765 Air Travel

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:22:01 — 37.6MB)

We look at the state of air travel, and the outlook for the future. In the news, a ceremony commemorates the 22nd anniversary of 9/11, airlines leaving regional airports, skiplagging, the FAA Administrator nomination, and an engine fire on an Air China flight.

Guest

Robert Silk, Travel Weekly Senior Editor for Aviation.

Robert Silk is the Travel Weekly Senior Editor for Aviation. Robby provides coverage and analysis of route networks, service offerings, and distribution, as well as airline industry trends and political and policy debates. He writes the Wheels Up opinion column about commercial aviation.

We look at the state of air travel, both from the airline perspective and from the customer perspective. Robby talks about the lasting impacts of the pandemic, the leisure/business travel balance, and how that has affected airline strategies. He touches on how fees have changed and how the shoulder day (or season) pricing doesn’t always offer the price advantage it has in the past. Robby also provides his thoughts on the dis-entanglement of the Northeast Alliance after the Justice Department suit found it anti-competitive, as well as market trends and predictions for where the market is headed.

Travel Weekly and TravelWeekly.com are influential B2B news resources for the travel industry, providing late-breaking news, analysis, and research for travel professionals. They cover all the business sectors, including airline, car rental, cruise, destination, hotel, and tour operator as well as technology, economic, and governmental issues.

Prior to joining Travel Weekly in 2015, Robby spent a decade covering tourism, business, the environment, development, and general news for the Florida Keys’ daily newspaper, the Key West Citizen, as well as for an affiliated weekly, the Florida Keys Free Press. He also edited the Travel Weekly Florida eNewsletter in 2015 and 2016.  

Aviation News

22nd Anniversary Commemoration

To commemorate the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 Attacks on New York, Washington, and in Pennsylvania, a ceremony was held on the Memorial Plaza. It focused on an in-person reading of the names by family members.

More small airports are being cut off from the air travel network. This is why

Airlines are leaving regional airports. A recent study by Ailevon Pacific found that American, Delta, and United together have left 74 regional airports since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Reasons include the pilot shortage and the current economics of the 50-seat jet. We consider the Essential Air Service (EAS) program.

Skiplagging isn’t likely to stop anytime soon, even if airlines fight it

Skiplagging is the practice of booking a ticket with the intention of getting off at the connecting airport rather than completing the flight to the destination.  It’s attractive because sometimes the ticket price for the longer flight is lower than the ticket for the shorter flight to the connecting destination. Also known as hidden-city ticketing, American Airlines has filed a lawsuit against the site Skiplagged.com.

Biden will nominate a former Obama official to run the Federal Aviation Administration

Michael G. Whitaker is a former deputy administrator at the FAA (2013-2016). Currently, he is the CEO of Hyundai affiliate Supernal working to develop an air taxi aircraft. Whitaker worked at TWA and United Airlines, where he became a senior vice president and oversaw international and regulatory affairs, before moving to the travel company InterGlobe. He holds a private pilot license. Since March 2022, the FAA has been run by acting administrators. See also White House Nominates Michael Whitaker as FAA Administrator from AOPA.

Air China A320neo GTF engine catches fire as plane evacuated in Singapore

An Air China Airbus A320neo made an emergency landing at Singapore’s Changi Airport after a failure in the left engine. Smoke was reported in the cabin and the passengers were evacuated. The jet was assembled at the Airbus facility in Tianjin, China, and delivered by Airbus in December 2018. According to ch-aviation, the aircraft had accumulated 9,244 hours and 3,967 flight cycles as of June 2023. The Air China fleet includes are Airbus A320neos.

Mentioned

How the FAA Let Remote Tower Technology Slip Right Through Its Fingers

Zeppelin NT

Proceed Aspect, My unexpected journey – Steve Visscher’s blog.

Hosts this Episode

Max Flight, Rob Mark, Max Trescott, David Vanderhoof.

764 Oshkosh and Spurwink Farm

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:15:44 — 34.7MB)

Interviews from this year’s EAA AirVenture Oshkosh and the Spurwink Farms Fly-in and Pancake Breakfast.

Shawn Moody in his Progressive Aerodyne SeaRey at Spurwink Farm.
Shawn Moody in his Progressive Aerodyne SeaRey at Spurwink Farm.

Guests from EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Hillel Glazer captured two interviews at the 2023 EAA AirVenture Oshkosh:

Zean Nielsen, CEO, Cirrus Aircraft.
Zean Nielsen, CEO, Cirrus Aircraft.

Zean Nielsen is the CEO of Cirrus Aircraft. In this follow-up to last year’s interview, we get caught up with current Cirrus directions and plans. Zean succeeded co-founder Dale Klapmeier in 2019. Prior to joining Cirrus, Zean was executive vice president of North American sales for James Hardie Industries, and he held senior marketing executive roles at Tesla.

