The Raytheon Trophy is presented to the best fighter squadron in the United States Air Force (USAF). Up until 2014 competition for this highly coveted award was open to Air Superiority or “pure” fighter squadrons only. Since then USAF fighter squadrons of all kinds have been allowed to compete for the prize. The 493rd Fighter Squadron (FS) Grim Reapers along with the 493rd Aircraft Maintenance Unit (AMU) of the 48th Fighter Wing (FW) based at RAF Lakenheath in the UK have won the Raytheon Trophy a staggering five times! The video linked below, uploaded to YouTube by Salmon Boss Ross, highlights the Grim Reapers and their McDonnell Douglas (Boeing) F-15C Eagle jets during their most recent trophy-winning campaign- that for 2016.
The Grim Reapers are the only USAF squadron still flying the F-15C Eagle fighter. They also operate a few two-seater F-15Ds. The 493rd deployed for about 190 days at various locations frequented by United States Air Force Europe (USAFE) commands during 2017. Footage for the video was shot during Red Flag 17-2 at Nellis Air Force Base (AFB) in Nevada as well as at RAF Lakenheath during a 2017 weapons system evaluation program (WSEP). Most of the cockpit footage was shot using GoPro cameras by USAF Captain “Tread” Mills. The footage and editing is superb and the visuals are striking.
Official US Air Force photograph
The 493rd can trace its lineage back to before World War II. In 1944 the squadron became part of IX Fighter Command, flying Republic P-47 Thunderbolts and bombing and strafing their way across occupied Europe. Inactivated after the war, the 493rd came back to life to fly Republic F-84G Thunderjets, then North American F-86 Sabres, and later F-100 Super Sabres as part of the USAFE. They then flew McDonnell Douglas F-4D Phantom IIs and General Dynamics F-111 Aardvarks before being equipped with F-15Cs in 1994.
Back on May 2, 1980, one of the MD-80 demonstrators was conducting a test sortie to evaluate landing distance. During one of the approaches, the pilot flew a steeper than normal approach, flared late, and touched down hard. But what happens next is incredible.
The MD-80 that was being tested had a HUD in the pilot’s position. But the copilot just had traditional instrumentation. During the last seconds of the final approach, the pilot saw that he was near the maximum descent rate of 720 feet per minute. The pilot reported that he felt a slight increase in the descent rate but kept the power in later and applied back pressure on the yoke a bit early to arrest the descent rate.
The aircraft touched down hard as the nose slammed down and the tires blew. After touchdown, the pilot continued the planned landing procedure. He applied full brakes, deployed the thrust reverser and stopped on the runway.
The aircraft not only exceeded the structural limitations (ie- a hard landing), but landed so hard that the aircraft sustained structural failure. The aircraft touched down 2,298 feet down the runway. Upon the hard landing, the tail buckled and then sheared off. The plane continued down the runway, minus its tail. It stopped at 5,634 feet down the runway.
Here’s the crazy part…they didn’t know they lost the tail until they shutdown the aircraft after stopping on the runway.
The crew knew it was a hard landing but didn’t expect it to be that bad. Can you imagine the shock of exiting the aircraft and not seeing a tail?
Seven people were on-board the aircraft. Only one flight-test engineer was injured. He broke his left leg. Everyone else survived without injury.
The NTSB determined that the official cause of the accident was the pilot’s failure to fly a stabilized approach within manufacturer’s tolerances. Contributing to the accident was the fact that the manufacturer’s procedures didn’t require crews to call out critical flight parameters. You can read the full report here.
Repaired and returned to service
The aircraft suffered substantial damage. Not only did the tail separate but the gear was heavily damaged and there was some buckling of the fuselage skin.
McDonnell Douglas decided to repair the aircraft. It returned to service as a test article, later flying the McDonnell Douglas’s test UHD Unducted Fan. The aircraft remained with McDonnell Douglas until it was broken up in 1994
Francisco Anthony Lorenzo is a Harvard Business School graduate who served as the head of several domestic airlines including Eastern, Continental, New York Air, Frontier and People Express during the ’80s and ’90s. During his career, Frank Lorenzo became known as a kind of white collar thug, infamous for union busting and heavy-handed treatment of employees.
He remains banned from holding any position in the airline industry to this day. But how did this man become arguably one of the most despised figures in aviation?
