Tag Archives: Wichita

647 Glass Cockpit

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:44:51 — 48.0MB)

We explore the glass cockpit and the new book on the Garmin G3000 and G5000. In the news, the shape of the airline recovery, JetBlue scores London slots, Boeing gets a very large 737 MAX order, a special National Aviation Hall of Fame volunteer, an update on the Cessna SkyCourier, possible relief for Wichita aviation jobs, and a fun mod for Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Glass Cockpit

Glass Cockpit Handbook by Max Trescott.

Max Trescott’s G3000 and G5000 Glass Cockpit Handbook is a newly published resource for pilots flying with these Garmin flight decks for light turbine jets. The Garmin G3000 and G5000 are currently used in twenty-three aircraft models, with plans for adding more. Max describes glass cockpit hardware and software, and how the presentation of information differs from traditional cockpit gauges. We talk about reliability and lower maintenance considerations compared to steam gauges, weight advantages including paper document elimination, and the glass cockpit learning curve.

The G3000 and G5000 have nearly identical user interfaces, but the G3000 is designed for smaller and lighter Part 23 aircraft, while the G5000 is targeted to the Part 25 regulations which apply to larger aircraft, including the transport aircraft used by the airlines.

Besides being a host on this podcast, Max Trescott produces the Aviation News Talk podcast which focuses on General Aviation news, general tips for pilots, and technical details on glass cockpits and flying GPS approaches. The show features listener questions and occasional interviews. He’s the 2008 National CFI of the Year, and a Cirrus Platinum CSIP.

Aviation News

American Airlines Reports V-Shaped Recovery

American Airlines direct bookings are up 150-400% over 2020, and close to 2019 levels. Domestic load factors were 80% recently and all planes will be flying in May, 2021. Do leisure travelers believe the pandemic is over?

United unveils 26 new point-to-point routes from Midwest, East Coast

Since business travel isn’t indicating anything like a V-recovery, airlines want to capture the leisure travel recovery. The new United routes include “flights from Cleveland (CLE), Cincinnati (CVG), Columbus (CMH), Indianapolis (IND), Milwaukee (MKE), St. Louis (STL), and Pittsburgh (PIT) to a variety of coastal destinations, from Portland, Maine (PWM), to Pensacola, Florida (PNS).” These are point-to-point, non-stop routes that avoid hubs with service by the Bombardier CRJ550. The routes begin May 27, and will operate through Labor Day Weekend. See: With business travel lagging, Portland lands direct flights to cities around the U.S.

JetBlue Secures London Heathrow Slots for its Transatlantic Debut

JetBlue plans to launch transatlantic service this year with Airbus A321LR aircraft. In it’s summer 2021 schedule report, Airport Coordination Limited included allocated 270 slots to JetBlue for flights to and from London Heathrow (LHR) airport. 180 slots are for flights to New York-JFK and 90 slots for service to Boston. The slots phase in over time and expire on Oct. 30, 2021.

National Aviation Hall of Fame Volunteer Alice Griffin Turns 100

The National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) in Dayton announced that volunteer Alice Griffin celebrated her 100th birthday on March 28, 2021. She was asked if she had any words of wisdom to share and replied, “Work hard, don’t take anything for granted, and give ten percent of your salary to charity.” The National Aviation Hall of Fame was founded in 1962 and is located adjacent to the National Museum of the United States Air Force.

The NAHF collaborated with the National Aeronautic Association for a series of aviation webinars in 2020, including:

Airports, Airlines and Airplanes: A Webinar  (May 28, 2020) with panelists Cirrus Aircraft co-founder and NAHF Enshrinee Dale Klapmeier, CVG Airport CEO and NAA Board Member Candace McGraw, Oliver Wyman Partner, and NAHF Trustee Geoff Murray, and United Airlines Executive and NAHF Chair Michael Quiello.

SPACE: Charting the next trajectory (Jun 25, 2020) Panelists included National Air and Space Musuem Director Ellen Stofan, NAHF Enshrinee and NAA Record holder Hoot Gibson, Blue Origin Director Business Development Brett Alexander, and former NASA Administrator and NAHF Enshrinee Charlie Bolden.

Aerobatics and Air Shows: Get your fix (Jul 24, 2020) Panelists included NAHF Enshrinee and Aerobatic Champion Patty Wagstaff, NAHF Candidate and Aerobatic pilot Julie Clark, IAC International judge and NAA Board Member Peggy Riedinger, and Aerobatic Pilot Vicki Benzig.

Sustainability and Innovation: Ensuring the future of aviation (Sep  10, 2020) Panelists included MagniX CEO and NAA Board Member Roei Ganzarski, Founder and CEO Bye Aerospace George Bye, President and CEO NBAA Ed Bolen, and President Environmental Affairs Airlines 4 America and NAA Board Member Nancy Young.

