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This Concrete Prevented A Much More Serious Accident (And Possibly Saved Lives) At Burbank This Week

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This Concrete Prevented A Much More Serious Accident (And Possibly Saved Lives) At Burbank This Week

December 6, 2018 a Southwest Airlines flight from Oakland to Burbank overran the runway during a heavy downpour of rain. The 737 was stopped safely though by the Engineered Material Arresting System (EMAS) and no passengers or crew were hurt during the incident.

 

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We are alive. The plane was a few feet from plowing thru the barrier and taking out numerous cars. Crazy stuff.

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FAANews released the following statement less than an hour after the event: “Shortly after 9:05 a.m PT today, @SouthwestAir Flight 278 rolled off the end of Runway 8 while landing at @fly_BUR Airport in #Burbank, CA, and came to rest in the Engineered Material Arresting System (EMAS). This information is preliminary and may change.”

Burbank Airport had an earlier incident in the year 2000, that prompted the installation of the EMAS. A Southwest Airlines 737-300 approached Burbank too fast, landed long and exited the field, stopping just feet before a gas station.

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Southwest 1455 landed long on the same runway back in 2000. At the time there was no EMAS system. 15 people were slightly injured in the accident. The pilots were fired for their negligence because they elected to continue an unstable approach instead of executing a go-around (photo: NTSB).

More recently, in 2017, a Citation 750 also overran the runway at Burbank airport and was successfully stopped by the EMAS.

So what exactly is an Engineered Material Arresting System?
Generally speaking it is a lightweight concrete that collapses under the weight of an aircraft and decelerates roll. The Engineered Arresting System Corporation (ESCO) is one of two manufacturers of the system. According to ESCO the EMAS “is consisted of a bed of cellular cement material manufactured in the form of engineered block components that are strategically placed at the overrun end of a runway.” They are typically the full width of the runway. The length is determined from the airport’s layout and the aircraft that use the runway. ESCO has been manufacturing these systems for military applications for a long time. However starting in the early 1990s they began assisting the FAA in creating EMAS for runways that could not meet the 1,000 foot minimum standard for runway safety areas (RSA).

The FAA reports that to date there have been a total of 13 incidents of overrunning aircraft that were safely stopped by the EMAS.

UPDATED: Impressive 21-Ship F/A-18 Super Hornet Flyover For President Bush Happened Today– Here’s the Video

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UPDATED: Impressive 21-Ship F/A-18 Super Hornet Flyover For President Bush Happened Today– Here’s the Video

Updated: President George H. W. Bush was laid to rest today at his Presidential Library today in College Station, Texas. A 21-ship of F/A-18 Super Hornets with tailhooks deployed flew over to honor the late President. Video that was posted by FoxNews anchor Lauren Blanchard (Twitter: @LaurenBlanch12) and Twitter user Debbie Leland (Twitter user: @deblel) is posted below:

Original Article:

The 41st President of the United States, George H. W. Bush, will be laid to rest at his presidential library at College Station, Texas on Thursday.  As part of the service, the US Navy will fly a special 21 jet salute over the gravesite.  The missing man formation will be comprised of F/A-18 aircraft from eight squadrons.  The jets departed out of Oceana to prepare for the unique flyover on Tuesday. The flyover will take place on Thursday afternoon after a final funeral service at a church in Houston. The body will then be transported by train to College Station. The internment ceremony is expected to begin at 4:15pm central time.

The flyover is the largest F/A-18 Super Hornet formation flyover ever conducted by the US Navy. It is meant as a special tribute to honor the 41st President who served honorably as a Navy pilot in World War II before continuing on to dedicate his career in public service.  President Bush flew the Avenger in combat, surviving a crash landing and earning the Distinguished Flying Cross for his heroism.

While the flyover tomorrow represents the largest F/A-18 missing man flyover formation, it isn’t the first time that such a large missing man formation was conducted for a presidential funeral. In 2006, the US Air Force flew a 21-ship of F-15s over the final resting place of former-President Gerald Ford.

