Breitling once again is demonstrating the watch company’s passion for aviation this summer as its historic DC-3 aircraft circumnavigates the globe inspiring today’s youth while becoming the oldest aircraft to fly around the world.
Built in 1939, this Douglas Commercial 3 HB-IRJ was delivered to American Airlines the following year. The twin prop aircraft was later introduced to military service during World War II before returning to commercial airline service. And, like a good timepiece, the precision flight and timeless beauty of this DC-3 has made the iconic aircraft a popular attraction during its historic flight.
The Breitling DC-3 is scheduled to make 13 promotional stops across the United States as the aircraft’s crew support both the thrill of flight and the education associated with aviation. The monoplane will also make stops in Canada’s Toronto and Goose Bay in August.
“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 on Tuesday. “We look forward to seeing this country’s rich culture and passion for aviation and look forward to wrapping up our time in the U.S. at Breitling’s flagship boutique in New York.”
Today, the white and silver aircraft, blazoned with Breitling’s signature B script logo on its vertical stabilizer, is poised to complete the final leg of its journey. As of July 4, the precision aircraft had traveled 32,381 km after having flown across nearly two-thirds of the globe.
The nearly 20-meter long plane is powered by two upgraded Pratt and Whitney R-1830 engines which can keep the DC-3 aloft for eight hours or nearly 1,500 miles.
Headquartered in Dijon, France, the aircraft is sponsored by the Swiss watch manufacturer due in part by the company’s rich history in aviation. Breitling watches were strapped to the wrists of many aviation pioneers including NASA astronauts en route to the Moon’s surface.
Flying along with the crew is a special cargo containing 500 Navitimer aviation chronographs. The steel Navitimer 01 (46 mm) is distinguished with an engraving on its case back with the logo of Breitling’s DC-3 World Tour. The watches will be available to the public around October.
“We are thrilled to present these limited-edition Navitimer watches to give our customers the opportunity to take a piece of this historic event with them,” Breitling USA President Thierry Prissert told AVGeekery.com on Wednesday. “Having these watches circle the globe on one of the most iconic planes in history allows us to share our passion for aviation with people in the United States.”
On March 9, Breitling’s historic Douglas DC-3 HB-IRJ launched on it’s round-the-world flight from its home in Geneva, Switzerland — 77 years to the day of it’s inaugural flight. Later, the monoplane traveled the length of the Adriatic Sea to Athens, Greece, followed by stops in Israel and Jordan. The pilots of the DC-3 then flew the aircraft across Saudi Arabia, India, and around southeast Asia — stopping at select locations — before making six stops through out May in Japan.
June opened with the aircraft’s departure from the island country on June 6 to begin it’s long trek across the Pacific Ocean and northeast to Alaska and stop number 37 — Anchorage.
The DC-3 will soar across California making two-day stops in San Francisco and Los Angeles on July 11 and 13, respectively. Visits to Phoenix, Houston, Dallas, and St. Louis will keep the aircraft busy the third week of July before Breitling arrives at the country’s largest airshow.
The DC-3 is expected to become a popular attraction at the Oshkosh AirVenture Airshow the entire last week of July. Chicago, Washington, D.C., Boston, and New York will round out the American Tour in August.
Breitling’s DC-3 will skirt around the northern Atlantic to begin it’s European tour during the closing days of August.
As the DC-3 soars over Europe, the Breitling Jet Team’s European Tour continues through the summer as well as the watch manufacture incorporates their love of flying and their skill and quality of a good time piece.
(Charles A. Atkeison reports on aerospace and technology. Follow his updates on social media via @Military_Flight.)
The 1966 Air Force-produced color Film “Desert Bonanza” explains the activities of the 3040th Aircraft Storage Depot. The depot was renamed the Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center (MASDC) in 1965. Today you know it by its current moniker- the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG). It may come as a surprise that up until 1965, the United States Navy maintained its own “boneyard” at Naval Air Station (NAS) Litchfield Park (now Phoenix-Goodyear Airport). Before the transfer of NAS Litchfield Park to civil operation in 1968, more than 500 Navy, Marine, and Coast Guard aircraft were ferried to Davis-Monthan for storage as MASDC. Phoenix-Goodyear is still a boneyard, but they park mostly airliners there now.
Official US Air Force Photograph
If you’re an Avgeek you’re probably familiar with what AMARG looks like today. But in the mid-1960s, the place was populated by Douglas A-26 Invaders, A-4 Skyhawks, A-1 Skyraiders, B-66 Destroyers, C-54 and R5D Skymasters, C-47 Skytrains, Boeing C-97 Stratofreighters and KC-97 Stratotankers, B-29 and B-50 Superfortresses, B-47 Stratojets, and B-52 Stratofortresses, Lockheed P-2 Neptunes and EC-121 Warning Stars, Grumman HU-16 Albatrosses, S-2 Trackers, and F9F-8 Cougars, North American T-28 Trojans, F-86 Sabres, and FJ Furies, Convair F-89 Scorpions, Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaws and H-37 Mojaves, McDonnell F-101 Voodoos, Pregnant Guppies…and that’s just what they showed us in the film!
The place was, and in many ways still is, an Avgeek’s paradise. Well, except that so many of them never left MASDC or leave AMARG except as parts for other aircraft…or as ingots.
At the time the film was shot there really was quite a bit of ‘regeneration” going on. C-47s were being reborn as AC-47D Spooky gunships. Retired Navy Skyraiders were being fixed up and used by Air Force Special Operations Groups as combat search and rescue (CSAR) escort and close air support (CAS) Spads. Korean War-vintage B-26 Invaders were being rebuilt by On Mark Engineering as A-26A Counter Invader counter insurgency (COIN) attack bombers as well as civilian transports like the Marksman.
Navy A-4As and A-4Bs were being rebuilt to later model configurations or utilized as training aircraft. In fact, the two A-4A Skyhawks in the film (BuNos 139939 and 142145) were both used by Naval Air Reserve Training Units (NARTUs) after they were reclaimed from the boneyard.
In the genre of travel writing, bashing the airlines has always been a no lose proposition. Mirroring critiques on the decline of civility and a decaying culture in general, the sorry state of air travel makes for an eye catching lede in the Sunday travel section. A vintage photo of cosmopolitan passengers in a spacious cabin being served confit on fine china used in comparison to today’s experience of TSA body cavity searches and knee-chewing seat pitch is de rigeur for this type of exposé.
And they’re not wrong. There is little doubt that flying today has become nasty and brutish, especially when compared to the experience of decades gone by. But the part that these articles invariably leave out is that flying is the way it is today because that’s exactly the way we want it.
You heard me correctly. We, meaning you and I and the rest of the traveling public, are getting exactly what we want and, more importantly, at the price we want it. Let me explain.
In those pictures of yore, it appears as if the entire cabin was traveling in first class luxury. Given the prices that an airline ticket cost in those days, they in effect were traveling first class. Before deregulation, flying on an airliner was something that only society’s elite could engage in with any regularity. No one other than the wealthy would have even considered flying to Chicago for a weekend to see a Bears game and then back to Omaha.
