Tag Archives: Dassault

690 Charlie Bolden

Our guest is Charlie Bolden, former NASA administrator, astronaut, and naval aviator. In the news, the first production Falcon 6X arrives at the completion center, Air Force accidents decline, FAA proposes changes to autopilot training, Frontier and Spirit propose a merger, and Delta wants a federal no-fly list for unruly passengers.

Guest

Charlie Bolden photo
Charlie Bolden

Charles (Charlie) F. Bolden Jr., was Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration from 2009 to 2017. He’s a former astronaut who flew on four Shuttle missions, and a retired United States Marine Corps Major General. He is the Founder and CEO Emeritus of the Charles F. Bolden Group.

In our open and wide-ranging conversation with Charlie, he talks about the factors that have led to the prominence of commercial space companies. We look at how Congress reacted to the shift and why the commercial industry changed NASA for the better. These “New Space” companies often use an iterative development process that is very different from the regimented process used, for example, with the James Webb Space Telescope.

We touch on the role of NASA and the need for the Administrator to navigate the politics of Washington. We also consider whether the NTSB or FAA should investigate space accidents.

Charlie explains how returning to the Moon and going on to Mars raised concerns that funding would shift to human space flight at the expense of science missions. He also describes initial skepticism that the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter was a good idea. Charlie has some interesting thoughts on the notion of “colonizing” Mars and if that planet is really an alternative to Earth.

Along the way, we look at spherical aberration on the Hubble telescope (and its twin), what the Boeing CST-100 Starliner and the Sierra Nevada Dream Chaser bring, and of course SpaceX. Charlie describes an overwhelmingly emotional moment on his first Shuttle flight and how astronauts used ham radio to talk to their families from the Orbiter.

Charlie also provides some insight into the criteria used to select who would receive the four Space Shuttle orbiters after that program ended.

Among a number of other activities, STEM education is a focus of the Charles F. Bolden Group. Charlie talks about the SERVIR-West Africa project, a joint initiative by the US agency for International Development (USAID) and NASA.

Aviation News

First Falcon 6X Arrives at Dassault’s Little Rock Completion Center

The first production Falcon 6X extra widebody twin arrived at Dassault Aviation’s 1.25 million square foot completion center in Little Rock, Arkansas. Serial number five was ferried from Dassault’s production facility in France. The Pratt & Whitney Canada PW812D-powered Falcon 6X is expected to enter into service later in 2022.

Deadly aircraft accidents declined in 2021, Air Force says

The Air Force reported 63 severe mishaps in fiscal 2021, compared to 71 the prior year. “Class A” incidents dropped to 21 from 30 in 2020. The 5-year average is about 27 Class A mishaps.  The manned aircraft rate fell to 0.94 accidents per 100,000 flying hours, the lowest since 2014. At the same time, the rate for unmanned aircraft accidents jumped to 1.96 unmanned aircraft accidents per 100,000 flying hours, which is the highest since 2017.

Retired Boeing 747 Bought for $1.30 Begins New Life As Party Plane

This retired British Airways Boeing 747 can be rented from Cotswold Airport in the south of England. Purchased for just £1 ($1.30), almost £500,000 ($671,000) has been invested in the plane, which costs $1,300 an hour to rent, or $16,000 for 24-hours.

FAA proposes changes in autopilot training

The FAA wants pilots to avoid overreliance on the autopilot and make sure they focus on flight path management. So the FAA issued draft guidance and recommended practices. The FAAs action comes in response to NTSB recommendations after the July 2013 accident where Asiana Airlines Flight 214 struck a seawall at SFO, killing three passengers. Also prompting the draft guidance are requirements specified by Congress after the two fatal Boeing 737 MAX accidents.

Frontier to buy Spirit Airlines in $2.9 billion low-cost carriers deal

The two carriers are proposing a merger where Frontier Airlines would hold 51.5 percent and Spirit would hold 48.5 percent. A name for the combined airline hasn’t been offered, nor has the CEO or location of headquarters identified.