Cessna SkyCourier Begins Final Phase of Flight Testing

Textron Aviation is hoping to begin deliveries of the Cessna SkyCourier this year, however, the company first needs type-approval from the FAA. The certification flight test phase is underway. 

Production final assembly of the SkyCourier will start at the airframer’s east Wichita campus. Launch customer for the airplane is FedEx with 50 firm orders and 50 options.

New COVID relief bill could help bring back Wichita aviation jobs. Here’s how

The Aviation Manufacturing Jobs Protection Act was swept into the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the COVID-19 relief package signed into law. It is a $3 billion public-private partnership where the federal government contributes 50% of the compensation for eligible employee groups, as long as the company commits to continuing employment of those workers. The funding is available until Sept. 30, 2023, but an employee group cannot receive the federal money for more than six months.

Here’s the stuck Suez cargo ship in Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 allows you to add things as modifications. YouTube and TikTok poster donut_enforcement has added the Ever Given cargo ship that has been stuck in the Suez Canal and completely shut down ship movement. 

Mentioned

This Cockpit View Of A C-17’s Wild Ride Through Star Wars Canyon Is Bonkers

The C-17 is a big, but incredibly nimble beast, as proven in this video of one making hard maneuvers while rocketing low through the Jedi Transition.

Video: C-17 Star Wars Canyon

Groundbreaking H3X Motor Brings Electric Aircraft One Step Closer To Reality

The startup H3X says it has developed a compact electric motor that develops more than 3 times the power and weighs less than most commercially available motors. 

Promotional video: The H3X electric motor: the power density of electric aircraft motors!

NASA Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Prepares for First Flight

Month of Ingenuity: Helicopter Flight Preview Webinar

In early April, 2021 the Mars Ingenuity helicopter will attempt the first-ever powered flight on Mars. Join this interactive webinar to hear team members describe how they will support the helicopter when it takes to the skies. Monday, April 5 at 10:30 a.m. PDT / 1:30 p.m. EDT

Support

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569 Wichita, Air Capital of the World

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:41:27 — 46.5MB)

We talk with Sonia Greteman about the history of Wichita and the new book Wichita: Where Aviation Took Wing. Also, conversations from Dorkfest LAX including with United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz. In the news, the FAA and European regulators differ over the 737 Max, general aviation responds to the devastation caused by hurricane Dorian, and the last Red Bull Air Race. Launchpad Marzari’s reveals the airplane he’s purchasing, Micah reflects on a summer of aviation, and two Australians begin podcasting again.

Guest

Sonia Greteman in Wichita.

Sonia Greteman, president and creative director of Greteman Group.

Sonia Greteman is the president and creative director of Greteman Group, an aviation-specialty marketing agency based in Wichita, Kansas.

Sonia tells us some of the rich aviation history captured in the new book Wichita: Where Aviation Took Wing, which celebrates the history of Wichita, the “Air Capital of the World.”

Greteman Group clients include aircraft manufacturers, flight support companies, aftermarket service providers, fractional ownership organizations, insurance companies, regional airlines, and those with an interest in airport analytics and in-flight Wi-Fi.

The firm is a founding member of the Wichita Aero Club and a longstanding member of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA). Greteman Group is a woman-owned business enterprise (WBE) and in 2019 celebrated their 30th anniversary since its founding in 1989.

Wichita: Where Aviation Took Wing is available online at WichitaAviationHistory.com. It can also be found at a number of Wichita retailers and gift shops including the B-29 Doc Hangar & Education Center, the Exploration Place science center, FlightSafety Textron Aviation Training, Kansas Aviation Museum, Sedgwick County Historical Museum, The Workroom, Watermark Books, and Yingling Aviation Aviator’s Attic.

Aviation News

Aviation CEOs Warn of Europe-U.S. Split on Boeing 737 Max Review

Regulatory agencies around the world would typically defer to the FAA to reinstate flights when a fleet is grounded. But the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is conducting its own review of the airplane. EASA is expressing conditions that differ from those of the FAA. See also, European aviation safety agency sets strict demands for Boeing 737 MAX return to flight.

General Aviation Mobilizes To Help Bahamas

Hurricane Dorian flattened much of the Bahamas. As is often the case in natural disasters, general aviation steps in and provides critical assistance. However, “lone wolf” relief flights are advised to first receive approval to operate from the Bahamas National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and/or the Bahamas Civil Aviation Authority. The NEMA website has a link to Hurricane Dorian Volunteer Registration Forms with instructions.

Red Bull Air Race: Australia’s Matt Hall clinches 2019 World Championship in Chiba

Reporter-at-large Launchpad Marzari gives us Red Bull Air Race competition results for this last race of the season and the last race of the series.

Reports

Innovations in Flight – 2019 or The Summer Scenes of an Airplane Geek

Our Main(e) Man Micah reflects on the many aviation events he’s participated in this year.