Now, of course, that option is open to nearly anyone. I know this because I regularly sit next to sports fans returning from a game somewhere. I always root for the away team because the only thing worse than sitting next to a drunk fan is sitting next to one whose team has just lost.
In order to understand where the industry is today, a brief history of the airline business since airline deregulation may be helpful.
Source: Wikipedia
Flying Used To Be So Dang Expensive
Air travel in the US was deregulated back in 1978 with Jimmy Carter’s signing of the Airline Deregulation Act. Since that time there has been a precipitous drop in air fares accompanied by an explosion in the number of passengers carried. The industry was democratized.
There have also been dozens of airline startups, bankruptcies, mergers, reorganizations, and failures. For a time, economists doubted whether it was possible for the airline industry to ever stabilize. This is because the economics of an airline seat resemble that of over ripe bananas or stale bread at the supermarket.
An airline seat, like day old bread, is what economists call a perishable commodity. That is, its value diminishes as it sits unsold. This is why supermarkets heavily discount their old bread. It is better to get some revenue from the bread than to have to throw it out. They might even sell it below cost as that revenue is better than zero revenue from thrown away bread.
An airline seat is the ultimate perishable commodity as its revenue value drops to zero the second the airplane leaves the gate. The marginal cost of producing these seats is next to zero, so airlines have every incentive to discount their unsold seats. This had the effect of creating price wars between airlines to clear their extra inventory. It also left the industry billions of dollars in debt.
Enter the Low Cost Carrier
In the wake of deregulation, the market was flooded with low cost carriers who could cherry pick the most price sensitive customers from the traditional legacy airlines. With their low costs, they could remain profitable while undercutting the legacies. Airlines like Southwest, People’s Express, PSA, and America West made up the new vanguard of the low cost carriers (LCCs).
The legacy airlines found that they were unable to compete on price even though they continued to offer full service such as meals and assigned seats to their customers. They then attempted a competitive response by starting their own low cost subsidiaries such as United’s Ted, Delta’s Song, and Continental Lite though these efforts bore little fruit and were eventually abandoned.
Part of the problem was that the legacy airlines were hamstrung by their relatively generous union contracts. They could never get their costs down to the level of the LCCs. Their answer to this puzzle was to exploit a hole in their union contracts allowing the outsourcing of airplanes with less than 100 seats.
Photo by: Curimedia
The Regional Response
The establishment of regional airlines predated deregulation, but as the legacy airlines looked for a way to compete with the LCCs, this model was expanded dramatically. Regional airlines, flying under the brand and colors of their mainline partners, utilized new fast and long range jets to offer service to many smaller and midsize cities that their mainline partners then abandoned.
As they were separate corporate entities, regionals were not restricted by the union work rules and pay rates that covered the legacy airlines. Annual pay for regional jet pilots for example was routinely under $20k, but in the wake of 9/11, the choice was to take that pay or leave the industry. Regional airline flying eventually came to dominate domestic airline flying eventually accounting for well over half of all US departures.
Industry Consolidation and the Big Four
As the 2000s came to a close, a wave of long sought after mergers among the legacy airlines left only three: United, Delta, and American. All three had declared bankruptcy in the wake of 9/11 and had drastically reduced their costs. Joined by Southwest, whose costs slowly crept up to match the slimmed down legacy airlines, the new “Big Four” now controlled over 80% of US domestic airline flying.
With only four large airlines left standing, there has been some measure of stability introduced. By engaging in “capacity discipline”, the big four have voluntarily restricted their growth thereby allowing fares to rise and, for the first time since deregulation, to become consistently profitable. Low fuel prices have also helped the big four to return sizable results to shareholders.
Spirit Airlines
Internet Pricing and the Ultra Low Cost Carriers
This would end our story except for the introduction of new ultra low cost carriers (ULCCs) and the quest to get to the top of the search engine price stack. As it turns out, the one thing that airline marketers have learned over the years is that the only reliable way to sell airline tickets is through pricing. This was the reason for the creation of the original band of LCCs, the regional airline response, and now the ultra low cost carriers.
This new model for air transportation embodied in carriers like Frontier, Allegiant, and Spirit, is to take the no frills LCC model to an extreme. These airlines have “unbundled” and added a price tag, to every possible service item to include assigned seats, overhead bin space, and even speaking with an agent. Their basic stripped down fare, which almost no one pays, then gets listed at the top of an internet fare search.
Spirit is universally reviled as having one of the least pleasant airline experiences possible. Their seat pitch is a knee capping 28 inches while their 73% on time arrival rate and second highest number of complaints for 2016 (beating out Frontier) puts them at or near the bottom of airline rankings.
But there is one thing about Spirit that you may not know. They are growing. Fast. For the past several years Spirit has returned margins of at least 15% while increasing capacity 15% to 20% annually. Their low rankings and poor customer treatment don’t seem to affect the popularity of this airline with the flying public.
Giving the Customer What they Want
These ULCCs are growing so fast that they now have the attention of the big four. This time, though, the legacies aren’t waiting to see how the story ends. Knowing that the airline at the top of the internet search is the airline that gets the sale, three of the big four airlines have introduced a new product to compete with the low price competition. Enter “basic economy” class or what some might call “economy minus”.
All three airlines are calling their product Basic Economy, and they have features such as non-changeable and non-refundable fares along with other restrictions. American airlines recently came under fire in the travel press for announcing that they will reduce the pitch on their new 737s from 31 to 29 inches, but only for some rows, not the whole airplane.
It is easy to see what is happening here. These airlines are carving out sections of their existing airplanes for the basic economy product, but the real contest is on the internet in the fight to get to the top of the price rankings where sales are made. Southwest, one of the original LCCs, is sticking to its guns believing that free bag checking and customer service will carry the day. Time will tell, but if it works for them, they’ll be the unicorn in an industry where pricing has always been king.
In Conclusion
Airlines have learned the hard way, taught by their customers, that while everyone says they love roomy cabins and inflight meals, no one wants to pay for them. Those few who do can still get those things by flying first or business class.
This “revealed preference” for the lowest fares has driven the industry to provide their customers exactly what, through their purchasing behavior, they say they want. We have indeed met the enemy–and he is us.
The Skytrax World’s Best Low-Cost Long-Haul Airline, Norwegian is celebrating its third year of long-haul flights from London Gatwick, at the same time that it takes its spot as the second-largest long-haul airline at the airport, with 13 direct such routes.
So, starting in 2018, travelers from the United Kingdom and United States will have a new option for international travel, as flights take off for O’Hare and Austin. Fares for both routes are on sale now. The London to Chicago route will offer four flights per week, starting at just over $230 one-way. The London to Austin route will offer three flights per week, and are a little more expensive, at just over $300 one-way.
Norwegian is just one of the low-cost European carriers showing high profitability catering to travelers in the United States. Gatwick’s CEO, Stewart Wingate, noted “These new flights are yet more proof that the low-cost long-haul revolution is here to stay, as Norwegian and Gatwick’s long-haul networks reach into all four corners of the globe.”
