Tag Archives: Ampaire

562 Portland International Jetport

The director of the Portland International Jetport joins us to talk about airport development, airport noise, attracting airlines, and other topics. In the news, the A321neo has an excessive pitch problem, unique airline seats with more middle seat space, an unruly passenger gets banned for life, and an electric airplane company begins taking customer letters of intent. We have interviews from the Spurwink Farm Pancake Breakfast and Fly-In: the director of the Owls Head Transportation Museum, a young cadet from the Civil Air Patrol, and a retired professional pilot.

Guest

Paul Bradbury, director of the Portland International Jetport.

Paul Bradbury, director of the Portland International Jetport.

Paul H. Bradbury, P.E. is the airport director for the Portland International Jetport (PWM) in Portland, Maine. Paul has held several positions at the Jetport since 1992 and he was appointed the airport director in 2008. In this position, he is responsible for the overall management, operations, and planning for the Jetport.

PWM reached record passenger volumes for the past two years as it has focused on service and its value proposition to customers.

Under Paul’s leadership, the Jetport completed the largest capital improvement program in its history. That included a new parking garage, a 137,000 square foot terminal expansion, an aircraft deicing fluid capture facility, and the rehabilitation of the north/south runway.

These projects have placed PWM at the forefront of sustainable design. The terminal expansion was only the second terminal project in the country to receive the US Green Building Council’s LEED Gold certification. The aircraft deicing fluid capture facility recently received the ACI-NA 2018 Environmental Achievement Award for Mitigation.

Paul is a licensed professional engineer with a B.S. in Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. 

South Portland residents upset with Jetport noise

AAAE Announces Three Recipients of Airport Innovation Awards

Aviation News

The Airbus A321neo Has An Excessive Pitch Problem

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has issued Airworthiness Directive 2019-0171 [PDF] for Airbus A321neo airplanes. Certain Elevator Aileron Computer (ELAC) part numbers installed on some airplanes can cause an “excessive pitch attitude… in certain conditions and during specific manoeuvres… This condition, if not corrected, could result in reduced control of the aeroplane.”

New airplane seat could solve one of the most annoying things about flying

Molon Labe Seating has some unique ideas for rows of three economy seats in a staggered layout. As seen in a short company video from 2017, the middle seat is wider, lower, and farther back. NBC News reported on the Side-Slip Seat that year in the video, The Middle Plane Seat May Be The Best Soon With Revolutionary Design.

Woman fined $106,000 and banned from airline for life after trying to open plane doors

Leisure airline Jet2.com says they have has issued a lifetime ban to a 25-year-old woman and billed her more than £85,000 after her disruptive behavior caused a flight to be diverted. The RAF scrambled two Typhoon fighters to escort the aircraft. According to Jet2.com, she “displayed a catalogue of aggressive, abusive and dangerous behaviour on the aircraft, which included attempting to open the aircraft doors during the flight.” See also Couple who restrained Jet2 passenger demand payout from airline.

Ampaire To Open Order Book for Hybrid-electric Airplane

Ampaire CEO Kevin Noertker says “The Ampaire Electric EEL is the first step in bringing lower emissions, lower operating costs, and quieter operations to general aviation through electrification.” The company was to begin taking letters of intent for its Electric EEL hybrid airplane at EAA AirVenture.

Spurwink Farm Pancake Breakfast and Fly-In

Our Main(e) Man and contributor-at-large Micah attended this year’s Spurwink Farm event and recorded three interviews:

Cadet First Lt Emily Earle from the Civil Air Patrol.

Tom O’Connell, a retired professional pilot.

Kevin Bedford, executive director of the Owls Head Transportation Museum, who arrived in a 1941 PT-17 Stearman Bi-Plane. The Wings & Wheels Spectacular will be taking place on August 3-4, 2019.

 

Micah and Kevin with the Stearman.

Micah and Kevin with the Stearman.

Stearman Landing with Micah.

Action shot! Stearman landing with Micah.

Mentioned

The Cooper Vortex podcast.

Credit

Outtro by Bruno Misonne.

 

556 A New Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator returns in 2020, Launchpad Marzari talks with the operations manager and the chief pilot at Skydive Spaceland San Marcos, the Boeing 737 has an issue with slats, fun facts about business jets, Raytheon and United Technologies propose a merger, airport facial scans raise privacy concerns, and an electric hybrid Cessna 337 Skymaster takes flight.

Aviation News

E3: Microsoft Flight Simulator coming to Xbox, PC

Azure artificial intelligence and satellite imagery give the new Microsoft Flight Simulator stunning 4K effects. Coming in 2020, the sim is reportedly written for the PC and is not a port from Xbox.

Video: Microsoft Flight Simulator – Announcement Trailer | E3 2019

 

More than 300 Boeing 737s to be inspected for faulty parts

Slat track assemblies manufactured for the Boeing 737 have been found to have a hydrogen embrittlement issue. Operators are required to perform inspections to identify and remove faulty parts. See also, Spirit AeroSystems supplier made potentially faulty 737 wing parts.

Know The Facts About Private Jets Before You Bash Them

Advocacy group No Plane, No Gain offers data that illustrates the importance of business aviation, such as jobs supported, economic activity, accessibility to locations not served by airlines, humanitarian missions, and many more.

Raytheon and United Technologies Aerospace Businesses to Combine in Merger of Equals

Under the proposed merger, UTCs aerospace unit would combine with Raytheon in an all-stock transaction to create Raytheon Technologies Corporation. As previously planned, Carrier and Otis would spin off UTC as distinct companies.

Don’t smile for surveillance: Why airport face scans are a privacy trap

U.S. Customs and Border Protection says photos of travelers taken in a data breach

Face recognition is increasingly being used at airports. Is this a threat to personal privacy?

Ampaire Announces First Public Electric Flight

The Ampaire Inc. six-seat Cessna 337 Skymaster was retrofitted with a proprietary battery-powered electric propulsion system that replaces the rear combustion engine. The “resulting system is a ‘parallel hybrid’, meaning the internal combustion engine and electric motor work in concert to optimize power output as the plane flies.”

Skydive Spaceland (Part 2)

Two final interviews conclude the report by Airplane Geeks reporter-at-large Launchpad Marzari on his visit to Skydive SpacelandThomas Hughes, Operations Manager, Skydive Spaceland, San Marcos; and Chief pilot Matt Wampler.

Mentioned

FAA UAS Symposium 2019 report in episode 290 of The UAV Digest.

Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW)