Tag Archives: weather

701 Aviation Weather

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:37:34 — 44.7MB)

How aviation weather intelligence affects airlines and airports, the FAA wants radio altimeters replaced, Easyjet has a solution to fly with less crew, Spirit Airlines says no to JetBlue, an electric airplane first, jail time for some unruly passengers, and Virgin Atlantic flight training requirements.

Guest

Scott Gilmore, Tomorrow.io aviation weather information

Scott Gilmore is the Global Vice President and GM of Aviation at Tomorrow.io, a company that provides an aviation weather and climate security platform. Scott has over 40 years in the aviation industry, including 27 as a pilot. He drives Tomorrow.io’s aviation go-to-market offerings, including sales activity, revenue management, and the product roadmap.

Scott explains the sources and uses of aviation weather data, and how weather intelligence results in fewer turnbacks, more payload, and better fuel load. He also tells us about the impact on airport ground staffing and de-icing planning.

Tomorrow.io is deploying its own constellation of LEO weather satellites equipped with radar and microwave sounders. This will provide global coverage with a significantly improved refresh rate. Scott describes the goal of being able to machine generate a custom “TAF” (Terminal Aerodrome Forecast) for any selected location.

It’s with noting that the non-profit TomorrowNow.org is committed to helping vulnerable populations adapt to the climate changes that are happening now.

Prior to Tomorrow.io, Scott served as the Head of Flight Deck Solutions with The Weather Company, an IBM Business; Senior Manager of Strategic Partnerships at the International Air Transport Association (IATA); and Director Of Business Development Airline Industry Solutions, and Head Of Application Development Aircraft Mission Kit / Electronic Flight Bag at Unisys. Scott was a Senior Strategic Airlift Manager C-5, C-17, and Tanker Operations with the United States Air Force. He’s an FAA Rated Flight Engineer with over 21,000 hours in the flight deck, an Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic, and a member of the American Association of Airport Executives.

Aviation News

FAA wants U.S. airlines to retrofit, replace radio altimeters

The FAA wants to establish “an achievable timeframe to retrofit/replace radar altimeters in the U.S. fleet” due to possible interference from C-Band 5G wireless service. So they are meeting with telecom and airline industry officials where they can hear “options and commit to actions necessary to meet these objectives.”

EasyJet to take out seats so it can fly with fewer crew

Staff shortages are affecting commercial flight schedules globally and EasyJet has a solution to reduce its cabin crew from four to three legally: Take out the back row of seats in its A319 fleet. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) regulates the number of cabin crew based on seats, not passengers on board.

Nigerian airlines are threatening to ground domestic flights amid soaring jet fuel prices

Nine Nigerian airlines issued a statement saying that the cost of imported jet fuel had increased nearly fourfold as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and that they are threatening to stop domestic flights. Airline operating costs have increased from about 40% to nearly 95%

Frustrated Alaska Airlines Pilots to Vote on Strike

Alaska Airlines pilots have been without a contract for some three years. Pilots started voting on May 9 on whether to strike. Balloting will end on May 25. The Air Line Pilots Association is seeking higher pay and better scheduling for its pilots.

Spirit Airlines rejects JetBlue’s buyout bid, citing approval concerns

The Spirit Airlines board rejected the $3.6 billion takeover bid by JetBlue Airways. They say Spirit will continue to pursue a merger with Frontier Airlines.

The Board determined that the JetBlue proposal involves an unacceptable level of closing risk that would be assumed by Spirit stockholders. We believe that our pending merger with Frontier will start an exciting new chapter for Spirit.

Mac Gardner, Spirit Airlines board chairman.

U.S. Aviation First: Private Pilot Certificate Earned Using an Electric Airplane

In a U.S. first, a student pilot has earned a private pilot certificate with an electric aircraft. Shane Fisher flew his check ride in a two-seat Pipistrel Velis Electro, the world’s first and still only electric-powered airplane to receive a type certificate. Certificated by EASA in 2020, it operates in the U.S. as a light sport experimental aircraft. Fisher’s cross-country was accomplished in a Pipistrel Virus SW, which has a similar airframe but is powered by a Rotax 912 engine. 

Unruly Passenger Who Managed to Open Plane Door Inflight is Sentenced to Just One Year in Jail

A disruptive and violent passenger who opened the aircraft door on a United Express flight just before landing could have received 20-years imprisonment and a $200,000 fine. But instead, he was sentenced to one year behind bars for interfering with a flight crew. Kameron C. Stone, 30, of Fairfax, Virginia was also ordered to pay a $7,500 fine and undergo three years of supervised release. He can also look forward to a fine from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

Man Who Assaulted Flight Attendants Gets 60 Days in Jail

Witnesses Describe the Scene When Man Exited Moving Plane at O’Hare, Slid Down Wing

A person opened the emergency exit door of United flight 2874 at O’Hare International Airport as the plane was moving on the runway. The passenger then walked out onto the wing and slid down onto the airfield. 

