Tag Archives: Falcon 7x

AirplaneGeeks 379 WOW Air and the Dubai of the North

Skúli Mogensen, CEO, WOW air

Skúli Mogensen, CEO, WOW air

We talk with Skúli Mogensen, CEO of WOW air, the low cost carrier from Iceland. Also, Miami Rick from the Airline Pilot Guy show joins us and gives us his insights on flying the Boeing 777 Long Range Freighter. We talk about commercial pilot salaries, pilot training, the Convair F-106 Delta Dart, and flying the Falcon 7X at the Reno air races.

Guests

Skúli Mogensen

Skúli Mogensen is the CEO and majority owner of WOW air, an Icelandic low-cost airline. WOW air flies to Iceland from a number of European cities the whole year round, and they recently started flying to North America. The airline was founded in November 2011 and its inaugural flight was to Paris on May 31st 2012. WOW air is committed to providing the cheapest flights to and from Iceland, but doing so with a smile and providing a memorable service all the way.

Skúli is a serial entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in high-tech, specifically the mobile communications sector. He cofounded multiple companies including Arctic Ventures, a VC firm in Stockholm that invested in high tech companies in Scandinavia, and Islandssimi, which merged with Vodafone Iceland and is today the second largest Telco in Iceland. He also cofounded Montreal–based OZ Communications, which specialized in consumer mobile messaging technology used by Verizon, Sprint, T-mobile and other mobile operators. Oz was sold in 2008 to Nokia.

Skúli  is chairman of CAOZ, Ltd., a 3D computer animation and digital design company located in Reykjavík. He sits on the boards of a number of tech companies in North America and Europe including MP Bank, Carbon Recycling International, and Redline Communication. In 2011, he was named Iceland’s Businessman of the Year.

WOW air operates four Airbus A320 aircraft for short haul flights between Europe and Iceland. For flights to North America, WOW air operates the Airbus A321.

Miami Rick

Miami Rick flies a Boeing 777 Long Range Freighter for a multinational airline holding company based in Santiago, Chile. He flies mainly between the Americas and Europe.

Rick tells us about the differences between the passenger version and the freight version of the Boeing 777, and why it’s important to him that he understands the aircraft’s systems. We talk about training, flying passengers compared to flying cargo, and even the challenges of flying livestock.

Miami Rick has been a “freightdog” for about the last 5 years. Before his career moving boxes, he flew for the passenger division of his airline flying the Boeing 767-300ER. Rick provided passenger service for 6 years on routes between North and South America and Europe.

Rick’s perspective and contributions to the Airline Pilot Guy show are primarily those of a long-haul, heavy aircraft pilot. However, he is also a simulator instructor on the B757/767, and feel like a pilot really learns his craft when he is able to teach it and explain it simply and clearly because of the constant study and preparation that this involves.

Miami Rick started his flying career from a purely civilian background, learning to fly in general aviation aircraft in South and Central Florida, and flew countless types of light aircraft delivering them throughout the US. If that wasn’t enough, Rick also instructs new private, instrument and commercial pilots.

News

United Offers Pilots 13% Raise in Bid to Find Labor Peace

United Continental Holdings is reportedly offering pilots a 13% raise in 2016, followed by 3% and then 2% in the following two years. This comes from unidentified sources who are familiar with the negotiations, but not authorized to speak about them.

JetBlue Shakes Up Pilot Hiring by Training Them From Scratch

U.S. airlines hire pilots with flight experience. JetBlue Airways has a different idea and proposed to the FAA that the airline hire potential commercial pilots and provide them with ab initio training. JetBlue wants to start with a trial program called Gateway 7 for 100-seat Embraer SA E190 jet pilots. If that works, the airline will look at extending the program to larger aircraft.

JetBlue plans to start accepting applications in the first quarter 2016, and begin training in mid-2016. Pilots who complete the program would start as first officers in 2020.  Gateway 7 will consider applicants with no prior training as well as those with flight experience, and prospective pilots would pay for their own training.

British Airways named the ‘dirtiest’ transatlantic operator with the airline burning over 50% more fuel than the most efficient carrier

Environmental think tank International Council on Clean Transportation says British Airways is the worst airline for fuel consumption and carbon emissions on transatlantic routes. Norwegian Air Shuttle was found to be the most fuel-efficient. BA burned 51% more fuel per passenger than Norwegian.

The Airplane of the Week

F-106 Delta Dart

This week David settles a Twitter argument about how ugly interceptors are. He talks about the sexiest interceptor of all time, the F-106A. Visit the F-106 Delta Dart site for the full “Cornfield Bomber” Pilotless Landing story.

