Tag Archives: Schiphol

773 North American Rockwell OV-10 Bronco

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:48:02 — 49.5MB)

We look at the North American Rockwell OV-10 Bronco with a former combat aircraft pilot. In the news, Van’s Aircraft is experiencing financial issues, the U.S. Government is getting involved in the Schiphol airport move to reduce flights, and a Federal Flight Deck Officer allegedly threatens to shoot another pilot.

Guest

Tim Plaehn in the F-16 cockpit 1985.
Tim Plaehn in 1985

Tim Plaehn is a former combat aircraft pilot who attended the Air Force Academy, graduating in 1979. Tim attended Undergraduate Pilot Training at Williams AFB and his first assignment ran from 1980 to 1984, flying the North American Rockwell OV-10 Bronco. He spent one year at Osan AB in South Korea, and two years as an OV-10 instructor at Patrick AFB. Tim received his F-16 training at Luke AFB in 1985 and served as a frontline F-16 pilot at Nellis AFB through 1987 when he separated from the Air Force.

Tim describes the very interesting OV-10 aircraft, and its design, armament, and acrobatic qualities. We hear some stories about his experiences training pilots to fly the OV-10 including several student-induced spins.

NASA OV-10 in flight.
NASA OV-10

After major maintenance was performed on an Air Force aircraft, a follow-up flight called a functional check flight (FCF) would be required. A squadron would have two pilots qualified to fly FCFs. Tim was fortunate to be an FCF pilot for both the OV-10 and the F-16.

Since his Air Force career, Tim has spent most of his working life in the investment world. For the past 10 years, he’s been the researcher and writer of newsletters focusing on the stock market. He also writes about his experiences at landflyordie.substack.com.

Video: Brilliant OV-10 Bronco Display – Abingdon 2023

Museums with the North American Rockwell OV-10 Bronco on display:

The Bronco Is Back! A Fleet Of OV-10s Will Help Train Air Force Forward Air Controllers

The OV-10 Squadron is an organization that received seven OV-10D Broncos at Chino Airport in Southern California (KCNO).

Blue Air Training Acquires Seven OV-10 Broncos

Aviation News

Van’s Aircraft reports cash crunch, prompts concern

In a video posted on YouTube, Dick VanGrunsven, founder and CEO of kit plane maker Van’s Aircraft, said, “Van’s is facing serious cash flow issues that must be addressed for ongoing operation.” Van also stated, “We are confident we can work through the situation, but some changes are required. Candidly, since early September, Van’s has only been able to continue operating through loans of operating capital made by my wife and me.”

Video: Van’s Aircraft Business Announcement from Dick VanGrunsven

Van was our guest in Airplane Geeks Episode 376.

United States Retaliates Against Netherlands Flight Cap

In previous episodes, we talked about Amsterdam Schiphol reducing the number of flights in 2024 by about 10%, and how newcomer JetBlue asked the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) to take some action to protect its interests. The DOT now says the Netherlands is violating the United States and European Union Air Transport Agreement. As a consequence,

The Department orders KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, NV; Martinair Holland NV; and TUI Airlines Nederland, BV to file with the Department, within seven days of the service date of this order, any and all of their existing schedules for air transportation services, including codeshare, common branding, and extra sections, between any point or points in the United States and any point or points not in the United States.

US DOT

The claimed violation falls under the balanced approach philosophy. According to the IATA factsheet The Balanced Approach to aircraft noise management:

The Balanced Approach requires that all available options be evaluated to identify the most cost-effective measure or combination of measures to mitigate a specific noise problem.

Each new generation of aircraft is quieter than the previous one and the noise footprint surrounding airports has reduced, but increased flight operations have counteracted some of these benefits. These factors are driving some local authorities to impose noise operating restrictions at airports, either in terms of annual movement reductions, aircraft type bans, or night operations bans.

Most of these restrictions are being implemented without ICAO’s Balanced Approach, which requires that the noise concerns of local residents be balanced with protecting the huge social and economic benefits of the airport’s connectivity for the whole country. 

IATA and its member airlines fully support the implementation of the Balanced Approach when it comes to noise management.

IATA

The Balanced Approach principle was adopted in 2001. It is included in Annex 16, Volume I of the ICAO Chicago Convention. It is enshrined in the EU regulation 598/2014, and it is also stipulated in the USA-EU Air Transport Agreement.

Pilot accused of threatening to shoot captain who tried to divert flight for a medical emergency, officials say

A commercial first officer has been indicted by a Utah grand jury for an August 2022 incident when he allegedly threatened to shoot the captain if the flight was diverted for a passenger medical event. The pilot had been charged with interference with a flight crew. The first officer “told the Captain they would be shot multiple times” after a disagreement regarding a possible flight diversion for a passenger medical event, the Office of Inspector General said.

The pilot was authorized to carry a gun on board the plane under to the Transportation Security Administration’s Federal Flight Deck Officer program. Such officers are “deputized as a federal law enforcement officer and issued a TSA-approved firearm and federal flight deck officer credentials,” according to the TSA.

Mentioned

Marshall Blythe stunning airplane models on Flickr.

Shocker: Math proves boarding planes is actually really efficient

Hosts this Episode

Max Flight, Max Trescott, Rob Mark, and our Main(e) Man Micah.

768 Xwing Autonomous Aircraft

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:32:44 — 42.5MB)

Autonomous aircraft with the regulatory affairs lead at Xwing. In the news, Delta Airlines reconsiders loyalty program changes, GPS spoofing of commercial flights, the Schiphol airport capacity cap, a crash takes the life of an AOPA senior vice president, and a 104-year-old woman goes skydiving.