Win Some, Lose Some, or Literally Die Trying
Frank Lorenzo’s career had a shining start. After graduation, he wound up as the head of Texas International Airlines in 1972. Lorenzo turned TIA around by getting rid of unprofitable routes, revamping the fleet of planes and for the first time ever in airline history, introducing half-price airfares. TIA was restored to profitability and Lorenzo was lauded as a huge success.
His winning streak continued at the helm of Continental Airlines, although other people often paid a heavy price for his success. TIA put forth an offer to buy Continental in 1981. Continental workers strongly opposed the acquisition, citing Lorenzo’s history of cost-cutting and layoffs.
Employees ventured to form a group that would allow them to take control of the airline. Continental’s then-Chairman, Alvin L. Feldman, also did his best to prevent Lorenzo from getting his hands-on Continental and was very public about his bitter opposition to the TIA takeover.
But hostile corporate takeovers were the name of the game during the Reagan-Bush era and in the 11th hour, the financing for the employee group fell through. Continental was then handed to Lorenzo on a silver platter while President Reagan did nothing to oppose the deal.
Upon hearing the news, Alvin L. Feldman committed suicide in his office in Los Angeles. Lorenzo was elected to the Board of Directors in November of that year. The combined companies resumed operations under the Continental brand.
The Grinch Declared Bankruptcy, a Legal Way of Busting Unions
Lorenzo continued his campaign of drastically cutting wages and benefits for employees at Continental, who at that point were earning only a fraction of their past salaries. The mechanics’ union went on strike and after 19 months on the picket lines, no agreement had been reached. Under Lorenzo, the carrier then declared bankruptcy.
The pilots’ union also went on strike after the bankruptcy filing. But under bankruptcy laws, the unions’ contracts were deemed to be null and void. Lorenzo claimed the company would go belly-up if wages were not contained. Unions accused Lorenzo of using bankruptcy as a legal trick to void contracts and bust up unions.
Continental wound up laying off 65% of its employees during this period. The airline emerged from bankruptcy in 1986 and worked out a plan to pay off debt over a decade-long period. But the average salary earned by Continental’s pilots was as much as 50% lower than before Lorenzo first filed for bankruptcy.
The Death of Eastern Airlines
Like a pirate taking over a ship on the ocean, some industry observers say Frank Lorenzo took over Eastern Airlines and then pillaged it for his own profit before burning it to the ground.
Frank Lorenzo was entrusted with the position of CEO of Eastern Airlines in 1986. At the time Eastern, then the third largest airline in the country, was in serious decline. Labor unions were constantly disrupting the business while costs were at an all-time high.
Based on his successful past, it was initially thought that Lorenzo would be the carrier’s savior. After all, he had grown the once-small, barely significant Texas Air Corporation into a real player in the industry and was credited for ‘saving’ Continental. He was seen as a ruthless businessman with a proven formula for success.
Lorenzo’s credo was simple: offer low fares and cut costs. The aggressive CEO was credited by many in the business community for being an uncompromising leader that was willing to bust up unions to create a lean company.
Accusations of Drug Use and Theft
But Lorenzo was so heavy-handed with subordinates at Eastern that, in the end, the airline’s employees basically put their own jobs on the line to get rid of him. When he first arrived, he tried to turn the company around by incessantly hammering the unions to make concessions. He enlisted the help of Eastern Airlines’ managers who were ‘company men’ and enforced what some call abusive policies against employees.
Workers were required to adhere to very strict rules and were written up for lying about nonexistent medical conditions if they called in sick to work. So many machinists were accused of theft and/or drug use that in one year alone, 262 unionized machinists lost their jobs.
Psychological warfare was even waged on flight attendants who were forced to collect garbage on flights (a violation of their contract). What if a flight attendant refused to act as garbage collector? They were fired on the spot for insubordination.
More and more employees were laid off and those who remained on the job were forced to work longer hours with less time off. Pilot exhaustion became a real threat to passenger safety. Disgruntled flight crews’ discontent was glaringly obvious to passengers and customer satisfaction scores hit rock bottom.
But all the while, Frank Lorenzo had a seemingly unquenchable thirst for acquisition and constantly attempted to take over other airlines. Indeed, Lorenzo later became responsible for the largest airline in the country when Eastern was combined with Continental, People Express, and Frontier.