A smaller missing man formation was also flown by F/A-18s for former-President Ronald Reagan’s funeral in 2004.

We will continue to update this story as we learn more.

Grab Your Tissues, WestJet’s 2018 Christmas Video Is Here

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Grab Your Tissues, WestJet’s 2018 Christmas Video Is Here

Was that a tear in my eye?  Ok, maybe.  Every year, WestJet Airlines puts out an inspirational video.  We’ve covered their viral videos every year.  In a previous year’s video, the airline set up a Santa Claus video conference where passengers could ask for a gift they wanted, only to be surprised at the baggage carousel by wrapped presents at their destination.  WestJet then followed that viral video up with a promise to grant 12,000 people their Christmas wish. Last year, they sponsored a large project to assist families whose homes were devastated by a Canadian wildfire.  This year WestJet went for something different and once again, it’s pretty impressive.

WestJet Introduces a global Advent Calendar

This year, their famous Blue Santa will deliver special gifts for a total of 22 days.  The theme corresponds with their recent push into providing more extensive long-haul service to Europe and Australia (beginning next year via a code share agreement with Qantas).

According to WestJet, “Over a month, spanning 16 countries and six continents, Blue Santa took to WestJet’s global skies to experience seasonal traditions and to spread holiday cheer. From Dec. 3-25, WestJet’s Advent Calendar will showcase daily his discoveries from around the globe with the help from worldy WestJetters – and may include a few extra surprises in between. WestJet’s Twitter feed and Facebook page will also be updated daily with WestJet’s Advent calendar content.

During his journey Blue Santa also surprised special guests with magical reunion experiences in London, England in WestJet’s Uniting Through Traditions video. The video features heart-warming reunions between Halifax parents and their far away daughter, a fun-loving Grande Prairie duo whose best friends live thousands of miles away and a long-distance couple with a story of true love.

“The storytelling in WestJet’s Advent Calendar and Uniting Through Traditions video underscores that being with the ones you love during the holidays is the greatest tradition of all,” said Richard Bartrem, WestJet’s Vice-President Marketing Communications. “Since our first Christmas Miracle in 2013, WestJet’s tradition has been to celebrate and promote the Christmas spirit with our guests through our caring culture. This year we’re thrilled to be able to take our Canadian spirit to the world through Blue Santa’s travels, while bringing some of the world’s spirit back home with us to share.”

The Only President to Fly in Combat flew a Grumman TBF Avenger.

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The Only President to Fly in Combat flew a Grumman TBF Avenger.

Bush #1 Flew the Turkey Against Japan During World War II

December 7th 1941, “a date which will live in infamy”, was the start of the second world war for the United States and coincidently the public unveiling of the Grumman TBF Avenger. The Avenger, aptly named given the timing of it’s release, is known as the standard torpedo bomber of World War II.

Up until 1939, the Douglas Devastator had been the Navy’s standard torpedo bomber. However, with the quick development of new aircraft capabilities, the Devastator was already outdated by the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor. To better defend the Pacific, the Navy needed a new aircraft with a top speed of 300 mph, a range of 1,000 miles (fully loaded), an internal weapons bay, 2,000 lbs. payload, and a ceiling of 30,000 feet.

The American Grumman TBF Avenger first entered service in the U.S. Navy at the Battle of Midway. It was not a promising start for the aircraft. Five out of the six in service were easily shot down during the battle by the Mitsubishi Zero fighters. Throughout the war the slow-flying torpedo bombers were used in a variety of other roles like: air support glide bombing, light transport, cargo transport, reconnaissance, and anti-submarine support.

Perhaps the most famous man to fly an Avenger in WWII is the late former President of the United States George H.W. Bush. He was the youngest naval aviator in the war and flew thousands of combat hours in the Avenger. September 2nd 1944 he was shot down when performing a dive bombing mission over Chichi Jima. He narrowly survived the event, while his two crewmen were never found.

