“You can replace computers, phones, designer bags and clothes. You can’t replace people.”
Hours after departing from Trivanduram International Airport in India, a Boeing 777 makes a final approach into Dubai. Details are still emerging, but we can say that the giant plane caught fire and skidded to a stop, forcing all passengers and crew to deplane rapidly via the emergency escape slides.
This video above shows the state of panic and fear after the aircraft came to a stop. Emergencies are routinely trained for by airline pilots and flight attendants, but for regular passengers the ordeal must have been overwhelming. As smoke fills the cabin, the intensity grows. It’s a tribute to the flight crew and airline that all passengers manage to flee and survive.
A video posted by Aviation ™ الطيران العربي (@arabaviation) on
Viewing the plane from the exterior, one gets a sense how devastating the effect could have been. The fire from the crash landing burned the top half of the fuselage clean off. Many of the escape slides, engineered to deploy on a flat, or nearly flat surface, were instead lofted up into the air, resulting in a near vertical drop for the fleeing passengers.
What’s frustrating about this incident is that the video once again shows passengers grabbing their bags from the overhead compartments prior to jumping off the emergency slides. This has become a trend during recent emergency landings, even ones with smoke and fire actively burning on or near the aircraft. Remember the British Airways 777 that caught fire in Las Vegas last year? Photos showed passenger walking on the runway with their bags too.
Here’s the deal. Staying on a burning jet to grab your bag or your computer can be the difference between life and death for you and other people on a compromised plane. Planes aren’t fire-proof structures. They aren’t designed to be fireproof. Outside the attractive cabin you see are thousands of pounds of fuel in fuel tanks, hydraulic lines, insulation, engine oil and more…all flammable materials.
Aircraft manufacturers design their planes to be evacuated in 90 seconds or less. They design the number of emergency exits based on the expected passengers that the jet that they will carry. Manufacturers nor the FAA account for the fact that passengers will block the aisles to grab their bags. In evacuation tests, they assume that every passenger on the flight will exit the aircraft in an expeditious manner. Based on recent accidents, this is not how passengers are behaving when told to evacuate.
While technology has improved to make aircraft safer and more robust, there is still significant danger of a compromised aircraft after a crash. If you are told to evacuate by crew, you should get up and leave the plane. The only thing you should take with you is your child. Leave everything else behind. Computers, clothes, designer purses all can be replaced. Human life can’t.
The crew failed to calculate the proper takeoff numbers, causing a jumbo 747 to hit a pier at the end of the runway.
This airline training video dates back to July 30th, 1971. It features a Pan Am Boeing 747 called Clipper America. The flight was for a planned departure to Tokyo. Due to performance miscalculations by the crew, the aircraft used the improper flap setting and based their calculations on a runway that was actually 1,000 feet shorter than anticipated. The plane failed to achieve the required rotation speed by the end of the usable runway. The plane, weighing 197,000 kilos rotated after the end of the runway. It hit piers and threshold lights as it attempted to lumber into the air. Three out of 4 hydraulic systems were damaged and the fuselage was breached. A hunk of iron went right through the back of a passenger seat, which happened to have no passenger in it at the time. The aircraft was badly damaged by collision. Clipper America was forced to return to SFO to make an emergency landing at the same airport.
Due to hydraulic failure, the aircraft only had 1/6th of its control capability. In the video, you’ll see that there is barely any flare as the plane attempts to land. Gear that was damaged on departure caught fire on landing . With no nose wheel steering, the aircraft drifted off the runway, where the fire from the botched landing was actually extinguished by dirt.
An evacuation was started once the aircraft came to a full stop. Crew miscommunication delayed evacuation. It took about 30 seconds for the first slide to be deployed, and about 45 seconds before the first passenger exited the plane. Some of the door slides failed to deploy and others deployed incorrectly. Then the plane tipped onto its tail, lifting the front door slides and causing them to become almost vertical. This resulted in serious injuries sustained by several passengers. Emergency vehicles can be seen rushing to the site of the accident.
The bottom line is that it was a bad day…all caused by a lack of attention to detail. What’s the lesson here? Double check your takeoff data, pilots!
In a move that surprised no one, Amazon officially unveiled Prime Air last night. Prime Air is the name given to the company’s fleet of 767 freighters. The used freighters have been acquired to expand Amazon’s ability to deliver its massive offering of services to its customers faster.
The plan for Prime Air involves up to 40 aircraft. It’s important to note that Amazon will not actually become an airline. The aircraft will be operated by Atlas Air and ATSG on behalf of Amazon.
There are a couple of interesting facts about this first Prime Air aircraft. First, the tail number is N1997A which is undoubtedly a nod to the year Amazon was founded. Additionally, there is a large Amazon logo on the belly of the aircraft similar to Delta or Emirates belly logos. The aircraft is a former Atlas Air aircraft that was built in 1992. It also flew for Sobelair, Kenya Airways, Vietnam Airlines, and Air Europa.
Pan American World Airways, or PanAm, was a cultural icon of the 20th century. It was the largest international air carrier in the United States from 1927 until it went out of business in 1991, and filed for bankruptcy. Why did this once high flying airline fail?