This combination gave him control over 1/5 of the air traffic in the U.S. As the businessman made questionable deal after questionable deal, operational problems were ignored. Routes were nonsensical, planes were in disrepair, crews were overworked, and the airline was in a state of organizational chaos.
Union Employees Removed at Gun Point
Frank Lorenzo’s relentless crusade may have been a thinly veiled effort to terrorize union employees until they went on strike so he could create an impasse and bring in non-union workers at lower cost.
It took almost two years of mistreatment but early on March 3, 1989, the Eastern Airlines machinist union went on strike. That day, President George H. W. Bush declined to create a presidential emergency board that would have acted as mediator. Later that day in an illegal lockout, EAL pilot James L. Caufman witnessed private security forces removing machinists from their jobs at gunpoint at Miami’s airport.
Lorenzo had apparently expected several things to happen that fateful day, including federal intervention. He probably also expected the pilots’ union to cross the picket line and keep operations going whilst the crafty CEO could bring in cheaper labor. Too bad for Lorenzo, none of that happened.
Bye-Bye Blue Sky, Lorenzo Gets Banned
To be sure, Frank Lorenzo did not expect what came next. After years of abuse, the pilots’ and flight attendants’ unions went on a sympathy strike alongside the machinist union and basically grounded Eastern Airlines for good. With no one to work, the carrier went bankrupt.
Saddled with mounting debt, Eastern went through the legal process and officially ceased operations on January 18, 1991. Lorenzo got away with as much as $750 million in assets as the chief operator. Sayonara suckers!
Following the breakup, a Scandinavian airline acquired Continental on the condition that Lorenzo be banned from the airline industry for seven years. That did not stop him from trying to start up another airline in Baltimore in 1993 though. Lorenzo wanted to call it Friendship Airlines (chuckle). Given his past record and loud protests from unions however the Department of Transportation declined the bid, saying Lorenzo was not fit to fly “in accord with the public interest.”
In 1994, Continental got a new Chief Operating Officer in Gordon Bethune, who turned operations around and rescued the airline from obscurity. Read more here:
Lorenzo’s philosophies were no doubt formed by the corporate raider mentality of the late ’80s (probably something he learned at Harvard). In the end, the real problem was he was so entrenched in union busting that he failed to do anything about the real day-to-day problems at the airlines he ran.
To play devil’s advocate for a moment, cutting labor costs could have helped reduce debt and other problems could have ostensibly been resolved with a common-sense merger with another airline. But when Frank Lorenzo arrived on the scene, airline employees were already turning hostile and blaming management for deregulation. He made managers and workers adversaries and the way he treated employees had the effect of adding jet fuel to an already raging fire.
Depending on whether you agree or disagree with his style of management, Frank Lorenzo is remembered for his tough-guy approach or regarded as the most heinous villain aviation has ever seen.
While flying almost any plane can be fun (even the CRJ200), there is nothing as pure as stick and rudder flying. The thrill of taking a plane up into the sky without a host of complicated electronics and systems is second to none. Flying a taildragger in Hawaii is near heavenly.
When you think of Hawaiian aviation, most people think of flying into Honolulu International or one of the major international airports on the primary tourist islands. Yet there is also a large general aviation scene. Flight training and tourist flights make up most of the industry. But there are also plenty of glider clubs and a few lucky souls who have their own aircraft.
The thrill of flying over the waves and near soaring cliffs must be a thrill. I just hope they wash the sea salt off their birds once they land.
1968 was a year of upheaval. War, civil rights struggle, scandal, and tragedy. Yet for one day, all of humanity seemed to come together to watch the first time that man had ever orbited around another heavenly body.
Three astronauts, Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders, all floated in an Apollo command module (without the delayed lunar module) as the the grey, desolate moon passed below.
As they passed over the moon, the had access to what was then called the largest television audience ever amassed.Bill Anders took the opportunity to read the first four verses of the Bible. Jim Lovell then read the next three. Frank Borman then read the next three. Their full two minute reading is below.
Apollo 8 was also famous for the photograph titled ‘earthrise’. That photo contained every living and deceased living being known to man except the three in the Apollo module.
After ten orbits of the moon, the crew fired its engines for a burn that put it back on a trajectory towards earth. When the burn was complete, Lovell said, “Roger, please be informed there is a Santa Claus.”