Cranky Dorkfest LAX 2019, Part 1

Brian Colemen spoke with some of the participants at this year’s Dorkfest, including United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz, Airplane Geeks co-founder Courtney Miller, and aviation uber-geek Isaac Alexander. More interviews are to come. See also: Cranky Dorkfest LAX 2019 Was One for the Record Books.

Brian Coleman and Oscar Munoz

Brian Coleman speaks with Oscar Munoz. Photo by Isaac Alexander.

Lufthansa A380

Lufthansa A380. Photo by Isaac Alexander.

We’ll have more interviews from the event in next week’s episode.

Buying a Plane, Part 3

We learn more details about the airplane that reporter-at-large Launchpad Marzari is purchasing, and the complicated process involved.

Mentioned

Plane Crazy Down Under refugees Steve Vischer and Grant McHerron are again teamed up and the boys have started a new podcast called Airwaves by Aviation Trader. Coming soon to iTunes and major podcast apps. If you can’t wait, copy and paste their RSS feed into your podcast app to subscribe now.

Video: Airventure Trip 2019. Listener Mike Smith captured the 2019 trip from Boston to Oshkosh in his home-built Sonex. Mike stopped at the U.S. Air Force Museum in Dayton along the way in his 1,900 nautical mile trip with 20 hours of flight time.

Emergency landing pilot Max Sylvester says ‘study’ saved his life after instructor collapsed

Several listeners pointed us to this story where a student pilot had to land the plane after his instructor became incapacitated.

AirplaneGeeks 277 – Benet Wilson, the Aviation Queen

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AF, KLM, MartinAir Cargo Courtesy Schipol Airport

Benet Wilson joins to talk about H.R. 1848: Small Airplane Revitalization Act of 2013 (SARA) and the role of the General Aviation cacuses in House and Senate, China’s easing of GA flight requirements, Wichita’s relationship building with China, commercial and military implications of China’s air-defense zone, and the American Airlines and US Airways merger.

We also chat a bit about Unmanned Aerial Systems (drones) and “Amazon Prime Air.” Also, be sure to see Benet’s AOPA Top 10 Aviation Apps poll. (Cast your vote by December 16, 2013.)

Benet Wilson is Social Media/eNewsletters Editor for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. Her personal blog is Aviation Queen and on Twitter she is @AvQueenBenet.

The week’s aviation news:

Richard Herrmann’s first airplane solo flight at Sporty’s Academy:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsl99xnccj8[/youtube]

In this week’s Australia Desk:

PCDU crew members ATC Ben & Steven Pam join Steve and Grant this week.  The Qantas vs. Virgin Australia foreign ownership row dominated the local aviation headlines again this week with Australia’s Federal Treasurer, Joe Hockey, publically floating the concept of changes to the Qantas Sale Act (1992) which would permit foreign investors to acquire greater percentages of the airline’s stock.  Grant and Ben share their thoughts on how this might work, were it allowed to happen.

Steven Pam is PCDU’s chief photo and video guy who does an amazing job of making the team look good on the big (and small) screen. He’s also a professional photographer and videographer with extensive experience in the corporate and local TV industry….and he has a plan which needs your support!

Steven is planning to travel to Oshkosh in 2014 to film a documentary that focuses on the psyche of people like us – AvGeeks! What is it that draws people to this wonderful niche? And how do we explain it to people who are not? Airheads will explore this issues and more, but it needs support. This week, Steven explains how he’s set up a fund at KickStarter to crowd source the finance.

See Steven’s work at stevenpam.com.au and the documentary at airheadsdocumentary.com.

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.

In this week’s Across the Pond segment:

This week we welcome back Frenchez Pietersz from AviationPlatform to talk about Air France KLM and Alitalia’s woes facing a major re financing and restructuring programme. We also look a little deeper into the success of Europe’s award winning Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport and how they have bucked the trend across Europe of flat cargo volumes. Cargolux’s Boeing 747-8’s also feature on why they think they will bounce back from the flat cargo market when the need to bulky cargo items cannot fit the smaller 767, 777, A330 freighters.

Aviation Platform is on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

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

Listener Recording:

Our Main(e) Man Micah with “The Music of Modern Flight.”

Mentioned:

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

Episode 185 – Richard Aboulafia Returns

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The Mil Mi-24 ("Hind")

Richard Aboulafia, Vice President, Analysis from Teal Group joins the Geeks to talk aviation. Benet Wilson, Director of Media Relations for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, is back as guest co-host.

We talk about the A380 and B787, program breakeven vs. recurrent breakeven, lessons the airframers can apply to the 737MAX and A320neo, and why the A380 doesn’t have swimming pools, bowling alleys, and fast food restraunts. Richard opines on the poor state of the business jet market and the impact on Wichita. We talk about the Chinese aviation market and why Richard isn’t worried about the Comac 919. Shades of the IPTN N-250! Richard also talks about what Bombardier needs to do to gouge out CSeries market share. We touch on the EU Carbon Trading Scheme, the American Airlines bankruptcy, the Boeing 747-8, the Heli Expo in Dallas and the Singapore Airshow.

