 Flying the Seabee

Seabee N713ET

Flying a seaplane, the “right” to airline seat space, stacked passenger seats, a KC-46A Pegasus milestone, an A330 faceplant, U.S. Customs and Border Protection drones in the National Airspace, and The Air League.

Guest

Ed and his planesEdgar “E.T.” Tello owns and flys a Seabee, and he is also a United Airlines Captain with experience in DC-8s, B-737, B-747, B-757, B-767, and B-777. He flew T-37s and T-38s at Williams AFB and went on to C-141s at Norton AFB, and T-41s (Cessna 172s) instructing Air Force Academy cadets in Colorado Springs. Currently, Ed and his family live in Long Island Airpark, at Lake Norman, North Carolina (NC26).

Ed tells us how he was impressed by seaplanes at an early age. Years later when he saw his dream at AirVenture Oshkosh, he bought it. Seaplanes offer a unique unique flying experience, with the ability to land on water and pull up to the dock or a boat. Ed brings his Seabee to Oshkosh, Sun ‘n Fun, seaplane splash-ins, and other events.

N713ET on the waterThe Seabee’s high wing at the rear of the cockpit affords great visibility, and the plane is unique in that it can be reversed, but it does have heavy maintenance requirements. Ed tells us about the Seaplane Pilots Association and advocating for the type. Some organizations think flying a seaplane into a lake is dangerous, and the Association takes on the task of making them aware that such flights are actually safer than a lot of other recreational activities taking place on the water.

Ed also tells us about life in a residential airpark, the freedoms it brings, and he offers some advice for people considering moving to an airpark. LivingWithYourPlane.com is a helpful resource.

The Beast at Home

The Beast at home. Does it get any better than this?

News

Airline space wars are shifting to the human rights front

This article by Chris Elliott asks the question, “Do you have the right to room on a plane?” As Chris points out, most people probably think the answer is “no, you don’t have a right.”

But as we know, seat space (width and legroom) have been shrinking as airlines look to increase profitability by increasing seat density. Now, the consumer groups Travelers United and FlyersRights want to see that change.

Travelers United has lobbied a government advisory committee to address the amount of space given to air travelers. FlyersRights wants minimum seat width and seat pitch regulations for commercial airlines.

Are stacked seats the new plan to pack in airline passengers?

Airbus has a patent application for an interior design where passengers are placed above in a sort of mezzanine. That would allow the upper and lower passengers to fully recline for sleep during flight. Is this a good idea or something crazy?

(Max joins Mary Kirby and John Walton in a discussion of this topic in #PaxEx Podcast Episode 28.)

Pegasus drogue, hose, boom systems deployed

KC-46A Pegasus November 462 Kilo Charlie reached a program milestone when it deployed its boom and wing mounted pods using a hose and drogue. The Boeing tanker will test the ability to successfully pass gas before meeting the requirement for 18 of the aircraft to be operational by August 2017.

Singapore Airlines jet ‘faceplants’ as landing gear retracts

A Singapore Airlines A330-300 undergoing a landing gear check at Changi Airport had its nose gear retract unexpectedly, dropping the airplane to the ground.

Unmanned Aircraft Systems

We play two clips from theUAVdigest.com interview with John Murphy, Jr., Deputy Director, National Air Security Operations for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Air and Marine Operations (AMO). John talks about how CBP operates unmanned aircraft in the National Air Space, and where CBP gets UAV pilots.

The Australia News Desk

Grant is back on deck (and so is Nykolai) but he’s struggling to remember how to do the AusDesk. Not to worry, Steve helps him get back in the groove and the guys report on:

Across the Pond

The Air League

Pieter brings Scott Pendry onto the show to talk about The Air League, a charitable organisation partnering organisations across the sector to help people get into aviation and aerospace. The Air League particularly helps youngsters as well as those who can not normally access aviation to get involved. If you are in the UK and want to get into the sector, you really should be involved with The Air League. They help with scholarships and bursaries too, contributing to the £1m awarded in aviation scholarships over the past decade. Follow The Air League on Twitter and Instagram.

Mentioned

DUDE, WHERE’S YOUR GEAR?! FedEx MD-10-10F N559FE – gear-up on KORD approach into RWY 28 – Rob points out a video that suggests the pilots of a FedEx MD-10 forgot to lower the landing gear, until close to the last minute.

Charles F Blair Jr.Seaplane Terminal Dedication Ceremony [PDF] – August 27, 2013, St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands.

The flying fanatic who helped babies breathe – “Dr Forrest Bird died in August at the age of 96. He was still flying in his 90s and was the oldest helicopter pilot in the world – and he never stopped inventing.”

From listener Matthew:

Probe of 777 engine’s explosive failure pinpoints its origin

The ICON A5 – The Only Stall/Spin Resistant Production Airplane?

Watch an iPad Land an Airplane

Michigan teens building airplane from scratch

Austin to be first U.S. City to receive British Airways’ new 787-9 Dreamliner

Credit

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

 

 

Episode 169.5 – 2011 AOPA Aviation Summit, Part 1

AOPA Aviation Summit 2011 - Terrafugia Transition

This Special Edition of the Airplane Geeks podcast is the first of two parts with interviews from the 2011 AOPA Aviation Summit. This three-day event was held 22-24 September 2011 in Hartford, Connecticut. Max recorded brief interviews with exhibitors, speakers, and participants.

In Part 1, you’ll hear from:

Donald Purdy, ASRS Expert Analyst and CALLBACK Editor from the NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System.

Nadia Marcinko, Founder/CEO of Aviloop, the daily aviation deal website at www.aviloop.com.

Chris Donald from Big South Fork Airpark, www.BigSouthForkAirpark.com.

Ronald Jarmon from Island Air Express, a Panama City, Florida Flight School.

Carl Dietrich, CEO/CTO of Terrafugia, makers of the Transition roadable airplane. www.terrafugia.com.

Randy Gawenda, Sales Representative, Frasca International, makers of flight simulators. www.frasca.com.

Clay Murphy, a pilot and user of ForeFlight, and then Jason Miller,Co-Founder and Principal Developer at ForeFlight.

LtCol Tony Vallillo and Major Stephen Rocketto from the Civil Air Patrol, Connecticut Wing and Thames River Composite Squadron, Groton, Connecticut respectively.

Lynda Meeks from Girls With Wings, encouraging girls to become interested in aviation.

Eileen Minogue, Director of Operations , Patient Airlift Services, part of The Air Care Alliance and working with the Wounded Warrier Project.

Alexander Tock from King Schools. tock172 on Instagram

Stephen Marshall, General Aviation Sales/Marketing Director, Amsafe seatbely airbags

Follow the Airplane Geeks 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/.