Our ground crew stopped the individual outside of the aircraft, and the person is now with law enforcement.

United Airlines statement.

Virgin Atlantic Flight Aborted After Pilot Found To Be ‘Untrained’

This was a Virgin Atlantic internal training protocol compliance violation, not a regulatory violation. The first officer had not completed his final assessment, and the captain was not yet qualified as a check airman. The plane returned and the first officer was replaced.

Australia News Desk

This week’s segment covers the big announcement by QANTAS of the purchase of 12 A350-1000s, along with a ton of other variants which will gradually replace, and effectively phase out, Boeing aircraft over the next five years.  We also take a look at QANTAS purchasing regional operator Alliance Airlines, the upcoming RAAF Amberley Air Tattoo, the Pacific Air Show scheduled for Queensland in 2023, and the World Championship Air Race round for Australia which was recently announced.  We also may have had a little fun at Rob’s expense….

What passengers can expect on Qantas’ longest commercial flight in the world

Introducing the Airbus A350-1000

Pacific Airshow comes to Gold Coast in 2023

Pacific Airshow

Qantas has reached an agreement to fully acquire Australian-based operator, Alliance Aviation Services

QANTAS to acquire Alliance Aviation to Better Support Resources Segment

Air race 2022: Lake Macquarie locks in $8 million drawcard for November

Ipswich Amberley Air Tattoo

Hosts this Episode

Max Flight, David Vanderhoof, Max Trescott

AirplaneGeeks 315 – Flying for Law Enforcement

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:32:19 — 42.3MB)

Patrice Billings in MD500E

Patrolling the skies September 11, passengers fighting over reclining seats, pilot hypoxia, a Dubai aviation mega-hub, airplane weather radar, and the new Southwest livery.

Guest

Guest Patrice Billings was the first female police officer to become a helicopter pilot for a U.S. law enforcement agency. She was flying air patrol for the the St Louis County Police Department on September 11, 2001. Patrice was a member of the SWAT Team for 10 years and was even nominated for TV’s America’s Most Wanted Heroes Award.

Now Patrice is a speaker and consultant, and brings her experience and wisdom to others by sharing stories of survival, of overcoming obstacles, and of re-inventing oneself.

We talk about flying air patrols in an MD-500E helicopter in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. Patrice relates the strangeness of a quiet airspace and the stress of not knowing if attacks were planned for additional targets. Patrice tells us her thoughts on being a woman pilot in law enforcement, and on flying the helicopter. She’s also writing a fiction novel based on her life experiences.

Follow Patrice on Twitter as @mooncopter or visit her website at www.patricebillings.com. Inquiries concerning motivational speaking engagements can be directed to her publicist Brenda Fraser at +1 (314) 704-4412 or www.BrendaFraser.com.

The News

Airlines’ reclining seats trigger passenger disputes

Recently, three U.S. commercial flights have had to make diverted landings after passengers got into fights over the ability to recline their seats. Frustrated with limited seat space, air travelers are turning to devices like the Knee DefenderTM that prohibit the seat in front from reclining. Some airlines, like Spirit and Allegiant, have seats that don’t recline. At Mary Kirby’s RunwayGirlNetwork, they have talked about new “butt-to-knee” and “eyeball to seat-back” measurements that better reflect the space provided to passengers.

TBM owner’s group chair crashes after becoming unresponsive
and
WOC-Based Boat Witnessed Weekend Plane Crash; Fishermen Watched As F-16 Jets Shadowed Aircraft Until It Crashed

Two general aviation accidents point to pilot hypoxia. We talk about what this is and what pilots should do.

Dubai Building Meg-hub in the Desert

Dubai plans to invest $32bn to create an aviation mega-hub and the home of Emirates Airline.

New airplane radar offers bigger picture on bad weather

Honeywell is manufacturing a new onboard 3-D weather radar system called IntuVue® 3-D Weather Radar. On their web page Honeywell says,

“Weather-related delays & cancellations cost the U.S. economy $18B in 2007. Turbulence-related incidents cost airlines on average $150K/incident. Total cost to the industry exceeds $100M/year. Business jet operators experience approximately 180,000 flights that are delayed due to weather, costing an estimated $340M.”