For Gatwick, there are now 62 long-haul routes at the airport, giving it more than any other single-runway airport in the entire world, and ranking its network fifth out of all the airports in Europe.
Norwegian also announced new routes between Paris and Boston and Paris and Oakland, and also increased service on their Paris routes to New York and Los Angeles.
As far as low-cost, European airlines go, Norwegian has been rising above some of its ultra-low cost competitors. It operates many new 787-8 Dreamliners on long-haul flights (including on these new routes), and in-flight entertainment is free. Food isn’t included and seat pitch is relatively meager though. They do offer a more premium ride if you are willing to pay. The Premium fare isn’t even that much more expensive, if you’re willing to pay, and comes with complimentary meal services and other little odds and ends that you’re forced to pay for, in the cheap seats.
Military aircraft utilize low-level training areas around the world. However, if you’re looking at a picture or watching a video of a United States Navy, Marine Corps, or Air Force aircraft flying not over but between terrain, such as a canyon, valley, hill, or mountain, chances are the image was captured in one of two well-documented and publically accessible places.
The first, located in Wales in the UK and known as the Machynlleth Loop or Mach Loop, is a low-level training area used by Royal Air Force (RAF) and NATO partners, including the United States, to practice nap-of-the-earth flight or terrain masking in everything from fighters and attack aircraft to airlifters and helicopters. The Welsh countryside captured in the background of these images starkly contrasts with the other well-documented low-level training area.
Seemingly light years away but really only half a world apart from the Mach Loop is Rainbow Canyon. Situated close to the western boundary of Death Valley National Park in California, the area is better known as Star Wars Canyon. Cut from the Santa Rosa Hills by lava from volcanic activity millions of years ago, the geology of the area strongly resembles that of the home planet of Star Wars characters Luke and Anakin Skywalker- Tatooine.
The particular terrain feature, the canyon connecting the Owens and Panamint Valleys, at the end of the Sidewinder low level route is also referred to as the “Jedi Transition”. In use as a low-level training area since World War II and part of the R-2508 Training Complex, the area is restricted for use by military aircraft only and is administered today by Edwards Air Force Base (AFB).
What makes Star Wars Canyon a stellar (or inter-stellar?) place to observe, photograph, and shoot video of tactical jets is proximity. Frequently the jets are traveling through the canyon well below Father Crowley Overlook, the favorite publically accessible observation point. Aircrews utilizing the valley to sharpen their terrain masking skills often come from the bases in the area, such as Nellis and Edwards AFBs, Naval Air Stations (NASs) Lemoore and North Island, Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS) China Lake, Marine Corps Air Stations (MCASs) Miramar and Yuma, and Fresno Air National Guard Base (ANGB). Squadrons based elsewhere and passing through the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center (NSAWC) at NAS Fallon also frequent Star Wars Canyon as do allied air forces training alongside the USAF at Nellis.
Featured in these HD videos are such tactical jets as Boeing E/A-18G Growlers from VX-9 Vampires, Boeing F/A-18E and F/A-18F Super Hornets from VFA-25 Fist of the Fleet, VFA-14 Tophatters, VFA-86 Sidewinders, VFA-97 Warhawks, VFA-22 Fighting Redcocks, VFA-136 Knighthawks, VFA-151 Vigilantes, VFA-2 Bounty Hunters, VFA-143 Pukin’ Dogs, VFA-154 Black Knights, VFA-122 Flying Eagles, VFA-146 Blue Diamonds, and VX-9 Vampires. DRAKEN International McDonnell Douglas A-4K Skyhawks, USAF F-15C Eagles from 114th FW California ANG, T-38C Talons from Edwards AFB, and F-16Cs from Hill AFB and the South Carolina ANG are also captured flying low and fast. French Air Force Fouga CM.170 Magister trainers are an unexpected bonus. There is even footage of a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III from McChord AFB transiting the canyon, although not as low or fast as the others. Turn those speakers UP. Thanks to ManteganiPhotos for posting these awesome videos complete with radio calls!
General Dynamics Was Hawking the Fighting Falcon All Over The World in 1977.
The 1977 General Dynamics Marketing Film “The Dynamic Sixteen – The Multinational Fighter” is a great look at the GD’s F-16 Fighting Falcon and how it compared to the primary Air Force fighter of the day, the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II. The film was obviously created to be used as a backdrop for sales displays and discussions about the F-16 and its attributes. F-16 sales to foreign nations have accounted for just under half of the nearly 4,600 F-16s produced to date. Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway were the countries who partnered with GD to develop the F-16 and hundreds of them have been flown by their air forces since the F-16 went into operation in 1978.
YF-16 image via national museum of the us air force
In addition to Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway, other foreign air forces to operate the F-16 include Bahrain, Chile, Denmark, Egypt, Greece, Israel, Indonesia, Iraq, Italy, Jordan, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Taiwan, South Korea, Romania, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela.
Update: Since we published this piece the film ‘Dynamic Sixteen” disappeared from the interweb. We hope you enjoy this stand-in titled “The Hot Performer.”
When compared to the fighter/interceptor aircraft most commonly used by many of the export customers for the F-16 at the time such as the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, the North American F-100 Super Sabre, the F-4 Phantom II, and various Mikoyan-Gurevich MiGs, the Fighting Falcon was judged by many to be a superior aircraft in any number of ways. The majority of countries who became F-16 operators still fly the diminutive jets to this day.
The YF-16 and YF-17 together in flight. Official US Air Force Photograph
With Boeing completing its first 737 MAX delivery in May, and major airlines like Southwest and Norwegian (no comment) are receiving their aircraft soon, the hype is building for the new MAX series. Boeing recently flew a very sporty Paris Air Show profile in the jet too. A few avgeeks have recently asked us, “how can you spot the differences between this new aircraft and its predecessor?” Here are 5 ways to recognize so that you will sound like a pro the next time (or the first time) you see a new Boeing 737 MAX airplane at your local airport:
1. Larger Engines
737 MAX LEAP-1B Engine Build Up Renton Factory. Photo: Safran
737-900. As an avgeek, you should notice that the engine is much larger than even the 737 engines on the Next-Gen jets. The titanium and composite blades themselves are also curved to optimize the efficiency.
2. AT Winglets
Photo: Boeing
These winglets are a brand-new design, specifically created for the 737 MAX and “the most efficient ever designed for a production airplane.” Boeing says this feature reduces fuel consumption by nearly 2 percent, cutting down on drag while also providing more lift. It’s funny how MD-11 style technology has made its way onto Boeing products.
3. Serrated Engine Cowlings
Photo: Boeing
While most of the 737 MAX differences when compared to the 737 are all about efficiency, this little change is not. The serrated engine cowlings are intended to reduce noise, which is great for passengers, many of whom can attest to the high volume levels on the 737. In fact, the MAX should have a 40-percent smaller noise footprint during takeoff and landing at airports.
