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Air Combat Command F-22 Raptor to Push the Airshow Limits in 2018

Charles Atkeison
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Air Combat Command F-22 Raptor to Push the Airshow Limits in 2018

ATLANTA — The United States Air Force F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team has announced their new pilot and a newly released schedule for 2018 as the fifth generation fighter prepares to return to select air show sites across the United States, Canada, and Chile.

Leading the Langley-based F-22 Raptor Demo Team is Major Paul “Loco” Lopez II who will begin his first of two seasons as the demo pilot. Major Lopez, the team’s first African-American pilot, will fly a nearly 30 minute performance at the air show sites demonstrating the handling characteristics of the most advanced fighter aircraft in the world.

Airfields with a long runway will see two F-22’s from the 44th Fighter Group from Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. One aircraft will be on static display while the other performs before the crowds.

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Air Force Major Paul “Loco” Lopez II is the new F-22 Demo pilot for 2018 and 2019. Image: USAF

“We are absolutely thrilled to have the world’s most advanced jet fighter at our show is truly an honor,” Scott Buchanan of the Vectren Dayton (Ohio) airshow said. “The 2018 show is shaping up to be an amazing event that people definitely won’t want to miss.”

The new schedule reflects the never before executed flight demonstrations at two separate air shows on the same day. Major Lopez and his team will execute the rare feat on three separate days during the season.

On March 24, the Raptor team will perform at two popular air show sites east of Los Angeles which lie about 90 miles apart. The F-22 will perform both the demo and Heritage Flight over Lancaster, and later, perform only the Heritage Flight above Riverside.

Near the end of the season, two metro Atlanta air shows will share the F-22’s complete demo on both Saturday and Sunday. The Raptor will be the top headline act for the two air shows, one in Rome located in north Georgia, and the second located in the south Atlanta town of Hampton.

“The ACC F-22 Raptor Demo Team is scheduled to make dual appearances at both the Wings Over North Georgia Airshow and the Atlanta Airshow Oct. 13-14,” ACC spokesperson Jennifer Spradlin stated to this aerospace reporter on Friday. “The schedule may be adjusted based on budgetary uncertainty or command discretion.”

The Raptor’s four full-scale performances — including both the demo and Heritage Flights — will be a first for the demo team. Four complete performances within a 26 hour period.

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Image: Charles A Atkeison

Both air shows are also located on either side of the cradle of the F-22. Each Raptor on active duty and reserve fleet were built and flight tested at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics and Dobbins Air Reserve Base in nearby Marietta. And, it will be from Dobbins in which Tyndall’s twin Raptors will be based from that weekend.

“The F-22 Raptor demonstration is a sight to see,” Atlanta Air Show president Bryan Lilley said on Monday. “Every F-22 in the Air Force fleet was built locally in the Atlanta area so it is special to have the Raptor headline our second annual event at Atlanta Motor Speedway.”

The Atlanta Airshow will take place over the air show industries first aerial stadium, while the Wings Over North Georgia will occur over the more traditional airfield of Rome’s Richard Russell Airport.

“It is an honor to be selected as one of the 2018 sites for the ACC F-22 demo team,” JLC Airshows president and former Air Force veteran John Cowman said as we walked the snow covered Rome airfield on Monday. “Their demonstration was clearly a fan favorite for our 2015 air show, and will serve as the perfect co-headliner with the recently returning A-10 Warthog Heritage Flight Team.”

While discussing the close locations of both shows on the same weekend, Cowman and Lilley both were very supportive of the other.

“They are two different markets — we are Atlanta and Rome is Chattanooga,” explained Lilley. “It just so happens that Dobbins ARB is right in the middle, which allows the F-22 to fly in two different markets in one weekend. This is beneficial to the USAF and both shows.”

The F-22 Raptor team will conclude their 2018 season with demonstration flights over the home of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels at NAS Pensacola in November.

Air Combat Command F-22 Raptor Demo Team’s 2018 schedule (UPDATED Feb. 21):

March 17 …………. Yuma Airshow at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, AZ

March 24 …………. Riverside Airport Airshow in California

March 24/25 …….. L.A. County Airshow in Lancaster, California

April 3-8 …………… FIDAE International Air and Space Fair in Santiago, Chile

April 28 ……………. Beale AFB Airshow in California

May 5/6 …………… Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Open House in New Jersey

May 12/13 ……….. MacDill Airfest in Tampa, Fla.

May 18-20 ……….. Airpower Over Hampton Roads at JB Langley-Eustis, Virginia

May 26-28 ……….. Bethpage Airshow at Jones Beach, New York

June 9/10 …………..Thunder Over Niagara, New York

June 23/24 ……….. Vectren Dayton Airshow in Ohio

June 30-Jul 1 ……. Artic Thunder Open House in Anchorage, Alaska

July 21-22 ………… Cold Lake Airshow in Alberta, Canada

August 10-12 ……. Defenders of Freedom Air show at Offutt Air Force Base

August 18-19 ……. Terre Haute Airshow in Indiana

Sept. 8 …………….. 187 Flight Wing Open House in Montgomery, Ala.

