Tag Archives: Bell

586 Flight Shaming

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:05:38 — 30.1MB)

A conversation about flight shaming with the creative director of SimpliFlying, an international aviation marketing consulting firm. In the news, we look at Airbus production rates and employment growth at its Mobile, Alabama facility, China’s struggle with the COMAC C919 airliner, the first autonomous flight of the Bell V-280 Valor tiltrotor, and how a fugitive navigated through the aircraft charter business to make good his escape.

Guest

Dirk Singer

Dirk Singer

Dirk Singer is the creative director at SimpliFlying and the editor of Airline Marketing Monthly, an aviation marketing trade magazine. SimpliFlying is an international aviation marketing consulting firm with a 100% remote team based in Singapore, India, Spain, UK, and Canada.

Dirk looks after the creative and content side of SimpliFlying. He’s written over 1000 articles on aviation marketing and produced special industry reports including a recent one on “flight shaming” and the aviation industry.

In our conversation with Dirk, we discover what flight shaming is (sometimes simply called “flight shame”) and the arguments its proponents are making. Dirk describes the industry’s response so far and how their messaging lacks the clarity of flight shaming groups. He also warns against industry counter-arguments based on the relatively small contribution commercial aviation makes to carbon emissions.

Flight shaming special issue of Airline Marketing Monthly.The climate change movement is not an amorphous mass. There are a number of climate change advocacy groups with some showing a willingness to engage in a conversation, and others not. The groups have differing views on commercial aviation and range from a ban on non-essential flying to a frequent-flyer tax.

Some LCCs are positioning themselves as “green airlines” and Dirk explains the dangers of a strategy that offers nothing more than high-density aircraft. We also touch on crisis simulation company Polpeo and their simulation exercises that can prepare an airline for a communication crisis over environmental issues.

For more detailed information and analysis on flight shaming, see Issue 83 (December 2019) of Airline Marketing Monthly. Free subscriptions are available.

Dirk has over 20 years of experience as a digital marketer. He’s created two agencies from scratch, both of which won agency-of-the-year awards in the PR and social media industries. In addition to working for brands ranging from Google to Phillips, Dirk’s aviation experience includes airports such as London Gatwick and airlines such as British Midland International.

Aviation News

Airbus Plans Big A320 Rate Hike in Alabama

Airbus has been producing five A320s per month at its Mobile, Alabama plant. By the start of 2021, they intend to increase the production rate to seven per month. Airbus’ worldwide goal is a production rate of 63 A320-family aircraft per month at its four assembly sites. To support the A320 rate increase at the Alabama plant, as well as manufacturing needs for the A220, Airbus intends to hire 275 additional employees over the next year. Airbus added 600 new jobs at the Alabama facility last year.

China’s bid to challenge Boeing and Airbus falters

China’s COMAC (the Commercial Aircraft Corporation) has struggled to produce the C919 (A320/737 class) single-aisle plane. It is at least five years behind schedule. A range of technical issues that impacted the test flight schedule. To gain approval from the CAAC (the Civil Aviation Administration of China), COMAC needs 4,200 test flight hours. Less than a fifth have been completed.

Bell V-280 flies autonomously for first time

On December 18, 2019, Bell’s V-280 Valor tilt-rotor demonstrator flew autonomously for the first time. “The V-280 performed an autonomous takeoff, conversion into cruise mode, precision navigation to various waypoints, loiter maneuvers, conversion into vertical-takeoff-and-landing mode, and landed autonomously.” Paul Wilson, the chief engineer for the Bell V-280 Valor program, was our guest in Episode #576.

Carlos Ghosn’s Pilots And Others May Have Been In The Dark – Forbes

Carlos Ghosn was an automotive industry executive. He was the CEO of Michelin North America, chairman and CEO of Renault, chairman and CEO of Nissan, chairman of Mitsubishi Motors, and chairman and CEO of the Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi Alliance. He was internationally recognized as a respected business leader but he was arrested for under-reporting his earnings and misuse of company assets funds. While on bail, Ghosn escaped Japan through several clever charter aircraft flights.

Mentioned

Flower Aviation, a fixed base operator at Pueblo Memorial Airport (KPUB) near Pueblo, Colorado.

Wings Over Britain Facebook page and the WONZ Forum thread where you can contribute a donation to the cause.