4. New APU Placement
Photo: Boeing
New APU placement includes a revised APU inlet and exhaust, which adds to the aircraft’s aerodynamic improvements. This is just one of the many small, perhaps less noticeable changes Boeing’s been making to reduce fuel costs overall. The new APU makes the baby Boeing’s tail look more similar to an A320 tail. Additionally, in the cockpit, pilots will no longer fine the EGT gauge or the blue MAINT light on the APU overhead panel.
5. Taller Landing Gear
With the most recent variants of the 737 MAX boasting a longer body overall, taller main landing gear and a modified design are needed to provide clearance for the back end of the plane during both takeoff and landing. In other words, without bigger, better landing gear, your plane’s going to be scraping the runway.
Airlines love to unveil special liveries to promote everything from tourism to cartoon characters. Unfortunately, some of these um…unique designs are a little hard on the eyes. Check out these 10, that may just be more cringe-worthy than the rest.
Swiss outfitted its brand-new Bombardier Series CS300 in a special livery intended to celebrate Swiss Romandy (aka, western Switzerland). But really it just leaves us scratching our heads and asking why would you ruin a beautiful brand new CS300 with such a horrible paint scheme? The livery will stick around for a year, but some are already wishing it would go away sooner.
9. ANA Pokemon
Photo: Ken Fielding/http://www.flickr.com/photos/kenfielding
Asian airlines offer some great luxury services, but they do come up with some particularly bad liveries. Take, for example, the All Nippon Airways Pokemon planes. This is one trend they’ve really worn out, with nine different Pokemon jets since 1998. The livery belongs in a day care, not an international airport.
8. Southwest Shamu Livery
Photo: Southwest Airlines
Southwest’s very first non-tactful livery debuted in 1988, as a giant killer whale, thanks to a partnership with Sea World of Texas. The airline would go on to introduce the Shamu Two and Shamu Three, with eventually five Shamu aircraft. After watching the movie Blackfish, it’s always a little awkward to see this livery. Fortunately, for the animal lovers on the site, the airline severed ties with Sea World and ditched the livery in 2014.
7. Singapore Megatop 747
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
This Singapore Airlines Megatop 747 was involved in the first fatal crash for the airline, with 83 deaths after the crew took off on a closed runway during a typhoon. The paint scheme wasn’t very attractive. Singapore Airlines hasn’t painted an aircraft in a special scheme since.
6. Peter Max Continental 777
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Continental Airlines commissioned artist Peter Max to decorate the “$160 million living canvas.” The result? A bright red, pink and yellow super jet declared the NYC Millennium plane, and a downright crime in color. The plane proved pretty popular though. So popular in fact that avgeeks created threads on forums to track where Peter Max was headed and posted photos.
Just like All Nippon Airways, EVA Air has a thing for cartoons. Instead of Pokemon gracing the fuselage, they have Hello Kitty, not only adorning the entire livery, but also the interior as well. There are currently six different Sanrio-themed aircraft in the airline’s fleet. The intro video is torture too. Gag me!
4. Hainan Airlines Kung-Fu Panda Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
Photo: Hainan Airlines
Hainan Airlines isn’t missing out on the cartoon livery party. They just unveiled their third Kung-Fu Panda-themed plane in May. The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners are difficult to miss, with bright colors and a chubby bear on each one.
3. Air New Zealand Boeing 777
We all know New Zealand is home to Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, but that doesn’t mean the country’s airline needs to take the faces of what looks like the entire main cast around the world with them.
2. Austrian Airlines
Photo: Austrian Airlines
Another airline that dabbled in painting portraits of people on their fuselage liveries was Austrian Airlines, but they didn’t stick to a movie cast. Instead, they went for many of the country’s “famous” past and present residents, with a huge Mozart head on the tail. It’s not the worst paint scheme ever…maybe just the second worst!
1. Southwest Sports Illustrated Livery
Photo: Southwest Airlines
Southwest took some heat for this livery, featuring a scantily-clad Sports Illustrated model on the fuselage of a Boeing 737, as part of a promo deal with the magazine. Passengers complained women wouldn’t appreciate their husbands seeing the imagery, saying the move was “trashy.” The livery didn’t last long. Don Draper, Southwest’s advertising executive at the time, was removed from the account.
Do you have other terrible liveries that you love to hate? Post them in the comments below or on our Facebook page.
The United States Navy (USN) color training film “The Hunter Killers” was released in 1967 and was produced to familiarize personnel with the aircraft and techniques used to localize and prosecute submarine contacts. The film features Grumman S-2E Trackers (or “Stoofs”) of Sea Control Squadron Twenty Four (VS-24) Scouts and VS-27 Pelicans.
Also featured are the Sikorsky SH-3A Sea King helos of HS-3 Tridents from Carrier Antisubmarine Warfare Group Fifty Six (CVSG-56) aboard USS Randolph (CVS-15). During the mid-1960s the Navy was using a mixture of relatively new technology like the SH-3A and older technology like the S-2E. The next generation of dedicated antisubmarine hunter-killer aircraft was years away at the time.
image via national museum of naval aviation
Also featured in the film are S-2Es of VS-28 Gamblers and VS-31 Topcats and SH-3As of HS-11 Sub Seekers from CVSG-52 aboard USS Wasp (CVS-18). Other footage of S-2Es of VS-22 Checkmates and VS-32 Maulers and SH-3As of HS-5 Nightdippers from CVSG-54 aboard USS Essex (CVS-9) is also used in the film. Grumman C-1A Trader carrier onboard delivery (COD) aircraft and Grumman E-1B Tracer airborne early warning radar aircraft of various VAW-33 Nighthawks detachments also appear in the film. The US Navy destroyer USS Newman K Perry (DD-883) is the only identifiable escort in the film but several DDs are shown from a distance.
It takes considerable skill to land a Boeing 777 or C-17 in tough crosswind conditions.
We’ve shared some amazing videos before from Birmingham Airport (BHX) in the UK. Not only is it an avgeek spotter’s hangout, it is also a field that can be notoriously difficult. Due to the airport’s runway orientation, terrain features, and proximity to the North Sea, Birmingham gets walloped by winter storms and even sees some challenging crosswinds during the summer too. Avgeeks are always out at the fields capturing the arrivals. That means that we are blessed with plenty of videos of pilots’ approaches to critique.
This video, filmed back in 2014 by FlugSnug, compares the landing of two similarly large but very differently designed birds of the sky–the Boeing 777 and C-17.
Techniques vary for crosswind landings. The basic concept is to keep that aircraft pointed towards the runway and avoid side-loading the gear or allowing the winds to blow the aircraft off of centerline during the landing sequence. The placement of the engines (slung below the wing or at the tail), the location of the wing (high-wing like the C-17 or low-wing like the 777) affect the technique suggested by the manufacturers to counter crosswind conditions. For pilots, it requires them to anticipate the observed conditions and react to unexpected ones during the approach too.