The B787 uses the Rockwell Collins product: MultiScan ThreatTrackTM.

David Vanderhoof’s Airplane of the Week

Southwest livery

Southwest debuted their new livery for its 737s and David expresses his opinion. He isn’t faint of heart about what he thinks of the new scheme.

The Australia News Desk

Grant’s been at the Moorabbin Air Museum for the 75th anniversary of Wirraway A20-10, the oldest surviving Wirraway in the world. The Wirraway was based on the NA-16 (which became the T6 Texan) and was made in Australia by the Commonwealth Aircraft Company.

In other news, the RAAF sends two E7A Wedgetail AEW&C aircraft to Red Flag in Alaska, and the Army’s Tiger ARH simulators get a major graphics upgrade.

Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu. Steve’s at@stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124.

Across the Pond

Sea Fury T20

Lt Cdr Chris Götke pictured with Captain Eric ‘Winkle’ Brown CBE DSC AFC Royal Navy (95) the Royal Navy’s most decorated and distinguished Naval Test Pilot, in front of Sea Fury T20 just before he took off to fly to the Air Day at RNAS Culdrose

Pieter Johnson continues his reports on historic aircraft with the sad news of the recent crash landing of the Royal Navy Historic Flight’s Hawker Sea Fury T.20 last month. Having saved the aircraft from almost total write off with a textbook landing Lt Commander Chris Gotke (‘Goaty’) walked away safe and well. We now need this aircraft back where it belongs….In the air.

See the Sea Fury Appeal at the Fly Navy Heritage Trust website.

Find Pieter on Twitter as @Nascothornet, on Facebook at XTPMedia, and at the Aviation Xtended podcast.

Mentioned

The NACA Centenary: 100 Years of Aerospace Research and Development

NASA is co-hosting a history symposium (along with the Air & Space Museum) March 3-4, 2015 to mark the centennial of the creation of the NACA [National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics]. They are looking for people to write/present papers on some aspect of NACA/NASA history. The deadline for proposals is Sept 15.

Google Is Building Self-Flying Planes

Google has been working a secret drone project called Project Wing. They are testing deliveries by drone in Australia with vertical takeoff, fixed wing aircraft. The article has a good video.

A-10 Replacement?

Here’s a great video from one of the A-10 designers, Peirre Sprey. He goes into great detail on the design requirements that went into the Warthog.  Mr Sprey explains why there is no aircraft on deck to replace the A-10.  The present view of having the F-35, F-16, or F-15E pick up the A-10s close support mission is a pipe dream.

The Moth Podcast, Michael Massimino: A View of the Earth, released August 26, 2014

Astronaut Michael Massimino tells his story of dreams and persistence in getting and living a career.

International Auster Club

A club dedicated to Auster and Beagle owners and pilots.

Altitude Group LLC

First run of the V8 engine powering their new P85 kit aircraft. The P85 is a derivation of Altitude Group’s Radial Rocket airframe, with changes to accommodate a V8 firewall forward powerplant package utilizing the LS series of V8 engines.

Retired Airline Captain Christopher Brown Sets Out on Solo Flight from Montreal to Vancouver to Commemorate 75th Anniversary of First Canadian Transcontinental Flight

On September 16, 2014, retired airline Captain Christopher Brown will set out on Arcadia Mission 2014, a solo flight mission from Montreal to Vancouver, commemorating the 75th anniversary of the first Canadian intercontinental flight. Aboard Arcadia, a restored 1961 Beechcraft Bonanza, Chris will make stops in Ottawa, North Bay, Kapuskasing, Regina, Winnipeg and Lethbridge.

More Time to Comment on FAA Hangar-Use Policy

The Federal Aviation Administration will allow an additional 30 days to comment on its proposed hangar-use policy under an extension granted Tuesday following multiple requests from the GA community.

Credit

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

AirplaneGeeks 307 – Aviation Weather

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (37.6MB)

Aviation Weather Center

Aviation weather training, airline fare disclosure, angle of attack indicators, Boeing market forecast, the pilot shortage, aviation scholarships, aero clubs, and funny cartoons.

Guest

Scott Dennstaedt specializes in aviation weather training for pilots. He’s a flight instructor, trained in meteorology, and he owns Chesapeake Aviation Training, headquartered in South Carolina. In addition to flight instruction, he operates the subscription-based website Aviation Weather Workshops, where you’ll find many aviation weather resources. Scott also delivers live workshops all over the country,

We discuss how weather is a challenge for many pilots, yet it affects all pilots, regardless of the aircraft type. Also, where the data used in aviation weather forecasts comes from, and if the current curriculum provides training that considers the new technologies that are available.