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Navy Lt. j.g. George H.W. Bush in the cockpit of his TBM Avenger, ca. 1944. (National Archives)

Because it could hold such a heavy payload, after the war the Avenger was converted into a fire bomber. The military equipment and guns were replaced with a large tank in the weapons bay that could hold water or flame retardant.

George H. W. Bush Was a Hero Way Before He Became a President

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George H. W. Bush Was a Hero Way Before He Became a President

Bush Was Just a Teenager But Already Had the Heart of a Warrior

With the passing of one of our nation’s most esteemed presidents, we remember the young man that joined the Navy to serve –– duty, honor, country. George Bush was attending Phillips Academy in Andover Mass. when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941. At school he was very active with school councils and sports, and was the senior class president. With a bright future ahead – he had already been accepted to Yale – he was advised to let the draft do its job and not enlist.

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Bush Portrait via us navy

To War in a Turkey

Forever a servant of this nation, George ignored the wishes of his father and enlisted on his 18th birthday in 1942. His passion to serve was emboldened with a desire to “hold his own” apart from his family name. George worked hard and became the youngest Navy pilot of World War II. He was deployed with Torpedo Squadron FIVE ONE (VT-51) aboard the USS San Jacinto (CVL-30) in the Pacific flying TBM Avenger torpedo bombers at age 19 years and two days- the youngest Naval Aviator ever (at that time).

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image via national archives

Fateful Mission

September 2, 1944, LTJG Bush had orders to fly a mission to take out a Japanese radio tower on the island of Chichi Jima. He and a two man crew consisting of LTJG William G. White, USNR, an intelligence specialist flying in the gunner’s position, and regular radio operator ARM 2nd Class John Lawson Delaney, USNR flew a TBM-1C Avenger torpedo bomber into anti-aircraft fire and the plane was hit at 8,000 feet. The aircraft caught fire. He bravely completed the bombing run before heading back to sea, the Avenger still smoking and flaming. Afraid the aircraft might explode at any moment, he decided a water landing was not an option.

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Bush in Avenger Cockpit

Bailing Out

Other U.S. Avengers in the area reported hearing Bush’s order to his crewmen to “hit the silk”. George heard no response from his crew but made a steep right bank to lessen the pressure on the rear door, thereby assisting his crew with escaping the stricken aircraft. At least one crew member made it out of the stricken TBM but neither crew member survived. Then George bailed out. He hit his head on the tail of the aircraft. After landing in the ocean he was able to free himself from his chute and swim to his life raft.

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TBM Avenger

Rescue From Under Japanese Guns

George’s head was dizzy and bleeding and he was vomiting from taking in seawater. The young George’s fight wasn’t done yet. Japanese gunboats were coming for him now. He desperately started paddling, with his hands, away from his enemies. Fellow airmen, flying TBM Avengers and the Grumman F6F Hellcat fighters, strafed the Japanese boats and returned to the San Jacinto. He floated in his life raft for hours before he was hauled aboard the American Gato-class fleet submarine USS Finback (SS-230).

George Bush being rescued by the submarine the U.S.S. Finback after being shot down while on a bombing run of the... NARA 186382.tif
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Reflecting on the Loss of His Crew

The following day George wrote this letter to his mother:

“Yesterday was a day which will long stand in my memory….I will have to skip the details of the attack as they would not pass the censorship, but the fact remains that we got hit….There was no sign of Del or Ted anywhere around. I looked as I floated down and afterwards kept my eye open from the raft, but to no avail….I’m afraid I was pretty much a sissy about it cause I sat in my raft and sobbed for awhile….I feel so terribly responsible for their fate, Oh so much right now. Perhaps as the days go by it will all change and I will be able to look upon it in a different light….Last night I rolled and tossed. I kept reliving the whole experience. My heart aches for the families of those two boys with me.”