Mack and Zara Rutherford. Credit: Jo Vlieghe
Mack and Zara Rutherford. Credit: Jo Vlieghe.

Zara and Mack Rutherford are two young pilots who flew around the world solo. They each did it independently of the other and in opposite directions. Zara was the youngest female to ever do it (started at age 18, and completed at 19). A year later, her brother, Mack, did it starting at age 16 and finishing at 17, to become the youngest person ever to do it.

Guests from Spurwink Farm Fly-in and Pancake Breakfast

Our Main(e) Man Micah recorded interviews at this year’s Spurwink Farm Fly-in and Pancake Breakfast:

John Tait is a retired air traffic controller who has worked in both GA and commercial operations and has some interesting perspectives.

Seth Whidden is a recent high school graduate who earned his PPL and now has an aviation job with Northeast Air, a large FBO at KPWM.

Everybody loves pancakes at Spurwink!
George Gal and his Carbon Cub at Spurwink Farm.
George Gal and his Carbon Cub at Spurwink Farm.

Mentioned

Latin Aerospace Industry Expo

The Expo is organized by the Latino Pilots Association (LPA). The First Annual Latin Aerospace Industry Expo presented by United Airlines will be held on September 15, 2023, at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Kissimmee, Florida.

The LPA is a non-profit organization that was founded in 2015. They aim to inspire, develop, and support the Latino aerospace and aviation communities and eliminate socio-economic barriers through representation, financial support, education, and mentorship. The LPA has over 1,900 active members.

The event kicks off National Hispanic Heritage Month 2023 (Sep 15 – Oct 15). See Expo Fees and the Registration link.

Whirly-Girls Open 2024 Scholarship Season

The Whirly-Girls Scholarship Fund, Inc. announces the opening of the 2024 scholarship season.  Deserving female aviators and maintainers can apply for over $500,000 of helicopter training and educational scholarships. These scholarships advance the helicopter industry by strengthening the talent pool and increasing diversity. Applications are available online and are due October 1, 2023.

Scholarship applications are due October 1, 2023.  Scholarships will be formally presented at the Whirly-Girls Annual Banquet on February 25, 2024, at the HAI HELI-EXPO in Anaheim, CA. For more information on attending the banquet, please visit www.whirlygirls.org.

Hosts

Hillel Glazer, our Main(e) Man Micah, and Max Flight

763 Rigid Airships

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:30:21 — 41.4MB)

The author of His Majesty’s Airship tells us about the era of the rigid airship and the fatal crash of the British airship R101. In the news, pilot medical condition reporting, the Boom Supersonic XB-1 demonstrator, two fatal military aircraft crashes, and the need for more air traffic controllers

Side view of rigid airship R101 moored to the mast.
R101 at the mast.

Guest

Sam C. Gwynne has authored a new book titled His Majesty’s Airship: The Life and Tragic Death of the World’s Largest Flying Machine. 

In 1930, Britain’s airship R101 was destined to transform air travel, link the far-flung outposts of the British Empire, and advance the career of ambitious Britain’s Secretary of State for Air, Lord Christopher Birdwood Thomson. The R101 would travel people in grand luxury with two floors of heated sleeping berths, bathrooms, cooking and dining facilities, and a smoking room.

Unfortunately, there were numerous complications, and their maiden voyage from England to British India’s Karachi and back took a fatal turn. While the May 1937 crash of the Hindenburg is infamous in U.S. lore, the fatal voyage of R101 is less well known, despite being one of the world’s great tales of aviation.

In our conversation, Sam places the R101 in the context of the rigid airships in the early 1900s. That includes issues of nationalism, competition with airplanes, and the British Imperial Airship Scheme of the 1920s that launched with the R100 and R101 sister airships. Sam says, “The history of airships is a history of a bad idea” and we explore the flawed technology that led to so many rigid airship disasters. As for the R101, Sam argues that the airship was an experimental prototype, which is dangerous by definition, but it was not treated that way.

Sam is the author of Hymns of the Republic and the New York Times bestsellers Rebel Yell and Empire of the Summer Moon, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. He spent most of his career as a journalist, including stints with Time as bureau chief, national correspondent, and senior editor, and with Texas Monthly as executive editor.

Airship R101 during assembly showing the metal framework and hydrogen gas bags.
R101 during assembly.

Aviation News

5,000 pilots suspected of hiding major health issues. Most are still flying

About 4,800 pilots are being investigated for falsifying medical records. They are military veterans who are receiving disability benefits for conditions that could make them unfit to fly. These include mental health disorders and other serious conditions. Veterans Affairs investigators discovered reporting inconsistencies when they cross-checked federal databases.

