On Thursday 7/27/2017, the United States Air Force (USAF) Heritage Flight took to the skies over EAA AirVenture 2017 at Oshkosh to honor our history, heritage, veterans and those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.
In the lead was a Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II from the 61st Fighter Squadron (FS) of the 56th Fighter Wing (FW) based at Luke Air Force Base (AFB) in Arizona. On lead’s left wing was P-51D-25NA (44-73420 / N151AM) flown by Andrew McKenna. On lead’s right wing was P-51D-25NA Bald Eagle (44-73029 / N51JB) flown by Jim Beasley. In trail was a Fairchild Republic A-10C Thunderbolt II from the 74th FS of the famed 23rd Fighter Group (FG) Flying Tigers based at Moody AFB in Georgia.
The Heritage Flight also flew a missing man formation in honor of the late Vlado Lenoch, a regular Heritage Flight pilot, who died along with his passenger Bethany Root twelve days before the performance. Thanks to our good friends at AirshowStuffVideos for uploading this content.
They Were Just Passin’ Through But They’re Still Fondly Remembered
During November of 2016, a pair of McDonnell Douglas QF-4E Phantom IIs flew into Alliance Airport in Fort Worth to perform a flyby at nearby Texas Motor Speedway. These two jets were the very last military Phabulous Phantoms to grace Texas skies. Over the years the United States Air Force (USAF) based F-4C, F-4D, F-4E, and RF-4C Phantom IIs at a few Air Force Bases (AFBs) in Texas including Bergstrom AFB near Austin. The Navy and Marines flew the F-4B, F-4J, F-4N, and F-4S variants of the Phab 4 out of Naval Air Station (NAS) Dallas near Mountain Creek Lake in Grand Prairie for many years. The Collings Foundation also bases the only privately owned F-4D out of Ellington Field near Houston. Enjoy these gorgeous HD videos posted by Gotyacovered Photography of the arrival, startup and taxi, and departure of these two QF-4Es.
The two jets were both built as F-4E-60-MC model Phantom IIs. Except for a couple of differences their service lives were remarkably similar. 74-1043 (CN4825), the gray jet in the video, began service with the 57th Fighter Weapons Wings (FWW) at Nellis AFB in Nevada during the late 1970s. In 1979 the jet went to the 336th Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS) Rocketeers of the 4th Tactical Fighter Wing (TFW) and remained there for a decade. The distinctive gray camouflage paint on 043 was applied by the 704th TFS Outlaws of the 924th Tactical Fighter Group (TFG) Air Force Reserve (AFRES) based at Bergstrom AFB. After only a couple of years she was retired to the boneyard where the jet languished for 17 years but was resurrected for conversion to QF-4E drone AF338.
The second aircraft, 74-0643 (CN 4794) wearing the wraparound gray/green camouflage paint, served in the same squadrons as 74-1043 to begin with but flew with the 335th TFS Chiefs for the majority of its time with the 4th TFW. 643 also received that gorgeous gray on gray camouflage paint job at the 704th TFS while based at Bergstrom. But for a short time right before being retired to the same boneyard at AMARG (Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group) as 043, the jet returned to the 4th TFW. 643 also spent about 18 years in storage before being brought back to serve as QF-4E drone AF354 with the 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron (ATRS) out of Holloman AFB in New Mexico. This departure video was shot from the front cockpit looking over the nose of the Rhino.
Iceland blew up on the travel radar last year, becoming the new “it” place to travel, whether you’re looking for a great spot to climb some icebergs, or if you’d just like to laze around in the Blue Lagoon. Whatever your fancy, you can now afford it, thanks to a bevy of low cost airlines who jumped on the Iceland bandwagon, and began offering ultra-reduced fares to this hot spot.
So, who should you consider if you’re planning an Iceland getaway this year (or next)? There are two main airlines most seasoned travelers will name:
WOW Air
Photo: WOW Air
This airline has more recently come onto the scene, founded in 2011. They first flew only within Europe, but then expanded their reach to travelers departing the United States. Now, they have more than 30 destinations over North America, Europe and Asia, and they’ve approximated they’ll carry 3 million passengers this year. As far as their fleet, its all Airbus, with three A320s, 11 A321s and three A330s. If you’re flying to or from North American destinations, you’ll be on the A321 (except for the routes to California, which monopolizes all three of the A330s). They boast that they have the youngest fleet in Iceland with the lowest emissions.
Their fares are low, low, low, like $100 from the United States to Iceland, if you can catch a special deal (something that’s almost unheard of on a domestic flight, let alone an international one). However, remember that, with low prices come little perks. While the cheap tickets are enough to please some passengers, others have been filling the forums with tales of dirty and damaged aircraft and poor service.
WOW Air offers three different types of fares: basic, plus and biz.
Icelandair
Icelandair is more of a staple, and they’re not as budget as WOW Air, but they still offer very lucrative deals. Their history stretches back to 1937, and the name Icelandair has absorbed several other Icelandic airlines during its long existence. Today, they currently have 40 destinations across North America and Europe.
Almost the entire Icelandair fleet is made up of Boeing 757 jets, along with just a few 767s. Many of them have been recently renovated, for a better consumer experience. They’re also one of the many airlines signed up to receive a Boeing 737 MAX when the aircraft is available. If you’ve checked out their social media recently, you’ll also see that they just came out with some spiffy new livery, that they’ve named Hekla Aurora, and which is really just a giant image of the northern lights.
