Tag Archives: ATP

712 Digital Co-pilot

The founder and CEO of AeroSys describes the company’s digital co-pilot. Deliveries of the 787 Dreamliner resume, a personal eVTOL, USAF eVTOL pilot training requirements, A-10 Warthog modernization updates, Wheels Up partners with ATP to draw in pilots, the Regional Airline Association disagrees with ALPA over the pilot shortage, and the B-52H may receive a new designation.

Digital Co-pilot

In this Beyond the Press Release installment, we talk with Mirko Hahn, founder, and CEO of AeroSys. The company is developing Goose, which they say is the world’s first certified digital co-pilot for commercial and general aviation. Goose is an AI-based, offline-capable voice assistant.

AeroSys says its mission is “to make single-pilot journeys at least as safe as a multi-crew flight and to replicate the pilot monitoring for all the operations where a second human pilot is not present.” Aviation Entrepreneurship and Innovation Correspondent Hillel Glazer recorded this interview at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2022.

Aviation News

U.S. approves Boeing inspection, rework plan to resume 787 deliveries

The FAA has approved Boeing’s 787 inspection and modification plan and the company has resumed Dreamliner deliveries. On August 10, 2022, Boeing delivered a 787-8 to American Airlines. In September 2020, the FAA announced it was “investigating manufacturing flaws” in some 787 jetliners and deliveries of the 787 were halted in May 2021.

On Sale Flying Car Requires No LIcense

The Jetson One eVTOL from Sweeden weighs 86 kilograms (190 pounds) and is classified as an ultralight. Thus, no license is required to fly it. With a 20-minute flight time and a 102 km/hr top speed, the Jetson One can be ordered with a $22,000 deposit and a $70,000 final payment. However, production is sold out through 2023.

Video: Jetson ONE – Official Launch

Also: The brilliant Engineering behind Jetson ONE (video).

US Air Force Awards Contract for APTIMA to Evaluate Pilot Trainings on EVTOL Aircraft

The US Air Force awarded Aptima a contract to identify pilot competency requirements for eVTOL operations. Using simulators of various eVTOL prototypes with different levels of automation, Aptima will determine the training needed for eVTOL pilots. Aptima training scientist Samantha Emerson said: “The learnability study will help us not only understand the baseline pilot skills and competencies needed for proficient eVTOL flight, but also the impact of automation on pilot performance.”

A-10 Warthog’s Tusks Are Being Sharpened For A High-End Fight

The A-10 Thunderbolt II (or “Warthog”) is undergoing a modernization effort to support fifth-generation fighters. The A-10 has 10 pylons and can deploy a number of standoff weapons. Being considered are the ADM-160 Miniature Air-Launched Decoy (MALD) and the GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bomb (SDB). In the future, the AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) is a possibility.

Wheels Up Partners with ATP for Pilots

Under the new agreement with ATP Flight School, Wheels Up can interview flight instructors with at least 1,000 hours. At 1,200 hours, if they are selected, the instructors can transition first officers on Beechcraft King Air 350, Cessna Citation CJ3, or Beechjet 400 aircraft. Wheels Up members can book private aircraft from the company’s fleet, as well as from third-party operators.

RAA Responds to Inaccurate Data on Pilot Supply

The Regional Airline Association (RAA) and the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) don’t agree if there is really a pilot shortage. In response to New FAA Data Shows U.S. Pilot Production Remains Strong from ALPA, the RAA issued a statement, RAA Responds to Inaccurate and Misleading Data on Pilot Shortage [PDF]. RAA claims ALPA “release[d] misleading comments and graphics seeking to deny the existence of a real and worsening pilot shortage.”

B52 to Receive at Least One New Designation After New Equipment Designation

The B-52H is getting new engines (Rolls-Royce F130s) as well as active, electronically scanned array radar, cockpit displays, and other changes. That could mean it’s time to move on from “H,” possibly to the B-52J or B-52K. The Air Force hasn’t decided yet on the new variant.

Mentioned

Wings Set Aviation Movie Standard in 1927

Video: New Lowest Landing? Wizzair Airbus A321neo Landing at Skiathos Airport

Yet another spectacular landing at Skiathos Airport (Greece), possibly lower than the famous Air Italy 737-800 approach!

Small plane crash lands on 91 Freeway in Corona

Hosts this Episode

Your hosts: Max Flight, David Vanderhoof, Max Trescott, Rob Mark, and Hillel Glazer.

AirplaneGeeks 366 Getting Your Air Transport Pilot Certificate

XTI Aircraft Company TriFan 600

XTI Aircraft Company TriFan 600

Strategies for getting your ATP certificate, a new VTOL aircraft offers an equity stake via crowdfunding, F-35 operational testing and a close-air support match up with the A-10, Skytrax rates the world’s airlines, inflight WiFi prices going up, and a retired Google executive receives an award from the Aero Club of Northern California.