Sept. 16 …………… JB Langley-Eustis, Virginia, VAANG Family Day

Sept. 22/23 ……….. NAS Oceana Airshow in Virginia

Sept. 29/30 ……….. MCAS Miramar Airshow in California

October 13/14 …… Wings Over North Georgia Airshow in Rome

October 13/14 …… Atlanta Airshow in Hampton, Georgia

October 20/21 …… Hammond, LA Northshore Regional Airshow

October 27 ……….. JB Langley-Eustis, Virginia Family Day

November 1-3 …… NAS Pensacola Airshow

(Charles A Atkeison reports on aerospace and technology. Follow his updates via social media @Military_Flight.)

These High-Speed Low-Level Clips Will Make You Feel Like You’ve Got the Stick

Bill Walton
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These High-Speed Low-Level Clips Will Make You Feel Like You’ve Got the Stick

This series of three video clips (plus bonus!), shot during late January of 2016 at Rainbow Canyon (AKA the Jedi Transition or Star Wars Canyon) captures the sheer speed and thunderous sound of high-speed low-level tactical jets in eye-watering HD video. The video was shot from a place adjacent to the valley called Father Crowley Point. The videos were uploaded to YouTube by ManteganiPhotos. Watch out for the BONUS video clip too!

Part 1

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Part 1 features a VX-9 Vampires F/A-18C Hornet, a VX-9 Vampires EA-18G Growler, a 412th Test Wing F-16D Viper, a VFA-122 Flying Eagles F/A-18E Super Hornet, a VFA-122 Flying Eagles F/A-18F Super Hornet, a VFA-2 Bounty Hunters F/A-18F Super Hornet, a VX-9 Vampires F/A-18F Super Hornet, a 175th FS Lobos South Dakota ANG F-16 Viper, and a VFA-122 Flying Eagles F/A-18E Super Hornet.

Part 2

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Part 2 features a VX-9 Vampires F/A-18E Super Hornet, a VFA-147 Argonauts F/A-18E Super Hornet, and a Flyvevåbnet (Royal Danish Air Force) Joint Strike Fighter Test Support F-16BM Viper.

Part 3

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Part 3 features a VX-9 Vampires F/A-18F Super Hornet, a VX-9 Vampires CAG F/A-18E Super Hornet, a VFA-122 Flying Eagles Desert Adversary F/A-18F Super Hornet, a VFA-15 Valions F/A-18C Hornet, a VFA-2 Bounty Hunters CAG F/A-18F Super Hornet, and a VFA-146 Blue Diamonds CAG F/A-18E Super Hornet.

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Official US Navy photograph

Meet The Snowbirds: Canada’s Aerial Ambassadors From the Great White North

Bill Walton
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Meet The Snowbirds: Canada’s Aerial Ambassadors From the Great White North

These Jet Jockeys Are Regular Performers at Top American and Canadian Airshows.

The Snowbirds (now officially known as 431 Air Demonstration Squadron) have been thrilling crowds at airshows and exhibitions since 1971. Although their squadron designation goes back to 431 (Iroquois) Squadron Royal Canadian Air Force, created under the control of RAF Bomber Command flying Wellington, Halifax, and Lancaster bombers during World War II, the Snowbirds were re-designated 431 ADS in 1978. This video of our good friend Ryan Sundheimer of AirShow Stuff flying with the Snowbirds is liberally slathered with awesome sauce. he squadron and their first two decades of history. The film was uploaded to YouTube by AirshowStuffVideos. Enjoy!

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Image courtesy 431 Air Demonstration Squadron, Canadian Forces

In the Beginning…

The genesis of the Snowbirds can be traced to 1969, when Tutors previously used by the disbanded Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Golden Centennaires began flying flyovers at Canadian Football League (CFL) games flown by former leader and Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Moose Jaw base commander Colonel O.B. Philip. Single flyovers became two-ships and fours-ship formations began in 1970. The Tutors used for these flights were painted with white anti-corrosive paint, and as a result the informal name for the group became the Tutor Whites. The team was dubbed the Snowbirds in June of 1971 and was officially authorized as the Canadian Forces Air Demonstration Team on January 15th 1975.

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Image courtesy 431 Air Demonstration Squadron, Canadian Forces

Regulars at Oshkosh and Elsewhere

The Snowbirds flew their first performance in the United States at Williams Air Force Base (AFB) near Phoenix in Arizona on November 27th 1971. The Snowbirds became regular featured performers at EAA Fly-In Conventions at Oshkosh in Wisconsin beginning during the mid-1970s The first time the team performed outside the United States or Canada was at Zapopan Military Air Base near Guadalajara in Mexico during October of 1993. The Snowbirds performed their 2500th show on August 29th 2015 at Drummondville in southern Quebec. The Snowbirds flew a missing man formation in honor and memory of United States Marine Corps (USMC) Captain Jeff Kuss who crashed while flying Blue Angel ship 6 in Smyrna, Tennessee on June 2nd 2016.

