Tag Archives: AFRL

644 Aviation Art Designs

MotoArt turns unused aircraft parts into high-end furniture and aviation art designs. In the news, Pratt & Whitney’s new hypersonic engine project, the AFRL autonomous Skyborg aircraft and the Boeing Loyal Wingman, Boeing criticizes the A321XLR, Qantas offers mystery flights, and the Southwest Airlines grant program.

Guest

Dave Hall is the co-founder and owner of MotoArt which sells high-end aviation-inspired furniture and aviation art designs constructed from genuine aircraft parts.

MotoArt aviation art designs.
Dave Hall

Dave is also the founder/owner of PlaneTags – collectible, three-inch oval-shaped luggage tags made from authentic aircraft skin. Each PlaneTag is laser etched with the aircraft’s schematic and serial / tail number and is attached to a baseball-type trading card containing the history of the aircraft.  PlaneTags allows collectors the opportunity to hold a piece of aviation history in their hands while simultaneously providing them with an educational experience for each aircraft offered. Nearly 100 different types of PlaneTags have been created to date and several years’ worth of aircraft are in the queue for future releases. PlaneTags fans can expect new releases each month.

Dave began his career working at his father’s fuel storage tank business and later moved on to marketing and selling high-end architectural signage for amusement parks and sports arenas. In 2001, he and former colleague Donovan Fell began creating sculptures out of vintage World War II propellers. The popularity of these sculptures prompted the two to form a partnership and together created MotoArt LLC, which introduced high-end aviation-inspired furniture and art designs constructed from genuine aircraft parts. Since its inception, MotoArt has created over 100 limited edition custom designs for both private and Fortune 500 clients.

Dave has graciously donated four PlaneTags to Airplane Geeks which we’ll be giving away to listeners in a random drawing. In addition, Dave is offering Airplane Geeks listeners a PlaneTags discount. Details in the podcast.

PlaneTags from MotoArt, aviation art designs.
PlaneTags giveaway.

Finally, the Pima Air & Space Museum is running a sweepstakes (open until April 9, 2021) where your donation enters you in a contest to win a $25,000 MotoArt gift certificate.

Aviation News

Pratt & Whitney Makes Hypersonic Revival As Pentagon Pushes Reuse

Pratt & Whitney has a secret development program to develop a low-cost, reusable hypersonic propulsion system. This is a capability high in priority for the U.S. Department of Defense. The program is called Metacomet and comes from Pratt & Whitney’s GatorWorks prototyping division in Florida. David Stagney, senior director of GatorWorks said, “The faster you go, the larger the propulsion system is relative to the vehicle and how much payload and fuel you can actually fit in. So, we have spent a lot of time going back to the fundamentals and thinking about how to solve that problem differently. We know the Air Force wants to go really fast. They also want to have some very low-cost solutions, and to be able to have a large quantity of vehicles.”

Boeing to base U.S. Air Force prototype on Australian pilotless combat jet

Boeing designed and manufactured the unmanned “Loyal Wingman” aircraft in Australia, which just completed its first flight. The US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Skyborg autonomous aircraft program has contracted with Boeing, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, and Kratos Defense & Security Solutions to develop the prototypes. Boeing says they are basing their bid on the Loyal Wingman. The technology will be tested during Orange Flag exercises this summer.

Boeing labels new Airbus jet a ‘potential hazard’ just days after being fined millions for safety oversights

The A321XLR gets additional range with a fuel tank that is moulded into the fuselage. Boeing has informed the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) that this design “presents many potential hazards.” EASA had already noted the design, saying “An integral fuselage fuel tank exposed to an external fire, if not adequately protected, may not provide enough time for the passengers to safely evacuate the aircraft.”

First there were flights to nowhere. Now there are ‘mystery flights.’

Qantas is launching three flights to unspecified Australian destinations. Passengers will have  “low-level scenic flybys of key landmarks” and land about two hours after departure. That will be followed by a day’s worth of activities on the ground. In order to know what to wear and pack, Qantas will give passengers clues about the destination.

Southwest Airlines donates 7,500 free flights for those in need of medical care

The airline’s Medical Transportation Grant Program is providing roundtrip flights for those in need of urgent medical care. Southwest awarded the tickets to over 75 nonprofit hospitals and medical transportation organizations. The airline valued the transportation at $3 million. To date, more than $38.6 million in free transportation has been provided since the program began in 2007.

Mike Collins

Rob Mark talks about the passing of Mike Collins, AOPA Technical Editor and Director of Business Operations. See Saying Goodbye: AOPA Loses Technical Editor Mike Collins.