Delta Air Lines CEO Edward Bastian asked the U.S. Attorney General to set up a nationwide no-fly list for unruly passengers. The ACLU and others are critical, citing problems with the TSA’s current terrorist list.

Mentioned

Inside Marine One
On March 4, 2022, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm, the American Helicopter Museum is offering members a sneak preview of the new Inside Marine One exhibit. A conversation will feature USMC Colonel Ray “Frenchy” L’Heureux (former Marine One pilot and author of Inside Marine One: Four U.S. Presidents, One Proud Marine, and the World’s Most Amazing Helicopter) and Roger D. Connor, Ph.D. (Curator of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum Aeronautics Department). You can still participate in the discussion via Zoom (6:30-7:30) if you can’t join in person. Register by March 3, 2022.

The American Helicopter Museum's graphic for their Inside Marine One exhibit.
Inside Marine One

You Can Now Learn to Fly at Owls Head Airport

Penobscot Island Air has started a new flight school at the Knox County Regional Airport in Owls Head, Maine. PIA provides mail, freight delivery, and even medevac services. The CFIs are Penobscot Island Air pilots and in the first three weeks, seven students enrolled.

The airport is shared by the Owls Head Transportation Museum which conducts many events throughout the year, including the annual Wings and Wheels Spectacular Airshow, to be held August 6, 2022, 10:00-3:00.

Hosts this Episode

Max Flight, David Vanderhoof, and Max Trescott.

645 Woman Aviator

The inspiring story of a legendary woman aviator and member of the “Mercury 13” who was also the first female FAA inspector and the first female investigator for the NTSB. Also, the AerCap/GECAS merger of aircraft leasing companies, the Dassault Falcon 6X first flight, FAA 2021 GA award winners, Buzz Lightyear’s mission with Southwest Airlines, and the serial stowaway.

Guest

Loretta Hall

Loretta Hall captured the memoir of the extraordinary woman aviator, Wally Funk, in Higher, Faster, Longer: My Life in Aviation and My Quest for Spaceflight.

Wally Funk was the first woman civilian flight instructor at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, the 58th woman in the U.S. to earn an Airline Transport Rating (in 1968), the FAA’s first woman operations inspector and Systems Worthiness Analysis Program specialist, and the first woman NTSB accident investigator. She was also one of the “Mercury 13,” hoping to become an astronaut.

Wally Funk

Loretta is a freelance writer and nonfiction book author. She’s a long-time space travel enthusiast and is currently a certified Space Ambassador for the National Space Society. Loretta has written eight books, including five on the history and future of space travel, one of which is The Complete Space Buff’s Bucket List: 100 Space Things to Do Before You Die.

Loretta has been interested in space travel since her teenage years when she followed the early NASA programs: the selection of the Mercury Seven astronauts, the suborbital and orbital missions of Mercury and Gemini, and the Apollo steps toward a moon landing. She has written eight books, including five on the history and future of space travel. Loretta loves finding ways to participate in space activities without being an astronaut. Her newest book was a cooperative effort to produce the memoir of Wally Funk, an icon in the fields of aviation and spaceflight.

Loretta Hall and Wally Funk

Aviation News

This $30 Billion Deal Could Reshape the Aviation Industry

AerCap Holdings announced that it would acquire the GECAS (GE Capital Aviation Services) unit of General Electric in a $30 billion deal. This would consolidate the number one and number two commercial aviation financing and leasing companies, measured by the number of aircraft. The resulting business would be the largest customer for Airbus, Boeing, and the engine manufacturers.

Dassault’s Falcon 6X Makes First Flight

Dassault Aviation’s Falcon 6X long-range, ultra-widebody business jet’s first flight was made from the company’s facility at Mérignac, France, near Bordeaux, on March 10, 2021.  The 2.5-hour flight reached FL400 and a speed of 0.8 Mach and was dedicated to Olivier Dassault, who died in a helicopter accident on March 7, 2021.