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Image courtesy 431 Air Demonstration Squadron, Canadian Forces

The Trusty Snowbirds Steed

The Snowbirds fly the Canadair CT-114 Tutor, a single engine two place trainer aircraft. First flown in 1960, the Tutor somewhat resembles a Cessna T-37 Tweet with a T-tail. Tutors served as primary jet trainers with the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and later Canadian Forces between their introduction in 1964 and their replacement by BAE CT-155 Hawk and Beechcraft CT-156 Harvard II trainers in 2000. The Snowbirds are the only current operators of the Tutor. Their jets are minimally modified to include the smoke systems and engine responsiveness improvements. The team performs the first and last performances of their show seasons at CFB Moose Jaw in south central Saskatchewan where they are based with 15 Wing.

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Image courtesy 431 Air Demonstration Squadron, Canadian Forces

A Unique Designation

The Snowbirds have a total of 11 Tutors assigned to the squadron. Nine aircraft are used in the team’s performances and two are spares usually flown by additional team support pilots. Although the Canadians have fielded several flight demonstration teams over the years (such as the Siskins, the Blue Devils, the Golden Hawks, and the Golden Centennaires) the Snowbirds are the only flight demonstration team designated as a squadron. They were the first flight demonstration team to integrate music into their performances and are still the only flight demonstration team that operates without an assigned airlifter support aircraft.

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Image courtesy 431 Air Demonstration Squadron, Canadian Forces

Massive DC-10 Fire Tanker Dumps Fire Retardant on a Guy’s House And Breaks His Truck Window!

Kim Clark
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Massive DC-10 Fire Tanker Dumps Fire Retardant on a Guy’s House And Breaks His Truck Window!

Firefighters are going on the offense and taking extreme measures to combat the raging wildfires in Southern California. Seven fires are blazing between Santa Barbara and San Diego, threatening not only woodlands but places where people live, some densely populated.

For now, winds have temporarily calmed down so this time is being used to try to contain the fires’ spread. Rincon Valley and Windsor Fire Protection District Fire Chief Jack Piccinini told the SF Gate, ““We’re taking advantage of the lull in the wind and we are going with a direct assault.”

Assault indeed. Check out this amazing video taken by California resident Jenny Crane’s father, as fire retardant was dropped on her father’s house during the Liberty Fire in Murrieta. He scuttled underneath the porch as the tanker dropped its massive load near the property to protect the house and create a fire line:

In the video, the resident jokingly says thank you for the free paint job! Everything on his property has a red hue … but hey, at least hopefully it will be safe from the fire. It is better to have a pinkish house than no house at all, I suppose.  His truck didn’t fare much better.  The force of the fire retardant appeared to break one of his truck’s windows.  The massive DC-10 fire tanker can drop thousands of gallons of retardant in just one pass.

The Thomas Fire is said to be the largest of the seven fires. It is only 10 percent contained as of Dec 9th. Firefighters are building firebreaks and aircraft are dumping fire retardant on homes and buildings to hopefully save them from being scorched. Firefighters say the Santa Ana winds are unpredictable and can cause a fire to take an erratic path because they blow from east to west.

Mandatory evacuations have been ordered for some parts of Santa Barbara County as the fire grows closer. President Trump has declared a state of emergency. This is the second time that the West Coast was declared to be in a federal state of emergency. In October, 44 people were killed when wildfires tore through Northern California wine country.

United Airlines Tulip Logo, Gone But Not Forgotten

Kim Clark
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United Airlines Tulip Logo, Gone But Not Forgotten

Logos are important for building brand awareness for all companies. Just think of McDonald’s golden arches or Wendy’s red hair and pigtails. Logos help consumers identify their favorite restaurants, sports teams and clothing. But logos are especially valuable to the airline industry because they appear everywhere throughout the places where airlines do business.

Commercial airlines display their logos on the side of every plane in their fleet. These logos are found dotted along the concourses of airports and are found in lit up displays behind ticket counters. Any given airline’s brand awareness basically revolves around its logo. So, whatever happened to United’s beloved Tulip?

United’s Tulip logo is so popular, it even has its own Facebook fan page.

Seriously? I don’t even have that many likes on my Facebook page (but I’m working on it).

To understand the importance of the Tulip to some people, one must trace the history of United Airlines back to its merger with Continental. And to be fair, ex-Continental employees may not be as fond of the retro logo as those who started their careers with United. Still, it is interesting to examine the history. Let’s take a trip down memory lane.

