Airplane Geeks - Episode 112 - Airline Security [99:11m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1460)

Our guest this episode is Fred Gevalt, founder of The Air Charter Guide and a bit of a political activist, having successfully sued the FAA in 1998 on behalf of his air charter constituency. Fred’s a pilot, he’s built airplanes himself, and he flies aircraft for business and recreation. Fred is also the executive producer of a new documentary film titled “Please Remove Your Shoes” which takes a critical look at airport and airline security, both pre and post September 11.

The week’s aviation news:

• 787 first delivery delayed to mid-Q1 2011
• Boeing May Risk More Penalties After Sixth Delay on Dreamliner
• U.S. Approves Merger of United and Continental
• Mexicana to Suspend All Flights by Tomorrow After Last Week’s Acquisition
• Aeromexico offers discounts for Mexicana customers
• Future of Aviation Advisory Committee

Mentions:

• Bruce Schneier – Schneier on Security, a blog covering security and security technology.
• Desert Pilot Podcast

Thanks to special guest Steve Frischling from http://www.flyingwithfish.com/.

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/.

 

 Airplane Geeks - Episode 103 - Live ATC [97:21m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (4621)

Guest Dave Pascoe from LiveATC.net explains how he provides real-time Air Traffic Control feeds directly to your browser, mp3 player, and mobile device. LiveATC will be streaming ATC communications live from EAA Airventure at Oshkosh (in a joint partnership with EAA) – including both Tower frequencies and some other goodies. Look for Dave during the first few days of the show.

The week’s aviation news:

• United, Continental pilots say early talks falter
• Sexy Spirit Airlines ad that mocks BP oil disaster sparks outrage
• Spirit Airlines Loves That You Hate Their Ads (and They Should)
• ATC’s crisis night: Back-up does not work as radar fails
• US Air Force, industry prepare for T-38 replacement
• FAA To Change Age Retirement Rules For Air Traffic Controllers
• Comment extension grants time to act on avgas
• Boeing to bring 787 to Farnborough, happy with flight testing progress

David returns with his This Week in Aviation history segment. Steve and Grant from the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast have another great Australia Desk report.

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/.

 

 Airplane Geeks - Episode 99 - Bits and Pieces [92:36m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (3443)

In this episode, Rob, Max, and David discuss aviation news, with a focus on odd stories. Then Dan brings in Tom from The Airline Blog to talk about some additional stories. David has six interviews from the 2010 Joint Service Open House, as well as his usual This Week in Aviation segment. Finally, Steve and Grant have this week’s Australia Desk report.

The news:

• The Future of Airliners?
• Boeing apologizes for curt rejection letter sent to young boy
• SkyWest Airlines Flight Diverted after Alien Claim
• A viewing deck built right into your private jet
• New Lufthansa Bathrooms Made for Banging?
• Get Angry and TSA May Tag You
• More pilots needed, AOPA president tells Aero Club
• “Continited” Announces First 787 Route
• The end of Virgin Atlantic’s ’splendid isolation’?
• Report: Air France-KLM to restart talks for big plane order
• Ryanair Announces 42nd Base at Barcelona El Prat

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.

Australia Desk Report music is Journey of the Sorcerer by The Eagles, used in the British TV version of the Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy.

Post photo courtesy listener Seb Spencer.

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/.

 

 Airplane Geeks - Episode 97 - Darryl Jenkins on Airlines [101:35m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (3548)

This week airline analyst Darryl Jenkins joins the guys to add his considerable industry knowledge to the conversation. Darryl is Managing Director at Aviation Consulting Group and author of the Handbook of Airline Economics. He’s worked for many of the world’s airlines, he’s consulted for the FAA, DOT, NTSB and other government agencies as well as many foreign countries. Among other places, you can find Darryl at The Airline Zone (http://www.theairlinezone.com/) which contains a series on the future of the airline industry.

David’s got a short interview with Sean D. Tucker, the Australia Desk sent an interview with Owen Zupp during his arould Australia flight, this time in person at the RAAF Museum at the RAAF Point Cook airbase, and we have This Week in Aviation.