FAA Clears Boom Supersonic For XB-1 Flight Tests

The Boom Supersonic XB-1 technology demonstrator received an FAA experimental airworthiness certificate. With that, Boom can begin flight testing at Mojave Air and Space Port in California. The XB-1 is 71 feet long and is powered by three small afterburning General Electric J85-15 engines. High-speed taxi tests have been conducted, with a run up to 60 kt. achieved on Aug. 23, 2023 

Video: XB-1 Taxi Testing: August 23, 2023

F/A-18 Hornet Pilot Pronounced Dead In Crash At MCAS Miramar

Marine major identified as pilot who died in California F/A-18 crash

A two-seat F/A-18D Hornet crashed just before midnight at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, in the northern part of San Diego, California. The single pilot (Marine Maj. Andrew Mettler) aboard the F/A-18D was killed in the crash at MCAS Miramar. The Hornet belonged to Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 224, based at MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina,

3 US Marines killed in aircraft crash in Australia during training exercise

Twenty-three Marines were on board the MV-22B Osprey aircraft. Three died and others were seriously wounded. The Marines were flying in support of Exercise Predators Run.

FAA hires 1,500 air traffic controllers but staffing challenges remain

The FAA reached its goal of hiring 1,500 air traffic controllers this year and wants funding for 1,800 in 2024. About 2,600 controllers are currently in training. There were more than 12,000 applicants this year.

Mentioned

9th Annual Girls in Aviation Day, September 23, 2023.

American Helicopter Museum & Education Center

Hosts this Episode

Max Flight, Max Trescott, David Vanderhoof, and our Main(e) Man Micah.

762 A Curtis P-40 Pilot and a United Assistant Chief Pilot

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:10:06 — 32.1MB)

We speak with a Curtiss P-40 Warhawk owner and pilot, and with an Assistant Chief Pilot at United Airlines.

Guests

Thom Richard is a Curtiss P-40 Warhawk owner and pilot. A photo Warhawk Shootout was recently held at the American Dream SkyRanch (18SC) private strip, which is home to Warbird Adventures, a vintage aircraft flight school offering private pilot, aerobatic, and tailwheel training. Warbird Adventures also provides flights in WWII aircraft.

Curtiss P-40 Warhawk

Brian and Micah talked with Thom about warbirds, the P-40 in general, and the very interesting history of the P-40 that Thom owns. The P-40, by the way, is the only aircraft that flew in every single theatre of the war every single day. Thom describes the acquisition and restoration of his aircraft and his aviation school.

See Warhawk Shootout! Warbird Adventures to Host P-40 Photo Event in Warbird News.

United Airlines logo

Capt. Chris Dowell is Assistant Chief Pilot at United Airlines. Chris describes his career progression as a pilot and explains the role of the assistant chief pilot. He talks about customer service, substance abuse, and pilot training. Also, what a check airman looks for in a new pilot, and how new pilots today are different from those in the past with all the technology and automation now available. Chris comments on Captain/First Officer teamwork and CRM.

Hosts

Brian Coleman and our Main(e) Man Micah.

761 Airline WiFi

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Brian and Micah speak with Roger Sands, the CEO of Wyebot, a company that provides AI-driven WiFi automation for the WiFi industry. The company has a long history of placing WiFi on different transportation modes, including commercial aviation. You’ll hear almost everything you want to know about airline WiFi.

Guest

Roger Sands is the co-founder and CEO of Wyebot, Inc. He has over 20 years of executive management experience, gained from working with both successful networking startups and Fortune 500 companies.

Roger Sands, CEO Wyebot, Inc.
Roger Sands

Prior to Wyebot, he was the Business Line Manager for Hewlett-Packard’s WW WLAN business, which he grew from 6th to 2nd in the market. He joined HP via the acquisition of Colubris Networks, a wireless startup, where he held a number of executive positions including co-CEO, and was instrumental in the HP acquisition. Prior to Colubris, he was a GM at Accton Technology, founding the enterprise wireless business and building it to #3 market share via 6 strategic partnerships.

Roger also held senior management positions at 3com, USRobotics, and Bytex Corporation. He holds Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Electrical Engineering from Northeastern University.

Hosts

Brian Coleman and our Main(e) Man Micah.

760 Brian Shul Replay

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 38:58 — 26.9MB)

A replay of our conversation with USAF Maj. Brian Shul from Airplane Geeks Episode 375.

Guest

Brian Shul portrait.

Brian Shul served as an Air Force fighter pilot from 1970-1990. Shot down during the Viet Nam Conflict, and unable to eject, he rode the plane into the jungle and was seriously burned in the ensuing fireball. Lucky to be alive, he spent a year in the hospital and was told his flying days were over.

Miraculously, after many surgeries and months of physical therapy, Brian returned to active flying duty.  He went on to fly the A-7D, he was in the first A-10 squadron, he taught at the Air Force’s TopGun school in the F-5B, and his flying career culminated by flying the SR-71 spy plane.  