PanAm was once a trendsetter in the airline industry
At its founding, PanAm’s area of operation was between Key West, Florida and Havana, Cuba. The airline eventually became a major company with many innovations to its credit.
These innovations included the widespread use of jet aircraft, jumbo jets, and computerized reservation systems. The computer, which was installed in 1964, occupied the entire fourth floor of PanAm’s office building.
The airline was known for its rigorous training of employees. PanAm’s flagship terminal was the Worldport at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City.
How did the airline that once defined success falter, then fail?
For a while, PanAm was the only company doing what it did with a technology advantage, a strong reputation for glamour and exclusive route authority. The airline enjoyed many advantages. This all changed after World War II, when competitors started competing for the same business. PanAm kept up with its competitors for quite a while.
The downturn of PanAm began with the 1973 oil crisis. Some of us remember people sitting in lines that winded down the road from gas stations where gasoline was rationed. PanAm had already spent millions trying to keep up with the competitors.
It had just purchased a fleet of Boeing 747s, assuming that the interest in passenger flight would continue to rise. Then the company was faced with skyrocketing fuel costs. The airline never did financially recover. It struggled with labor strife. PanAm attempted to stop the bleeding by selling off its Pacific routes and US domestic network.
However, the downing of PanAm 103 in a terrorist attack and the Gulf War doomed the recovery efforts. PanAm finally ceased service on December 4, 1991. It was an unfitting end to an airline that once represented the best of American aviation.
News story highlights the tragic end of a once great airline
This video, released right after the shutdown, painfully documents how PanAm fell from grace. The end was tragic, but the video is a fascinating look at the many challenges that PanAm faced.
Cross Country Flights Used to Be Pretty Snazzy Back in the 1960s.
This is a quaint little vintage instructional video, filmed in 1961, from the days when movies were made on film, and Kennedy Airport was still called Idlewylde. The movie is called An Airplane Trip by Jet. The featured plane is United Airlines flight 801, a jet traveling from New York to San Francisco. This movie features nostalgic areal shots of Manhattan, Denver, and San Francisco.
The film is a rare find of a black and white period piece. It shows you the swinging jetway, through which passengers can board the plane directly from the waiting room. It shows the containers holding people’s luggage, and a unique proprietary system that loaded the containers the plane from underneath, with the help of a conveyor belt. The video also shows the control tower where controllers direct jets and props around the field. The film even takes you on a tour of the cockpit, from where the Captain has many instruments to help him man the plane.
image via bill larkins
Security seems a bit loose back in the day. There is no TSA yet. And pets don’t seem to need to prove that they are up to date on their shots to board the plane as long as they have a ticket. The seats on the plane are way too roomy but after sitting in a middle seat on a cross-country flight, I wish it was still that way! There’s even a lounge at the front of the plane. The flight attendants are called Hostesses. No one has a cell phone or a personal computer. What’s more, every man wears a hat. It’s a look back at a simpler time.
After 31 years, her curtain call will come this weekend.
Before N659SW wore this Canyon Blue and the Desert Gold of Southwest, this 737-301 was with Western Pacific (N950WP) and was adorned with a photo of Aki, who was the star showgirl of “Enter the Night” from Las Vegas’s Stardust Casino.
Western Pacific Airlines of Colorado Springs utilized their fleet of 737-300s as “Logojets” or flying billboards with advertisements from everything from casinos and resorts to rental cars and television stations.
After starting her career with Piedmont in May of 1985 then moving on to USAir just before her time WestPac and finally with Southwest, she will be retired this weekend having spent 31 years flying throughout America’s skies.
The B-52 BUFF is one hell of a machine. With 8 ear-piercing turbojet engines and a smoke trail longer than the Marlboro Man, the BUFF roared over the head of an avgeek at RAF Fairford in England.
The BUFF is an incredible aircraft. The B-52 first flew in 1952. Boeing built 744 B-52s over the life of the program. It’s been involved in every major US conflict since the Vietnam war. Each B-52 can carry up to 70,000 lbs of armament. The B-52 has dropped everything from nuclear weapons to the X-15 to more conventional precision guided cruise missiles today.
There are only currently 102 B-52H models still in operation. B-52 H-models are stationed at Minot, North Dakota and Barksdale AFB. The B-52 is also deployed to the Middle East and Guam. With life-extension and corrosion prevention programs for the BUFF, the aircraft is expected to be the first aircraft that remains in sustained service for an entire century.
The A350 is Airbus’s technologically advanced answer to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Instead of a direct competitor, the A350 series spans the gap between the 787 and larger 777. Now, Airbus is getting closer to flying the new Airbus A350-1000. The largest of the A350 series, the -1000 can comfortably carry 366 passengers in a typical three class layout.
The A350-1000 features massive Rolls Royce Trent XWB-97 engines that can each produce up to 97,000 lbs of thrust. The new Airbus will be able to fly over 8,000nm non-stop. Airbus currently has 181 orders for their twin-engined ‘flagship’ jet (the A380 being Airbus’s actual flagship aircraft). United Airlines is the only US customer that has committed to the aircraft.