Lovell would take to space again on Apollo 13. He was supposed to set foot on Apollo 13. Unfortunately that crew encountered a major malfunction that forced the crew to abandon the lunar landing. Despite sever damage to the command module, the crippled craft limped home with the aid of the lunar module. Lovell never did land on the moon but he’ll be remembered for giving a speech that was seen and heard live by a good part of the world.
We recently passed the one year anniversary of the retirement of the last F-4 (actually the QF-4) in the USAF inventory. And while other air forces still have a few left in service, the worldwide fleet is dwindling. Here’s some aviation trivia for you Phantom Phreaks. There is actually a continuous line of evolution from the McDonnell F3H Demon to the F-4 Phantom (which was designated F4H when it first flew). This photo is of the full scale mock up of the main missing link that connects the F3H Demon to the F4H Phantom. In 1953, the McDonnell team headed by Herman Barkey was looking at ways of extending the Demon’s viability and expanding its versatility. McDonnell had the in house designation F3H-X for the design as it was considered an evolution of the Demon.
F3H-C “Super Demon”: This design was first, it was powered by a single J67 engine. The J67 was to be have been a license-built version of the Rolls Royce Olympus. No J67s were ever built in the US and the Navy wasn’t keen on an unproven engine.
F3H-E: This was different enough from the Demon that it was given the Model 98A designator. It was also powered by the J67 but had a bigger wing than the Demon and had a level stance on the ground instead of the nose-high stance of the Demon.
Full scale mock up of the F3H-G design (Wikipedia)
F3H-G (Model 98B): This one had twin J65 engines, a license built British Sapphire engine like that used on the Hawker Hunter. It had lateral intakes that looked more like the Phantoms and exhausts that looked also more like the eventual Phantom design. The Navy was attracted to twin engines for safety. The wing was also further enlarged from the F3H-E. It had four 20mm cannon and had an impressive external stores capability. F3H-H: This was was the F3H-G but with two of the then-new and promising GE J79 engines.
Model 98C: Delta winged version of the F3H-G/98B with J65 engines.
Model 98D: Delta winged version of the F3H-G/98B with J79 engines.
F3H-J (Model 98E): Similar to the 98C/D, but with an even larger delta wing.
Model 98F: Recon version of the 98C.
Tail section of the F3H-G mockup showing the two different engine sizes- The J79 was on the right side, the J65 was on the left side. (Wikipedia)
Barkey’s team decided the F3H-G/98B was the most promising of the designs and built a full scale mockup, but one side was sized for the J65 engine and the other side sized for the J79 engine. On 19 September 1953 McDonnell submitted the design as an unsolicited proposal to the Navy. Though impressed with the design, the Navy had already ordered the Grumman F11F Tiger and Vought F8U Crusader for its supersonic fighter needs. The Navy, however, encouraged Herman Barkley’s team to refine the design to meet an all-weather attack requirement. This design was submitted to the Navy in 1954 and two prototypes were ordered as the AH-1 which had four 20mm cannon and eleven weapons stations.
F4H full scale mock up showing the originally planned trapeze launchers for the Sparrow missiles. (Wikipedia)
The following year the all-weather attack program was canceled and McDonnell was asked to redesign the AH-1 into a two-seat interceptor with a single centerline station for a 600-gallon fuel tank and AIM-7 Sparrow capability. The J65 engine was dropped from contention when the Chief of Naval Operations selected the J79 engine for the new aircraft which would be designated F4H Phantom II.
DETROIT — Europe’s popular Breitling Jet Team took North America by storm during their historic inaugural tour in 2015 and 2016, exciting crowds as they performed at several of the top air shows in the United States and Canada.
The Breiting Jet Team recently wrapped up their 2017 tour of Europe having performed many of the same aerobatic maneuvers they demonstrated to American audiences one year prior. Much like the watch and chronograph manufacturer who sponsors the team, the Breitling jets perform with aerobatic precision and with a timeless beauty high above the airfield.
Breitling’s seven jets travel at high altitude across North America in 2016. (Breitling)
Headquartered in Dijon, France, the jet team has been sponsored by the Swiss watch manufacturer Breitling since 2003 due in part by the company’s rich history in aviation. Breitling watches were strapped to the wrists of many aviation pioneers, and even kept time for NASA’s astronauts en route to the Moon.