2021 GA Award Winners Announced by FAA, Committee

The awards for National Flight Instructor, Aviation Technician, and FAASTeam Rep of the Year will be presented at EAA AirVenture at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in July. The 2021 awards go to:

  • Ronald Jay Timmermans of Orlando, Florida, Certificated Flight Instructor of the Year
  • Michael Colin Dunkley of Coshocton, Ohio, Aviation Technician of the Year 
  • Adam Timothy Magee of Swisher, Iowa, FAA Safety Team Representative of the Year.

‘To infinity & beyond!’ Southwest Airlines reunites Buzz Lightyear with young passenger who left toy behind

After a young boy left his beloved Buzz Lightyear on a flight, a Southwest employee found it, located the family, and arranged for Buzz to return home.

Women’s History Month: A Look at Impactful Women in Aviation

Women Entrepreneurs in Aviation

These articles highlight just some of the amazing women who have had successful careers in aviation. They include

Mae Jemison, the first African American woman in space; Joan Higginbotham, who helped build the international space station and operated robotic arm; LeAnn Ridgeway, a Rockwell Collins executive leader (now Collins Aerospace); Susan Mashibe, Tanzania’s first female FAA-certified pilot and mechanic and owner of a private jet handling and hangar services company; Rachel King, the founder and owner of the Precision Approach aircraft washing service; and Steffany Kisling, founder of cabin attendant staffing company SkyAngles and SKYacademy, an online training platform for pilots, cabin attendants and aspiring crew.

Mentioned

#PaxEx Podcast 74: Ready to fly, but has COVID reset expectations?

Max Flight’s Aviation Podcast Directory

Airline Pilot Guy podcast

ABC7 Salutes: Filmmakers complete mission to make documentary honoring WWII heroes

Journey to Royal: A WWII Rescue Mission is a hybrid documentary and action film with painstakingly accurate recreations filmed using real planes (at the Palm Springs Air Museum and the March Field Air Museum) and recreated models. It is now available on streaming and cable platforms and on DVD.

The story takes place during the Second World War, the 4th Emergency Rescue Squadron was stationed on the Mariana Islands of the South Pacific. Its crews policed flight paths searching for B-29 bombers in jeopardy and downed airmen in need of rescue in the open ocean of this war-torn theatre.

View the trailer: Journey to Royal: A WWII Rescue Mission

World’s best airports for customer experience revealed

Support

You can support the Airplane Geeks podcast by making a donation.

483 Aircraft Brokerage and Acquisition Services

We talk about aircraft brokerage and acquisition of business aircraft with a vice president at Holstein Aviation. In the news, we look at the Delta Airlines order for A321neo aircraft, Boeing’s beef with Bombardier CSeries pricing, the NBAA statement on “Ethical Business Aviation Transactions,” Aerion Corporation gets help from Lockheed Martin and GE Aviation to develop a supersonic business jet, and the Atlanta airport power outage.

Holstein Aviation provides aircraft brokerage and acquisition services for business aircraft such as the Falcon 20.

Holstein Aviation provides aircraft brokerage and acquisition services for business aircraft such as the Falcon 20.

Guest

Steve Fushelberger is vice president at Holstein Aviation, a team of professional aircraft brokers and acquisition specialists with domestic and international experience. They are responsible for some 4,700 transactions valued at over 10 billion dollars, and have 66,000 combined flight hours, with light, medium and heavy jet type ratings from nearly all major aircraft manufacturers. Holstein Aviation is one of the top 10 business aircraft brokerage and acquisition firms worldwide by transaction volume.

Steve Fushelberger

Steve Fushelberger

Steve brings extensive experience in the aerospace and defense industries with a career that includes sales, marketing, public and media relations, communications, advertising, and branding. He served as Vice President of Marketing at Cessna Aircraft Company, and Vice President of Marketing Communications for the Avolar business aviation operations of United Airlines. Steve held positions with Rolls-Royce in the corporate / regional airline aircraft, helicopters, defense, and advanced development businesses, and at AgustaWestland (now branded Leonardo) as the North American manager of marketing services.