Mentioned

Aerojet Rocketdyne

Air Care Alliance

AvGeekFests.com

Innovations in Flight Family Day and Outdoor Aviation Display

47th annual Sun ‘n Fun Aerospace Expo April 13-18, 2021. See SnF Covid policy.

Podcasting on a Plane, Episode 091, Remote View Flight Check with Rob Mark.

Airplane Geeks Listener Poll #643: Who would you like to see win the 2020 Collier Trophy?

Cat attacks pilots in cockpit, plane forced to make emergency landing

Trade group again names Portland’s jetport best in North America. Airports Council International recognizes the world’s best airports in customer experience with their annual Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Awards. The Portland International Jetport was named the best airport in North America for customer experience in its passenger class.

Airplane Flyover

471 Aviation Strategy and Programs at AOPA

The Senior Vice President, Aviation Strategy and Programs for AOPA describes the You Can Fly program and the Air Safety Institute. Also, we look at the increased student enrollment in flight-training programs, adhesively bonded splice joints as an aircraft assembly method, the White House nominee for the NTSB, and Ryanair’s strategy for pilot retention.

AOPA Senior Vice President, Aviation Strategy and Programs Katie Pribyl with Buck.

AOPA Senior Vice President, Aviation Strategy and Programs Katie Pribyl with Buck.

Guest

Katie Pribyl is Senior Vice President, Aviation Strategy and Programs for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). Katie is responsible for the organization’s You Can Fly program and the Air Safety Institute.

The You Can Fly program includes initiatives to get lapsed pilots back in the air, providing more affordable access to aviation through flying clubs, best practices in flight training, and It introduces high school students to aviation. Be sure to look into the AOPA High School Aviation STEM Symposium November 6-7, 2017.

The AOPA Air Safety Institute (ASI) produces free programs to help pilots fly safer. These include online courses, live seminars, and videos. ASI recently started publishing the There I Was… podcast.

Katie is a graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and she flew the Canadair Regional Jet with Atlantic Coast Airlines/Independence Air. She served as the director of communications for GAMA (the General Aviation Manufacturers Association) and Katie is a CFI and rated seaplane pilot. She is a member of Ladies Love Taildraggers and loves flying her 1956 Cessna 180 Skywagon in her home state of Montana.

Katie was featured in the January 2017 issue of AOPA Pilot in A Daughter’s Homecoming: A Ranch Airstrip FulFills a Cowgirl’s Dream. Follow Katie on Twitter and Facebook.

Aviation News

Embry-Riddle Sees Rising Number of Students in Nation’s Largest Collegiate Flight Training Program

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s flight-training program is planning for the largest incoming freshman class in 15 years. Contributing factors include demand for more commercial airline pilots, an increase in a starting salary, and quicker return on investment with an Embry-Riddle degree.

Advanced joint technology viable method for aircraft assembly

The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and Northrop Grumman partnered to test a new aircraft assembly method where adhesively bonded splice joints replace the legacy method where large components and subassemblies are joined with bolts.

White House To Nominate AOPA’s Landsberg to NTSB

The White House announced that Bruce Landsberg will be nominated to a five-year term on the National Transportation Safety Board beginning Jan. 1, 2018, as well as to a two-year term as vice chairman. Bruce led the AOPA Foundation and Air Safety Institute (ASI) as executive director and then president for 22 years. He’s currently a senior safety advisor for AOPA and the ASI, he also has served as the industry co-chair of the FAA’s runway safety program.

Trip Report

Brian got together with some of our listeners during his trip to South Africa, and recorded some of the conversations.

Airline Story of the Week

This Airline’s Response to Hurricane Irma Is a Masterclass in Compassionate Pricing

JetBlue announced that it was capping ticket prices after the devastating hurricane in Florida.

Mentioned

The Cod Father restaurant in Cape Town, South Africa.

Evan picking up the PA-22.

Evan picking up the PA-22.

#PaxEx Podcast #50 Flyers Rights makes the case for seat size standards with guest Kendall Creighton, director of communications for consumer advocacy group Flyers Rights on aircraft seat spacing, the Daily Beast article, their recent judicial victory, and ATC privatization.

Bag fees driving up cost of lower airfares for many U.S. flyers

Video: Aterrizando en Quito (Landing in Quito)

Video: Despegando de guayaquil Ecuador (Taking off from Guayaquil Ecuador)

Credit

Intro music courtesy Brother Love from his Album Of The Year CD. Outtro by Bruno Misonne from The Sound of Flaps.