The A350-1000 is scheduled to fly later this year with first delivery in mid-2017.
For the first fifty years, the Boing Airplane Company focused largely on the development and manufacture of aircraft. World War II accelerated the demand for larger, higher performance, more capable military aircraft, and Boeing, as did many other manufacturers, benefitted by war time spending. In the years afterward, Boeing continued along a path to very successful commercial and military aircraft programs.
Boeing has pursued several strategies to diversify its businesses including investing in new ventures, mergers and outright purchase of other companies.
As of 2015 the Boeing Company is divided into two major business areas, the Boeing Airplane Company (BCA), focused on the development of commercial airliners, and Boeing Defense, Space & Security (BDS) that encompasses military aircraft, space and defense systems.
These units of the Boeing company are further compartmentalized into more focused business areas. Parts 1 and 2 of this series focused heavily or Boeing aircraft programs, both civil and military. This part will focus on other programs, most of which fall under Boeing Defense, Space & Security (BDS). The following are examples of key Boeing products and programs. There are many more.
Boeing has had a lackluster record with newly designed military aircraft in the late 1900s and beyond. Their proposal for the Advanced Tactical Fighter was not selected for prototype, and their prototype for the Joint Strike Fighter lost to Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Lightning II. Still, Boeing has been active in the military aircraft market as a result of mergers and acquisitions, especially its purchase of McDonnel Douglas (MD) in 1997.
CH-47 Chinook (Wikipedia)
Boeing Acquired Aircraft Programs
Boeing Vertol – In the early 1960s, Boeing bought the Vertol company (formerly Piasecki Helicopter) that became Boeing Vertol. In 1962, Boeing began production of the CH-47 Chinook, a tandem-rotor heavy-lift. It could carry vehicles and artillery slung beneath the aircraft. It is one of the few 1960s era aircraft that is still in production. More than 1200 have been produced.
2000 F/A-18 Super Hornet – The Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet is a larger version of the aircraft developed from the McDonnell Douglas Hornet acquired when Boeing purchase MD in 1997. More than 1480 have been built and the aircraft is still in production.
050817-N-3488C-028 Pacific Ocean (Aug. 17, 2005) – An F/A-18C Hornet, assigned to the “Golden Dragons” of Strike Fighter Squadron One Nine Two (VFA-192), launches from the flight deck of the conventionally powered aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63). Kitty Hawk and embarked Carrier Air Wing Five (CVW-5) are currently returning to their homeport after a scheduled deployment in the 7th Fleet area of responsibility. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate 3rd Class Jonathan Chandler (RELEASED)
F-15 – McDonnell Douglas had international contracts for the F-15 at the time the company was purchased by Boeing. Boeing continued manufacture of the F-15 to fulfill the outstanding contracts. More than 1600 F-15s, in all variants were produced through 2011.
AV-8 Harrier II – Acquired in the MD merger, the AV-8B Harrier II has been supported jointly by Boeing and BAE Systems. Approximately 340 aircraft were produced in a 22-year production program that ended in 2003.
Space Systems
Boeings Space Systems is the world’s largest satellite manufacturer; also offering launch vehicles, strategic missile and defense systems, and other space and intelligence systems. The business has more than 60 years of space exploration expertise.
Launch Vehicles and Boosters
Boeing Launches Trip to the Moon – The Saturn V – The Saturn V is a multistage liquid-fuel expendable rocket, capable of putting a 120-pound payload in orbit, used by NASA’s Apollo and Skylab programs.
Between 1967 and 1973, the Saturn launched 12 Apollo missions. In 1968 Apollo 8 successfully launched the first lunar orbital mission, and later in 1969 Apollo 11 delivered astronauts to lunar orbit to make the first landing on the moon’s surface. As of 2016, it is still the most powerful launch vehicle ever flown.
1969 The Lunar Roving Vehicle – Atop Boeing’s Saturn V launch vehicle for missions 15 16, and 17 was the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV). The golf-cart sized “moon” buggy was a battery-powered four-wheeled vehicle used on the three lunar missions in 1971 and 1972. LRV technology had earthly applications including motorized wheelchairs that are common today.
Space Exploration
The International Space Station
International Space Station – The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest, most complex international scientific and engineering space project in history. In 1993, NASA selected Boeing as the Prime Contractor for the ISS. Boeing is responsible for design, development, construction and integration of the ISS and for assisting NASA in operating the orbital outpost. Because this is an international effort, Boeing is also responsible for coordination and oversight of thousands of subcontractors around the world. The ISS is expected remain operational through 2024 and beyond.
Boeing Mariner 10 – The Boeing Mariner 10 probe was launched in 1973 to make the first dual-planet flyby of Mercury and Venus. By March 1974, Mariner 10 had sent hundreds of television images and large quantities of data back to Earth. It revealed cloud circulation patterns and the lack of a magnetic field on Venus and took the first high-resolution photographs of Mercury’s cratered surface.
Boeing CST-100 Starliner – The Crew Space Transportation CST-100 Starliner is a spacecraft design under construction by Boeing. Its primary mission is to transport crew to the International Space Station. Boeing’s CST has been developed through a series of three awards, totaling a $571 million. In 2014, NASA selected the CST-100 along with SpaceX Dragon V2 to fly two astronauts to the ISS in 2018.