Guest

Don Sebastian is President of Aviation Consulting Services Incorporated. He was our guest on Episode 336, back in February of this year, when we talked about the airplane pre-buy process. Don has a variety of aviation experiences and no shortage of opinions, so we asked him back, this time to talk about getting an Air Transport Pilot rating.

We talk with Don about different strategies to obtain an ATP rating. The cost today is not like it was in the “old days,” and prospective flight training students are different than the generations of the past, but Don believes there are ways it can be done without spending hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Don Sebastion

Don Sebastian

Don has a number of certificates from the FAA. They include Air Transport Pilot certificates for single engine and multiengine aircraft, a commercial certificate for helicopters, and a Private certificate for gliders. He’s also a flight instructor for airplanes, holds two ground instructor certificates, and has an A and P mechanics certificate for airframe and powerplants. He also has a parachute Jumpmaster license from the Parachute Club of America, which has since been renamed the United States Parachute Association.

Don has performed over 2,000 pre-buys and flight tests. He was a member of the 82nd Airborne Division, testifies as an expert witness, and has eight lecture tours under his belt. Outside of aviation, Don contributes his energy to a variety of community and charitable activities.

Don produced the document Getting the ATP Rating which contains biographical information and great photographs,  as well as advice and links to online resources for those considering an Air Transport Pilot career. These are some of those resources:

News

XTI Aircraft Company offers stakes in the TriFan 600 VTOL business plane

A group of experienced aviation professionals has formed XTI Aircraft Company to develop a six-seat aircraft called the TriFan 600. It’s powered by two turboshaft engines that drive three ducted fans. The VTOL aircraft can hover and transition to horizontal flight by rotating the wing-mounted fans horizontal to vertical.

XTI Aircraft is using crowdfunding to raise a portion of the total investment required. This is now possible because new Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rules allow startups to “test the waters” before a stock offering.

Update in XTI Aircraft Company Earns SEC Qualification, January 21, 2016:

XTI Aircraft Company (XTI) today launched a formal stock offering and is accepting investments to support development of the revolutionary new TriFan 600 aircraft. This 30-day opportunity to invest is not only open to those who have expressed interest in investing in the company, but to all investors around the globe. Shares in XTI may be purchased at www.startengine.com/startup/xti.

Note: Airplane Geeks makes no investment recommendation with respect to XTI Aircraft. We are only providing this information to inform our audience. Carefully consider your own situation before making any investment decisions.

A-4 Skyhawks support F-35 operational testing

Partner countries buying the F-35 each have their own operational tests. The Royal Netherlands Air Force test of the F-35A includes A-4 Skyhawks, F-16s, and a KDC-10 aerial tanker.

The F-35 vs. the A-10 Warthog, head-to-head in close-air support. It’s on.

The A-10 Thunderbolt II is to be retired due to budget constraints, with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter taking over the close-air support mission. Some think this is a fine idea, and others don’t. The two aircraft will participate in comparison evaluations starting in 2018.

The world’s worst airlines to fly with

The Skytrax World Airline Star Ratings classify airlines “by the quality of their front-line product and staff service standards.”  Topping the list as the world’s worst airline is North Korea’s Koryo Air.

In-Flight Wi-Fi Prices Jump as Demand Surges

Inflight connectivity provider Gogo has increased prices for WiFi significantly in the past few years. Gogo says increased demand is causing some congestion, but also that demand-based pricing is normal in business.

Retired Google VP Alan Eustace, holder of world free fall record, awarded Crystal Eagle award by the Aero Club of Northern California

Alan Eustace’s 135,908-foot leap broke the world record for highest free-fall parachute jump, and the Aero Club of Northern California is presenting him with an award.

The Shoreham air display crash

Listener John Eckersley sends us an update on the Hawker Hunter crash.

The Airplane of the Week

KC-130 BOB

Photo by David Vanderhoof

After getting trolled on Twitter, David presents the KC-130 Marine Battleherc: a history of Fat Albert, BOB, and Look Ma No Hook.

The Australia News Desk

Grant is back and the boys are gobsmacked by Alan Joyce’s $12 million salary. They’re pretty sure their morals would get corrupted for that amount of money!