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Bush with his regular crew of radioman john delaney and gunner leo nadeau

Getting Back in the Saddle

After a month aboard the Finback, he got back to his crew on the San Jacinto and continued flying bombing runs through more enemy fire. Throughout Bush’s entire service in the Navy he completed 58 combat missions and flew 1,228 combat hours. He came home a hero and was later awarded the Navy’s Distinguished Flying Cross.

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Bush Tells His Own Story

Here is an interview with G.H.W Bush uploaded to YouTube by US Naval Institute.

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What Really Happened To Bambi: When A Plane Hits A Deer

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What Really Happened To Bambi: When A Plane Hits A Deer

Out of all the risks that pilots can face in the cockpit, one of the oddest challenges can be avoiding wildlife on departure or landing. Collisions with birds are a well known risks. Many airfields have risk mitigation programs in place to reduce the risk. In some cases, aircraft alter their departure times and routes to avoid migrating activities. Yet as we saw with US Airways 1549, the risk is real. Aircraft continue to hit birds and sometimes even larger animals. Between 1990 and 2018, the FAA reports that there have been more than 179,000 wildlife strikes with the vast majority being birds. Over 97% of strikes are birds but the FAA reports that snakes, bunnies, deer, a fish (!!!) and even alligators have collided with aircraft.

So how often are deer involved in collisions?

A 2017 article by The Atlantic cites that there have been over 1,000 collisions with deer. While aircraft are much larger than deer, the collision can still be deadly as aircraft attempt to avoid the collision at high speeds.  Most major airports limit this problem with extensive fencing (with its primary purpose for security) and the constant roar of loud jet noise.  But even then, that is not a guarantee that wildlife won’t encroach near the runway. Last October, an American Eagle CRJ200 hit a deer at a regional airport in Pennsylvania.  And in 2017, another American Eagle jet hit a deer on takeoff causing significant damage and resulting in an emergency landing.  The ATC video is seen below.

As a passenger, should you be worried?  Probably not.  The odds of any strike is still really low.  But as a pilot, you should always be prepared.  And that includes thinking ahead to anticipate what you would do if you encounter wildlife on takeoff, departure, approach, and landing.

Always Wanted to Fly On a Hang Glider? This video Will Make You Think Twice!

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Always Wanted to Fly On a Hang Glider? This video Will Make You Think Twice!

A man from Florida – enjoying his first day of vacation in Switzerland – was forced to ‘hang on’ to the Hang glider, after the pilot reportedly forgot to attach him to the aircraft. The incident took place during Chris Gursky’s recent trip to Interlaken, a beautiful city in Switzerland.

When the pilot of the Hang glider took off from a mountainside with Chris on his left side, it became clear that the poor passenger wasn’t attached at all, compelling him to clutch onto the glider with his bare hands for more than 2 minutes. He accomplished this feat at 4,000 feet and at 45 mph+ in order to avoid a certain fatal fall. The pilot made a critical error in the pre-flight setup by not attaching Chris to the glider. The pilot did all he could to get Chris down asap, while flying the glider with one hand and grabbing on to Chris’ harness. Even after the mistake, you have to give credit to the pilot for saving Chris’ life by staying calm and putting all his skills to the test.

Chris himself created a video of the scary incident and shared it on Youtube on November 26. He titled the video “Swiss Mishap” and it has since gone viral with over 7 million views. “My first time Hang gliding had an unexpected twist when I left the ground unattached from the glider,” Gursky captioned the clip of his “near death experience.”

“I just glanced down, and said this is it: I am going to fall to my death,” he said on Fox News’ “Sheperd Smith Reporting”. “It wasn’t my time, I was going to hold on as long as I possibly could.” He was confused as to what was going on initially with the takeoff: “Holding on for my life …Losing grip the whole way down.” “For 2 minutes and 14 seconds I had to hang on for my life!” he says about the scary scene, in which he hangs onto the glider as the aircraft soars at top speeds over a picturesque Swiss valley, before the pilot managed to make an emergency landing.