They offer three different types of fares: economy, economy comfort and Saga.
On 7/26/2017 just as the National Anthem was concluding, the United States Navy Precision Flight Demonstration Team, better known as the Blue Angels, arrived for their performances at EAA AirVenture 2017. Listen for the lead calling maneuvers and each pilot calling when he breaks for the landing. FYI the tail numbers are often changed week to week and sometimes day to day in order to keep the best birds in the air for performances. That’s why some of their Hornets are two seaters when the Blues arrive for a performance or conduct practices but are usually single seaters for performances. Thanks as always to our good friends at Airshowstuff for uploading both of these clips.
Our second clip was captured during the twilight display put on by the Rockwell Boeing B-1B Lancer on 7/26/2017. The Bone makes three passes over the crowd at Oshkosh and all are flown with burners blazing and full vapor blooms. This jet is flown by the 28th Bomb Squadron of the 7th Operations Group, United States Air Force (USAF) out of Dyess Air Force Base (AFB) near Abilene in Texas. Be sure and turn those speakers up to get the full auditory effect!
Karl Wendell Richter was born on October 4th 1942 in Holly, Michigan. Karl was the youngest of Ludwig Richter’s three children. By all accounts Karl was an all-around standout at Holly High School. He lettered in football, ran track, and played varsity basketball. He was also class president for four years. But Karl was, by his own admission, not a scholarly student. Karl’s prospects for a college education seemed slim. One of things he enjoyed immensely was aviation. His older sister Betty May helped him pursue his interest in aviation and by the time Karl was getting ready to graduate from high school he was an experienced pilot.
Official US Air Force Photograph
From High School to Colorado Springs
Because Karl wasn’t looking forward to more school at a regular college, Betty May talked him into applying for admission to the Air Force Academy. Although Karl figured he probably wouldn’t be accepted, he completed the admissions process anyway. To Karl’s great surprise two Michigan Congressmen made him their primary appointee to the Academy. Just nine days after graduating from Holly High School, Karl Richter became a cadet in Squadron 8. Karl didn’t magically become a better student at the Air Force Academy, but the word is he excelled at sports. He enjoyed intramurals such as rugby, football, soccer, and boxing. Karl graduated from the Air Force Academy and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant on June 3rd 1964.
Official US Air Force Photograph
Becoming a THUD Pilot
Karl’s pilot training wasn’t anything unusual for Air Force pilots in those days. He spent 53 weeks at Craig Air Force Base (AFB) in Alabama completing his Undergraduate Pilot Training. From there Karl went to Nellis AFB in Nevada for 26 weeks to complete the Combat Crew Replacement Training syllabus for the Republic F-105D Thunderchief. It was normal, even expected, for a pilot having just completed a little bit more than a year and half of intensive training to take some leave at that point, but Karl decided instead to ferry a replacement F-105D over to Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base (RTAFB) in Thailand. Karl then became the newest member of the 421st Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS) of the 388th Tactical Fighter Wing (TFW).
Official US Air Force Photograph
No Time for Ground Pounding
Four days after arriving in Thailand Karl flew his first mission over North Vietnam. Karl was one of those pilots who wanted to be in the air whenever possible. He quickly became an excellent Thud pilot despite his lack of previous experience in the cockpit. He would fly anything he could, anytime he could. He once turned down a trip to the exotic destinations of Hong Kong and Bangkok only to spend his leave flying combat forward air controller (FAC) missions in Cessna O-1E Bird Dogs instead.
Official US Air Force Photograph
MiG Killer
Karl bagged a MiG-17 on September 21st 1966. He was flying as an element leader designated Ford 03 near Haiphong in North Vietnam sniffing for surface-to-air missile (SAM) sites. When Karl found a SAM site he was getting ready to clobber it when he spied a section of MiG-17s making a firing pass on another Thud in the lead element. Karl maneuvered into firing position and employed his 20 millimeter M61A1 Vulcan cannon to saw a wing off of one of the MiGs forcing the pilot to eject from his stricken jet and the other to bolt for home. Karl was 23 years old when he shot down his MiG, making him the youngest American pilot ever to down a MiG. Richter went to Saigon to receive congratulations and decorations, but he wanted to fly.
Official US Air Force Photograph
Racking Up the Missions
There was simply no stopping him. He quickly piled up his first 90 missions, which usually meant that he would fly another ten “soft” missions and rotate back to the world. But not Karl. Karl wanted another 100. He had to glad-hand a bit and do some politicking. Meanwhile, Karl was winning medals for his extraordinary bravery and initiative in the air. He led a Wild Weasel (defense suppression) mission on April 20th 1967 that resulted in the destruction or distraction of a large number of enemy SAM and anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) crews. This allowed the strike force with whom Richter was working to eliminate an important railroad target even though Richter’s group experienced intense enemy fire and dealt with weather that hindered navigation. Because he had already received the Silver Star, was awarded the Air Force Cross for his skill and heroism that day. And those next 100 missions? He got them too.