Jacque Bothelin, whose pilot call sign is “Speedy”, leads an exceptional team both in the air and on the ground. Pilots Bernard Charbonnel, Christophe Deketelaere, Francois Ponsot, Georges-Eric Castaing, Paco Wallaert, and Patrick Marchand perform together in close formation, and at times with two of the jet aircraft performing a specific maneuver such as the Opposite Barrel Roll.
During one of the final American shows, the team displayed their excitement to showcase their aircraft during the Thunder Over Michigan Airshow. Hosted by the Willow Run Airport in Ypsilanti, Michigan, the pilots of Breitling co-headlined the show with the Navy’s Blue Angels and the Air Force’s F-22 Raptor.
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As the jets stood poised on the flight line of Willow Run on Thursday, the Breitling Jet Team discussed with this aerospace journalist their new experiences performing in America and Canada. Bothelin began by explaining the need to change up a few maneuvers to fall in line with the Federal Aviation Administration’s airshow guidelines.
“We had to set up a new display to fit with the FAA requirements because the regulations in Europe are a little different,” Bothelin said as he and his team stood poised in their black flight suits and each sporting a Breitling timepiece on their left wrist. “It’s a little funny because we have the same target which is safety, but we have a different approach as to what’s permitted and what’s not. So we had to adapt our normal European display to the American requirements.”
The world’s largest professional civilian jet team, Breitling’s aircraft is the Aero L-39C Albatros, a single engine military training jet originally used by the Soviet bloc countries. Each plane aligned side by side, their vertical stabilizers supporting the pilot’s single digit number in large fashion, and the name ‘Breitling’ across each side and the aircraft’s belly.
“We are the first civilian professional jet team, and the Breitling Jet Team is really unique because there is no equivalent of what we do in the world,” Bothelin added with a proud tone echoing from his strong French accent. “We have flown in 34 countries around the world, and all the team pilots, technicians, everybody is full time so we really have to say ‘thank-you’ to Breitling to give us… let’s say the word, the budget, to be able to properly operate a team professionally with two key words which are safety and quality.”
Hours before their flight before an air show crowd, the team’s black and gray aircraft are prepared near the flight line by Breitling’s top maintenance professionals. Their preflight checks cover the entire aircraft, and include ensuring that each jet has a full amount of biodegradable oil which, when heated, creates the pronounced airshow smoke trails.
image via john5199
During the Breitling’s flight demonstration their L-39C Albatros jet’s can pull nearly eight times the force of gravity, and soar up to near the speed of sound. The black color of the jet’s fuselage helps highlight each maneuver followed by smoke trails created during many of their maneuvers. Air show spectators along the flight line have noted the they they look like missiles streaking across the deep blue sky.
“We fly in seven ship aerobatic formation and we call that our 20 minute demonstration flight,” said pilot Francois Ponsot, call sign “PonPon”, who performs as Breitling’s left inside wingman. “The first part of the display is a kind of ballet with the seven ships, and after eight minutes we split the formation and we do some crossovers and many other maneuvers.”
PonPon added, “It’s the first time for us in United States, and I’m very happy to be here. In our job it’s very nice to discover countries, and Michigan is a well known place and so I’m happy to be here… it’ll be very fun.”
Breitling Jet Team pilot Francois Ponsot and Charles A Atkeison during preflight preparations.
This aerospace journalist welcomed the opportunity to fly with the team with PonPon as my pilot aboard the number 4 aircraft. We first donned our black flight suit, grabbed our yellow helmet, and then departed for a preflight briefing by Breitling’s Boss Jacques Bothelin.
Once strapped in to the jet’s five-point harness, the duel canopies were manually closed by the ground crew, and I began to hear the instructions of uniformed preflight discussions in my headset. The choregraphed speech was like music as each pilot held a rythem of confidence.
The six aircraft then began their taxi out for take-off lead by Bothelin, each jet making a sharp left to align and follow the preceding L-39 aircraft. Once we paused at the end of the runway, with each of the jets aligned in a near Delta formation, the pilots checked their aerosurfaces one last time. It was time to fly.
The engines were throttled to near full thrust and our speed increased. Lift-off! Aboard Breitling 4, our jet’s nose slowly lifted upwards, and soon the entire aircraft was off the runway and soaring into skies over southern Michigan. Our flight formation arose as one in an alignment one can never truly appreciate as viewed from the ground.