After retiring from the Air Force, Brian pursued his writing and photography by starting his own business with Gallery One. He was the first man to write a book about flying the SR-71, all illustrated with his own photography. Brian flew extensively with the Air Force Thunderbirds and the Navy Blue Angels and wrote books about both teams.

Sadly, Brian Shul died on May 20, 2023, in a Reno, Nevada hospital. The cause of death was reported as cardiac arrest. He was 75.

Learn more about Brian and his books at SledDriver.com, and his photography can be found at Gallery One Images. Consider making a Donation in Brian’s memory.

Our interview originally appeared in Airplane Geeks Episode 375, published on November 4, 2015.

Video: Brian Shul – From Butterflies to Blackbirds

759 Reyné O’Shaughnessy Replay, Pilot Mental Health

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A replay of our conversation with Reyné O’Shaughnessy from Airplane Geeks Episode 671 about pilot mental health.

Guest

Reyné O’Shaughnessy standing.

Reyné O’Shaughnessy was a commercial airline pilot for over 34 years with a Fortune 50 company. She was a captain on the B767 and logged over 10,000 hours of total heavy jet flight time. Her experience also includes the A300/310, B727, and B747.

Reyné founded Piloting 2 Wellbeing (or P2W) with a mission to create awareness about pilot mental health and mental wellness in the aviation industry. P2W serves individuals, schools, and corporations that want to implement supportive and practical training, experience compassionate forums, and be part of creating a better aviation world.

Reyné explains why the aviation community is so averse to talking about pilot mental health and the need to normalize the conversation. Companies need to support their employees with mental health training, and Reyné argues that reaching student pilots with information early in their careers will help normalize mental health.

This interview originally appeared in Airplane Geeks Episode 671, published on September 22, 2021.

758 Jeff Bolton Replay, Inside the B-2 Bomber

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A replay of our conversation with Jeff Bolton, originally published as Episode 570 on September 18, 2019.

Guest

Jeff Bolton in the cockpit.

Jeff Bolton is the first person ever to film a B-2 stealth bomber cockpit tour narrated by the pilot in-flight. He also filmed a B-2 aerial refueling from the bomber’s cockpit. Jeff has also taken a camera inside the B-52.

Jeff tells the stories of the men, women, and families of the United States military. He draws on his experiences after being embedded in military commands, combat theatres, and natural disaster zones around the world.

Jeff’s website is JeffBolton.org. He produced the documentary film America’s Marine Aviators, available on Amazon Prime Video. He’s developing a documentary series called THE WATCH: America’s Nuclear Mission Revealed that examines the United States military’s global nuclear mission in the 21st century.

757 Amy Laboda Replay

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A replay of Episode 89 with guest Amy Laboda, published on March 16, 2010.

Guest

Amy Laboda has been writing, editing, and publishing print, audio, and digital materials for more than 35 years. She’s an instrument-rated commercial pilot and an instructor. Amy lives and breathes aviation and we chat with her on a range of topics.

This is a full replay of Episode 89 and provides a look at what the Airplane Geeks podcast was like in the early days – humor, warts, and all! It includes Court’s WTF segment and David’s This Week in Aviation history segment.

Opening and closing music was courtesy of Brother Love, from the Album Of The Year CD.

756 Eileen Bjorkman Replay

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A replay of our conversation with Eileen Bjorkman from Episode 618 published on August 26, 2020.

Guest

Eileen Bjorkman headshot.

Eileen Bjorkman is an author who tells veteran stories, She’s a speaker and a retired U.S. Air Force colonel with 700+ hours of flying time as a flight test engineer in 25 different types of military aircraft, primarily the F-4, F-16, C-130, and C-141. Eileen holds an Airline Transport Pilot rating and she is a Certificated Flight Instructor with more than 2,000 hours of flying time. She owns an aerobatic airplane, a Decathlon.

Eileen had just published her book Unforgotten in the Gulf of Tonkin: A Story of the U.S. Military’s Commitment to Leave No One Behind, which tells the story of U.S. Navy pilot Willie Sharp who had to eject from his F-8 fighter after being hit over North Vietnam.

Fly Girls Revolt book cover.

Look for Eileen’s new book titled The Fly Girls Revolt. It’s described as the untold story of the women military aviators of the 1970s and 1980s who finally kicked open the door to fly in combat in 1993—along with the story of the women who paved the way before them.

In addition to her books, Eileen has published many articles and technical journals. She has both MS and BS degrees in Aeronautical Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology in Ohio, and a BS in Computer Science from the University of Washington in Seattle. She also has a Ph.D. in Systems Engineering from The George Washington University in Washington, DC.

Visit Eileen’s web page EileenBjorkman.com for more about her books, publications, and her blog.