Official US Air Force Photograph
For the Rest of Karl Richter’s Incredible Story Bang NEXT PAGE Below
Fat Albert, the Blue Angels Lockheed Martin C-130T Hercules support airlifter and performer, has been grounded along with all 12 operational Marine Corps KC-130T tankers. The decision by the Marine Corps was reportedly made out of “an abundance of caution” during the investigation of the Marine Corps VMGR-452 KC-130T (BuNo 165000) that crashed earlier this month in Mississippi killing 16. The Blues decided to ground Fat Albert because the investigation is being conducted into the crash of the tanker model (KC-130T) of the same basic airframe as Fat Albert (C-130T). There have been no other C-130 Hercules groundings announced by Lockheed Martin or the military as of this time. Here’s short video of Fat Albert in action posted by DoD News & Videos
The KC-130T is the oldest model of the Hercules still operational with the Marines, averaging nearly 25 years of service. Only the Marine Reserve squadron VMGR-452 still flies the KC-130T- the same squadron that was flying the KC-130T that crashed in Mississippi. Many of the Marine Corps and Navy Hercules tanker variants are the much newer KC-130J models. The groundings are, at least at this point, the result of caution resulting from no clear cause of the Mississippi KC-130T crash having been determined. The grounding of Fat Albert was initially announced by the Experimental Aircraft Association via Airshowstuff. The KC-130T groundings were reported by Defense News.
The “Fighting Cocks” Have a Half Dozen Raytheon Awards in Their Trophy Case
The United States Air Force USAF) 18th Operations Group is based at Kadena Air Base on Okinawa in Japan. One of the commands in the Group is the 67th Fighter Squadron (FS) Fighting Cocks. The Fighting Cocks fly the McDonnell Douglas (Boeing) F-15C and F-15D Eagle air superiority fighter. The 67th FS won the Raytheon Trophy for air-to-air excellence for the sixth time in their storied history in 2013, making them the only squadron in the Air Force to be so awarded six times. Thanks go to YouTuber Snizzler for uploading this awesomely entertaining HD video of the Fighting Cocks in action while winning their sixth Raytheon Trophy.
The 67th has been an active squadron since January of 1941. They first flew Seversky P-35A fighters. When in 1941 war broke out in the Pacific the 67th flew Curtiss P-36 Hawks and then Bell P-400 and P-39 Airacobras before becoming a Lockheed P-38 Lightning outfit. When the war ended they flew North American P-51D Mustangs and Republic P-47N Thunderbolts until equipping with Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star jets. The 67th traded their P-80s for P-51Ds when the Korean War began and flew them until they received their North American F-86 Sabre Jets in early 1953.
Official US Air Force Photograph
Went to WestPac and Liked It So Much They Stayed
The Fighting Cocks began flying the North American F-100 Super Sabre in 1957, followed by the Republic F-105 Thunderchief in 1962 and the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II in 1968. After flying Phabulous Phantoms for 11 years, they were one of the first squadrons to fly the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle in 1979. The 67th has been based out of Kadena for 35 years. One of their most influential commanders was Brigadier General Robinson “Robbie” Risner, who was an ace during the Korean War and commanded them when flying F-105s during Operation Rolling Thunder in Vietnam. Risner retired in 1976 and passed away in October of 2013. There is a tribute to Risner in the video.
A dual Heritage Flight arrival took place at AirVenture 2017 on July 25th 2017. The fist Heritage Flight was a section of Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning IIs from the 61st Fighter Squadron (FS) of the 56th Fighter Wing (FW) based at Luke Air Force Base (AFB) in Arizona were escorted to the landing break by the P-51D-25NA Bald Eagle (44-73029 / N51JB) owned by Jim Beasley. The second Heritage Flight was composed of a section of Fairchild Republic A-10C Thunderbolt IIs from the 74th FS of the famed 23rd Fighter Group (FG) Flying Tigers based at Moody AFB in Georgia was escorted to the landing break by a second P-51D-25NA (44-73420 / N151AM) owned by Andrew McKenna. Thanks as always to our good friends at Airshowstuff for uploading the video.
FYI the F-35As and A-10Cs were all adorned with tributes to the recently departed Vlado Lenoch on their nosegear doors (F-35As) or boarding ladder doors (A-10Cs). The pilots were wearing tribute patches as well. Vlado often flew the Heritage Flight displays with these Air Force pilots. Classy move!
Well this is the big one warbird fans! We’ve been waiting to see this for decades, and here it is! The world’s only two operational Boeing B-29 Superfortresses flew together over AirVenture 2017 in Oshkosh on July 25th 2017. These two aircraft, the Commemorative Air Force’s B-29A-60-BN Fifi (CN 11547, AF serial number 44-62070) and the recently restored B-29A-70-BW Doc (CN 10804, AF serial number 44-69972) took to the Wisconsin skies simultaneously for the first time. Both of these aircraft were recovered from Naval Air Weapons Stations China Lake in California and restored, but they returned to flight almost 40 years apart. Thanks to our good friends at Airshowstuff for uploading this awesome video of the two B-29s flying together.
On Monday July 24th 2017 a 1970s-vintage BAC-167 Mark 80A Strikemaster jet, serial number G-27-225 and US registration number N605GV, crashed after attempting to take off from runway 17R at Henderson Executive Airport (KHND) in Henderson, Nevada. The aircraft came to rest about half a mile south of Volunteer Boulevard near Via Inspirada south of the airport. The single pilot, whose name has not yet been released, evidently rode the aircraft all the way to a stop because the ejection seats in his aircraft were “cold.” He then exited the wreck with minor injuries which were treated at the site. The forward half of the aircraft was consumed by fire after the crash. There were no passengers in the jet or injuries on the ground and no other damage. Authorities are investigating the cause of the crash. Here is some raw footage of the crash scene posted by the Associated Press.
