Tag Archives: Burt Rutan

537 Chicken Wings Comics

The brothers who create the Chicken Wings comics tell us about the very popular cartoons with aviation humor, and 10-year-old listener Jackson reports on flying a full-motion flight simulator at the United Airlines flight training center in Denver. Also, the effects on aviation of the now-concluded partial US Government shutdown, the Airlander 10 prototype is retired, Boeing delivers two KC-46A tankers, and the Russians seem to be integrating unmanned “wingmen” with Sukhoi Su-57 fighters.

Chicken Wings Comics

Stefan Strasser (left) and Mike Strasser (right).

Guests

Stefan Strasser and Mike Strasser are the brothers behind the Chicken Wings comics. Their work is well known in the aviation community and is published globally in many different publications.

Mike Strasser is an experienced helicopter pilot and lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. He has many years of experience in aviation as a commercial pilot, an aircraft mechanic, and a flight instructor. Mostly, Mike now fights forest fires flying CH-47 Chinook helicopters.

Stefan Strasser lives and works near Vienna, Austria. He’s an accomplished cartoon artist and independent illustrator. He actually has a Master’s Degree in International Trade, but instead of finding a real job, Stefan decided to become a freelance artist. “Chicken Wings” is his most important project, but you can find his work in many other magazines, books, and newsletters all around the world.

Find Chicken Wings at their website, on Twitter, and on Facebook.

Jackson is a 10-year-old flight sim enthusiast and fan of the podcast. He had an opportunity to visit the United Airlines flight training center in Denver to fly one of their full-motion simulators. Jackson tells us about his experience.

Chicken Wings Book Giveaway

Be sure to listen for the Chicken Wings book giveaway rules. Entries are due by February 22, 2019.

Chicken Wings book giveaway.

Chicken Wings book giveaway inscription.

 

Aviation News

Potential return of shutdown looms on air traffic controllers’ radars

The partial shutdown of the U.S. Government is over for now. The impacts on aviation have been significant, but will anything be different if it happens again?

World’s biggest aircraft, Airlander 10, moves toward commercial model

Hybrid Air Vehicles calls it part airship, part helicopter, and part plane. Others call it the “flying bum.” The prototype Airlander 10 is a hybrid helium airship. It’s being retired to be replaced by a production model that has already secured approved from the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). In addition to the Airlander 10 luxury touring airship, the Airlander 50 is being developed for the cargo or heavy lift market.

The Airlander 10. Courtesy Hybrid Air Vehicles.

The Airlander 10. Courtesy Hybrid Air Vehicles.

Surprise! Boeing hands Air Force the keys to not just one, but two KC-46 tanker jets

At the handover ceremony at the in Everett, Washington assembly plant, Boeing surprised the employees in attendance with one more KC-46 than they had been expecting. Leanne Caret, president and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space and Security, announced, “I am delighted to be with you all today to celebrate the delivery of the first KC-46 tanker from Boeing to the United States Air Force. Wait a minute! I’m sorry, I have made a mistake. I think I had that wrong. I believe I am delivering two KC-46 aircraft to the United States Air Force! Two!”

Oh great, Russian fighter pilots are going to start flying with scary AI wingmen

Images have been spotted of an unmanned combat vehicle called Hunter. Also seen are images of a Sukhoi Su-57 with a logo that looks like the Hunter on the tail, as well as the image of a lightning bolt.

Mentioned

An evening with Dick and Burt Rutan. This joint event by the National Aviation Hall of Fame and the Air Force Museum Foundation will be held February 22, 2019, at the National Museum of the US Air Force. You can reserve tickets at the Living History site.

Credit

Outtro by Bruno Misonne.

AirplaneGeeks 350 Burt Rutan Is At It Again

Filming Burt Rutan

Antenna Films documents Burt Rutan as he builds the SkiGull, FBI investigates alleged IFE hacker, United Airlines offers bug bounty program, autistic child removed from flight, passenger prevented from making emergency call, and crowdfunding a startup airline.

Guests

Scott B and Sandy Guthrie are the Executive Producers and Co-Creative Directors of Antenna Films, which is producing the documentary film Looking Up, Way Up! The Burt Rutan Story. They are following Burt as he designs and builds the SkiGull plane which he intends to fly around the world in a “Walter Mitty flight” that avoids airports. Scott and Sandy tell us about the SkiGull and the film, but also give us some insights into Burt Rutan, the man.

The team used Kickstarter to jumpstart the documentary since Burt is moving ahead quickly, but they intend to build a sustainable community around this project. Visit the documentary website at LookingUpWayUp.com and the project Facebook page.

Scott and Sandy have been making films for more than 20 years and formed Antenna Films in 2000 to tell compelling stories. Their work has appeared on National Geographic, Discovery, A&E, Lifetime and Sundance TV. Antenna produced the award winning Virgin Galactic series following the development of the world’s first spaceline. Other credits include the first one-hour episode of Virgin Galactic: Will it Fly for National Geographic, and the Peabody Award and Cine Golden Eagle Award-winning specials Black Sky: The Race for Space and  Winning the X-Prize on Discovery.

News

FBI Investigating Claim Computer Expert Hacked Plane In-Flight

Computer security expert Chris Roberts has told investigators that he hacked into the IFE system through boxes under the seats 15 to 20 times. He says he even “caused one of the airplane engines to climb resulting in a lateral or sideways movement of the plane.”

Law enforcement is investigating and says the electronics box under the seat shows signs of tampering. But they also say “there is no credible information to suggest an airplane’s flight control system can be accessed or manipulated from its in-flight entertainment system.”

United Airlines bug bounty program

White hat hackers are invited to probe for bugs that affect United “websites, apps and/or online portals” in exchange for up to one million award miles.

An autistic girl’s entire family was kicked off a plane because she wanted a First Class meal

Woman Claims She and Daughter With Autism Were Kicked Off United Airlines Flight

A Range of Reactions to Airline’s Removal of Autistic Child

A United Airlines pilot diverted a Portland flight to Salt Lake City to remove a family with an autistic 15 year old daughter. The situation developed after the girl required a hot meal. Was she disruptive? Some say no.

Woman told she couldn’t call suicidal husband during flight

A woman on a Southwest Airlines flight received a text from her husband that read, “Karen, please forgive me for what I am about to do, I am going to kill myself.” The cabin crew would not allow the call. Upon arrival at the gate, the woman called the police, but it was too late.

Struggling start-up airline turns to crowdfunding for cash

Avatar Airlines claims it’s “poised to revolutionize the airline industry as ‘the ultra-low fare’ leader with no baggage fees (up to two) and fares as low as $19” on 581-seat Boeing 747-400 aircraft. Avatar has started a crowdfunding campaign.

The Australia News Desk

The boys are back with the sad news that the “Wings Over Illawarra” show had to be cancelled due to terrible weather.

Deciding to go with military stories, the Desk opens with the news that two RAAF KC30As made multiple boom contacts off the coast of Brisbane recently. Although no gas was passed (that’s going to happen soon) it verifies that the boom is finally all but working!

Next they report that SQNLDR Andrew “Jacko” Jackson has flown the first RAAF F35. He became the first Australian to fly an F35 last month but now he’s at Luke AFB and flying A35-001 (our first RAAF F35). Apparently the kangaroo painted on the side makes all the difference!

Matt Hall took 2nd place at the Chiba (Japan) leg of the Red Bull Air Race. He’s also looking for a major “name the team” sponsor.

Mentioned

Flaris

Credit

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