UAVs
Boeing X-37B
X-43 Hyper-X – The X-43 was an unmanned aircraft to test hypersonic flight at speeds in excess of Mach 9. Airborne-launched from a large airplane, a booster rocked accelerated the Hyper-X to its target speed, was discarded, after which two scramjets (supersonic flow ramjet) engines powered the aircraft. Three X-43s were built and tested, achieving a speed of 9.6 Mach (7310 mph).
X-51 – The Boeing X-51 WaveRider is an unmanned research scramjet aircraft for hypersonic speeds of Mach 5 (3,300 mph; 5,300 km/h), an altitude of 70,000 feet (21,000 m). It completed its first powered hypersonic flight in 2010. One test vehicle reached a speed in excess of Mach 5 for 210 seconds. X-51 technology will be used in the High Speed Strike Weapon (HSSW), a Mach 5+ missile planned to enter service in the mid-2020s.
The Boeing X-37, also known as the Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV), is a reusable unmanned spacecraft that is boosted into orbit by a launch vehicle. It can remain in orbit for long periods—several years. It then re-enters Earth’s atmosphere and lands as a conventional spaceplane. On its third test flight it remained in orbit 675 days. There has been some mystery regarding the nature of its mission while in orbit. Two X-37s were built and both have flown successfully.
Missiles
Minuteman Missile – Boeing was awarded the contract to assemble and test the LGM-30 Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missile system in 1960.The LGM-30 Minuteman, a land-based, solid fuel rocket, entered service in 1962 and is still operational. At its peak, more than a 1,000 missiles were “on alert” in underground silos. Some 400+ missiles are still deployed. The number will be reduced to 400 as part of the START treaty.
AGM-86B – The Boeing AGM-86B/C air-launched cruise missile is a long-range subsonic, 3,200-pound self-guided missile carried by a B-52 bomber at high and low altitudes that could be fitted with either a nuclear or conventional warhead. With terrain-following radar, it could navigate at low altitude for more than 1,500 miles to a ground target. One B-52 could carry and launch up to20 missiles. By October 1986, Boeing had built 1,715 AGM-86 missiles. Non-nuclear versions were used in first Persian Gulf War in 1991.
Other Programs
Joint Venture ULA – United Launch Alliance (ULA) is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin Space Systems and Boeing Defense, Space & Security formed in December 2006 to provide spacecraft launch services to the US Government. The ULA held a monopoly on military launches for more than a decade, until the US Air Force awarded a GPS satellite contract to SpaceX in 2016.
The Outlook for Boeing
Over the next ten years, trends suggest two parallel paths. First, the commercial airline business will continue to be healthy, if not strong. There are many airliners that will soon begin to be taken out of service either because they have reached then end of their practical service life, or new, more fuel efficient aircraft will make them fiscally impractical. In this arena, Boeing will have to remain competitive against Airbus Industries, and possibly some emerging competition from fledgling production programs in other countries, namely China and possibly Russia.
On the military side of the equation, Boeing can be expected continue to look for opportunities for diversity. Having purchased McDonnell Douglas, Vertol, and Hughes Aircraft, Boeing may be in a position to bid on new military aircraft opportunities, but these will be infrequent.
Boeing will have to remain sharp in the space exploration sector, too. Its alliance with Lockheed Martin is likely to see strong competition from launch vehicles like SpaceX. Boeing is in a position to leverage its development experience in high-performance unmanned aircraft, especially for an unmanned combat aircraft or the X-37 Orbital Test Vehicle.
Culturally, Boeing has been able to adjust to markets and find a way to remain profitable. Of course, the character of any company can change rapidly due to unforeseen vagaries of markets and/or a shift in the attitudes of management, board of directors, or stockholders.
My pick for Boeing’s future come from their most forward looking programs, the 787 in the commercial aircraft arena, and the CST-100 Starliner for next-decade near-space access, X-51 Wave-Rider technology for hyper speed travel, and the X-37 Orbital Test Vehicle for routine movement trips into space beyond the 2020s.
From my armchair perspective, therefore, I anticipate that Boeing will remain strong for the next decade, and if they can remain alert for future opportunities, the company could be around for another 50 to 100 years. Exactly what their product line will look like is difficult to predict, but as we move deeper into space, my guess is that Boeing will be there.
The Space Shuttle represented a new era of spaceflight. This model showcased a new level of realistic model making.
If you’ve ever built a model airplane before, you’ll understand just how amazing this video actually is. It’s not easy to build a model airplane from scratch. The weight of the aircraft and the proportions of each surface must also be perfectly balanced. The servos placement is delicate. From time to time, the delicate control surfaces require additional reinforcement which means that the opposite side of the airplane must also have additional reinforcement. Then the plane becomes too heavy or the motor breaks. Bottom line is that custom-built RC airplane models are tough to build and maintain.