The Strikemaster was operated by Blue Air Training and was departing Blue Air’s facility at KHND bound for a United States Air Force (USAF) training exercise for Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTACs) taking place at Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma in Washington state. These highly-trained JTACs require certification before being able to deploy with their units overseas. Blue Air Training’s role in this training is to simulate close air support aircraft dropping BDU-33 practice bombs and shooting 2.75” live-fire rockets tasked by the JTACs from the ground. Blue Air operates BAC 167 Strikemaster jets, IAR-823 Brasov trainers, AH-6 Little Bird assault helicopters, and a variety of single engine light aircraft used to simulate various US and foreign combat aircraft for training of these JTACs as well as other American military personnel.
The Strikemaster that crashed on Monday was built by British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) for the Saudi Arabian Air Force in 1972. After serving with the Saudis until 2001 under serial number 1114, the aircraft made its way onto the civilian market initially as G-BZYH and was later registered as N605GV. The jet was one of four Strikemasters operated out of Nevada by Blue Air Training. This was the first accident involving any of the company’s Strikemaster jets. The Strikemaster is a development of BAC’s Jet Provost intermediate trainer. In addition to Saudi Arabia, the total of 146 Strikemasters built by BAC were operated by Botswana, Ecuador, Kenya, Kuwait, New Zealand, Oman, Singapore, South Yemen, and Sudan. Blue Air is the only military contractor currently utilizing Strikemasters as simulation aircraft.
Photo credit: Chrisk48
Bonus Video: Here’s a video of a Strikemaster flying around the air patch uploaded by blizzardthewatcher
Air India A320 Crew Forgets To Raise The Gear. How does this even happen?
Two Air India Airlines pilots have been grounded for forgetting to retract the landing gear on their spanking-new Airbus A320neo and flying 693 miles (1,115 kilometers) from Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport (CCU) in Kolkata in eastern India to Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport / Sonegaon Air Force Base (NAG) at Nagpur with the gear extended on Saturday July 22nd 2017.
The pilots didn’t put it together that the gear was in the wind when they were unable to climb higher than 24,000 feet (7,315 meters), which is about 12,000 feet (3,657 meters) lower than their usual assigned altitude of 36,000 feet (10,972 meters). They didn’t figure it out when their jet wouldn’t fly faster than 230 knots (264 miles per hour or 426 kilometers per hour) either.
If you forget to raise the gear, you probably won’t have enough fuel to reach your destination
The Air India A320neo, as flight 676, was supposed to fly from CCU all the way to Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (BOM) in Mumbai on the western coast of India- essentially a cross-India trip. But the higher than normal fuel consumption due to the added drag of the extended landing gear used up fuel a lot faster than normal.
They made it roughly 2/3 of the way before they were forced to divert and land at NAG. It was only when preparing to land at NAG about an hour and a half into their flight that the flight crew realized their faux pas. There were 99 passengers aboard the flight.
Photo courtesy of Airbus
Air India A320 Crew Forgets To Raise The Gear, But Why?
The pilots, both of whom were women, according to the original report, expressed incredulity when they became aware of their error.
One pilot was surprised that the cabin crew and passengers didn’t express concern about the added noise and vibration cause by flight with the landing gear extended.
Speculation is that the pilots may have chalked the noise and vibration up to monsoon-caused turbulence aloft over India that day. But there is a post-takeoff checklist which was obviously poorly executed. This story was first reported by The Times of India.
Qatar Airways has been even more controversial than usual recently. Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker is evidently quite proud of the fact that his airline employs flight attendants who average (only) 26 years of age. What Al Baker doesn’t mention is that a cabin crew averaging 26 years of age cannot possibly possess the skills or experience a cabin crew really should have to ensure passenger safety and service. Qatar Airways crews are also grossly underpaid when compared to cabin crews working for other airlines. Qatar Airways achieves this young average cabin crew age at least in part by hiring young and inexperienced “talent” and then releasing said talent after only a few years on the job. They can do this because the cabin crews are not hired as employees but as contractors. And for other reasons we’ll get into later. But they are hired and released early to keep the cabin crews young.
I spoke with a flight attendant (and friend) who has been serving drinks and dealing with passengers with American Airlines for 30 years. Of course she does much more than that, but for all you perspective fans out there that means essentially that my friend has more experience than some, perhaps even many, of the entire cabin crews working for Qatar Airways. All by her experienced, capable, and talented self. And don’t fool yourselves- experience, capability, and talent count. Perhaps not at Qatar Airways, but ask yourself what’s more important- how smoothly your flight crew handles their essential tasks on your flight, or how they look while they perform them? With experience comes perspective, and my experienced friend shared some of that perspective with unsuspecting me.
Delta Airlines Response to Al Baker’s comments (uploaded by Canal Plus Finance)
Some of the deltas (pun intended) between American and many other international carriers and Qatar Airways stem from cultural differences. I am told that the contract rates of those contractors who work flights for Qatar Airways and the other ME3 carriers (Etihad and Emirates) are ridiculously low. That’s the culture of the region working against the flight attendants at least to some degree. Couple that with the likelihood of said flight attendants being kicked to the curb just when they reach true competency would seem to be extremely bad business, but who’s protesting or posting rants on social media about that? If it weren’t for Al Baker’s comments in Dublin the rest of the world might not even know about it.