Because of the accident Chris Gursky tore his left bicep tendon in the crash, and had to have surgery on his wrist. Chris is planning to go Hang gliding again though as he did not get to enjoy his first flight. What a hero.

Chris Gursky

Christian Boppart, director of the Swiss Hang Gliding Association, said he knew who the pilot was but wanted to respect his privacy as the matter is taken up by authorities. “The pilot knew he made a terrible mistake, but afterward he made a good save,” Boppart said. “The first lesson is that you check before starting that everything is good, and that everybody is attached.” Boppart said serious injuries from Hand gliding in Switzerland are rare.

When we see a Hang glider fly in the sky, many people will probably think of flying paperclips with a man attached to it, right? Not quite. Hang gliding is an air sport in which trained pilots fly a glider using only the wind and thermals to stay in the sky. There is no motor involved, not even to get into the air. The glider is fully controllable. Pilots can land where and when they want and travel big distances. Actually, the world record for straight distance – held by Dustin Martin and Jonny Durand – reached an amazing distance of around 473 miles (761 km). The flight reportedly took 11 hours with an average speed of 43 mph (69 km/h) and it took place on July 3, 2012 from Zapata to Lubbock, Texas. It’s probably the closest experience for man to have, to be flying like a bird.

In the very early days of the sport – the early 1970s – pilots would literally hang by their arms onto the base bar of the glider during very short flights from small hills. But the gliders and the sport developed, where the pilots are suspended securely in a harness, although during Chris’ incident this was not the case at all.

Thank God Chris survived to tell his story. Let’s hope this won’t ever happen again. His video shows us once more why a good pre-flight check is so important in the world of aviation.

Air France Produces The Most Beautiful 787 Video We’ve Seen

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Air France Produces The Most Beautiful 787 Video We’ve Seen

Air France has done it again with another fantastic air to air video.  A few years back they produced an amazing “Au revoir” video to the Boeing 747 as they retired the fleet. The video showed the Queen of the Skies flying over Paris with the national performance team in tow. This time, Air France is back with a stunning video of the their new Boeing 787-9 aircraft.

Air France’s Dreamliner fleet currently consists of 6 aircraft.  Three leased and three owned aircraft.  The -9 seats 276 people in three classes.  Each 787-9 is outfitted with 30 Business Class seats, 21 premium Economy seats, and 225 Economy seats.

In the video, the 787 flies over the French countryside with some fantastic cloud surfing footage.  It truly is some stellar camera work. Check it out for yourself below:

Behind the scenes footage is even more impressive

Making a movie that stunning isn’t easy.  It was quite a complex endeavor. The air to air footage was filmed in Ultra 8k by Airborne Films.  The team utilized a customized Socata TBM single engine turbo aircraft.  Underneath the right wing they added a Shotover F1 gyro stabilized system with a $20k RED Helium camera attached to it. Prior to filming, the crew conducted a series of required test flights to ensure that the unique camera mount wouldn’t interfere with aircraft operations in any phase of flight.

Planning for a shoot like this is much more involved than you might think.  Although the final product looks effortless, significant planning was required. In the behind the scenes footage, pay particular attention to the amount of aerial choreography that took place.  Every turn and camera position was preplanned.  The photo shoot was even modeled virtually on custom software to ensure that the final product was perfect.  The video is 13 minutes long, but if you are like us, you’ll watch the entire video a few times just to notice all of the unique details of a complex video shoot like this one.  Kudos to the Airborne Films team!

Allegiant Retires Their Elderly MD-80 Fleet, Goes Totally Airbus

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Allegiant Retires Their Elderly MD-80 Fleet, Goes Totally Airbus

After a busy holiday travel season, Allegiant Air is ready to retire the last of its McDonnell Douglas MD-80 fleet.  The last Allegiant MD-80 took off from Fresno, California to Las Vegas on the evening of November 28th. 