AvGeekery.com Charles A Atkeison soars in formation with the Breitling Jet Team. (Breitling)
Breitling’s Jets align in several fascinating formations high overhead during the airshow. The “Blackbird” has jet one aligned in front of the six jets delta formation; and the “Chronomat” displays jets one, three, and five aligned nose to rear with jets seven, four, two, and six making up the wings on either side. The popular “Rocket” formation has three jets aligned nose to rear with two jets behind and on wither side of the alignment.
Most of Breitling’s pilots had sharpened their aviation and aerobatic skills as fighter pilots while in the French Air Force. Each one having over 4,600 hours of jet time in such European aircraft as the Alpha Jet, Jaguar, and the popular Mirage F1.
Breitling’s right outside wing man Paco Wallaert served 22 years in the French Air Force both as fighter pilot and as aerobatic pilot for four years in the Patrouille de France — France’s military version of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. He spoke of his transition to Breitling at the same time he moved back into civilian life.
“Breitling’s not flying five or six jets, but seven which is quite unique as a civilian jet team,” Paco said with deep feelings for his new team. “I’m not a fighter pilot anymore, but I’m a jet pilot as a civilian. So I feel very fortunate to still fly in jets and above all with Breitling.”
Breitling Jet Team pilots pose with guests, including AvGeekery’s Charles A Atkeison. (Breitling)
In March, the jet team will release a busy 2018 schedule. Many of the pilots and maintenance personnel have expressed a sincere interest in returning to America in the future. However, it will likely be a few years before their anticipated return.
“I was a fan of the Breitling brand before being a Breitling pilot, so my first Breitlings I bought them, I still have them, and I am very proud of that,” Bothelin said. “It was very natural to me to be a Breitling ambassador, and when I see the latest watches by Breitling, I see how very useful they are to our job.”
Paco stepped in to add, “For me, when you’re a pilot wearing a Breitling it’s like a badge of honor. The link between Breitling and the world of aviation is obvious… we share the same value like the precision and team spirit — we have a passion for the world of aviation.”
(Charles A Atkeison reports on aerospace and technology. Follow his updates via social media @Military_Flight.)
This weeks Wall Street Journal report on the potential merger of Boeing and Brazilian aircraft company Embraer has sent shockwaves through the small jet market and could reshape the competitive landscape. According to the WSJ, negotiations are in a holding pattern while the Brazilian government reviews the deal.
The talks are taking place against the backdrop of an ongoing dispute between Boeing and Canadian jet manufacturer Bombardier. Boeing filed a complaint against Bombardier for allegedly illegally dumping jets into the U.S. market by selling its C Series to Delta Airlines for absurdly low prices. The dispute almost incited an international trade war, as Bombardier then gave an ownership stake in the C Series joint venture to Airbus.
The Airbus Bombardier partnership did not only affect Boeing; it fueled speculation about Embraer’s E2 jet program. According to analyst Carter Copeland of Melius Research, “I’m sure Embraer’s view of the likely success of their product in the E2 was materially altered by the Airbus transaction for the C Series. They went from competing against a distressed Bombardier to competing against a healthy and extremely competitive entity in Airbus. That changes the mindset of the leadership team at Embraer.”
Analysts also seem to think that Boeing might look to partner with Embraer on the KC-390 which falls into the category below the 737 MAX 7 which is currently Boeing’s smallest jet at 138 seats.
A Boeing/Airbus Duopoly in the regional jet market too?
Small jet manufacturers like Russia’s Sukhoi are an emerging competitive threat. Boeing had avoided making the smaller, less-than-100 seat jets since the 717 retired in 2006. But the small jet market is arguably getting large enough to garner their interest.
Airlines are increasingly buying more fuel efficient planes. Strategically, Airbus’ agreement with Bombardier and Boeing’s potential merger with Embraer could give the pair a duopoly, solidifying both companies as market leaders in the small jet space. This would create barriers to entry to other manufacturers from Russia, China and Japan who would have less cross-selling opportunity and limited access to suppliers.
However, the Brazilian government itself may be what mucks up the potential Boeing Embraer merger. Brazil holds a “golden share” in Embraer and may be reticent to give it up.
Insiders, who prefer to stay anonymous because the talks are private, say the two companies are therefore considering not only a merger but a joint venture as well. A JV would give both companies advantages while avoiding an all-out Boeing takeover. Either way, it appears as if Airbus/Bombardier and Boeing/Embraer may wind up being the two big dogs in small jet manufacturing.