He’s been making sensationalist comments about the world’s airlines for quite some time now. The man has talked about rubbing salt in airline “wounds” when he inaugurates a new Qatar Airways destination for some time now. Delta got the salt when he started flying into Atlanta; Lufthansa when Qatar Airways began flying into Frankfurt. Al Baker has also said that missing out on their play for Miami as another destination wasn’t a blow. He sounds like a blowhard when he perceives a win and a sore loser when he doesn’t get his way, doesn’t he? Now Al Baker’s rhetoric and manipulation are not unique to Al Baker, or Qatar Airways, or the region, or the ME3, or any industry. There are people like him running businesses in many industries. But would you trust him? Can you trust him?
Photo Credit: Tomas Del Coro
Qatar Airways is a member of the oneworld Alliance. The oneworld Alliance members are AirBerlin (Germany), American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair (Finland), Iberia (Spain), Japan Airlines, LATAM (Latin America), Qatar Airways, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas (Australia), Sri Lankan Airlines, Royal Jordanian Airlines, and S7 Airlines (Russia). These airlines have agreed to do more than paint the same logo on their equipment and share some codes but the details aren’t really pertinent here. What is extremely pertinent is what could be, and is believed by many to be, Al Baker’s master plan.
Photo courtesy OneWorld Alliance
American Airlines is a publicly traded company. Anyone can buy their stock. Including Al Baker. In what would seem to a simpleton like me to be an extremely audacious move, it is not inconceivable that Al Baker, the CEO of one airline, could acquire 4.75 percent of the stock in a different airline. That 4.75 percent of the other airline would land him on the Board of Directors of American Airlines…one of those airlines he himself says are “crap American carriers” and a member of the same “alliance!” What has flight attendants and airline industry people concerned is that were Al Baker to land on the Board at AA, he would then be in a position to make comments that people cannot just ignore or dismiss as misogynist rantings. He could potentially force concessions by the flight attendants working not only in the airliners flying in American Airlines colors but many other American and world carriers as well. The unions would of course fight tooth and nail to keep Al Baker from forcing concessions by the flight attendants, but it would be a truly ugly fight that should, it seems at least to me, be avoided at all costs. So far at least it appears there has been no move by Al Baker to acquire the necessary stock needed to buy a chair in the AA Boardroom.
Photo Credit: Kambui
Doesn’t this all sound like something nobody should do? Like something that should be illegal, and if not in point of law illegal, then at least preventable? Here’s the thing, and this is not unique to Al Baker, or Qatar Airways, or the region, or the ME3, or any industry either. Just because a person, in this particular case Al Baker, can do something that does not mean he should do that something. Qatar Airways, along with the other ME3 airlines, is considered by many paying passengers to be a step up from even the most prestigious airlines not only based in the United States but the rest of the planet. However, the subsidies and financial backing received by the ME3 from the governments of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates violates existing Open Skies world aviation agreements. We do know that what’s going on behind the scenes at Al Baker’s airline is changing people’s opinions and perspectives. So is his inflammatory rhetoric.
Photo Credit: Tomas Del Coro
Delta Airlines, one of the “crap” American carriers mentioned by Al Baker during his comments in Dublin, posted a video response to his comments. So too did the Partnership for Open & Fair Skies. We have included links to all three videos in this piece, and all three are equally deserving of your attention, albeit for different reasons. And we would like to hear from you Avgeekery Nation! What’s going on in Akbar Al Baker’s noggin anyway? He’s got to know American laws won’t allow him to fly Qatar Airways flights within our borders…doesn’t he? If he’s really trying to influence American Airlines and other American carriers from afar wouldn’t that be transparent enough that everyone would see right through it?
Screenshot courtesy Travelextra Ireland
It was reported recently that Qatar Airways wants to buy $808 million worth of American Airlines stock. Why? Is Akbar Al Baker really just disrupting an industry that’s grown weary of the status quo and burdened by questionable service, overcrowded planes, and tired equipment? Or is his airline categorically stepping over laws and ethical standards to win at any and all costs? And can someone please tell me what difference it makes how old (read experienced) your flight attendant is if your drink isn’t what you asked for? Were you offended by his comments? Was his released apology for his remarks enough? Or should we all just get over our righteous indignation and keep grinding? What do you think?
We warned you we were going to bring you the sights and sounds of AirVenture 2017. For this one you need to turn those speakers up to 11! Right after the National Anthem played to open the first show of AirVenture 2017 at Oshkosh, this United States Air Force (USAF) Rockwell (Boeing) B-1B Lancer performed a high speed pass with afterburners blazing and the crowd absolutely loved it!
The Bone then came back for a photo pass followed by an overhead break for landing, all of which Airshowstuff included in this video clip. This particular Bone is flown by the 28th Bomb Squadron of the 7th Operations Group, USAF out of Dyess Air Force Base (AFB) near Abilene in Texas. The clip includes nice HD video and sound and radio calls are audible as well. Click it…you know you want to!
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Astronauts aboard the International Space Station may have the best windows for viewing the Great American Eclipse as they photograph and record August’s astronomical event during three consecutive orbits.
Soaring 255 miles above, the six person crew of Expedition 52 will have detailed observation objectives in place as they point cameras from the Cupola’s windows while they trek across North America once every 91 minutes. They will also be the first humans to witness this solar eclipse thanks to orbital mechanics.