Stunning ‘Elephant Walk’ at Hill Air Force Base Showcases 52 F-35s on Flight Line

Henry Mancini – Baby Elephant Walk

 

576 Bell V-280 Valor

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:13:48 — 33.8MB)

We talk with the chief engineer of the Bell V-280 Valor tiltrotor program. In the news, the FAA revoked the repair station certificate for the supplier of the Lion Air 737 MAX AOA sensor, and airline cabin crew stories: streaming video from a lav, crew arrests for money laundering, and fainting flight attendants.

Bell V-280 Valor

Bell V-280 Valor

Guest

Paul Wilson is the chief engineer for the Bell V-280 Valor program. He leads the engineering team responsible for the execution of all development efforts on the V-280 Joint Multi-Role Tech Demonstration and Future Vertical Lift programs.

The Bell V-280 Valor is a fly-by-wire tiltrotor aircraft that had a successful first flight in 2017. The aircraft could represent a future Blackhawk replacement. The program now in the technology demonstration phase, focused on reducing risk and informing requirements and capabilities to help define the technical readiness of the future platform. 

Paul explains what a tiltrotor design offers and how the V-280 is different from the V-22 Osprey and the mission that aircraft was designed for. In the case of the V-280, only the rotor pylon rotates, while the engine remains fixed. On the V-22, the rotor system and the engine nacelle rotate.

We learn about the system for managing torque provided to the two rotor pylons and the impressive agility of the V-280 at slow speed.

Bell’s program focuses on improving affordability and reliability. One example of platform sustainability and affordability is the use of augmented reality where Bell uses 3D design data throughout the lifecycle of the aircraft, such as in manufacturing and maintenance.

Previously at Bell, Paul led the V-280 Vehicle Systems IPT that developed and tested the flight control, avionics, propulsion, and mechanical systems. He also served in other leadership roles including as Project Manager for the 407GX Autopilot development and certification program and as the IPT Lead for Bell’s Vehicle Management Systems and Integrated Vehicle Health Management (IVHM) Technology IR&D.

Before joining Bell, Paul served in the US Air Force as an Acquisitions and Aerospace Engineering officer. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at San Antonio and a Master of Science in Aeronautical Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology.

V-280 Valor news:

V-280 Valor videos:

Aviation News

FAA shuts down Florida repair firm that supplied faulty Lion Air sensor on Boeing 737 MAX

Xtra Aerospace supplied the AOA sensor on the Lion Air 737 MAX that crashed, killing 189 people. The FAA has revoked Xtra’s aviation repair station certificate. Xtra repaired and approved for service a used angle of attack sensor that was installed on the Lion Air jet to replace a faulty one. In its final report, the National Transportation Safety Committee of Indonesia, known in Indonesia as KNKT, said the replacement sensor was miscalibrated. Its angle of attack was 21 degrees too high. In a statement, Xtra said, “We respectfully disagree with the agency’s findings” and that this action by the FAA “is not an indication that Xtra was responsible for the accident.”

‘There was never a camera’: Southwest denies lawsuit claiming pilots streamed plane bathroom video

In 2017, a Southwest flight attendant claims to have seen an iPad in the cockpit in flight that was live streaming from the lavatory. Also, the pilots departed the aircraft upon landing in violation of FAA requirements, and a loaded firearm was left unattended in the cockpit. This was reported to the airline, which continues to allow the pilots to fly. The FA and her flight attendant husband say they have been harassed.

Four flight attendants were arrested in Miami’s airport after bringing in thousands in cash, police say

The American Airlines flight attendants have been charged with money laundering after a routine customs check revealed large amounts of cash were being carried. The defendants evading reporting requirements and had no authorization to transmit money.

American Airlines A330-300 Diverts after two Cabin Crew Fall Unconscious

Cleaning fluid fumes caused the two flight attendants to momentarily fall unconscious and AA Flight 729 from London Heathrow to Philadelphia was forced to make an unscheduled landing in Dublin, Ireland. It seems that a canister of an aircraft interior cleaner had been left in a lavatory when the plane was at Heathrow Airport and fluid had leaked into the carpets.

Mentioned

Departed Flights

Watch Lilium’s electric aircraft for ‘air taxi’ fly as they move toward production

Video: The Lilium Jet flying taxi completes first phase of flight testing

American Helicopter Museum & Education Center