It landed at Las Vegas with a flyover of Las Vegas and a water cannon salute after landing. The Allegiant MD-80 fleet has connected small cities with world-class destinations around the United States for 16 years, but the low-cost carrier is ready to simplify and move forward with their fleet of Airbus 319s and A320s. The final flight was scheduled for November 28th to fly to Fresno and then back to their main hub in Las Vegas; a route they’ve done since Allegiant’s beginning in 1999.

An Allegiant Airlines MD-80
An Allegiant Airlines MD-80

Allegiant Air’s Opportunistic Background

With the domestic proliferation of the Airbus A320 in the early 2000s, we started to see major airlines announce retirement plans for their McDonnell Douglas aircraft and begin selling their used MD-80s.

Allegiant used this time to purchase the MD-80 at a better price and continued to operate short to medium distance nonstop routes across the United States at a lower cost for their customers.

Allegiant Used To Only Fly The MD-80

In 2002 Allegiant was operating a fleet primarily of MD-80s bringing passengers from smaller cities to world-class leisure destinations like Las Vegas, Myrtle Beach, and Southern California. Drew Wells, Vice-President of Revenue and Planning for Allegiant, said that they’ve done the same with the Airbus A320 by staying, “true to our core values and being opportunistic and bringing in the right fleet and aircraft when the right price point is there.”

In 2012 Allegiant put into action a 10 year transition plan. Now Allegiant is ready to retire it’s fleet of MD-80s in favor of the Airbus A320, ahead of schedule.

Allegiant Airlines A320 that recently replaced the MD-80s in the fleet.
Photo by redlegsfan21. Post on Flickr.

Allegiant Transitioned from the MD-80 Faster Than Expected

The successful purchase of several used Airbuses accelerated the retirement of Allegiant’s MD-80s to this year instead of their planned retirement in 2019.

This caused some challenges for the carrier:

– Technicians were taking on the new aircraft at a rate never before seen by Allegiant Air. Great deals and a surprising order for brand new A320s from Airbus expedited the process. Allegiant’s crews took about 35-40 days to process each new aircraft.
– Ensuring they have enough pilots trained and ready to safely man their new fleet has also put them under pressure. They anticipate being fully manned by March of 2019.
– There was also a delay in receiving some of their new aircraft from Airbus which forced Allegiant to operate with 6 fewer aircraft.

How Does the A320 Change Allegiant Air?

As technology progresses, oil and fuel costs fluctuate, and the economy changes, Allegiant is always looking to maintain a cost effective means for air travel. The new Airbus fleet is significantly younger than the MD-80 and Allegiant is already seeing improvement in the fleet’s reliability, network possibilities, and revenue.

The MD-80 was designed and brought into production in the 1970s and today the approach to maintaining these aircraft is still very much prognostic.

Upgrading to the Airbus A320 comes with a modern maintenance platform, Skywise, that will ensure a more proactive approach to the maintenance of the aircraft. They’ll be able to better anticipate the maintenance needs of the aircraft, which means less downtime and more airtime for the fleet.

The A320 aircraft family is also more fuel efficient by about 30% and it has a better maximum takeoff weight than the MD-80. This opens the doors for new routes for Allegiant and a little more room for passengers. Now only Delta and American fly the MD-80 aircraft.  American is scheduled to retire their MD-80 fleet in 2019 with Delta following by 2020.

Allegiant Air’s New Routes

This November Allegiant Air launched four new routes exclusively operated by their fleet. You can now fly between Phoenix, Mesa, and Saint George, Utah. They’ve also connected Punta Gorda with Omaha, Syracuse, and Appleton.

Streamlining the Fleet

Operating and maintaining two different aircraft types has been a logistical and financial headache. After a year of hard work bringing in the A320s and retiring the MD-80s Allegiant is looking forward to an updated, efficient and simplified fleet to bring them into 2019 and beyond.