PENSACOLA, Fla. — The warmth of a bright red glow traveling across the evening sky will allow the military to assist Santa Claus with his special delivery of gifts across North America on Christmas Eve.
Led by Rudolph and eight reindeer, Santa Claus is expected to arrive over the east coast of the United States on Sunday at just after 11:40 p.m. EST, as he begins his speedy delivery flight, the North American Aerospace Defense Command at NORAD stated on Wednesday.
St. Nicklaus’ golden sleigh is expected to enter over North American airspace on Sunday evening en route to the homes of children and adults from Virginia to California. “(NORAD) in Colorado Springs will follow Santa Claus’s Christmas Eve travels using radar, satellites, jet fighters and special cameras,” Air Force Master Sgt. Chuck Marsh, spokesman for NORAD Tracks Santa program, said.
Santa arrived this week to NAS Pensacola and a visit with the Blue Angels. (U.S. Navy)
2017 will mark NORAD’s 62nd year in tracking Santa Claus across most of the western Hemisphere. Rudolph’s bright red nose gives off an infrared signature which allows satellites and radar to detect Santa’s sleigh — code name: Big Red 1.
Canadian NORAD CF-18 fighter pilots will take off from Newfoundland and welcome Santa and his reindeer to North America, where American NORAD jet pilots will escort him in with F-15s or 16s,” Marsh added. At Dobbins Air Reserve Base near Atlanta, a couple of F-16C jets will be fueled and placed on standby mode to assist in tracking the thirty-two foot sleigh.
Volunteers will man the NORAD operations center to answer children’s phone calls from across the globe at 1-877-HI-NORAD, beginning at 6:00 a.m. Air Force officials will field questions in eight languages — English, German, Italian, French, Spanish, Japanese, Portuguese and Chinese.
“We’re expecting more than 1,250 American and Canadian uniformed personnel, (Defense Department) civilians, family members and members of the local community to volunteer their time December 24 to answer the thousands of phone calls and emails that flood in,” Marsh said with a jolly smile.
St. Nick arrives into Nellis AFB this week to visit the Air Force Thunderbirds. (USAF)
“From 22,300 miles in space, NORAD will use for the first time the GOES-15 improved earth location accuracy and heat detection infrared equipment from various satellites,” NASA spokesperson Tom Wrublewski said from the Goddard Space Flight Center. “Rudolph’s nose gives off an infrared signature similar to a missile launch and the satellites can detect Rudolph’s bright red nose very precisely.”
Wrublewski added, “NOAA, NASA, and the USAF have satellites precisely positioned and additional volunteers are supporting the improved Santa tracking beginning after sundown on Christmas Eve.”
In space, NASA has instructed crew members aboard the International Space Station to train high resolution cameras on Santa’s sleigh as the orbital outpost soars 250 miles above. Astronauts Joe Acaba and Scott Tingle will train 400 and 800 mm camera lens through the station’s Cupola windows to capture the rare flyby.
Master Sgt. Marsh reminds children to fall asleep early on Christmas Eve to ensure a speedy trip by Santa. “We love the opportunity this time of year to be able to say to everyone, ‘Sleep tight. We have the watch’.”
(Charles A Atkeison reports on aerospace and technology. Follow his updates via social media @Military_Flight.)
This morning Elon Musk revealed in a tweet the world’s most powerful rocket, SpaceX’s highly-anticipated Falcon Heavy, processing to fly its inaugural demonstration from Florida’s Space Coast as soon as next month.
The United States Air Force (USAF) produced the film “Faces of Rescue” in 1967 to portray the exploits of the USAF Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service. The Sikorsky HH-53C Jolly Green Giant crews are featured during their efforts to pull Republic F-105D Thunderchief pilot and Flight Lead Lieutenant James DeVoss from enemy-held jungle in North Vietnam. DeVoss, who was injured during ejection from his stricken Thunderchief, narrates his side of the rescue story. The film, which includes footage of the actual rescue and radio calls from the event, was uploaded to YouTube by ZenosWarbirds.
Along with the HH-53C Jolly Green Giant the film also stars the USAF HC-130P Combat King airborne rescue controller/tanker aircraft and the A-1 Skyraider combat search and rescue (CSAR) Sandys who provide close air support for the downed pilot and the Jolly Greens. The ARRS executed 2,780 successful personnel rescues during the Vietnam War. The rescue of Lieutenant DeVoss was not routine but a successful save is a successful save. The ARRS lives on as the Air Rescue Service (ARS), its assets divided between Air Combat Command (ACC), Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) and Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) including Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) and Air National Guard (ANG) rescue units.