In the video, you’ll see the massive Boeing 777 gracefully fight the crosswind with a wing-low technique that ‘kicks’ the rudder just prior to touchdown. The C-17 leverages a different technique. The Globemaster is de-crabed starting at around 300 feet. It uses its massive rudder to keep it’s nose aligned with the runway centerline while keeping the upwing wing low to avoid drifting in the direction of the wind. On the C-17’s approach, be sure to check out the rapid movement of the rudder and the oscillation of the giant Pratt and Whitney engines too!
In both cases, note how the pilots continue to ‘fly’ the aircraft even after touchdown. The winds are still creating havoc for the pilots and they must counter those forces with the control surfaces and main gear brakes to keep the aircraft on centerline throughout the completion of the rollout. These videos also serve as proof against some people who advocate for the ridiculous concept of circular runways. The gusty winds on such a runway would lead to havoc even for these experienced aviators.
Strike Fighter Squadron 2 (VFA-2) Bounty Hunters (call sign Bullet) returned from their most recent Western Pacific (WestPac) deployment aboard the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) with Carrier Air Wing Two (CVW-2) in June of 2017. VFA-2, equipped with Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet strike fighters, is based at Navy Master Jet Base Naval Air Station (NAS) Lemoore located in California’s Central Valley. During this WestPac the Vinson made port calls in Hawaii, Guam, South Korea, and Singapore. Major operations undertaken by VFA-2 and the rest of CVW-2 included Key Resolve and Foal Eagle 2017 exercises with South Korea. Here at Avgeekery.com we loves us some cruise videos, and this one contains lots of eye-popping visuals with a sweet soundtrack and plenty of things that went boom. The video was uploaded to YouTube by Mike Bellavia. Enjoy!
VFA-2 F/A-18Fs getting ready to go flying via US Navy
VFA-2’s lineage goes all the way back to 1922 when they flew from the Navy’s first aircraft carrier, USS Langley as Fighting Two (VF-2). During World War II VF-2 flew Grumman F6F Hellcats with great success in the Pacific Theatre. In 1972 the squadron was reconstituted and along with VF-1 Wolfpack was equipped with some of the very first operational Grumman F-14A Tomcat air superiority fighters. 32 years later VF-2 became VFA-2 when they transitioned from their F-14D Tomcats to the Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet. Over the course of its history VFA-2 has won just about every award and competition in their community. And their CAG birds have always been some of the fleet’s sharpest looking jets.
VFA-2 F/A-18F with F-14 via US Navy
VFA-2 was joined aboard the Vinson by VFA-137 Kestrels (F/A-18E), VFA-192 World Famous Golden Dragons (F/A-18E), VFA-34 Blue Blasters (F/A-18C), Electronic Attack Squadron 136 (VAQ-136) Gauntlets, (E/A-18G Growler), Airborne Early Warning Squadron 113 (VAW-113) Black Eagles (Grumman E-2C Hawkeye 2000), Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 4 (HSC-4) Black Knights (Sikorsky MH-60S Seahawk), Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 78 (HSM-78) Blue Hawks, (Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk), and Fleet Logistics Squadron 30 (VRC-30) Providers Detachment 2 Roughnecks (Grumman C-2A(R) Greyhound).
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds on Friday announced the addition of new pilots and support personnel for 2018 who will replace several team members departing when the current season closes.
America’s Ambassadors in Blue will spend the winter season training and preparing the new pilots for a slate of 36 airshows and three special fly-over events. Their close formation flights will have the aircraft separated by just one meter during many of their maneuvers.
They will kick-off their next season with a fly over of the Daytona 500 followed by seven airshows in the southeast and one in California.
“The entire field of officer applicants this year was phenomenal,” Thunderbirds commander Lt. Col. Jason Heard said on Friday. “The seven officers selected for the team will no doubt bring the level of pride, precision, and professionalism to uphold the tradition of excellence of our team.”
Lt. Col. Heard is currently mid-way through his first of two seasons with the Thunderbirds. He will welcome four new pilots to the team each having logged over 1500 hours of flight time piloting an F-16 Fighting Falcon.
Current Thunderbird 2 pilot Maj. Ryan Bodenheimer will conclude his two years of service, and Capt. William Graeff will take over. Capt. Graeff will fly as the left wing pilot in the team’s diamond formation. He has served at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas.
Capt. Stephen Del Bagno from Eglin Air Force Base in Florida will join the team as Thunderbird 4 replacing current slot pilot Maj. Nick Krajicek. Capt. “Cajun” Del Bagno will become the first F-35 Lightning II pilot to join the Thunderbirds. Cajun has been busy perfecting the ability of the F-35 to fire air-to-air missles, and visiting a few airshow sites including Montgomery’s Maxwell AFB.
Capt. Matthew Kimmel of Shaw Air Force Base, S.C. joins the team as their new opposing solo pilot — Thunderbird 6. He will replace Maj. Whit Collins as Collins moves up to the lead solo position aboard Thunderbird 5. Current Thunderbird 5 pilot Maj. Alex Turner will be departing the team at the end of 2017.
The Thunderbirds also announced Maj. Eric Gorney as their new operations officer for 2018. Maj. Gorney has served at Hickham, AFB in Hawaii, and will wear no. 7 as he performs the logistics duties of “air space coordination, ground communication with the pilots in the air and safety observation,” the team added on Friday.
The team’s current airshow narrator and advance pilot, Capt. Erik Gonsalves, will remain with the team through the 2018 season. Capt. Gonsalves serves as Thunderbird 8 as is the first to arrive at an airshow site to check on logistics and give media and VIP’s a familurization flight aboard a F-16D jet.
The Thunderbirds new executive officer is Capt. Lauren Venturini who is currently serving at Ghedi Air Base, Italy. Capt. Venturini will take on the challenging role which will include leadership of the team’s budget and how it is spent; and will oversee the support operations and training of each team member. She will replace outgoing Thunderbird 10 Capt. Angelina Urbina.
Capt. Kassandra Mangosing will become the squadron’s new maintenance officer replacing Maj. Warren Smith. As Thunderbird 11, Capt. Mangosing will spend this winter preparing to take over “the operational capability of 11 F-16 fighter jets, and the management of more than 90 Airmen in various aircraft maintenance specialties,” the Thunderbirds stated.
And, the new public affairs officer and Thunderbird 12 team member is Maj. Raymond Geoffroy. He is also currently assigned to Hickham AFB, and will join the team this autumn to shadow current PAO Capt. Sara Harper. Maj. Geoffroy will take the lead in media relations and public outreach programs.
According to the squadron, “The Thunderbirds commander (Lt. Col. Heard) selects four to eight finalists to travel to the team’s hangar at Nellis Air Force Base, where each pilot candidate performs an evaluation flight in the backseat of an F-16D. These check flights consist of formation flying and some basic fighter maneuvers. The commander evaluates the finalists and sends his recommendations through the chain of command, up to the commander of Air Combat Command, before final selections are made.”
In addition to the new officers, many new maintenance and logistics personnel will join the team in November.