In May 2012, NASA astronaut Don Pettit witnessed a solar eclipse from Earth orbit. “It is amazing to see an eclipse from orbit,” Pettit recalled. “The shadow on Earth looks just like what you see in the physics and astronomy books.”
Newly released ground tracks by NASA provided to AvGeekery.com show the space station’s three positions as it passes through the Moon’s penumbra during the midday hours of August 21 — the height of solar eclipse across America. Astronauts will attach special solar filters to their 400 mm and 800 mm cameras as they approach their first observation’s over the Pacific Ocean.
“Our flight team is tracking opportunities for the astronauts on board the station to photograph both the eclipse and the Moon’s shadow on the planet,” NASA spokesperson Dan Hout explained to this aerospace journalist from the Johnson Space Center near Houston on Monday. “With the current calculations, the station should have three passes to view the eclipse.”
During the first transit across the United States, the space station’s crew will experience a partial solar eclipse with only 37% of the Sun covered by the Moon at about 12:41 p.m. EDT. Hout noted that as the station crosses the California coastline at this time, the eclipse will not have begun for those on Earth, however, a partial eclipse will be in progress and observed by the crew of six aboard the orbital outpost.
The station’s second pass over North America will observe a greater view of a partial solar eclipse. The crew will again train cameras on a totality of 44% of Sun coverage by the Moon at 2:24 p.m.
“At the closest approach, ISS will be just south of Hudson Bay while the Moon’s umbra shadow is located in southwestern Kentucky just over 1700 km away,” Hout added from his NASA office. “While ISS does not pass near the location of the Moon’s umbra, the Moon’s umbra should still be easily visible near the horizon.”
As the orbital laboratory sails into an orbital sunset during its third orbit of the eclipse timeline, the station’s crew will witness their best viewing of the celestial ballet. As the space station passes over the central Atlantic Ocean at 4:18 p.m., the crew will observe a partial solar eclipse of 85% for only seconds as their orbital velocity of 17,450 m.p.h. takes them into a golden sunset about five minutes later.
“This pass offers the opportunity to see the Sun with horns as it sets into the atmosphere assuming an appropriate filter is used to block the Sun’s brightness,” said Hout poised with an orbital tracking map before him. “At sunset, 27% of the Sun will be covered by the Moon.”
Photographs taken from the space station will appear on NASA.gov soon after the orbital passes.
Closer to home, NASA will launch two aircraft from Ellington Field near Houston to observe the American eclipse. NASA’s twin WB-57 aircraft will fly together at an altitude of 50,000 feet loaded with both visible and infrared telescopes to gather solar eclipse data during an eight minute window. The twin aircraft plan to be over the Carbondale, Illinois region during the short totality window.
“The eclipse will provide a unique opportunity to study the sun, Earth, moon and their interaction because of the eclipse’s long path over land coast to coast,” NASA spokesperson Brian Dunbar added. “Scientists will be able to take ground-based and airborne observations over a period of an hour and a half to complement the wealth of data and images provided by space assets.”
NASA is informing the public who plan to observe the eclipse to check the safety authenticity of glasses labeled for eclipse viewing sold online or in stores. The space agency stated this week that eclipse viewing glasses and solar viewers should have a designated ISO 12312-2 certification, and that the manufacturer’s name and address is printed somewhere on the product.
The space agency will provide live video streaming of the solar eclipse from earth bound NASA centers based on cloud coverage. The space station’s own HD video camera may provide a rare real time view of the moon’s shadow.
(Charles A. Atkeison reports on aerospace and technology. Follow his updates on social media via @Military_Flight.)
This decade is a time of transition for the U.S. space program. NASA is fostering development of commercial services for orbital spaceflight to launch both the agency’s resupply and (soon) crewed missions to the International Space Station (ISS), while the agency itself focuses on deep space crew exploration with their Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft starting in the early 2020s.
United States Navy (USN) training films were usually made to familiarize personnel with new or revised weapons systems. Here at Avgeekery.com we like to share these films for two reasons. The first is that the films are usually chock-full of information- often information of which our readers might not be aware. The second reason is that although it’s rare to find these films transferred using HD equipment, the visuals are still often quite striking.
This Navy training film, produced by Jam Handy in 1961 as a part of the Seapower For Security series, tells the viewer about Vought’s new (at the time) F8U-1P Photo Crusader. Thanks as always to YouTuber PeriscopeFilm for uploading this time-capsule of a video.
Marine Corps Major John H. Glenn completed the first supersonic transcontinental flight in a F8U-1P, flying from Naval Air Station (NAS) Los Alamitos in California to Floyd Bennett Field in New York in just 3 hours, 23 minutes and a few seconds July 16th 1957. F8U-1Ps were re-designated RF-8As in 1962. The later version of the RF-8A, the updated and uprated RF-8G, served the country up until 1987 and were in the thick of Navy and Marine Corps tactical reconnaissance duties the entire time, RF-8s provided critically important information to this country’s leaders during the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Vietnam War. The film features descriptions and operating overviews of the camera and photo flash systems incorporated into the Photo Crusader.
Aircraft have been arriving at Wittman Regional Airport (KOSH) in Oshkosh, Wisconsin for the beginning of the 65th version of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) AirVenture Oshkosh. For the week AirVenture is in town KOSH becomes the world’s busiest airport and hosts upwards of 10,000 aircraft and close to three-quarters of a million visitors. The video below is a great look at a cross-section of the aircraft that have arrived at Oshkosh so far (with more arriving every hour). We’ll be doing our best to keep Avgeekery.com Nation on top of the events at Oshkosh for the next week. Thanks to YouTuber airailimages for uploading this video!