History of the UAL Tulip

Around 1973, designer Saul Bass developed the logo. It was to remain in place almost 20 years until 1993. The colorful striped logo with the overlapping letter U was in use until the merger with Continental and had only a few modifications.

Saul Bass’ rainbow livery was the first and featured a white fuselage with red, orange and blue stripes along the cheatline. Despite a slight change in 1988 that moved the stripes further down so the United font could be enlarged, the logo remained the same. The marketing push included the phrase, “Fly the Friendly Skies” and United acquired the rights to use the Gershwin song, “Rhapsody in Blue.”

Tulip 1
By Eduard Marmet [GFDL 1.2 (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html), CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0), CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL 1.2 (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

The United Tulip Goes Grey

In 1993, Stephen Wolf, United’s Chief Executive Officer, revised the branding to a dark blue and grey fuselage with blue stripes on the tail. The Tulip was shrunk down in size but remained. This was called the “Battleship” livery and was supposed to portray a more professional, global image.

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The logo went through another revision in 1997, when United commissioned Pentagram for an update. The Tulip was kept but United’s name got a new font that appeared in advertising but not on the actual aircraft.

Refresh for the United Tulip

The next change came in February 2004 when the Blue Tulip livery design was introduced to symbolize United’s emergence from bankruptcy. The aircraft tail displayed a bigger version of the Tulip, albeit cropped and now with a blue tint.

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Photo Aero Icarus from Zürich, Switzerland

After United’s merger with Continental in 2010, the newly formed airline disposed of the Tulip and instead, used Continental’s ‘Globe’ logo design. The then-head of the new airlines marketing department Mark Bergsrud said the Globe logo reflected worldwide reach and was more likely to attract corporate clients. To some Tulip fans’ dismay, at the time Bergsrud commented, “Do we want to stand out? Absolutely. But spiffy liveries just have to fall to a lower level of priority.” Ouch.

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United’s most current livery. The Tulip was replaced by Continental’s globe. (Wikipedia)

United’s Current Livery Came From A Boardroom

That’s when the “Save the United Airlines Tulip” Facebook page was originally launched. Employees, passengers and marketing experts all added their voices to the concern, saying the Tulip had better brand recognition.

CEO Jeff Smisek got ‘mud on his face’ when he admitted that he and United’s previous CEO, Glenn Tilton, came up with the new livery and brand by themselves, with no outside help from the marketing department. Tsk tsk.

Today, the Tulip’s popularity extends beyond social media to the retail world. Buy your Tulip-loving friend or family member a hoody with the United ’98-’10 large Tulip emblazoned on the front. The logo may not be on the side of United’s airplanes but it lives on in fashion. EBay even has Save the Tulip Logo t-shirts.

One could argue that the current livery is sending a mixed branding message since it displays United’s name but has Continental’s Globe logo. Others claim that most passengers could care less what logo an airline uses. All most passengers care about is the airline’s performance. But maybe it’s not that farfetched that the Tulip is linked to a higher level of service.

United’s current globe livery does invoke memories of merger-induced meltdowns and poor customer service. Many United employees still pine for the Tulip logo design to return.

Phantom Phlashback: F-4EJ and RF-4EJ Phantoms Phlying with the JASDF

Bill Walton
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Phantom Phlashback: F-4EJ and RF-4EJ Phantoms Phlying with the JASDF

Sometimes you just get a hankering for some Phantom phootage. Since the phabulous phighter was retired by the United States there are precious phew outlets for that kind of jones. Thankphully the Nihon Koku Jietai or Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) still operates F-4EJ and RF-4EJ Phantom IIs from Hyakuri Air Base at Omitama, in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. This video, entitled “Paradise of Phantoms- Samurai Riders” was produced and uploaded to YouTube by 1-300. It pheatures hypnotic slow-motion phootage of Phantoms. Enjoy!

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Image captured from video

Japan replaced their Lockheed F-104 Starfighter interceptors with F-4EJ Phantom IIs license-built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries beginning in 1972. McDonnell Douglas built two F-4EJ prototypes which began flying during January of 1971. The remaining 125 F-4EJs were all assembled or entirely built in Japan. Japanese F-4EJs were not equipped with the AN/AJB-7 bombing computer system or inflight refueling equipment. Production of the F-4EJ ended in 1981 with the last F-4 variant built anywhere in the world.

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Image captured from video

The 14 JASDF RF-4EJs were all built by McDonnell-Douglas between November of 1974 and June of 1975. These examples were based on the United States Air Force (USAF) RF-4C variant. However, export restrictions on certain sensitive equipment resulted in Japanese-built radar warning receivers and other equipment being installed in place of the American black boxes normally installed in RF-4Cs. The JASDF 8th, 301st, 302nd, 303rd, 304th, 305th, and 306th Hikōtai (squadron[s]) have all operated the F-4EJ. The 501st Hikōtai operates the RF-4EJ.