His industry service includes public relations, public affairs, market research and advisory committees for the National Business Aviation Association, General Aviation Manufacturers Association, and the Transportation Research Board, as well as on the Aerospace LEAN Manufacturing Communications Initiative, and support for the industry’s GAME Plan (General Aviation Marketing Expansion) during the late 1980s, and the Learning For Life Aviation Exploring Program.

Steve has a commercial pilot license with instrument, multi-engine, and seaplane ratings. He holds a Bachelor’s degree with a marketing concentration from Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, and he is a US Army and Indiana National Guard veteran.

Find Holstein Aviation at their website, on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Also available is a company blog, the Fall 2017 edition of Business Aircraft Market Perspective magazine, and their Market Briefings.

Aviation News

Delta Air Lines to place order for Airbus jets

Delta ordered 100 firm/100 option A321neo aircraft with deliveries set to begin in the first quarter of 2020. The airline chose the A321neo over the Boeing 737 Max 10. Delta wouldn’t say if their choice was affected by the Boeing claims that Bombardier unfairly priced CSeries jets sold to Delta. Reportedly, many of the Airbus jets will be built in Mobile, Alabama. Pratt & Whitney GTF engines were selected to power the aircraft.

Boeing-Bombardier spat puts U.S.-Canadian trade deals in spotlight

At the recent U.S. International Trade Commission hearings, Boeing argued why it believes it was injured by Bombardier’s sale of C-Series jets to Delta. Reuters called it “a contentious hearing of the ITC” with Boeing accusing Bombardier of harming its ability to sell 737s in the U.S. market. Bombardier argued Boeing’s large 737 order book demonstrates that there has been no adverse impact from its CSeries jet, and also that Boeing does not manufacture a jet that competes with the CSeries.

NBAA: New Resource Underscores Industry’s Emphasis on Ethics in Business Aviation Transactions

In December 2017, NBAA’s Board of Directors approved the Ethical Business Aviation Transactions statement that outlines best practices for ethical transactions between buyers and sellers of business aircraft products and services.

Lockheed Martin plans supersonic business jet

Lockheed Martin Corp. executed a memorandum of understanding with Aerion Corp. to develop the AS2 supersonic business jet. Lockheed will study the jet’s feasibility with Aerion over the next year and the two companies will build frameworks that guide engineering, certification, and production. Aerion hopes the GE Aviation-powered jet will be operating by 2025.

Video: Aerion Corporation Announces New Partnership

Dassault terminates Silvercrest contract; cancels Falcon 5X programme

Dassault Aviation chairman Eric Trappier says: “There is still a strong market need for a brand new, long-range aircraft with a very large cabin, so I have decided to launch a new Falcon project powered by Pratt & Whitney Canada engines, featuring the same cross-section as the 5X [and] a range of 5,500nm.” The 5X program has been hampered by development delays for the Safran Silvercrest engine.

Christmas Travel Week Kicks Off With Atlanta Airport Power Outage

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport lost power this past Sunday, disrupting the entire network and stranding thousands of passengers. Georgia Power believes the power outage may have been caused by a fire which led to extensive damage in an underground electrical facility.

The Airplane of the Week

It’s that time of the year and David does his yearly Christmas card. This year he goes back to December 1944. Horsham St Faith was an RAF base taken over by the USAAC in 1942. It was home to the 56th Fighter Group flying P-47s and then 458th (H) Bomber Squadron flying B-24Js. But besides the history, there’s always a little Magic.

Brian’s Commercial Aviation Segment

Observations from Capt. Rick Bell on United Airlines.

Mentioned

AIN’s Human Factor: Tales from the Flight Deck podcast.

Japan Airlines signals supersonic ambitions

Keep your eyes to the skies: Airbus tests A350-1000 from Mitchell International Airport

Credit

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