Editors note:  The original article incorrectly stated that the final flight was between Flint, Michigan and Las Vegas.  We corrected the error.

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian Give Tour Of Chartered VIP Boeing 747SP

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Kanye West and Kim Kardashian Give Tour Of Chartered VIP Boeing 747SP

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian recently took a ride on an ultra rare Boeing 747SP, owned by the Sands Corporation. Their trip has attracted some scrutiny mainly due to the perceived environmental waste of flying a nearly empty jumbo jet. Twitter lit up with comments about how wasteful their trip was while other comments focused on the fact that they’d love an exclusive 747 ride too.

We at Avgeekery were more excited by the fact that West and Kardashian posted video of the inside of the classic VIP aircraft. To our knowledge, no other videos of the interior of this particular jumbo jet are available online. In the Instagram video, Kim highlights the many bedrooms inside the jet along with a section of the jet configured with mid-2000s style first class seats. In addition to the tour of the main cabin and the seating area on the second deck, she also shows Kanye sitting at one of the many lounge areas behind a large desk. While the jet appears far from new, it looks like it is incredible shape for being a nearly 40 year old aircraft. The interior configuration resembles another VIP configuration, Air Force One. That modified Boeing 747-200 is the President of the United States personal aircraft.

Tail number VP-BLK is one of the few remaining airworthy Boeing 747SP aircraft in the world. It is configured in a VVIP (that’s very VIP) configuration that is estimated to very comfortably sit around 60 people. The jet was originally designed for a three-cabin configuration with around 330 people. The Boeing 747SP has the characteristic features of a Boeing 747 but is significantly shorter, features a taller tail for stability purposes and has a modified wing with a simpler flap design to save weight. The jet was designed in the early 1970s as a way to offer jumbo jet amenities on routes that were too distant for the early Boeing 747-100s and -200s. Only 45 of the Special Performance version of the 747 were ever built, far below the expectations of Boeing. Today, there are less than 10 still in service, primarily serving as VIP aircraft for government officials.

Below is a video by YouTube user Speedbird of tail VP-BLK arriving a departing from Las Vegas, Nevada where the aircraft is based.

Diabetes Doesn’t Have to Sideline An Aviation Career

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Diabetes Doesn’t Have to Sideline An Aviation Career

Meet Brittany, a successful flight attendant who doesn’t let diabetes Type 1 get in her way.

Many young people dream of a career in aviation. A booming aviation industry, great pay, unique benefits, and plenty of time off can make it an attractive career. Becoming a pilot or flight attendant isn’t easy though. In the case of a pilot, it takes years of slugging through expensive lessons, then gaining experience by acting as an instructor or taking lower-paying jobs before finally getting the chance to fly an airliner. While the path to become a flight attendant isn’t as lengthy, it still requires tremendous dedication and significant training. Dedication isn’t the only thing you need to make it in aviation though. You also need to be healthy. Certain disabilities and conditions can disqualify you. Diabetes (both Type 1 and Type 2) is a challenging condition for anyone interested in a career in aviation.

Type 1 (insulin dependent) diabetes is a limiting condition, but it doesn’t have to end your dream of a career in the skies. Currently, a person with Type 1 cannot be an airline pilot. If the condition is well controlled, they can only qualify for a Class 2 or 3 medical certificate. That qualifies someone to fly as an instructor or fly recreationally. A more-strict class 1 medical is required to pilot an airliner. A person with type 1 diabetes cannot currently gain a Class 1 medical certificate.

Fortunately, other career options exist in aviation for someone with Type 1 diabetes. Flight attendants are allowed to fly with diabetes as long as the condition is well controlled. We recently had the opportunity to chat with Britany Tomlinson, a flight attendant for a major airline who also has Type 1 diabetes.

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Hi Brittany! Thanks for taking the time to chat with Avgeekery and share your story. We’d love to hear about your journey in aviation and how you became a flight attendant.