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Official US Navy photograph

The F-4EJ and RF-4EJ fleets were upgraded to improve their capabilities during the late 1980s and 1990s. F-4EJs received the more advanced APG-66 radar, improved defensive avionics, and the ability to deliver both ground attack and anti-shipping weapons. F-4EJs so upgraded were designated F-4EJ Kai. RF-4EJ Kai upgrades included an improved Japanese-engineered and built AN/APQ-172 radar system and radar warning receiver system. A total of 17 F-4EJs were also converted to RF-4EJ specifications but without internal camera systems, employing pod-mounted optical and electronic reconnaissance equipment.

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Image captured from video

Bombardier’s CS300 Celebrates First Year Of Service

Jerry Taha
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Bombardier’s CS300 Celebrates First Year Of Service

The Bombardier CS300, a Magnificent and Unique Airliner!

One year ago, on November 30 2016, airBaltic became the launch customer for the Bombardier CS300 when they received the first example off the production line. The jet airliner would become the key to success for the airline from Latvia. AirBaltic’s CEO Martin Gauss states that the CS300 definitely meets the carrier’s expectations.

AirBaltic is soaring to new heights with the CS300

According to Gauss more passengers are choosing to fly with the CS300. The CS300 makes it possible for airBaltic to open up new routes. Since the introduction of the new airliner, airBaltic already announced more than 20 new routes.

 

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On November 30, 2016 airBaltic received its first CS300. Photo: airBaltic

The CS300 has proven to be a reliable, economical, and comfortable airliner for the passengers and crew. The first aircraft, registration YL-CSA, has already flown more than 150,000 passengers on more than 1,300 flights. After the first aircraft airBaltic received 6 more CS300s. A total of 20 aircraft have been ordered by airBaltic. The last aircraft will be delivered by the end of 2019. The CS300 will replace the carrier’s old Boeing 737s. Enjoy this video of an airBaltic B737 and its successor the CS300 landing during a storm at Amsterdam Airport. Video courtesy of Jerry Taha Productions.

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Bombardier C-Series Orders Trickle In

Today there are only two airlines in the world flying the C-Series: airBaltic and Swiss. Swiss airlines is flying both the CS100 as the CS300 with a total of 20 aircraft in active service. Korean Air will be the third airline to fly the CS300 before the end of 2017. The South-Korean order includes 10 aircraft and purchase rights for an additional 10 aircraft.

 

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Korean Air will be the third airline to fly the CS300. Image: Bombardier

Bombardier has a total order of approximately 350 aircraft of the new C-Series, including orders from large airlines as Delta and Air Canada. On November 14, 2017 the Canadian plane manufacturer announced a large order from an undisclosed European customer during the Dubai Airshow. Bombardier also announced at the show that it has signed a letter of intent for up to 24 CS300s with EgyptAir in Cairo. This includes 12 CS300s with purchase rights for an additional 12 aircraft.

 

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EgyptAir ordered the CS300 on November 14, 2017 at the Dubai Airshow. Image: Bombardier

About C-Series Aircraft

The Bombardier C-Series is a family of narrow-body, twin-engine, medium range jet airliners, designed by Canadian manufacturer Bombardier Aerospace. The CS100 (108 to 133- seat) made its maiden flight on September 16, 2013 and entered service on July 15, 2016 with Swiss Global Airlines. The CS300 (130 to 160-seat) flew for the first time on February 27, 2015 and entered service with launch customer airBaltic on December 14, 2016. When it entered service, the CS300 saw 21% lower fuel burn, replacing B737-300s with a dependability above 99% and 25% lower costs than the RJ100 for the CS100.

The C-Series is the only aircraft optimized for the 100 to 150-seat market segment, which drives the aircraft’s phenomenal economic proposition and performance, opening up new opportunities for single-aisle aircraft operation. The C-Series aircraft is manufactured by the C-Series Aircraft Limited Partnership, an affiliate of the Bombardier Commercial Aircraft segment of Bombardier Inc.

Comprised of the CS100 and the larger CS300 aircraft, the C-Series family represents the fusion of performance and technology. The result is aircraft that deliver unmatched performance and economics in the 100 to 150-seat market segment and an 18 per cent lower cost per passenger, making them the ideal candidates to complement larger single-aisle aircraft. Airlines can now operate routes that were previously not profitable or even possible.

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A great view on the airBaltic CS300 Cabin Interior that offers comfortable large seats, larger windows and more space.      Photo: airBaltic

 

Bombardier has created a new standard in cabin design and flexibility to ensure an unrivaled passenger experience. The aircraft’s larger seats, overhead bins and windows deliver a wide-body feel that offers passengers unparalleled comfort in a single-aisle cabin.The passengers’ and pilots’ feedback is positive for the cabin and flight controls.

