Airshow incident response, airport eatery, flight simulation, and the EAA Young Eagles Program.
Bunk Chase and Brix at an EAA Young Eagles Program event.
Interviews
Airplane Geeks reporter-at-large Launchpad Marzari speaks with Robert Yanacsek, the CEO of FROST (the Fast Response Operational Safety Team) on airshow incident response.
Next, Launchpad talks with Nana Palmer, the manager of Delta Charlies restaurant bar and grill at Dallas Executive Airport, KRBD. It’s an Eat at the Airport review.
Launchpad finishes up with Josh Harnagel Vice President of Marketing at Redbird Flight Simulations in Austin, Texas on integration with ForeFlight.
Avelo Airlines flight report, Redbird Flight Simulation, Nicki’s flying adventures, the covert Ravens program, the Commemorative Air Force, USAF Aerial Targets Squadron, the Flying Musicians Association, and a commentary about sustainable jet fuel.
Reporter-at-large Launchpad Marzari visited Redbird Flight Simulations in Austin, Texas and spoke with Josh Harnagle, Vice President, Marketing.
Pilot Nicki
Max Flight caught up with Airplane Geeks contributor Nicki at the Sun ‘n Fun Aerospace Expo. She’s continuing to work towards her CFI and training other pilots, especially the disabled.
The Ravens
Also at the Sun ‘n Fun Aerospace Expo, Max talked with Sandy Sanderson about Project 404, the Ravens, a covert operation in Southeast Asia, and the Air America Association.
Launchpad Marzari spoke with Hank Coats, the CEO and president of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) and Nancy McGee, Vice President of Education about their new headquarters and the Henry B. Tippie National Aviation Education Center.
Dennis Klotz and Trent McMillan represented the Flying Musicians Association at Sun ‘n Fun. Founded in 2009, this 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization is for pilots who are also musicians. They welcome all proficiency levels and musical genres.
Commentary on sustainable aviation fuel
In this opinion piece, Main(e) Man Micah tells us his views about sustainable fuel for aviation.
Airlines face downward booking trends and very large furloughs, flight training in a time of social distancing, airlines struggle to enforce face-covering policies, airports are responding to the pandemic, Boeing issues draft pilot training document for the 737 MAX, and Spirit Airlines steps up to help a family in need.
United Airlines sent employees a notice saying that 36,000 employees may be subject to involuntary furloughs. That would represent 45% of its U.S. front-line workers. Most of these (26,000) would be flight attendants and airport customer service and gate agents. Up to 2,250 pilots could be affected.
In mid-April, there were days when TSA checkpoint volume was only 4% of previous year levels. In May and June, the volume rose slightly and airlines started operating more flights. But now Covid-19 infections are spiking upward in many U.S. states and bookings are again dropping.
A few months ago, Redbird Flight Simulations started thinking about social distancing and flight training. They’ve developed a platform for flight instructors and their students that uses video conferencing technology and a web-based version of the Redbird Navigator flight simulator operating system.
Airline passengers are required to wear face coverings in flight, except when eating and drinking. Most do, but not everyone. Cabin crew have difficulty enforcing a mask policy since there is no Federal requirement, only a recommendation.
In July 2020, the U.S. Department of Transportation published a 44-page “Runway to Recovery” plan [PDF] subtitled “The United States Framework for Airlines and Airports to Mitigate the Public Health Risks of Coronavirus.”
DFW and American Airlines plan to roll out self-check-in for luggage and touchless restrooms at the airport. The airport is piloting three luggage self-check-in systems: Amadeus’s ICM, SITA, and Materna IPS. DFW is also testing new sanitization technology including ultraviolet light to kill germs before they circulate into the HVAC system.
Boeing has a draft of its new 737 MAX pilot training document. The Allied Pilots Association (APA) representing American Airlines’ pilots has a copy and they say the document is vastly more thorough than previous drafts. The APA is generally pleased with it but some concerns remain. Boeing’s latest draft includes some 10 documents and 200 pages.
A family was flying on Spirit Airlines from San Juan to Philadelphia when their 4-year-old daughter had a medical emergency. The plane diverted to Turks and Caicos so the girl could get medical treatment. (She’s fine.) But the family didn’t have the necessary documentation when they tried to leave the island. Plus international travel is shut down there. They were trapped but Spirit and others came to the rescue.