That is why this complete stack STS (Space Transport System) model is so impressive. It features the solid rocket boosters that launch the orbiter into the air with a pretty realistically modeled prelaunch sequence. After a few seconds, the boosters and the fuel tank separate and then parachute back to the ground. The orbiter, with a realistically poor glide-ratio, glides in for a smooth landing. While the video appears to be filmed in the mid ’90s, it demonstrates some of the all-time best of RC modeling.
The video of the flight is above the fold. The launch sequence recreation is shown in the video below. Both films were originally posted on YouTube by mgas1237.
Just a few years ago, passengers flew at Mach 2+ everyday. This video highlights how amazing the Concorde used to be.
The Concorde was and remains the fastest airliner to ever grace the skies. With a top speed of over Mach 2, the Concorde allowed businessmen to fly from London to New York for breakfast meetings and return home by dinner. It was super fast and super luxurious.
Unfortunately, the Concorde never took off in the commercial sense. In the late 1960s, airlines began to place orders for the model. But when oil prices hit record highs in the 1970s, every airline except for British Airways and Air France cancelled their orders. With only 12 in service across 2 airlines, the Concorde soldiered on as a symbol of affluence. That changed though on July 25th of 2000 when Air France Flight 4590 crashed. All 100 passengers and 9 crew members died in the accident caused by a burst tire that damaged an engine.
Concorde in flight. Image via British Airways
After a safety stand down and retrofit, the Concorde returned to service in 2001. Once again, bad timing hurt the Concorde as the September 11th attacks hindered the Concorde’s ability to return to profitability. After struggling for the next year and a half, Air France retired the Concorde in May of 2003. British Airways retired their fleet in October of 2003.
This video of a flight between New York JFK and London Heathrow was shot just a few months prior to the Concorde ceasing service. The captain of the Concorde does an amazing job of explaining the flight. It’s a must see.
Allegiant Air is letting employees pick their new paint scheme.
Ultra-dicount airline Allegiant recently acquired 12 ‘new’ Airbus A320 aircraft to supplement their fleet of Airbus A319s, MD-80s and 757s. Both the 757s and MD-80s will be phased out over the next few years in favor of an all Airbus fleet.
While news of a used aircraft purchase is not typically exciting news, what is exciting is that Allegiant is looking to refresh their livery. Even more exciting is that they are giving employees the option to choose the next paint scheme.
If you are thinking that the styles of the offerings look familiar, we were thinking the same thing. Option A looks looks somewhat similar to a modernized ValuJet colors while Option B also shares many of the same design lines with Alaska’s new scheme. Check out the similarities below:
What’s your thoughts on Allegiant’s proposed new colors. Are they rehashes of other airlines’ liveries? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
More than 80 years young, the iconic Boeing still soldiers on…
Back on July 28, 1935, the mighty B-17 Flying Fortress took to the skies over western Washington on it’s maiden flight. The B-17 was Boeing’s answer to the Army Air Corps’ request for a large, multi-engine bomber. Boeing went from design to first test-flight in just 12 months. It was an amazing accomplishment that was made possible because the B-17 utilized previous Boeing research (the XB-15 bomber) and structures from the Boeing 247.
The Boeing was advanced in a number of ways. It was Boeing’s first flight deck instead of an open air cockpit. It was powered by 4 Pratt and Whitney R-1690 radial engines that each produced 750hp.
The B-17 proved itself during World War II. The iconic Boeing bomber dropped 640,000 of 1.5M pounds of bombs over Germany.
A total of 12,731 Flying Fortresses were built. As of 2024, only six B-17s remain airworthy.
There are carbon fiber planes and fabric wings… Why not hemp?
We recently interviewed Derek Kesek who founded Hempearth Company. He and his team have embarked on a project to build the world’s first hemp powered plane. Plus, he even wants it powered by hemp-based fuel. It’s an ambitious plan. Here’s Derek’s story:
1.) Tell me about your company and your background.
Well we started the company in 2012, and have had a lot of amazing transformation. We have quickly become the Coke, Virgin, Microsoft, Tesla, Apple Of Hemp. We decided back when we saw an amazing opportunity to really give back as a company by working with Hemp first and foremost but Cannabis as well.
The plant is truly amazing and really is helping mankind a lot as it can clean our soil, air and water through a process calledPhytoremediation is the direct use of living green plants for in situ, or in place, removal, degradation, or containment of contaminants in soils, sludges, sediments, surface water and groundwater. Hemp can create over 25,000 different products from oils, food, airplanes, aircrafts, fuel, fiber, homes and much more. We just finished producing and announcing publicly that we have produced the world’s first Hemp building blocks similiar to LEGO. We have The Wright Brother’s involved with our plane project, The Discovery Channel’s Daily Planet and it so exciting to see this take off like it has.
2.) Like all interviews, we have to ask…what makes you an Avgeek?