 

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The amazing and high-tech CS300 cockpit. Photo: Kārlis Dambrāns from Latvia

The groundbreaking Pratt & Whitney PurePower® PW1500G engine, combined with the aircraft’s advanced aerodynamics, delivers reduced fuel burn, noise, and emissions – making the C-Series the most community-friendly aircraft. Bombardier claims the engine and the wings will save up to 20% fuel compared with the Airbus A320neo and the Boeing 737NG; the CS300 is 6 tons lighter than the Airbus A319neo and nearly 8 tons lighter than the Boeing 737 MAX 7, helping it to achieve up to 12% operating costs savings and 15% with the current models. Here is an airBaltic CS300 departing from Amsterdam Airport to its home base airport in Riga, Latvia. Video courtesy of Jerry Taha Productions.

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How does the Airbus-Bombardier Partnership relate to the Boeing-Bombardier Dispute? 

On October 16, 2017 Airbus and Bombardier announced a partnership on the C-Series program, with Airbus acquiring a 50.01% majority stake for no outlay, with Bombardier keeping 31% and Investissement Québec 19%. When the deal closes in the second half of 2018, Airbus will assist in marketing and servicing.

Airbus’ supply chain expertise should save production costs, but headquarters and assembly remain in Quebec while U.S. customers will benefit from a second assembly line in Mobile, Alabama. Airbus did not pay for its share in the program, nor did it assume any debt. Airbus insists that the company has no plan to buy out Bombardier’s stake in the C-Series program. Bombardier would remain a strategic partner after 2025. The plan is to expand in an estimated market of more than 6,000 new 100-150 seat aircraft over 20 years. Airbus CEO Tom Enders and Bombardier CEO Alain Bellemare assured that this factor did not drive the partnership, but negotiations began in August, after the April 2017 filing and the June decision to proceed and, as a result, Boeing was suspicious.

Boeing’s battle over Bombardier is indirectly related to its feud with Airbus. Boeing claims Bombardier received illegal support for its C-Series airliner, when the province of Quebec took a 1 billion dollar stake in the troubled programme. This support helped Bombardier to agree a mega order for 75 CS100s with Delta Airlines on April 28, 2016. Although Delta has 75 CS100 jets in order with an option for an additional 50 planes, expect the airline to switch some of its order to the larger CS300 down the road. With a range of more than 3,500 miles, the CS100 allows Delta to operate routes its smaller jets had not been able to reach before. The jets are expected to be based in New York and Los Angeles.

 

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Delta ordered the CS100 on April 28, 2016. They will enter service next spring. Image: Bombardier

Bombardier has been a global leader in business and regional jets, but the C-Series is the first product from the Canadian manufacturer to compete against Boeing and Airbus in the mainline market. This was a major financial gamble for Bombardier, with a program price tag of 5.5 billion dollar. Since its inception more than 10 years ago, there has been a series of development delays and slow sales. Even as Bombardier struggled to close a sale, they were credited with building an aircraft that’s one of the most capable on the market today in terms of efficiency and ability, besting Boeing and Airbus. With the Delta order, Bombardier has the blockbuster deal it needed to validate the attractiveness of the C-Series to other prospective buyers.

An interesting thing about the Boeing-Bombardier case is that Boeing hasn’t really seen any influence by Delta’s purchase of the C-Series. The jets are smaller than Boeing’s smallest aircraft, the 737. They are simply targeting different markets.

So how does the Boeing-Bombardier battle relate to Airbus? Perhaps the U.S. giant doesn’t want to see another potential competitor supported in the same way that has allowed Airbus to come from nothing in the seventies to being an equal rival today. Since the nineties Airbus has been a true rival for Boeing.

Since then it seems like most people either love the American or European aircraft manufacturer. In my case I simply enjoy both Boeing and Airbus and I certainly believe the two largest aircraft manufacturers in the world will keep forcing one another to manufacture more and better quality aircraft, when you look at performance, fuel efficiency, comfort, and low-noise engines, like Boeing’s 737 MAX and 787 Dreamliner, but also Airbus’ A320neo and A350. As a result aviation will be soaring to new heights in the future.

And now we also have the Bombardier CS100 and CS300 to enjoy. A magnificent and unique aircraft that will fly at more and more places around the globe in the years to come.

The Pegasus: The First Production KC-46A Tanker Has Flown

Bill Walton
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The Pegasus: The First Production KC-46A Tanker Has Flown

At 1032 local time on Tuesday December 5th 2017, the first production-spec Boeing KC-46A Pegasus aerial refueling tanker took off from Paine Field at Boeing’s plant at Everett in Washington.

The flight lasted some three hours and thirty minutes, during which the two Boeing test pilots and crew climbed to 39,000 feet and executed the FAA-approved operational tests on the engines, flight controls, and environmental systems. After the flight the jet underwent post-flight instrumentation checks and inspections.