• International Learn to Fly Day
• DOT Secretary LaHood names aviation future panel
• Ben Baldanza, Spirit Airlines
• Flight cancellations come in light of new tarmac rules
• New Union-Friendly Rules Could Affect Delta
• Boeing Unveils Unmanned Phantom Ray Demonstrator

See also the 1940 Air Terminal Museum Airplane site at http://www.1940airterminal.org/ for their fundraising raffle of a vintage 1958 Cessna 172.

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/.

 

 Airplane Geeks - Episode 96 - Karlene's Flight to Success [112:50m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (3790)

Our guest this week is Karlene Petitt, a long time airline pilot, currently flying with Delta. She blogs at Flight to Success and she’s also an emerging author. Karlene describes her training to fly the A330, what it’s like to pilot for a major U.S. airline, and how pilots like to be in control but sometimes are not. Karlene also brings a lot of good insight into current airline news. We had such an interesting conversation with Karlene that we had to skip a lot of the news.

Benet Wilson from AviationWeek helps out with the co-hosting. By the way, she’s got a new blog going called The TRAVEL World According to Benet. Also, Steve Visscher and Grant McHerron from the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast joined us live for the news:

• 2010 European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition
• Airline merger’s route leads to federal regulators
• United/Continental Unions Could Battle
• Safety recommendations made on engines, life vests in plane that ditched into Hudson River
• US Airways CEO: NextGen benefits don’t justify equipage investment

David returns to provide his This Week in Aviation history segment.

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.

Thanks to Mark Hsiung for permission to use his Delta A330 photograph above.

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/.

 

 Airplane Geeks - Episode 95 - Alaskan Bush Pilots [91:06m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (3879)

Jim Oltersdorf joins us to talk about bush flying in Alaska. Jim is a pilot and an accomplished aviation and outdoor photographer and writer. He thrives in extreme and high-risk areas, and he’s produced a high def documentary film called Alaska’s Bush Pilots, The Real Deal , A true story about the pilots, their aircraft, nature and the wilderness of Alaska. You can find Jim’s personal page at http://www.joltersdorf.com/ and his site for the film at http://www.alaskasbushpilots.com/.

We also have with us this episode Bob Poole, the founder of the Reason Foundation, a free market think tank. Bob has some interesting things to say about the NextGen ATC system that’s been in the works for over a decade. Bob was among the first to propose the commercialization of the U.S. air traffic control system, and his work has helped shape proposals for a U.S. air traffic control corporation.

We favored our guests over the news this time, but we did mention:

• United, Continental deal approaches reality
• General Aviation Industry Prepares For An Unleaded Fuel

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. Find more BroLo at his site: http://www.brotherloverocks.com/.

 

 Airplane Geeks - Episode 94 - Jet Checking [101:07m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (4400)

Our guest this episode is Jonathan Heckman, founder and writer of the JetCheck.net blog. Jonathan attends Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University where he’s working to a Bachelor of Science degree in Aviation Business Administration. He’s also a student pilot, logging hours in a Diamond Eclipse.

The news:

• Airlines want payouts for ‘overreaction’
• Airlines and Ashes
• Aircraft engine makers, regulators study ash impact
• US Airways calls off merger talks with United Airlines
• With Higher Passenger Revenue, Delta Narrows Loss to $256 Million
• Southwest Airlines posts $11 million 1Q profit
• Spirit Airlines Installs “Pre-Reclined” Seats On New Airbus A320’s
• DOT Denies Requests for Waiver of Tarmac Delay Rule
• Swelblog: Dr. Amy Cohen on Tarmac Delays
• O’Hare to shorten runway
• EADS North America Intends to Submit Proposal for U.S. Air Force Tanker
• See also: EADS KC-45 Tanker and The Real American Tankers
• U.S. Army Unveils UAV Road Map
• ‘Green Hornet’ flies for Earth Day

David provides his This Week in Aviation history segment, and we have a great report from the Airplane Geeks Australia Desk.

Follow the @AirplaneGeeks on Twitter, send us email at thegeeks@airplanegeeks.com, or leave a message on our listener line: (361) GEEKS01. We’re  also on Facebook.

Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. Visit his site at http://www.brotherloverocks.com/.