(Charles A Atkeison reports on aerospace and technology. Follow his updates via Social Media @Military_Flight.)
The “World War II Weekend” air show is a stunning gathering of warbirds in Reading, Pennsylvania. Put on by the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum, this year’s show took place June 2-4, and as always it did not fail to impress young and old alike.
As the premiere East Coast air show, dedicated solely to W.W. II warbirds, the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum puts on an absolute stunning weekend. The performance included the following aircraft: B-29 “Fifi”, B-17 “Yankee Lady”, P-51 Mustangs, B-25 Mitchells, TBM Avenger, SB2C Helldiver, SBD Dauntless, P-40 Warhawk, Spitfire Mark IX, P-63 Kingcobra, F4U Corsair, plus many trainers including the Geico “Skytypers” flying SNJ-2 Texans in formation.
While the crowd is being entertained by the aerial demonstrations, there is plenty of unique goings on at the show. In between performances, one can pay for a flight in a B-29, P-51 or many other warbirds. As you first enter the show, one walks through the “French village”, which is the introduction to the re-enactor world. Here you can see people role playing as: American, British, Chinese, Japanese, French, and even German soldiers.
As Reading Regional Airport is not the largest facility, it allows for a more intimate view and interaction with the display aircraft. Unlike many shows, where the warbirds get warmed up and taxi from afar, these warbirds are towed right in front of the crowd as they are taken to nearby stands to warmup. The sight, sound and smell, of these warbirds, provide one a more inclusive experience.
Photo by Randy JenningsThe flight demonstration starts with the lighter observer and trainer aircraft, and works its way up to the fantastic fighter and bomber displays. From a photographer’s point of view, the show allows one to be much closer to the action, as compared to other shows at much larger bases and airports. In addition, weather permitting; there is a paratroop, onto a battle between American and German reenactors.
Photo by Randy JenningsAll in all, the “World War II Weekend” air show is not to be missed. It is a one of a kind show which packs a whole lot of great W.W.II warbird action, in a perfectly sized airport. Next year’s show will take place June 1-3, 2018. https://www.maam.org/maamwwii.html
Photo by Randy Jennings Photo by Randy Jennings Photo by Randy Jennings Photo by Randy Jennings
Hellcat Pilots Routinely Savaged Their Japanese Opposition, But This Ace Was a Sharpshooter
Alexander Vraciu was born in East Chicago in Indiana on November 2nd 1918. His parents, Alexandru and Maria Tincu, were both immigrants from the Transylvania region of Romania. The family actually visited their ancestral home when Alex was a youngster but returned to East Chicago so Alex could continue his education. He graduated from Washington High School in 1937. Alex then attended DePauw University near Indianapolis, graduating with a degree in sociology in 1940. An avid athlete, Vraciu also earned his private pilot license through the Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP). Vraciu’s naval career began when he enlisted in the United States Naval Reserve (USNR) as a naval aviator on October 9th 1941.
Official US Navy Photograph
Nearly Haze Gray and Underway
Vraciu’s path to the fleet began at Naval Air Station (NAS) Glenview near Chicago, where his first exposure to naval aviation occurred. He then passed through NAS Dallas in Texas before his flight training began in earnest at NAS Corpus Christi. However, Vraciu very nearly didn’t become a naval aviator. Alex was responsible for heavy damage to a North American SNJ Texan trainer. He retracted the trainer’s landing gear during rollout after landing. At his Accident Board, five flight instructors judged him to be a below average flight student and went on record as being dubious about Vraciu’s ability to successfully complete flight training. The instructors voted 3 to 2 in favor of washing Vraciu out of the program entirely.
Official US Navy Photograph
Wings of Gold and Flying With Butch
Obviously the Review Board saw something in Vraciu because they reversed the instructors’ recommendation. Vraciu continued in training, completing his initial carrier qualification aboard the training carrier USS Wolverine (IX-64) on Lake Michigan. He received his commission as an ensign and his naval aviator’s wings in August of 1942. From there, Vraciu received additional training in San Diego and Pu’unene Naval Air Station on Maui in Hawaii along the way to war in the Pacific. His first squadron assignment was with Fighting Squadron 3 (VF-3) Felix the Cat where Vraciu was fortunate enough to become Lieutenant Commander Edward “Butch” O’Hare’s wingman.
Photo Credit National Archives
Do They Count When They’re on the Ground?
Flying from the light carrier USS Independence (CVL-22) during the October 1943 carrier raids on Wake Island, Vraciu scored his first victories, a Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter and a G4M Betty bomber, although only the Zero was scored as an aerial victory because the Betty was on the ground at the time. Vraciu’s next air-to-air victory occurred during operations in support of Operation GALVANIC in the Gilbert Islands. He shot down a G4M Betty that was attempting to attack the carriers supporting the landings on Tarawa on November 20th 1943. But another Betty succeeded in putting a torpedo into Vraciu’s carrier. As a result, Vraciu and his squadron transferred first to the USS Essex (CV-9), and later to the USS Intrepid (CV-11).
Vraciu in the cockpit of his F6F-3 Hellcat. Official US Navy Photograph
Sticking Around for the Turkey Shoot
Flying from the Intrepid on January 29th 1944 Vraciu became an ace when he shot down three Betty bombers. Then on February 17th 1944 he shot down three Zeros and a Nakajima A6M2-N Rufe floatplane during Operation HAILSTONE, the strikes by Task Force 58 on the Japanese stronghold of Truk. With nine victories to his name, he became and remained his squadron’s leading ace. Rather than rotate back to the States when the Intrepid hit Pearl Harbor for repairs, Vraciu transferred to VF-16 Fighting Airedales aboard USS Lexington (CV-16) on February 27th 1944. It was from the Lexington that Vraciu would be involved in the First Battle of the Philippine Sea, better known as the “Great Marianas Turkey Shoot”.
One of the most recognized photographs to come out of the war, Vraciu holds up six fingers for his six kills on one sortie during the Marianas Turkey Shoot. Official US Navy Photograph
That One Big Day and the Leading Ace
On June 19th 1944, during Operation FORAGER against the Marianas and Palau, Vraciu was flying Combat Air Patrol (CAP) over Task Force 58 when he sighted a large formation of Japanese dive bombers. Even though the supercharger in his Grumman F6F Hellcat was malfunctioning, Vraciu used a total of only 360 rounds of .50 caliber ammunition and eight minutes to shoot down six of the attacking Yokosuka D4Y Judy dive bombers. When Vraciu recovered aboard the Lexington to refuel and rearm, he glanced toward Task Group Commander Admiral Marc “Pete” Mitscher on the carrier’s bridge and held up six fingers to indicate his success. Vraciu’s 19th and last victory came the next day when he shot down another A6M Zero. At that point Alex was the Navy’s top-scoring ace.