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Official US Air Force photograph

All is not well with the KC-46 program though. Boeing had been committed to delivery of the first production variant of the new tanker to the United States Air Force (USAF) before the end of the 2017 calendar year.

The expected delivery date has slipped to an as yet undetermined date in 2018. Six prototype KC-46As have been built and flown since September of 2015, accumulating more than 2,200 flight hours and 1,600 refueling transfers.

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Official US Air Force photograph

The KC-46A prototypes have already passed gas to General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcons, Boeing F/A-18 Hornets, Boeing AV-8B Harriers, Boeing C-17 Globemaster IIIs, Fairchild Republic A-10 Warthogs, and have passed gas to and received gas from Boeing KC-135R Stratotankers, Boeing KC-10 Extenders, and other KC-46 Pegasus prototypes.

Testing with other current military aircraft such as Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptors, F-35 Lightning IIs, and Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirits has not yet been completed.

BoeingKC46A
Official US Air Force photograph

The development of the KC-46A has been a political and fiscal soap opera right from the beginning. Without slogging into the painful details, suffice it to say that in this day and age it’s highly unusual for a program to be as far off both schedule and expectations as the KC-46A program has been.

But the jet can carry ten percent more fuel than the KC-135 and about 33 tons of cargo in a larger “wide body” fuselage. The new tanker also sports an advanced electronic flight instrumentation system (EFIS)-equipped flight deck by Rockwell-Collins.

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Image courtesy Rockwell-Collins

The Pegasus is equipped with dual wing-mounted drogue reel pods and a single rigid boom refueling system. This allows multiple simultaneous “plugs” of aircraft using the probe and drogue refueling method (primarily US Navy and Marines aircraft along with many foreign allied types) or refueling receptacles primarily used by the USAF.

KC-46As are also equipped with infrared countermeasures along with defensive electronic warfare equipment. The jet can even be configured to carry 114 passengers or litter patients when pressed into service as a medical evacuation aircraft.

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Official US Air Force photograph

There are two issues in particular that need to be sorted out. The rigid boom refueling arm has experienced several un-commanded extensions when aircraft receiving fuel have detached from it, which could cause damage to the receiving aircraft’s skin surface- not good for any aircraft but especially for stealthy types.

The KC-46’s high frequency (HF) radio utilizes the aircraft’s skin as an antenna, which can cause electrical arcing and sparking- not good for a tanker carrying tons of fuel at high altitude. Initial production aircraft may lack the wing-mounted drogue reel pods too.

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Image courtesy Boeing

The total USAF buy of KC-46As is expected to be 179 airframes. Several foreign customers have expressed interest in the KC-46. Italy, Japan, and Colombia already operate tanker versions of the commercial 767-2XX airframe, with Japan and Brazil on the order books.

The USAF KC-46As will replace the veteran Boeing KC-135E Stratotankers. The USAF has said that the KC-46A fleet will train at Altus Air Force Base (AFB) in Oklahoma. The first operational KC-46A units will be based at McConnell AFB in Kansas and Seymour-Johnson AFB in North Carolina along with Pease Air National Guard Base (ANGB) in New Hampshire. Eventually some ten to twelve bases will host KC-46A units.

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Official US Air Force photograph

Retired THUD Pilot and USAF General Charles Boyd Loved to Slip the Surly Bonds

Bill Walton
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Retired THUD Pilot and USAF General Charles Boyd Loved to Slip the Surly Bonds

Retired 4-Star General Boyd Flew for the Air Force- Then He Flew Just Because He Loved It

Born on 15 April 1938 near Rockwell City in Iowa, Charles Graham Boyd learned to fly at an early age after his first flight in a Piper Cub when he was seven years old. Boyd joined the United States Air Force (USAF) in 1959 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1960. Like most of the pilots of his generation he served in Vietnam, first flying North American F-100 Super Sabres in the Philippines and later Republic F-105 Thunderchief fighter bombers in-country. Shot down on 2 April 22 1966 during his 88th mission over North Vietnam (105th overall), Boyd subsequently spent 2,488 days as a prisoner of war (POW) before his release as part of Operation Homecoming in 1973. This video, uploaded to YouTube by AOPALive, profiles Boyd’s life and lifetime love for flying.

[youtube id=”X0KMeYjxm6M” width=”800″ height=”454″ position=”left”]

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Official US Air Force photograph

Continuing a Distinguished Career

After his release, Major Boyd remained in the Air Force. Boyd attended the Air Force Institute of Technology and Air War College. He then served as vice commander of the 8th Air Force, Strategic Air Command (SAC) at Barksdale Air Force Base (AFB), as director of plans at USAF Headquarters in Washington DC, and as commander of Air University headquartered at Maxwell AFB in Alabama. He eventually became deputy commander in chief of the United States European Command in Stuttgart-Vaihingen, Germany- his final assignment. Along with his assignments came promotions, eventually rising to full General- he’s the only former POW to achieve 4-star rank. General Boyd retired from the Air Force in 1995.

