Tag Archives: FlexJet

AirplaneGeeks 378 NBAA 2015 Debrief

Aerion AS2 In-Flight

Aerion AS2 In-Flight, Courtesy Aerion Corporation

The 2015 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition, a supersonic business jet, and new turboprop engines. Also, AC-130 Ghostrider, used Boeing 777 prices, the TSA, and ATC operating systems, AusDesk and Across the Pond segments, and lots of listener feedback.

News

Flexjet Order For 20 Supersonic Jets Boosts Aerion

Membership and charter services company Flexjet has placed a firm order for 20 Aerion AS2 supersonic jets, valued at $2.4 billion. Flexjet plans to use the jets for overseas flights and flights to China. The Aerion AS2 business jet is to have a top speed of Mach 1.5, carry eight to twelve passengers, with a range of 4,750 nautical miles at supersonic speed. See also the Flexjet press release: Flexjet to Purchase 20 Aerion Supersonic Business Jets.

Airbus Seeking Manufacturing Site for Supersonic Jet

Airbus Group is collaborating with Aerion on the three-engine jet. First flight is expected in 2021, with entry into service in 2023. Reportedly, Airbus and Aerion are looking for a US manufacturing site.

GE Aviation launches new turboprop engine

Textron Aviation and GE announced that Textron Aviation will power its single engine turboprop (SETP) with an all-new 1,300 shaft horsepower turboprop engine from GE Aviation. Textron’s SETP is expected to have a range of more than 1,500 nautical miles and speeds higher than 280 knots. GE expects to conduct the detailed design review (DDR) for the new turboprop in 2017, with the first full engine test in 2018.

GE Aviation’s Advanced Turboprop Engine

P&WC Launches Most Powerful PT6 Turboprop

Pratt & Whitney Canada announced a Dash A version of the 867-shp PT6-140 turboprop engine used in the Cessna Caravan. It features 15% more power and 5% better specific fuel consumption than comparable engines in its class.

Textron Aviation Unveils Hemisphere Jet

The Cessna Citation Hemisphere will feature a 102-inch diameter cabin, a range as far as 4,500 nm, with a maximum cruise speed of at least Mach 0.9. First flight of the $35 million jet is expected in 2019.

NBAA Charity Event Raises $505,000 to Support Life-Saving Flights for Corporate Angel Network

The annual NBAA/CAN Soiree charity benefit raised funds to help support CAN’s life-saving flights for cancer patients.

NBAA’s Single-Pilot Team Creates Loss-of-Control Safety Video

With loss of control in flight (LOCI) accidents resulting in more fatalities in business and commercial operations than any other category of accident over the last decade, reducing LOCI is a priority of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and aviation professional organizations across the globe. The NBAA Safety Committee Single Pilot Safety Working Group produced this video and story of “John,” a single owner-pilot who finds himself in a loss of control situation. The 10-minute video stars Airplane Geeks co-host Rob Mark.

Best and Worst Airlines: Find Out Which Carrier to Fly

Consumer reports conducted a survey of more than 20,000 passengers who took a domestic nonstop flight. The fliers rated the airline on comfort, carry-on space, ease of check-in, in-flight entertainment, and fees.

Brand New AC-130 Ghostrider A Total Loss After Going Inverted While Out Of Control

An Air Force Special Operations Command AC-130J Ghostrider Gunship was flown inverted at 15,000 feet in a test flight, but exceeded its operating g limits and design load and will have to be scrapped.

Why A Boeing 777 Only Costs $10 Million

A new 777-200ER has a list price of $277 million. If you assume a 30% discount, $194 million is a likely purchase price. Delta says it was offered used 777’s from Boeing for $10 million, a lot less than the book value and professional appraisal cited by others.

City,TSA spar over screening services

The Transportation Security Administration will not be providing screening services at the Greater Lake Klamath Regional Airport in Oregon. The TSA says the airport passenger load is too variable and infrequent to warrant the expense. The alternative system would have passengers from Klamath Falls screened at destination Portland.