Still with Qantas, they’ve painted A380 VH-OQH to support the Wallabies rugby union team (Grant tries to explain what that means):

Getting into the computer games, the RAAF C130J sim at Richmond was used to take part in the global event Virtual Flag 2015:

Keeping to the Hercules theme, a Coulson C130 tanker arrives at RAAF Richmond for NSW’s fire season:

Mentioned

Meet Lou Briasco, 33 Years At The Castro’s Michael Bruno Luggage Shop

Photo: Sari Staver/Hoodline

Photo: Sari Staver/Hoodline

Betty in the Sky with a Suitcase

Grimes Field Urbana Municipal Airport

Worst Place to Be a Pilot (2014)

Worst Place To Be a Pilot Season 1 Episode 4

Civil Aviation Authority – Standard Passenger and Baggage Weights [PDF]

Lady Dragged Off United Airlines Flight for Refusing to Put Dog in Pet Carrier

August 1985: The worst month for air disasters

Listener Photos

Listener Ted Corgan tells us he “recently saw and toured one of the exact airplanes that was featured in Air & Space Magazine. Aluminum Overcast, the EAA’s B-17 in Eileen Bjorkman’s article entitled “Learning to Fly the Fortress,” was flown to Lunken Airport in Cincinnati, OH, for its Aviation Days event in early June of 2015.”

Also, “I took the exciting opportunity to walk—or perhaps more accurately, climb—through the historic aircraft. The experience further heightened my respect for those who have served our country with it and those who keep it airworthy today, and also deepened my appreciation for the engineering marvel that is the B-17.”

Ted Corgan, Air & Space mag, and Aluminum Overcast

Ted Corgan, nephew Zach, Air & Space mag, and Aluminum Overcast

B-17 Aluminum Overcast left engines view

B-17 Aluminum Overcast left engines view

Credit

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

 

AirplaneGeeks 306 – Make a Plan and Become a Pilot

Delta B757 N698DL

New ATP written exam requirements going into effect, a Boeing 757 successor, NTSB investigation of the TWA Flight 800 accident, the AOPA Rusty Pilot program, and what you need to do to become a professional pilot.

Guest

Guest Kevin Garrison is a CFI, journalist, and author with many articles in prominent aviation publications. He’s flown the MD-88, DC-9, 727, 757, 767, and 777. He’s currently working on a series of inexpensive “CEO of the Cockpit” guidebooks about getting into the professional flying business. Kevin also provides services to medium-sized companies through Aerospace Media Partners.

Kevin’s website is Kevin Creates, and his new site called CEOoftheCockpit.com is under development. You can also find Kevin on Facebook.

News

ATP Written Prerequisites About to Change Drastically

Effective August 1, 2014, those who wish to take the ATP written exam must have completed an FAA-approved “airline transport pilot certification training program.”

Boeing Advancing on Successor to 757 Jet, Air Astana Says

The President of Air Astana, the flag carrier of Kazakhstan, says he talked to Boeing at the IATA annual meeting in Doha, saying that a new plane would be announced soon.

NTSB Will Not Reopen TWA Flight 800 Investigation

A group called “The TWA 800 Project” petitioned the NTSB to reconsider and modify the findings and determination of probable cause for the TWA Flight 800 accident.

An NTSB team of investigators not previously associated with the original investigation concluded that the NTSB’s earlier determination of probable cause was not wrong.

Two arguments theorizing a missile strike were advanced by the petitioners. The NTSB says:

“…the petitioners relied on a subset of previously available radar evidence organized around their alternative explanation of the crash. However, this analysis, upon review, was flawed.”

and

“…the petitioners introduced witness summaries obtained from the FBI that we treated as new evidence. But the witness summaries did not differ substantially from the evidence available during the NTSB’s original investigation.”

Read the NTSB’s Response to Petition for Reconsideration [PDF] for more details on this topic.

David Vanderhoof’s Aircraft of the Week

David invokes the “It’s my segment and I’ll do what I want” clause in his contract, and talks about podcast sponsorship.

Rob Mark’s Aviation Minute

This week Rob talks about our tour of the NTSB training facility, and how that trip made him rethink how he reports accident stories himself.

Mentioned

AOPA Rusty Pilot program

AOPA says there are more than 500,000 lapsed pilots in the United States under the age of 75. The Rusty Pilot program seeks to get those pilots back in the cockpit. Rusty Pilot presentations and discussions around the country cover the use of newer technology, changes in the airspace system, new resources available to pilots, and much more.

Listener Feedback

Listener Micah sent us a recorded story he calls, “Fearless Flying.”

We comment on a listener email describing the writer’s frustration with getting into a professional flying career: the cost, the time, the low wages. Our panel offers a different way to think about this admittedly difficult path.

Credits

Listener Brian Coleman asked if there was some way he could “give back” to the Airplane Geeks podcast and help us out. So we made him Associate Producer and now Brian is busy booking guests for us. Thank you Brian!

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