The Boeing B-29 Superfortress “Doc”, a couple of Douglas C-47 Skytrains, a Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, a North American P-51D Mustang, a Beech T-34 Mentor, a Douglas B-26 Invader, a Boeing MH-47G Chinook special operations helicopter, and a liberal smattering of Cessnas, Pipers, Beechcrafts, and other civil registered aircraft all appear in the video. Doc’s landing is shown again in slow motion at the end of the video. That is one impressive-looking aircraft! We can’t wait for the video of the two operational Boeing B-29s in the world, “Doc” and the Commemorative Air Force B-29 “Fifi”, flying together- a sight that hasn’t been seen by human eyes for decades. You can be sure we’ll bring to you!
Here’s a video by Airshowsfuff.com shot on Friday highlighting arrivals from late last week. Watch for the section of North American F-86 Sabres followed by a Canadair CT-133 Silver Star landing late in the clip. Things get a little hectic with civil aircraft using both sides of runway 36 and the adjacent taxiway simultaneously, but hey…that’s Oshkosh during the last week of July! Thanks to Airshowstuff for posting this one, and watch Avgeekery.com for many more!
Growing up, I knew the basics about his father’s war history. He was a B-17 pilot and stationed at Thurleigh, England with the 306th Bomb Group. His plane was named the Susan Ruth after my oldest sister who was one year old at the time he went overseas. He flew combat bombing missions over occupied Europe and Germany and was shot down over the French/Belgium border on February 8, 1944. He was missing in action for 7 months but evaded capture. After being hidden by the Belgian underground for a few months, he got tired of hiding and joined the French Resistance sabotaging German convoys. Eventually he met up with Patton’s 3rd Army on September 2, 1944 after they came up through France after D-Day and my dad made it back to England.
However, it wasn’t until I retired in 2009 from a 40 year career in sales and sales management that I had the time to really delve into my father’s war experiences in greater detail. I had no intentions of writing a book. I just wanted to go through all the material my parents had kept from the war years to learn more. Two items were most significant. One was a diary that my father had written while he was missing in action about his plane being shot down which was absolutely riveting. The other item was all the letters my father had written to my mother while he was stationed in England. In them, he talked about flying combat missions, life on base and in the surrounding villages, trips into London, and adventures of his crew. Reading those letters was fascinating, and I became fascinated with the story of my father and his crew. In fact, it became my passion.
I went on a quest to find relatives of the crew members and asked them for information. I read book after book about the air war over Europe, spent countless hours on the internet doing research and downloading declassified military documents, and started attending reunions of various WW II organizations listening to veterans tell their stories. I am currently president of the 306th Bomb Group Historical Association. Finally in 2012, I decided to write a book. After my years of research, I came to the conclusion that the story of my father and his crew was so unique and so compelling that it just had to be told and people needed to read about it. My book, SHOT DOWN: The true story of pilot Howard Snyder and the crew of the B-17 Susan Ruth was released in August 2014 and has received over 20 national book awards since then.
Although SHOT DOWN is centered on Howard Snyder and his crew, it also contains in depth information about the B-17 Flying Fortress, the combat crews of the Eighth Air Force, and the air war over Europe. The first half of the book leads up to the day the plane was knocked out of the sky by two German Focke-Wulf 190 fighter planes. It includes following my father through pilot training, the crew’s journey to England, what life was like both on base and in England, and descriptions of perilous combat missions from take-off to landing. The second half is about what happened to each member of the crew after that harrowing day (five of the crew made it back home, and five did not) and about all the courageous Belgian people who risked their lives to help them.
Everything in the book is factual and based on first hand testimony by the people who were involved in the events that took place. To complement the story, SHOT DOWN contains many excerpts from my father’s letters, and the print book includes more than 200 time period photographs. To add background and context to the story, many historical facts and anecdotes about and surrounding the war are entwined throughout the book so that a reader has a feel for and understanding of what was occurring on a broader scale.
It was on a mission to Frankfurt, Germany that my father’s plane dropped its bombs successfully, but the bomb bay doors were hit by anti-aircraft fire (flak), and they couldn’t get them back up. That caused a drag on the plane, and it lost air speed. As a result, the B-17 Susan Ruth fell behind the formation heading back to England and was singled out by the Focke-Wulf 190s fighters who swooped in for the kill. During the ensuring air battle, the Susan Ruth was shot down. Two crew members were killed in the plane, and the other eight were able to bail out although three of them were killed a couple months later on the ground.
One day while I was doing my research, my wife Glenda asked me, “Why don’t to try to find the German pilot who shot down the plane.” which I thought was a ridiculous idea. However, like a good husband, I did what my wife told me, and lo and behold, I found Hans Berger who was shot down by the gunners on my dad’s crew. They actually shot each other down. Fortunately for me, Hans became a translator after the war so he speaks fluent English. Through email and telephone conversations I interviewed him for the book, and he provided me with some wonderful information about what it was like to go up against the 8th Air Force.
I have visited Belgian four times. In 1989, a memorial was erected in Macquenoise to the B-17 Susan Ruth crew. The first trip was with my parents in 1994, and that is when it became personal to me. On my last trip in May 2016, I filmed all the locations mentioned in the book. I then went to Munich, Germany to film an interview with Hans Berger, now 93 years old. I plan to make a documentary.