We discuss the questions, “Are pilots capable of properly interpreting the information that newer technology provide?” and “What data should meteorologists  be interpreting, and what data can pilots interpret on their own?”

Scott describes how satellite-delivered weather products, along with the coming ADS-B, represent a great leap forward for information in the cockpit and aviation safety.

Besides AvWxWorkshops.com, some other aviation weather resources were mentioned:

News

Airline passenger group calls on airlines to lose the asterisk

In 2012, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) ordered the Full Fare Advertising Rule requiring airlines to advertise the full cost of a ticket, including all taxes and fees. Now the Transparent Airfares Act of 2014, if enacted, would let the airlines publish a base fare with an “asterisk,” and disclose the rest of the fare somewhere else.

FAA Angle of Attack Indicator Policy

Long used by the military to avoid stall/spin accidents, these safety devices are at long last inexpensive enough to install in GA aircraft. The FAA has clarified that they can be installed under the “minor alteration” rules, which reduces the paperwork and cost associated with installation.

Boeing predicts $5.2tn airplane market by 2044

Boeing’s annual 20-year forecast for new airplanes is out. The Current Market Outlook predicts a 4.2% increase over last year, to 36,770 planes. 70% are single-aisle.

Airport Directors Blame Pilot Shortage for Grounded Flights

Rule changes have impacted the availability of pilots at the regional level. What does this mean for the “pilot shortage”?

David Vanderhoof’s Airplane of the Week

Mirage F1JA in flight over Ecuador 1986

The Mirage F1. With the final flight over Paris for Bastille Day, France retired the F1CT. It seems fitting for that plane to be the topic of this week’s history segment.

The Australia News Desk

The boys are back and they’re trying to remember how to make an AusDesk. Fortunately they remember how to do it and can tell us about Air New Zealand’s new 787-9 arriving in Auckland. They also talk about Australia’s Defence Science Technology Organisation being commissioned to produce the F35 “Iron Bird” test unit.

Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu. Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124.

Mentioned

National Aeronautic Association Regional Aero Clubs. There are six of these around the United States. In the role of the nation’s aero club, NAA serves as a clearinghouse for regional or local aero clubs that are affiliated with NAA. Co-host Max Trescott is President of the Aero Club Of Northern California.

Chris Manno’s new book, “Flight Crew Like You: Airline Cartoons from the Insider View.”  Chris is an airline captain and his cartoons have been popular worldwide in aviation trade publications as well as in crew training materials for United, American, British Airways and Lufthansa flight crews.

Aviation scholarship resources:

Others:

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

Voices From The DC-3

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DC-3 by Paul Filmer

Guest Julie Filucci manages the Cessna Pilot Centers program for Cessna, but she’s also written the book, Together We Fly: Voices From The DC-3. Published by Aviation Supplies & Academics, the book tells the story of the Douglas DC-3 through the voices of the people involved with it, from its design and production to the present day. Julie had completed her type rating in the airplane several years ago, and did an article for AOPA Pilot on the airplane for its 70th anniversary in 2005. “The feedback from that article was the most I’d ever received for a piece during my time at AOPA. And not just pilots wrote to tell their stories, but also engineers, mechanics, stewardesses, soldiers, and regular folks who had taken their first airline trip in the airplane. Capturing their voices became a quest for me, as so many of the people from the airplane’s early days have passed on.”

Learn more at the book’s Facebook Fan Page, and at Julie’s blog. Follow her on Twitter as @julieinthesky.

The week’s aviation news:

Steve and Grant discuss a variety of aviation topics in the Australia Desk Report. Find them on the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu. Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124.

This week on Across the Pond, Pieter Johnson talks to Phil Wallis, Chief Engineer for the Anglo American Lightning Organisation who has the task of getting English Electric Lightning XS422 back into the air. Its a rivetting insight into how to get a 1300 mph interceptor aircraft capable of 20,000 fpm climb airworthy after sitting around in a container for many years. The AALO Team can be found at www.XS422.com, on Twitter Twitter as @EELightning, and on Facebook. You can find Pieter Johnson on Twitter at
@Nascothornet.

 

XS442 in flight during her RAF service with the ETPS in the 1980's. Photo credit: AALO / Crown

XS442 in flight during her RAF service with the ETPS in the 1980’s. Photo credit: AALO / Crown.

Mentions:

Follow the @AirplaneGeeks on Twitter and on Facebook, send us email at thegeeks@airplanegeeks.com, or leave a message on our listener line: (361) GEEKS01.

Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at http://www.brotherloverocks.com/.