I just am in love with aircraft and all things flight. I believe in true love and true love is freedom like a bird, so I just enjoy everything about this amazing technology. My son Griffin and I at one point were going to down to our local aircraft museum and using the flight simulators and such. What we have created with this company and what others are doing is truly manifesting what they really want and this is good for the earth and good for all of humanity, each and everyone one of us and that is what we are all about, at one point about 5 years ago, I had met Romio Shrestha, an amazing World class Thangka painter and enlightened human being, whom is also friends with Deepak Chopra and the Dalia Lama, and what Romio taught me was about love and compassion and to do things for every single person on the planet and the doors of abundance opened up and here we are today with this amazing company, doing innovative and cool new things. Also I am a big fan and supporter of Richard Branson, Elon Musk. Both have been super inspirational to me and have allowed me to become a great business leader in this all new amazing industry.
3.) Using hemp for construction and as a fuel source is really unique. Why hemp? What was your inspiration to start this project?
Hemp has 10 times the impact strength as steel, 5x times more than Kevlar and it is a biodegradable plant, we are also using bio resins on some of our products now. For the first line of planes we are sticking with normal resin’s as we dont want to move to fast with that. Our first plane however will be made almost entirely from Hemp, which is including the wings, seats, pillows, outer shell and much more. We are working with some amazing 3D hemp companies that will also produce some inside plane parts as well. Our first crafts will also have the ability to fly on Hemp fuel which we have successfully tested in Costa Rica. We are still developing the fuel for the engines but we are not far off to have our first aircrafts to be flying through the air on Hemp.
5.) Even though hemp products have become more common, many people are still skeptical of hemp and equate it to marijuana culture. Do you ever run into people who question your company’s true intentions?
No one does this anymore, “your vibe attracts your tribe” and we really have an amazing thing here. We are truly grateful and humbled and we thank everyone that has supported what we have done so far and we also look forward to seeing everyone’s names on the plane when our first prototype is ready. We have kept everyone’s names that have supported so far (via Kickstarter). This will be an iconic day in human history when we launch plane from The Wright Brother’s Memorial in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina then over to India to launch hopefully from Bhuntar airport. They have expressed interest in what we are doing. We really support Hemp growth in India and are working with some amazing people in the country as well as Costa Rica, Canada, Australia, Europe and world wide.
6.) Tell us a more about the hemp plane. What’s the timeline for this aircraft and the fuel that powers it?
Well a lot goes into building a craft like no one has ever done before. The main thing was to get a manufacturing contract in place. We did that after they did all the testing, and now we are in the process of finding the perfect weave that will replace most of the old fiberglass materials. What I have learned is everything happens at the perfect time. Richard Branson, is an amazing man and it took in quite a few years to get his spaceship up in the air…but he did. This is a less complicated than a spaceship so it will take much less time. But you can imagine this is a big undertaking and I am putting my heart and soul into this project.
7.) Can you talk to us about the size of your proposed plane?
It’s a 4 seater aircraft, two engine aircraft with a wingspan of 36 feet. It’ll be able to travel at over 250mph.
8.) Can you talk about the estimated cost of your project?
It’ll cost about $375,000, but we can start building for around 125,000. We have been approached by many investors but we have not found the right ones to work with as of yet. We’re getting closer though. I am off to a Cannabis Conference next week actually called EXPOMED in Costa Rica. Super Exciting things…I am visiting my girlfriend down in Costa Rica and getting her involved in the industry here until we can successfully do integral business in the country. We have been just testing things and and no money has been exchanged as of yet. We are just working with good honest people that want to see this succeed. It is super exciting.
9.) Let’s say your plane is successful. What’s your long term hope for the impact of your hemp plane project?
We want to create awareness for all industry that Hemp can make anything and is eco, green and sustainable. Also, we are doing the project for the impact it will have to our brand Hempearth. We also want to encourage the aviation and aircraft industry to use hemp and hemp fuel. We will be hosting an amazing EXPO next year in Toronto, Ontario and are super excited about the impact the brand is having and the amount of awareness and education we have had the ability to create. Thanks to the people and humanity for that.
Tesla races Boeing 737… It’s never been done before.
One vehicle has 50,000 pounds of thrust with a top speed at three-quarters the speed of sound. The other vehicle can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 2.6 seconds and it uses no gas. Which one would win a race?
It sounds like a poorly written SAT math problem. But in reality, the race was a publicity stunt jointly run between Tesla and Qantas Airways to highlight sustainability and innovation. Earlier this year, Qantas pitted its $60M 737-800 against a $120k Tesla P90D in an epic drag race.
What’s the play-by-play?
It’s an impressive drag race. The nominally-loaded Boeing 737 typically accelerates to about 140 knots prior to rotation. While the rumble of a jet is pretty loud, the initial acceleration of an airliner is actually pretty slow, especially compared to the high torque of the electric sports sedan.
The 737 is still impressive though. It quickly picks up speed to match the Tesla before the Tesla squeaks ahead and ‘takes the flag’ just prior to the 737-800 rotating and climbing into the sky while the electric luxury vehicle begins to slow down before reaching the end of the taxiway.
Who Made This Video of a Tesla Racing a Boeing 737?
The video was made by Qantas as part of an ad campaign to highlight the airline. It’s worth a watch. Afterall, how will you know who wins if you don’t watch?
Raw power and beauty of USAF machinery captured on film.