 

 Airplane Geeks - Episode 93 - Tottler Returns [93:38m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (3865)

Guest Martin Rottler makes a return appearance. Martin is an airline junkie, a licensed commercial pilot for single and multi-engine aircraft with an Instrument Rating, and a CFI. He’s also a graduate student at the University of North Dakota. This summer Martin will be participating in a project to bring aviation to tribal school students in North Dakota. Download the program overview here.  Find Martin’s blog at http://martinrottler.com/.

The news:

• ‘The future of GA is up to each of us,’ Fuller tells pilots
• Airline Carry-on Bag Fees Rile Cardin, Schumer
• Iceland volcano: Airlines face ‘logistical nightmare’
• Ash cloud costing airlines £130m a day
• Frontier And Midwest Airlines Merge
• UAL-Continental Merger Would Lead on High-Fare Overseas Routes
• Non-Stealth Teamed With Stealth Air Wing
• DARPA chief sounds the alarm: We need more nerds!!

We also have the This Week in Aviation history segment from David, and the Airplane Geeks Australia Desk report.

Follow the @AirplaneGeeks on Twitter, send us email at thegeeks@airplanegeeks.com, or leave a message on our listener line: (361) GEEKS01.

F-15 Strike Eagle courtesy Photography by Hank Plumley.

Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. Visit his site at http://www.brotherloverocks.com/.

 

 Airplane Geeks - Episode 92 - Aboulafia Joins the Geek Posse [93:04m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (3878)

Richard Aboulafia, Vice President of Analysis at Teal Group, returns as our guest this episode. Besides managing consulting projects for commercial and military clients, Richard is perhaps one of the most quoted industry experts in the media. We discuss the week’s aviation news, narrowbody re-engining, the COMAC C919 and Irkut planes, and Nunn McCurdy breaches over DC. Rob launches the Bottom Feeder Airline concept, there’s a dead animal joke, and something about pilots on Prozac.

• United Airlines on better route for merger
• Spirit Airlines to Charge up to $45 for Carry-Ons
• Liverpool airport worker ‘knew man was dead’
• Jazz Air signs C$100 million deal with Thomas Cook
• The Airbus/Boeing Re-Engining Saga
• DoD Begins New F-35 Cost Estimate (subscription)
• EADS close to decision on U.S. tanker bid-sources
• Air Force opts for smaller cargo planes at WPAFB

As usual, we have the This Week in Aviation history segment from David, and the Airplane Geeks Australia Desk report.

Also mentioned:

• The documentary film “Pappy Boyington Field”
• Solar Impulse Completes First Test

Follow the @AirplaneGeeks on Twitter, 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. Visit his site at http://www.brotherloverocks.com/.

 

 Airplane Geeks - Episode 82 - Rainbows and Unicorns [101:31m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (3237)

Guest Martin Rottler talks about aviation education and how exposure to flying affects academic performance by young students. Martin is an airline business junkie, and an FAA licensed commercial pilot for single and multi-engine aircraft, a CFI, and he holds an Instrument Rating. Currently, Martin is a graduate student working on a Master’s Degree at the University of North Dakota. He blogs at http://martinrottler.com/.

• Military compassion helps Haiti
• Air Force, FAA use Russian aircraft to move mobile air traffic control tower to Haiti
• Schwartz: Tanker Fixed Price May Change
• USAF Chief Scientist Looking To Change Game
• American Airlines parent AMR closes dire decade with $1.47 billion loss for 2009
• Southwest posts Q4 profit as costs drop
• Southwest CEO: Energy is bigger than healthcare
• United CEO: There will be another airline merger
• JAL Bankruptcy Filing Sets Off Reorganization and State-Led Bailout
• NASA Announces Designs for Personal Flying Suit
• CES: AR.Drone helicopter controllable by iPhone
• Al Qaeda linked to rogue aviation network

David Vanderhoof has another This Week in Aviation, Steve Visscher and Virtual Grant McHerron from the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast have their Australia Desk report, and Court has another Whiskey Tango Foxtrot segment.

Follow the @AirplaneGeeks on Twitter, send us email at thegeeks@airplanegeeks.com, or leave a message on our listener line: (361) GEEKS01.

This episode’s opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. Visit his site at http://www.brotherloverocks.com/.