Vraciu shows off a Japanese sabre given to him as a gift by the Filipino guerillas who rescued him. Official US Navy Photograph
Headed Home and Back to War With Filipino Guerillas
Though nominated for the Medal of Honor pursuant to his role in the Marianas Turkey Shoot, Vraciu instead received the Navy Cross. In August of 1944 he returned to the United States on leave and was promoted to Lieutenant upon his arrival, after which he met and married Kathryn Horn on August 24, 1944. Together they would go on to have five children. Vraciu spent the next few months in the States selling War Bonds and working with Grumman on the F6F and its potential replacements. He made it back to the war in December of 1944, flying with VF-20 and once again aboard the carrier Lexington. Vraciu was forced to bail out of his F6F when it collected ground fire on a December 14th 1944 mission over Luzon. After parachuting safely, Alex was rescued by Filipino guerillas, who gave him the rank of major and command of his own guerilla unit. He returned to the Lexington and flying Hellcats again after five weeks on the ground in Luzon.
Official US Navy Photograph
Testing the First Jets and a Command Tour
Vraciu’s war ended when in 1945 he was transferred to the Naval Air Test Center at Patuxent River in Maryland. When World War II ended, Vraciu was the Navy’s fourth highest ranking ace- officially credited with 19 aerial victories and 21 aircraft destroyed on the ground. Vraciu was promoted to Lieutenant Commander USNR and remained at Pax River for the next six years as a test pilot, but also worked to form the post-war Naval and Marine Air Reserve programs. Vraciu remained in the Navy for another 11 years. He served as a jet training officer at NAS Los Alamitos in California and attended Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey. Upon graduation from NPS Vraciu was promoted to Commander and given command of VF-51 Screaming Eagles. Proving his marksmanship was still top notch, while flying a VF-51 North American FJ Fury Vraciu won the annual gunnery competition in 1957. His command tour of VF-51 lasted 22 months.
F6F Hellcat warbird registered G-BTCC painted in Vraciu’s markings was actually flown by him for nine of his aerial victories.
Unparalleled Experiences
Commander Alexander Vraciu’s naval career came to an end in December of 1963 with his retirement. He worked for Wells Fargo bank for many years and did public speaking engagements. His story has been told in the History Channel’s “Dogfights” series in the episode entitled Zero Hunter. Vraciu had been aboard two carriers when they were torpedoed, forced to ditch his Hellcat fighters twice and hit the silk from two more. He even bombed and sank a Japanese Maru. Alex never did write what would certainly have been an interesting autobiography, but he was interviewed for oral history projects at the Indiana Historical Society and at the University of North Texas during his later years. These interviews were eventually compiled into the book Fighter Pilot: The World War II Career of Alex Vraciu by Ray Boomhower. Vraciu passed away in Sacramento in California on January 29th 2015 at the age of 96.
The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) 12th Bomb Group (BG) was also known as the “Earthquakers.” A part of the USAAF 9th Air Force, the Group stood up in January 1941 and initially flew the Douglas B-18 Bolo and B-23 Dragon twin-engine bombers out of McChord Field in Washington. When World War II started they flew antisubmarine patrols off the northern Pacific coast. The Group moved to Louisiana in early 1942 and began flying North American B-25 Mitchell bombers, picking up the designation 12th Bombardment Group (Medium) at that time. After completion of their training in the B-25, the Group made their way to North Africa, arriving in August of 1942.
The Group flew missions around the clock beginning in late October of 1942 in support of Allied forces fighting German Field Marshall Erwin Rommel’s Afrika Korps troops and tanks at El Alamein. The Allies initially got the worst of it but eventually turned things around, at least in part to the Earthquakers and their support of Allied forces at the pivotal Battle of Kasserine Pass in Tunisia during February of 1943. Split up and re-tasked but seldom out of the fight during the back and forth battles across North Africa, the Group was reunited after the fall of Tunis in May 1943. The Group earned a Presidential Unit Citation for their support of Allied ground troops during the North African campaign.
The Earthquakers went on to participate in the Italian campaign, taking part in battles in Sicily and Italy. When the Ninth Air Force moved to England the 12th Group became part of the 12th Air Force. This didn’t change the nature of their missions though. The 12th flew their missions from Foggia in Italy for six months, working over the usual medium bomber targets- enemy ports and docks, bridges, railroad marshaling yards, and aerodromes as far away as Yugoslavia and Albania as well as in Italy itself. By the time February of 1944 rolled around the Earthquakers were due for a new assignment. And they got one- halfway around the war.
Newly assigned as part of the Tenth Air Force in the China-Burma-India (CBI) theater, the Group re-equipped with the latest B-25 H and B-25 J Mitchells and got right to work, flying desperately needed supplies to British troops under siege trying to hold back the flood of Japanese troops pouring into India from Burma. And as usual, the Earthquakers got the job done. The 12th began flying the new Douglas A-26 Invader just before the war ended. Transferred first to Frankfurt in Germany and then home to the States, the 12th Bombardment Group (Medium) was deactivated in 1846. But that wasn’t quite the end of the Earthquakers.
The Group was reactivated and deactivated a couple of times during the late 1940s and early 1950s as Cold War resource thinking evolved. First a part of Tactical Air Command (TAC) and then a part of Strategic Air Command (SAC) the 12th didn’t even own aircraft for more than a few months at a time. But when the 12th Operations Group was formed in December of 1991, they took on the mission of training future Air Force pilots and navigators as the 12th Flying Training Wing while still holding on to and honoring their roots.
Since their mission focus changed to training in the 12th OG has flown the Cessna T-37 Tweet, the Northrop T-38 Talon, the North American T-39 Sabreliner, the Cessna T-41 Mescalero, the Boeing T-43 Bobcat, the Learjet C-21 Cougar, the Northrop AT-38 Talon, the Beech T-1 Jayhawk, the Slingsby T-3A Firefly, and the Beechcraft T-6A Texan II. Enjoy this video chronicling the Earthquakers and their role in the North African campaign during World War II.
America’s brightest aviation minds once designed, built and flew all kinds of experimental aircraft. Short wings, long wing, delta-shaped and forward swept, big tails and no tails, high speed and low speed, jet, rocket and even nuclear propulsion… they were the X-Planes, and NASA is about to restart another such era in aviation history again.
C-124 Globemaster IIs Made Quick Work of Things During Operation Deep Freeze in the Antarctic
The color film “MATS Deep Freeze Airlift” was made by the United States Air Force (USAF) in 1961. It chronicles the efforts by Military Air Transport Service (MATS) to support the Navy’s “Deep Freeze” Antarctic scientific expeditions undertaken by Task Force 43. MATS flew the Douglas C-124 Globemaster IIs into Antarctica in those days, and watching those huge boxy propeller-driven airlifters operate off the ice runway at McMurdo is remarkable – especially with the short-coupled landing gear on the Globemaster. Missions from Auckland in New Zealand to Williams Field near McMurdo Station and from Williams Field to Byrd Station and South Pole Station are all shown.