Flight chaos as airport admits its air traffic control PCs still run Windows 3.1

Orly airport in France has been experiencing groundings and flight delays due to the air traffic control system breaking down. The French air traffic controller union said the problem was that the air-traffic software runs on Windows 3.1.

Man busted for shining laser pointer at aircraft

A 40 year-old man was arrested in California after shining a green laser at a Southwest Airlines plane preparing to land at Sacramento airport. A California Highway Patrol plane sent to find him was hit by the same laser, which made it easy to track down his location.

Aircraft carrier crew creates Star Wars spoof

The crew of the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower won the internet Friday with a mock trailer Sea Wars: The Force Awakens.

The Airplane of the Week

Thanksgiving Turkeys and Fullbacks, from David.

The Australia News Desk

Big news this week as the RAAF lands one of their C17s on the Wilkins ice runway.

Our Prime Minister needs a bigger executive jet to take his entourage with him on longer summit missions.

Mining magnate Clive Palmer is trying to offload his lovely Citation X as well as his MD80s that have been sitting around for awhile.

TigerAir’s first 737 has been seen in the wild.

On the Mark

Rob’s Aviation Minute has evolved into On The Mark, a video report on AviationPros.com. The inaugural episode Who Was Really in Command of Malaysian Flight 17? covers the ins and outs of regulation 91.3 which gives pilots complete control over aircraft en route. But what happens when regulation 91.3 runs up against route efficiency and corporate profits? And how do Malaysian flight 17 and Metrojet flight 9268 fit into the discussion?

Across the Pond

Photo Copyright XTPMedia

Photo Copyright XTPMedia

With support being shown for France last week, Pieter brings us some French news along with the sounds of the French Navy Display Team made up of two Super Etendards and a Dassault Rafale-M.

Photo Copyright XTPMedia

Photo Copyright XTPMedia

Mentioned

Jetblue Teams Up With Rob Gronkowski for Most Bro-tastic Airline Commercial Ever

Sukhoi Superjet 100 Orders, deliveries and operators

DCS: NEVADA Test and Training Range Map – Teaser and M-2000C for DCS WORLD Teaser flight sim videos.

PilotEdge professional air traffic control for flight simulators.

Emirates: #HelloJetman

Armed with unguarded ambition and the vision to push boundaries beyond the unthinkable, Jetman Dubai and Emirates A380 take to the skies of Dubai for an exceptional formation flight.

Is China a real threat to Boeing and Airbus?

The Last Adventure in AviationA 28 minute audio program about from BBC Radio about the world of ferry pilots in Britain.

Andover Flight Academy

“I Sit Around” – Airline Pilot Parody

Lionheart over Tennessee:

Lionheart over Tennessee

Courtesy Chris Davis, EAA 190, Moontown, 3M5

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 265 – Fixed Wing Buddha

 Brent Owens, the Fixed Wing Buddha

Guest Brent Owens is a professional pilot, a flight operations manager in a large corporate flight department, an EAA Technical Counselor and an EAA Flight Advisor. He writes about general aviation topics on his two blogs, the  I Fly Blog and Fixed Wing Buddha, which helps new and existing aviators deal with the biggest hurdle of flying – the money.

Brent has been flying for almost 30 years with just under 10,000 hours. He flies a Falcon 2000 professionally and has owned an Ercoupe and a Bucker Jungster I. He currently flies a Van’s RV-8, which he built.

We talk about learning to fly without spending too much money and building your own airplane.

The news:

Schweizer SGS 2-32 Glider

Schweizer SGS 2-32 Glider

David’s Aircraft of the Week: Schweizer SGS 2-32 and variants.

Jason Smart with his training aircraft

Jason Smart with his training aircraft

In this week’s Across the Pond segment:

Jason Smart like many people went through the range of emotions when he set out to learn to fly. But it did not all turn out to be easy to achieve and took some hard work, dedication and a little humour. Jason joins Pieter to talk about his story and humorous look at the journey in his book ‘Take Your Wings and Fly – A Journey Through a Private Pilots License’. Also available through The Red Quest and Destin World.

Find Pieter on Twitter as @Nascothornet, on Facebook at XTPMedia, and at the Aviation Xtended podcast.

 Mentioned:

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