The Australia News Desk

Steve is relaxing in Fiji but still takes a moment to chat with Grant and record some content for the OzDesk.

Virgin Australia were the most punctual airline in October but Steve’s aborted take off in one of their aircraft heading to Fiji won’t be helping them achieve the same result in November’s results.

Meanwhile, following on from our story last month about Alliance Airlines getting their Fokkers serviced in Austria, it seems that Lufthansa subsidiary Austrian Airlines are taking a 12% stake in Alliance in return for giving them Austrian’s old Fokkers.

Falcon 7X at Reno

In conjunction with P1 Magazine, Rob brings us an interview with Dassault Falcon 7X demonstration pilots.

Mentioned

Jamestown Airshow by Ryan Hothersall

Jamestown Airshow by Ryan Hothersall

Jamestown Airshow Flickr Album

The An-2 Colt Experience

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 149 – Loads of Listener Mail

Stephen Tornblom, Chino Airport
Photo by Stephen Tornblom from his birthday trip to Chino Airport.

We talk with Milford Shirley from FlightTime Radio about their live broadcast at the upcoming Become a Pilot Family Day and Fly-In, June 18, 2011 at the National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center next to Dulles International Airport. Max, Rob, Dan, and David plan to join in the show along with some other aviation podcasters.

The week’s aviation news:

Steve Visscher and Grant McHerron from the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast provide their Australia Desk Report. Follow the podcast on Twitter at @pcdu, Steve at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124.

In this week’s Across the Pond segment, Pieter Johnson gets an update from David Cenciotti on Operation Odessy Dawn in Libya, what it was like to break an international aviation story to the world, and how to track those “untraceable” black ops flights. Be sure to see David Cenciotti’s Website and follow him on Twitter at @cencio4. On Twitter, Pieter is @Nascothornet.

We spend a lot of time this episode talking about some of the great listener mail we’ve received. Click these links for more information:

Blue Angels’ almost crash: the risk of Controlled Flight Into Terrain during formation aerobatics – David Cenciotti’s blog post and video.

On 100 low lead aviation fuel: 100 Octane Unleaded Aviation Fuel – A Website dedicated to the distribution of information about the fuel crisis facing users of piston engines in General Aviation, and the promotion of an unleaded 100 octane fuel. Flying G100UL: Yeah, It Works.

On the new Pan Am TV show: ABC 2011 Fall TV Premiere: Pan Am and Pan Am, ABC Show, To Explore 1960s Flying Culture (VIDEO).

N709DN Takeoff, a 777-200/LR test flight video.

The Jetstar war on pilots.

Possible federal aid cuts could jeopardize air service in small communities.

Texas House passes bill banning TSA airport groping and Senate stirs pot with TSA groping bill, sanctuary cities.

Brunswick International Fly-In.

From Dan W. concerning air ambulance operations:

Barnstorming, the movie.

Michael O’Leary on Spanish fines:
Texto íntegro de la carta: cortesía con el ministro pero ultimátum en negrita and the Google translation:
Full text of the letter: courtesy to the minister but bold ultimatum.

On the NTSB publication of final report on the Gol 1907 accident: Command of Aeronautics, General Staff of the Aeronautics, Final Report, A-00X/CENIPA/2008 [PDF].

United Reinstates, Quickly Withdraws, 9/11 Flight Numbers.

Boeing KC-135: The Ultimate Caffeine Delivery Machine

DC area museum ideas:

Ryanair To Ground 80 Aircraft Next Winter.

F-35A may need mods to fix range shortfall.

Whew, that was a lot of listener mail!

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 33 – Air Pigz with a “Z”

Dassault Falcon 7x

Max and Court welcome Martt Clupper of AirPigz.com on this episode as they talk about the latest in aviation news, and provide a bit of commentary to spice it up.

Victims of Plane Crash Worked for Air Travel Sites

Pilots turn out in force to tell TSA impact of security plan

Obama Officials Tell Citibank To Ditch Plans For $50 Million Private Jet

JAL Flight Brings Aviation One Step Closer to Using Biofuel

Airline losses for fourth quarter mount

S7 cancellation latest hurdle for 787 program

Max’s pick of the week is the http://www.stoplasp.com/.  Two pilots opposed to the Large Aircraft Security Program have set up a webpage to help you contact elected officials.

The Airplane Geeks are now on Twitter!  You can follow us @AirplaneGeeks.

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Brother Love is responsible for this episode’s opening and closing
music, and you can visit his site at brotherloverocks.com.

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