The C-17 Globemaster is a massively powerful heavy aircraft. Powered by four Pratt and Whitney engines providing 40,000 lbs of thrust, the C-17 can carry up to 170,900 pounds of cargo. Even more impressive about this jet is how maneuverable it is both at high speeds and low speeds.
In this video you’ll see the giant airlifter seemingly turn on a dime through the canyons of Washington. Many C-17 pilots comment on how maneuverable and fun to fly the jet actually is. This video makes us believers that it must be a blast to fly. It makes sense. The jet is fast, maneuverable, and can land on semi-prepared fields that seem built more for a Cessna Caravan than a jet around the size of a 767. Making the jet even more fun, it has a center-mounted stick instead of a yoke. The top section of the stick is actually a similar design as the one in an F-16.
In this video, the C-17 is executing low level training on VR-1355 through Washington State and Oregon. A C-17 can execute a low level at over 300 knots and as little as 300 feet above the ground. The footage is shot from the ground near Sidewinder Transition. The video is a rare chance to see what a low-level training route looks like from the perspective of people on the ground.
Our friends at AirshowStuff have captured the beautiful roar of J-79s as the buzz Oshkosh as part of EAA’s annual Fly In. These beautiful jets out of Holloman Air Force Base performed a spectacularly loud flyby and low approach. The F-4 is one of avgeek’s most favorite fighter jets. Over 5,000 were produced. Most US Air Force jets were retired back in the 1990s. Today, there are less than a dozen QF-4s in service with a smattering of F-4s still flying in foreign Air Forces like Turkey, South Korea, and Iran and one privately owned Phantom.
They are all expected to be used as target practice this year. Once the supply of QF-4s is gone, the Air Force will officially transition to the QF-16 as practice targets. The F-16s have been reconfigured to fly as drone targets.
The giant DC-10 used to be an international workhorse and mainstay of many international airlines. One one flight, it could carry hundreds of passengers to far off destinations around the world. Today, all of the passenger versions of the jet are retired. While cargo companies like FedEx still fly a variant (MD-10) of the jet, most remaining operators are retiring the jet as they approach heavy maintenance checks. A few DC-10s have found a new life as a fire tanker.
Known as the DC-10 Air Tanker, the giant slurry bomber is a specially modified DC-10 that can carry 12,000 gallons of water or fire retardant. The jet has internal baffles in the tanks to prevent the retardant from shifting during flight. It can empty the entire load in less than 30 seconds.
Fighting fires with a DC-10 is not without risk. In 2007, a tanker encountered rough air near the fire and lost lift. The wing of the jumbo jet hit trees but recovered and did not crash. It executed an emergency landing with damage to the leading edges. Everyone survived and the jet was repaired.
Video shows DC-10 Just Feet Above the Neighborhood
At a private airfield in Germany, a fearless pilot operates a single engine turbo-prop Pilatus PC-12 in landings and takeoffs that will stun. The terrain and environment (trees/buildings) make this quite a challenge. The taxiway leading out to the turf strip is nothing short of a concrete goat path!
When landing at such short fields, precision aim point is crucial—too short, and the aircraft will not clear the trees surrounding the airfield boundary. Too long, and the aircraft will not have time to brake, and go careening off the runway. Even if the aim point is perfect, managing the aircraft’s touchdown (main wheels contacting runway, or in this case, Mother Earth) is also critical. Too firm, the struts buckle and turbo-prop chews up quite a bit of grass. Not enough, and the plane will float—further down the preciously short runway.
The PC-12 is a combination passenger and cargo plane, manufactured by Pilatus Aircraft, located out of Switzerland. Depending on configuration and fuel load, it has a range of over 1,700 miles.
Photos courtesy of Janine Sijan-Rozina and the author.
Lance Sijan lived an All-American life. Raised in 1950s Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the young Boy Scout and athlete dreamed of one day becoming an Air Force fighter pilot. A star football player, he struggled with academics. But his determination took him to military prep school where he studied hard and was accepted to the Air Force Academy, with the end goal of receiving a commission as an Air Force officer. He would accomplish that, and so much more.
Lance gets a Stingray.
It was 1965, and General Motors had extended a special offer to all the seniors at the Air Force Academy to purchase a hot new Corvette Stingray at a discounted price. Maybe it was good marketing to have America’s finest behind the wheel of GM’s newest sports car – or maybe it was GM’s way of paying it forward, as the conflict in Vietnam loomed heavily in these cadets’ future. Either way, Lance plunked down $3,638.40 of his cadet salary and purchased a beautiful 1965 Roman Red roadster, accomplishing another milestone in every boy’s American Dream.
Lance Sijan Corvette
Lance ordered the car from Daniels Motors Inc. in Colorado Springs; it had the flashy red/white interior combo, the optional L-75 300-hp 327 engine, four-speed transmission, white wall tires and Positraction rear end. He specified factory pickup from the St. Louis Assembly plant (which discounted the car another $87 by waiving the shipping fee), vowing to drive the car all the way back to Milwaukee in the winter, with the top down.
Lance downplayed the purchase of the Stingray to his family, kidding his style-conscious mother that it was a color close to brown. When the car first appeared in the family’s picture window, they were electrified, meeting him in the driveway and begging for rides. The tight-knit family loved their son and brother and were proud of his successes — and he was eager to share everything with them.