Replace the Lockheed C-130 Hercules? Don’t You Blaspheme In Here!
Boeing’s YC-14 airlifter was built as the company’s entrant in the Force’s Advanced Medium Short Takeoff Landing [STOL] Transport (AMST) competition for the United States Air Force (USAF). The competition actually began in 1970 when the Air Force and key aerospace contractors began the Tactical Aircraft Investigation (TAI) to look at potential new airlifters. This video, uploaded to YouTube by That Smelly Skunk From Palmdale, is a look at the program as it stood during 1977 after the two prototype YC-14s had been built and were in test by the USAF.
The YC-14 was built specifically to take advantage of high-lift aircraft configurations. Blown leading edge slats and trailing edge flaps as well as various boundary layer control systems were all investigated. Boeing decided instead to take advantage of research previously conducted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) into powered lift- specifically upper-surface blowing (USB). NASA had done wind tunnel testing of experimental shapes with USB and Boeing was able to examine the data.
Official US Air Force photograph
Advanced Lifting for $500 Alex
By mounting the turbofan engines high on the wings so that the exhaust was blown over the wing’s upper surface and trailing edge flaps instead of under the lower surfaces of the wing, the exhaust would aerodynamically couple with the trailing edge flaps when they were deployed and the exhaust would be deflected downward, thereby augmenting lift. This phenomenon, known as the Coandă Effect, was responsible for much of the aircraft’s STOL performance but the lift augmentation was minimal when the flaps were retracted. The USB configuration of the engines coupled with a supercritical wing shape combined to make the YC-14 a stellar STOL performer for its size and weight.
Official US Air Force photograph
That’s a Tall Order
And it needed to be! When the USAF’s request for proposal (RFP) went out in early 1972 the expectations for the competing designs was ability to haul a 27,000 pound payload more than 1,000 miles without refueling- all after taking off from a 2,000 foot runway. These seemingly impossible operational requirements made it absolutely necessary to think outside the box. Boeing certainly did. Eventually the competitors were whittled down to Boeing’s YC-14 and McDonnell Douglas’ YC-15 in 1972. Each company was awarded a development contract for two prototypes.
Official US Air Force photograph
The Sovs Know a Good Thing When They Copy It
More wind tunnel testing took place at NASA Langley in Virginia. Between the NASA USB program and Boeing’s YC-14 testing much was learned about the viability of USB. During the testing a couple of challenges were met and bested. Boeing added retractable vortex generators behind the engine exhausts to maintain trailing edge flap effectiveness at low speeds and altitudes. They also revised the design of the empennage by moving it forward and reducing the aft rake of the vertical stabilizer. The Soviets more or less copied the design of the YC-14 in the Antonov An-72 Coaler transport.
Official US Air Force photograph
It Handled Like a Really Big Cub
The YC-14 first flew on August 9th 1976- nearly a year after the YC-15 first took to the skies. The two YC-14 prototypes (serial numbers 72-1873 and 72-1874) were first tested at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) in California. The YC-14 was flown as slowly as 59 knots and as fast as 520 knots at 38,000 feet. In order to address higher than expected drag numbers the aircraft received several modifications including revised landing gear pods, fuselage strakes, and addition of vortex generators on the engine nacelles. One thing the YC-14 did that the YC-15 could not do was tote a 55 ton M-60 Patton tank. The airlifter’s two General Electric CF6-50D turbofans, each capable of delivering 51,000 pounds of thrust, enabled that feat.
Official US Air Force photograph
And the Winner is…The C-17 Globemaster III
When the Air Force finished testing of the YC-14 prototypes during August of 1977 (right after the film above was produced) they returned the prototypes to Boeing. The YC-14 prototypes both exist today. One is stored at the AMARG boneyard at Davis Monthan AFB near Tucson. The other is on display at the Pima Air and Space Museum. And the YC-15s? The YC-15 didn’t go into production either. Changing priorities and requirements from the Air Force ended both programs. But the McDonnell Douglas YC-15 served as the basis for…the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III. And there is certainly a McDonnell family resemblance in the C-17’s empennage.