What aircraft do you fly on?

Hi! Thank you for the opportunity to share my story. I’m qualified to fly on the Airbus A319 and A320 as well as Boeing 737, 757, 767, 777, and 787 aircrafts.

How long have you been flying?

I’ve been flying for 2.5 years.

What made you fall in love with aviation?

The love for aviation was cultivated from a young age for me. I grew up hearing wonder-filled stories from my grandparents who met while working at Pan Am. My grandma was a stewardess and my Pappy ran the special services operations for Pan Am out of LAX so I was brought up in awe of aviation and the opportunities it brought to them.

On top of that, my mom and dad own and operate a WWII museum and Brewseum in Honolulu, so growing up and spending so much time in the museum, I was constantly being told incredible stories of aviation during WWII.

Tell us about your favorite aviation story in your career.

My favorite memories are always the interesting people I’ve met over the years in the skies. I really believe the people are what make this job so wonderful. I’ve met celebrities, people flying for the first time, children in love with aviation, people from other cultures, and my fellow flight attendants who go the extra mile to make sure everyone is safe and happy. I was even lucky enough to meet my boyfriend on a flight which is a memory that always makes me smile.

Being a Type 1 diabetic and a flight attendant makes you pretty unique and bad ass. How do you deal with this challenge?

Thank you! I wear an Insulin pump, which is about the size of a beeper and gives me a continual flow of insulin, and every time I leave for a trip I double and triple check I have all of my supplies just in case I’m gone for days at a time.

I used to have to check my blood sugar constantly by pricking my fingers but recently I was fortunate to start using the DexCom CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitor) which is a sensor I wear on the back of my arm that reads my blood sugar every three minutes and alerts me on my phone if I’m trending high or low. It’s been a life changer especially in this industry where I’m in different time zones and sleeping at odd times.

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Are there any special requirements or briefings that you have to give to other crew members because of your condition?

Yes, I tell my crew members I’m diabetic before each flight because it’s information pertinent to the safety of our flight. We need all of the necessary information available in order to be prepared to get passengers safely from point A to B. Fortunately, I’ve never had an issue with my diabetes in my 2.5 years of flying. I always keep glucose tabs in my pockets however, just to make sure I have them readily available if I experience low blood sugar while I’m in the aisle. Every flight attendant is medically trained so I’m thankful we all know what symptoms to watch out for.

What advice do you have for men and women who have diabetes and still want a career in aviation?

I would tell those men and women with diabetes to not let society or this disease hold you back from fulfilling your dreams. However, you must be prepared for a complete lifestyle change, erratic sleep schedules, time zone changes, and long shifts. Despite all of this, I wouldn’t change it for the world. If you’re truly dedicated, there will be so many wonderful experiences that can and WILL make up for the hectic lifestyle this career brings. This career is not for the faint of heart by any means, but if you’re ready to put your health before anything else, it can be possible.

Thanks for joining us!  We thank you for sharing your story and showing others how they can overcome challenges to achieve their dream of a career in aviation.

You can follow Brittany’s travels on Instagram at @Britzidoodle.

 

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All part of ja-plan ⛩

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Alabama Dries Their Field With Helicopters Before Auburn Game

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Alabama Dries Their Field With Helicopters Before Auburn Game

We’ve heard of NASCAR using jet engines to dry the track after rain, but this is a new one.

Facebook user Jay Jacks posted an incredible video of two helicopters drying the field before today’s game against Auburn. Before the game, Birmingham received about .4 inches of rain. Not a huge amount but enough to make the field wet and potentially sloppy. Something had to be done to dry the field. After all, Alabama is 11-0 and haven’t lost in over a year.

Rain wasn’t going to get in their way of a pursuit of their second National Championship in as many years. Number one ranked Alabama wasted no expense to ensure that they would play on a crisp, dry field. They brought in two helicopters to dry the field. It made for a pretty incredible site. See the full, original video embedded below:

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