But time with his new toy was short. In July of 1967, 2nd Lieutenant Sijan deployed to Vietnam to fly an F-4 Phantom with the 480th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Da Nang. Like so many others that went to war, he would never get to drive his beloved car again.
On the evening of November 9, 1967, during a bombing mission, Sijan’s F-4 experienced an ordnance malfunction that would cause him and pilot Lt. Col. John Armstrong to eject, parachuting into enemy-held territory. Sijan landed badly on a rocky ridge: fracturing his skull, mangling his right hand and compound-fracturing his left leg. Armstrong was never found.
Early on November 11th, an air reconnaissance patrol picked up Sijan’s distress beacon emanating from the jungle below. A massive effort was launched to rescue the downed airman, employing dozens of aircraft. Equally intense was the effort of the North Vietnamese army to capture the American. Anti-aircraft fire was heavy as enemy ground forces closed in on Sijan’s position.
Finally pinpointing their comrade, a Sikorsky HH-3E Jolly Green Giant helicopter made radio contact with Lt. Sijan and hovered in position, attempting to lower a rescue boom. Sijan had waved off a rescue jumper, not wanting to endanger another airman. As he pulled his broken body across the dense jungle floor towards the boom, the chopper came under heavy fire and had to retreat. Radio contact was never regained. Sijan was presumed dead, and the rescue mission was aborted. Thus began what would become the greatest chapter in Lance Sijan’s life.
For the next 46 days, Lt. Sijan avoided enemy capture, holding out hope for a rescue. His disabled body could only slide sideways along the rough ground. Finally, emaciated and weak, he dragged himself up on to a military road near the Ho Chi Minh Trail, were he was captured by the NVA and placed in a prison camp in Vinh, North Vietnam on Christmas Day, 1967.
Interrogated and beaten by his captors for information, Sijan refused, citing only his name, rank and serial number. When left alone with a single guard, Sijan overpowered him and escaped, only to be recaptured hours later. Continually plotting further escape, he was transferred to the Hoa Lo Prison, known infamously as the Hanoi Hilton. Though ravaged by disease, malnutrition and injuries, Sijan remained defiant, inspiring his fellow American prisoners with his indomitable willpower and spirit.
On January 22, 1968, Lt. Lance Sijan succumbed to pneumonia, his last words making light of his situation and urging his fellow POW’s to resist and persevere.
A few did persevere and lived to tell the tale of Lt. (now posthumously promoted to Captain) Sijan’s bravery, which has become required curriculum at the Air Force Academy. The Air Force’s most-prestigious award bears his name; he’s now held in the highest regard as the first and only Medal of Honor winner from that institution and a model to soldiers everywhere for his utter determination and defiance.
It’s time to relocate Capt Sijan’s jet to a place of prominence.
In his hometown of Milwaukee, Captain Sijan is memorialized with a twin of his F-4 aircraft placed on display at the old 440th Air Lift Wing of the Air Force Reserve located at the south end of General Mitchell Field. In 2008, the base was closed as part of the federal Base Realignment and Closure Act and the 440th moved to Pope Air Force base in North Carolina. The facility was mothballed and used sparingly as a business incubator for the last few years. Now, the base has a new private redevelopment plan which doesn’t include the monument.
An effort is under way, led by Lance’s sister Janine Sijan-Rozina, to raise funds to relocate the fighter jet. The project is estimated to cost around $175,000 for the move and new pedestal. Milwaukee County has given provisional approval to display the monument elsewhere, providing the Sijan family can raise the necessary funds to move it there.
Lance Sijan’s Corvette
On Saturday, June 25, a car show hosted by the Original Memories Car Club set out to help raise funds to move the F-4 Phantom to a new home. 140 cars, with about 80 percent owned by Vietnam-era veterans, turned out to honor Capt. Sijan in Milwaukee. And there under a small tent was Lance’s 1965 Roman Red Corvette, now owned by Greg Lawless of Summit, Wisconsin, freshly restored and looking completely original, save for the addition of a military MIA Challenge Coin adhered to the console.
We have many freedoms in this country — enabled by our military who have acted so selflessly and paid so dearly. We have lost the best and bravest among us to war, those men and women who answered the call, and inspired us through their acts of courage and character, like Capt. Lance P. Sijan.
“This is a guy who would have been President,” said high school friend and fellow Air Force veteran John Munzinger. “Everything he touched turned to gold.”
‘Original except for a MIA challenge coin.’
If you would like to help donate funds or resources to the Lance Sijan F4 Relocation Effort, you can do so by clicking or going to LanceSijanMOH.com. We think Hemmings Nation will answer the call and we’d like to report it; please add the note “HMN” along with any donations.
[Editor’s Note: This story was originally posted at Hemmings Daily, a publication of Hemmings Motor News. The article was written by frequent Hemmings contributor William Hall. William is a writer, car collector and classic car broker based in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. We thank Hemmings Daily for allowing us to share this story of an American Air Force hero with our fellow Avgeeks! Please consider contributing to this great cause.]