Guest

Anna Dietrich is the regulatory affairs lead at Xwing, a company that flies piloted commercial cargo operations under a Part 135 certificate with a fleet of Cessna Caravans. The company has developed an autonomous aircraft for cargo operations and has conducted the world’s first fully autonomous gate-to-gate demonstration of a commercial cargo aircraft.

Anna Dietrich, regulatory affairs lead at Xwing.

Anna leads the certification program for advanced aircraft control and detect and avoid systems for the company’s autonomous flight operations. She gives us an overview of the Xwing autonomous program and the Superpilot autonomous flight technology. A remote pilot monitors the flight and can modify the flight plan if necessary.

We hear how the regulator’s viewpoint on airworthiness is now a more performance-based approach to safety. Operational rules can be the same as with a crewed aircraft, but in this case, some are performed by a system, and some by a pilot on the ground. For now, airman certification is unchanged, but some requirements are different and these will need to change over time.

Anna brings up the roles of humans in autonomous aircraft operations: who has liability and responsibility, and what training is appropriate? Also, how AI is regulated, thoughts on the certification process, and even public acceptance. We take the opportunity to ask Anna about the Terrafugia roadable airplane project that she co-founded.

Anna is an industry-recognized leader in policy, certification, and government relations for advanced air mobility (AAM), eVTOL aircraft, and autonomous aviation. Her experiences include Mars rover testing, being the founding COO of Terrafugia, testifying on AAM for Congress, and speaking at TED Global. She has appeared on or been published in a wide range of outlets including CNN, Ms. Magazine, and Good Morning America. She runs AMD Consulting, serves as Director of Regulatory Affairs for Xwing, is the co-founder and Director of Industry and Strategy at the Community Air Mobility Initiative (CAMI), and is a Senior Policy Advisor for AUVSI. She was the founding chair of the GAMA EPIC EVTOL committee and continues to have key roles in industry, including standards development efforts such as ASTM AC377 Autonomy in Aviation. She received her BS and MS in aerospace engineering from MIT and is a private pilot. More at annamdietrich.com.

See also:

  • Aviation Xtended Episode 184 with Max Gariel, the Co-Founder, President, and Chief Technology Officer for Xwing. 
  • Airplane Geeks Episode 736 with Earl Lawrence, the Chief Compliance and Quality Officer at Xwing, and former Executive Director of Aircraft Certification at the FAA.

Video: Xwing – Gate to Gate demo – Feb 2021

Aviation News

Delta CEO Admits Airline May Have Gone ‘Too Far’ With Loyalty Changes

Last week we described how Delta Airlines planned to change its SkyMiles program. The airline said it would retire Medallion Qualifying Miles and Medallion Qualifying Segments to focus on Qualifying Dollars. Many Delta customers were not happy with the change, and CEO Ed Bastian responded by saying, “No question we probably went too far in doing that. I think we moved too fast, and we are looking at it now.”

‘We moved too fast’: Delta Airlines may reverse controversial change

After the initial Delta announcement, Alaska Airlines said Delta SkyMiles Medallion members could join their Mileage Plan program with no flight segment or spending requirement. JetBlue offered elite status in its Mosaic loyalty program to Delta flyers through Oct. 31, or until 30,000 people take advantage of the offer.

Increasing Fake GPS Signals Near Iran Prompt FAA Alert

The OpsGroup reports that the number of GPS spoofing incidents in Iraq is increasing along a flight path alongside the Iranian border. The FAA calls this a “safety of flight risk to civil aviation operations.” OpsGroup said about a dozen business jets and airliners received fake GPS signals, and many of them lost navigation capability.

OpsGroup is a membership organization for pilots, flight dispatchers, schedulers, and controllers involved in international flight operations. The 8,000-member-strong organization shares new information on changes and risks that members have reported. Members get a Daily Brief, live Ops Alerts, and other resources. OpsGroup founder Mark Zee describes the organization in What Is Opsgroup All About?

US’s JetBlue challenges Dutch, EU over Schiphol capacity cap

The Dutch government is planning to cut capacity at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport from 500,000 annual flights to 440,000 flights. This is an effort to reduce noise and carbon emissions, but it is not a popular move within the industry. Opposition comes from KLM, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), and A4A representing ten US airlines. Other industry associations against the plan include BARIN (representing airlines in the Netherlands), Air Cargo Netherlands (ACN), Airlines for Europe (A4E), and the European Regions Airline Association (ERA).

JetBlue Airways has made a regulatory filing with the US Department of Transportation (DOT) against the Dutch government and the European Union, calling on the DOT to take action. The airline claims is it under an immediate threat of expulsion from Schiphol in 2024.

AOPA’s Vice President of Air Safety Institute, Richard McSpadden Dies in Plane Crash

Richard McSpadden Jr., senior vice president of the AOPA Air Safety Institute, was one of two people killed in an aircraft accident on October 1, 2023, in Lake Placid, New York. The Cessna 177 Cardinal experienced an emergency after takeoff. The airplane attempted to return to the airport but failed to make the runway. Also killed in the crash was former NFL player Russ Francis.

104-year-old Chicago woman becomes oldest tandem skydiver

The Guinness Book of World Records may certify Dorothy Hoffner as the oldest person in the world to tandem skydive. The woman turns 105 in December and wants to go for a ride in a hot air balloon.

Mentioned

From The American Helicopter Museum & Education Center:

Aviation Newstalk Podcast

Portland jetport briefly shut down Sunday after car crashes through gate, drives on runway

Hosts this Episode

Max Flight, Rob Mark, David Vanderhoof, Max Trescott, and our Main(e) Man Micah.