The week’s aviation news:

In this week’s Australia Desk report: Qantas inspects another A380 for wing cracks, Etihad very happy with pax numbers after aligning with Virgin Australia, Virgin Aus pilot sues company over use of a heavy flight bag, Taser found on board a Virgin 737, full body scanners to be rolled out in Australian airports, Qantas CEO Allan Joyce claims in a Senate hearing that changes to the Qantas Sale Act would potentially force the sale of Jetstar.

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.

On Across The Pond this week, Pieter talks to David Bickerton, Director at Airclaims. He tells us about his aviation career and what services Airclaims delivers to the aviation sector., which includes insurance claims, aviation risk management and aviation consulting among other activities. Its a part of the aviation industry rarely seen by the public.

You can find Airclaims on Twitter at @Airclaims and at www.airclaims.com. Pieter can be found on Twitter as @Nascothornet or XTP Media’s Facebook Page.

Mentioned in the episode:

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/.

Episode 180 – Mary Kirby from APEX

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The Aerobatic Project

Guest Mary Kirby is is Editor-in-Chief of the Airline Passenger Experience magazine and the APEX media platform. We talk about the current state of inflight internet connectivity, what passengers expect aboard the flight, the GoGo IPO, and why we’re going to see more announcements. Also, pressure on interior suppliers as a result of the huge numbers of narrow body orders going on the books, and how that’s delaying aircraft deliveries. We touch on airline alliance interior commonality, and the outlook for embedded IFE.

Find Mary at the APEX Editor’s Blog and on Twitter as @APEXmary. The Airline Passenger Experience Association is at apex.aero.

The week’s aviation news:

David’s Aircraft of the Week is the Cessna A-37 Dragonfly, also known as the Super Tweet.

In this week’s Australia Desk report: 12th A380 arrives for Qantas, more A380s coming to Melbourne as Emirates signals their intentions, cracks appearing in some A380s including one QF aircraft, 150 Qantas pilots now working for Gulf based airlines during their down time, tragic balloon crash in New Zealand kills 11 people.

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.

This week on Across the Pond, Pieter talks to new aerobatic pilot and author of The Aerobatic Project, Lauren Richardson. Lauren explains what’s its like to transition from a 152 to a Pitts Special and what it was like in her first aerobatic competition. Lauren can be found on Twitter @Groovy_Nut, while Pieter can be found on Twitter as @Nascothornet or XTP Media’s Facebook Page.oba

Mentioned in the episode:

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/.

Episode 174 – Airport_Girl Returns

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Photo by Stephen Tornblom

Returning guest Stephanie Gehman is the Manager of Marketing and Customer Service at Harrisburg International Airport. Find Stephanie on Twitter as @airport_girl and HIA as @HIAairport.

The week’s aviation news:

In this week’s Australia Desk report: Air Australia targets low price and international, Tiger posts a loss (but is being allowed to expand a bit), Qantas and the unions still drags on, AirForce1, the 787 and some more Grill the Geeks cylonics. 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.

For his Across the Pond segment, Pieter Johnson welcomes back Diego López-Salazar, Socio – Director of mirayvuela to talk about recent Spanish aviation news including public subisidies for Airports, the selling off of Control Towers, and the competition for low cost and main line feeder traffic. Find Diego on Twitter as @dlopezsalazar and Pieter as @Nascothornet.

Mentioned in the episode:

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/.

Episode 156 – Lusk Likes History

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Frontiers of Flight Museum

Brian Lusk is the Corporate Historian for Southwest Airlines and a long time airline veteran. He writes for Southwest’s blog, Nuts about Southwest and Tweets as @blogboy. We talk with Brian about preserving airline history, the Frontiers of Flight Museum, and Southwest at AirVenture 2011.

The week’s aviation news:

Steve Visscher and Grant McHerron have their Australia Desk report. Be sure to listen to 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 with Gareth Stringer Deputy Editor of Global Aviation Resource (@gaviationr) about The Hanger, a social media portal for all those interested in aviation. Gareth is @Gareth_Stringer on Twitter.

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/.

Episode 120 – Molly McMillin

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Aerion Corporation supersonic business jet

Molly McMillin, the Senior Aerospace/Aviation reporter for the Wichita Eagle, joins as guest. Molly blogs at Air Capital Insider and tweets as @mmcmillin. We talk about the week’s aviation news, and discuss the recent NBAA Convention, which Molly attended.

The week’s aviation news:

Mentions:

Also see Steve and Grant’s Australia Desk archive and their Flight Time Radio segments.

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/.