Article written by Steve Snyder. For more information, go to http://SteveSnyderAuthor.com.
Both the U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor Demo team and F-16 Thunderbirds squadron recently wrapped up a big trip across the pond, where they performed at The Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) this year at RAF Fairford in Gloucestshire, to represent the USAF on its 70th Anniversary.
OSHKOSH, WI — America’s largest aviation gathering begins on Monday as aerobatic performances by top civilian and military aircraft — including the Navy’s Blue Angels — highlight the seven day EAA AirVenture Airshow.
Known as Oshkosh around the globe, AirVenture is a mix of airshow and open house with nearly 500 hundred thousand expected to descend upon the comunity near Lake Winnebago. Aerobatic, commercial, and private pilots will join the military’s finest during what many deem as the best airshow in the world.
“The Greatest Show on Earth”
“There’s no other event in the world like Oshkosh ,” U.S. and world champion aerobatic pilot Patty Wagstaff told this aerospace journalist on Thursday. “When you get so many people in one place focused on something they love, airplanes like music creates its own energy that is hard to describe but brings people today in a very positive way.”
Patty is a crowd favorite across America’s airshows as she pilots her Extra 300S aircraft during her dizzying aerobatic performance. She is poised to perform during the afternoon airshow.
“It’s really something to see,” Wagstaff added as her smile grew in the golden light of Florida’s setting sun. “I’m thrilled to be a small part of it, and I tell people that flying the airshow at Oshkosh is like flying in front of 100,000 of your best friends!”
As attendees arrive inside the front gates, exhibit hangers and aerospace-related workshops will await them as they make their way down Celebration Way and towards the airfield. Dotted along the airstrip near the airshow crowd line are aircraft poised to perform in the days ahead.
Aeroshell Aerobatic Team performs aboard four North American advanced trainer AT6 Texan aircraft, nicknamed the pilot maker, by the Greatest Generation of pilot during World War II. The team is midway through their 24 city schedule this year which includes three international visits.
“Oshkosh AirVenture — the greatest show on earth — it doesn’t get any better,” said Steve Gustafson, Team Aeroshell pilot and true Oshkosh fan. “Every time I go to AirVenture, I’m in awe. Every year there’s something different, so even if you go to Oshkosh each year, you’ll discover it will be different.”
Aeroshell’s warbirds perform many of the maneuvers flown by the pilots of the Army’s air corps. as they trained to pilot the P-40 Warhawk and P-51 Mustang fighters. Today, Steve looks at Aeroshell as a centerpiece at Oshkosh bridging the aircraft of yesteryear with that of today’s top jet aircraft. He also appreciates the interest of the crowds attending the annual show.
“Good people, good fun, and good family entertainment,” Steve told AvGeekery during a candid visit on Thursday. “You go to Oshkosh and people are so polite and they don’t throw trash on the ground. They just enjoy airplanes, and enjoy the freedoms we should never take for granted in this country. And, Oshkosh is the perfect example of one of those freedoms to never even take for granted.”
Blue Angels First Full Oshkosh Performance
Oshkosh 2017 will mark the Blue Angels first full team performance at EAA AirVenture. Their 54 minute performance will begin with a demonstration flight by their popular C-130T cargo transport aircraft nicknamed Fat Albert.
The U.S. Navy’s flight demonstration squadron’s jets will then display many of the maneuvers performed by today’s naval pilots as they fly during the last five days of Oshkosh. Their F/A-18 Hornets will first scream across the skies above Wittman airfield on Wednesday afternoon as the squadron arrives behind Fat Albert.
The Blues diamond formation will depart on a brief flight Thursday at about 5:05 p.m. to familiarize themselves with the area. The two solo jets will perform their own orientation flight on Friday morning as they flyover the airfield and surrounding region and perform a few airshow maneuvers of their own. Fat Albert’s all-Marine crew will take the C-130T up for their own familiarization flight.
On Friday, the Blues will perform their practice demo at 4:05 p.m.; on Saturday, their flight demos will begin at 5:05 p.m.; and on Sunday, the squadron will fly a non-aerobatic performance beginning at 3:30 p.m.
The Blue Angels will also participate in public outreach during the week. Right wing pilot LT. Damon Kroes will address attendees on Thursday at Warbirds in Review. On Friday, members of the Blues flight team and maintenance personnel will sign autographs and answer questions beginning at 1:00 p.m. at the Welcome Center.
Breitling’s Historic DC-3 to Attend Oshkosh
Whittman’s runway 18/36 runs due north and south and will become center stage on Monday as various types of aircraft arrive each day, including Breitling’s own DC-3. The Swiss-based DC-3 is currently two-thirds into a flight around the world, and is scheduled to visit the popular airshow as a static display for 10 days.
“This aircraft played such an important role in American history and it is a privilege to share it with American aviation fans,” Breitling DC-3 Captain Francisco Agullo said. “We look forward to seeing this country’s rich culture and passion for aviation.”
The historic DC-3 is poised to become the oldest aircraft to fly around the world once it completes its circumnavigation of the globe on September 13.
Great weather is forecast during most of AirVenture in the week ahead, allowing attendees a chance to witness great aircraft and receive a stronger appreciation of the aerospace industry.
(Charles A. Atkeison reports on aerospace and technology. Follow his updates on social media via @Military_Flight.)