The missions to Byrd Station and the South Pole were air-drops. The C-124 did not have a rear loading ramp like the C-133 Cargomaster. Air-drops were done using a large hatch in the cargo hold floor. In between the two air-drop missions the MATS crews were grounded by weather for three weeks. Being grounded by weather in Antarctica is definitely not the same kind of experience as being grounded by weather in say Dover, Delaware. Even so, the Globemasters delivered in a few weeks what would have taken ground transportation several months or more to deliver. During Deep Freeze 62, three C-124s made a 3,100 mile round trip to air-drop supplies- the longest flight in Antarctic history.
Hovercraft, in practical application, have been around since the 1950s. Essentially a flat-bottom boat that rides on a cushion of air (and therefore an “air craft”), the hovercraft uses flexible skirts to contain the high pressure air blown into the space below the craft between it and the surface over which the hovercraft is flying.
Official US Navy Photograph
Capable of traveling over water, mud, ice, snow, swampland, desert sand, and just about anything else short of steep hills or mountains, hovercraft have been used for disaster relief, surveying, remote outpost provisioning, and for depositing military personnel and equipment on land from the sea for decades. The video chronicles development of hovercraft from their genesis to today’s modern air-cushion craft.
Hovercraft have been used as ferries to transport commuters over water between points of land since the 1960s. One little known ferry service was a connection between Oakland and the San Francisco Bay not to far from SFO. The Port of Oakland in California put several hovercraft into service as ferries on San Francisco Bay during the early 1960s. These were Bell SK-5 models, licensed from the original British Saunders-Roe design that was thoroughly wrung out in the Amazon, the deserts of Africa, and the snows of the Canadian Arctic. The service was operated by SFO Airlines, a company that connected commuters via helicopters throughout the Bay in the 1960s and ’70s. While the commute between the two bay cities was shortened with the hovercraft, the service was relatively expensive to operate and not as fast as helicopters. Despite its lofty aspirations, the service only lasted a year.
The United States Navy (USN) and Army also used the SK-5 hovercraft in Vietnam during the mid- 1960s, arming them and designating them Patrol Air Cushion Vehicles (PACVs). Further development of the SK-5 led to the SK-10 model that was eventually developed into today’s Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) used by American amphibious forces today. The Soviet Union also made extensive use of hovercraft for amphibious assault.
Defense contractor Raytheon has announced the successful completion of a groundbreaking test recently at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, where an Army Apache AH-64 attack helicopter conducted the first ever helicopter-based firing of a High Energy Laser (HEL) weapon.
WASHINGTON — Ring up one well deserved thumbs up for the Buckeye State.
A popular book by NASA astronaut Dr. Don A. Thomas chronicles a group of Ohioans who paved the way in aviation and space, and includes an up close look at his own flight aboard space shuttle Discovery.
A four-time space shuttle astronaut, Thomas describes the story first hand as his all-Ohio flight crew overcame a troublesome woodpecker to fly one of the space agency’s “more important” missions in Orbit of Discovery: The All-Ohio Space Shuttle Mission.
The 1995 shuttle mission was set to become America’s 100th human space flight, however an unexpected delay by nature forced an interesting turn of events resulting in a humorous outcome.
“I wanted to share this story because I always thought STS-70 was a cool story — it’s the woodpecker flight, it’s the all-Ohio mission,” Thomas recounted to this aerospace journalist at the Smithsonian Air and Space museum in Dulles, Virginia. “It wasn’t the sexiest mission in the world. We didn’t fix Hubble (Telescope), we didn’t build the space station. We deployed a Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) that replaced the one lost on Challenger so I thought this was an important mission.”
As the astronaut and I stood next to NASA’s third space worthy orbiter, Thomas pointed out the symbolism above as he pointed to the massive TDRS mock-up hanging high above Discovery in the Smithsonian hanger and exclaimed, “This was our STS-70 mission — Discovery with TDRS high above her.”
Poised with Discovery as a fitting backdrop during our interview, Don reflects how he and his crew prepared to launch the massive TDRS satellite. Today, the spacecraft remains in geo-stationary orbit as an on orbit spare, ready to go to work if another TDRS fails.
Published by the University of Akron (OH) Ringtaw Books, the 406-page hardbound book takes you into the mind of a veteran astronaut as he describes his time as an astronaut training for the STS-70 mission. Thomas also narrates his flight aboard the space shuttle with interesting details and fun anecdotes.
The book places the reader on the flight deck of Discovery as we mentally join the crew of five as they prepare to deploy the massive tracking satellite. Later, we learn how the crew begins their day in the small quarters of the middeck.
The Cleveland native discusses his crew’s disappointment as their flight to deploy the huge communications satellite is delayed by a Northern Flicker Woodpecker who single handily held up the mission by pecking over 200 holes into their space shuttle’s massive external fuel tank.
The book’s candid discussion on how a wayward woodpecker forced Discovery back to the assembly building for necessary repairs sets the stage for some comedic flare by mission control once they arrived on orbit and deployed TDRS G.
Co-written by journalist Mike Bartell, Orbit of Discovery gives the average reader an insightful look into Thomas’ feelings and thoughts as he describes the dramatic lift-off, and includes the pros and cons on what floating in microgravity feels like.
“When I flew on STS-70, it was my second mission and the first time I launched up on the flight deck,” Thomas recalled during our interview. “To be on the flight deck, I had a small mirror on my knee and I could look out the window and into the (launch pad) flame pit.”
Thomas continued, “To watch the engines start up, and to watch with such violence the flame and smoke shooting out of the flame pit… here I am about 150-feet above watching it and I think my jaw dropped, and I thought, ‘Look at what’s going on back there’.”
I asked Don if he thought all the woodpecker humor became too cheesy. “Not too cheesy, we all enjoyed it on the crew,” he said. “We got a big laugh out of it. We weren’t too embarrassed by it and we decided to embrace it. Once we deployed the satellite, it was open season on woodpeckers and the jokes just flowed afterwards.”
The book notes with statistics the Ohio astronauts of yesteryear through the current ones flying today. Ohio Senator John Glenn, America’s first human to orbit earth, takes to pen to illustrate a beautifully written foreword giving great insight into the state’s historic aviators. Glenn’s thoughts were written three years prior to his passing.
Among the 26 notable Ohio astronauts included are: Neil Armstrong, the first human to set foot upon the moon; Dr. Judy Resnik, America’s second woman in space and the first female to fly aboard Discovery; and Dr. Sunny Williams who holds the most time in space by an Ohioan, 322 days, and the most time spacewalking by a female, nearly 51 hours.
The book also gives a tip of the hat to the two Ohio brothers, Orville and Wilbur Wright, who left their home in Dayton, Ohio in 1902 for the winds at Kitty Hawk. The pair later soared into the history books on December 17, 1903.
Orbit of Discovery is now in book stores, and also available via Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Dr. Thomas pointed out that visitors to his web site OhioAstronaut.com can purchase the book and have it signed by him.
Loaded with thirty-two pages of colorful images, including NASA and private crew photographs, Orbit of Discovery is a treasure chest of incredible memories giving the reader an inside track on what it took to fly aboard humankind’s greatest flying machine ever built.