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Official US Air Force photograph

Finding a Way to Get Into the Blue

General Boyd’s military awards and decorations include the Air Force Cross, the Silver Star with oak leaf cluster, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star with V and two oak leaf clusters, the Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters, the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, and the Purple Heart with two oak leaf clusters, all earned over Boyd’s more than 2,400 hours of USAF flight time. His work in national security and foreign relations continued for many years after his military service. He was a member of several boards of directors in the electronics and software industries. And fittingly, Chuck Boyd flew his own Super Legend Cub and a Beechcraft T-34 Mentor– both also fittingly painted in USAF colors. Charles Graham Boyd flew west on 23 March 2022 at the age of 83.

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Image courtesy University of Kansas

Inaugural Wings Over Myrtle Beach to Host Blue Angels, F-16 Viper

Charles Atkeison
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Inaugural Wings Over Myrtle Beach to Host Blue Angels, F-16 Viper

LAS VEGAS — The International Council of Airshows announced on Monday the Navy’s Blue Angels and the Air Force’s F-16 Viper Demo Team will headline the inaugural Wings Over Myrtle Beach Air Show this spring.

The announcement of the show itself was big news to the residents along the South Carolina coast as the first air show in over a decade is now official with a huge headliner. Military and civilian aerobatic aircraft will perform during the two-day weekend of April 28 and 29, 2018, at the Myrtle Beach International Airport.

“It was our collective goal to bring the top talent the air show industry has to offer, including a military jet demonstration team,” JLC AirShow Management President John Cowman said on Monday. “We couldn’t be more excited about the opportunity to host an air show on the same runways previously utilized by the U.S. Air Force. The news of the Blue Angels participation sets our plans in motion to deliver exactly what we intended and has exceeded our expectations for the first annual event.”

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Image: Charles A Atkeison

The Blue Angels presence in Myrtle Beach is another win for Cowman and his team after having hosted the Navy’s elite F/A-18 Hornet squadron during two separate air shows in 2017. WOMB will mark JLC Airshows’ third time hosting the Blue Angels inside of 13 months.

Brad Dean, president and CEO of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, was grinning following Monday’s confirmation, “We are thrilled to help bring an air show back to Myrtle Beach. We always welcome effective partnerships, in this case with Horry County, the Myrtle Beach International Airport, JLC Airshow Management, and of course the many talented performers. This is another great attraction for tourists to enjoy in our area during the spring season.”

The Air Force also confirmed the inclusion of the F-16 Viper Demonstration Team at Myrtle Beach. Major John “Rain” Waters will pilot the F-16 jet through military style maneuvers during one performance each day.

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Image: Charles A Atkeison

One end of the air show runway lies less than one mile from the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. However, air show officials noted that the best viewing of both the aerobatic performers and the static displays will be on the grounds of the airport.

“Horry County Department of Airports is excited to partner with JLC Air Show Management and welcome the Wings Over Myrtle Beach Air Show to the Grand Strand,” Director of airports, Scott Van Moppes said on Monday. “The opportunity to bring an air show back to Myrtle Beach, SC is fantastic news and should be an exciting community event. The format of the air show, with the Blue Angels as the headliner, embraces the rich military heritage of our community.”

Brenda Little, spokesperson for JLC Airshows, added that “a host of world-class aerobatic and warbird performers” will be announced in the coming weeks.

(Charles A Atkeison reports on aerospace and technology. Follow his updates via social media @Military_Flight.)

WWII B-25 ‘Panchito’ Inspiring New Generations of Aviation Enthusiasts

Charles Atkeison
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WWII B-25 ‘Panchito’ Inspiring New Generations of Aviation Enthusiasts

BRUNSWICK, Ga. — Standing before a B-25 Mitchell at any air show or museum the conversation before you will undoubtedly discuss the aircraft’s historic role during the 1942 attack on Tokyo during the Doolittle Raid of World War II.

A force of sixteen B-25 medium size bombers lifted the hopes of a wounded America as pilot LT. Col. Jimmy Doolittle lead his squadron on a strike against Japan in the months following Pearl Harbor. Each aircraft carried a five man crew and up to five huge bombs on its mission.

Restored and gleaming B-25.
Photo: Delaware Aviation Museum

Today, nearly 76 years later, approximately thirty B-25’s remain flight worthy, including several of which perform at air shows across America. One B-25J Mitchell carries the name Panchito, and thanks to the fine care and refurbishment of this aging aircraft, is proudly flown by a pilot who is also its owner.

Larry Kelley is that pilot. A pilot with over 1800 hours behind the control yoke of a polished aluminum B-25; and 2017 marked his 20th year campaigning his beloved Panchito across America.

The original Panchito was named after the pistol totting rooster in Disney’s 1944 cartoon, The Three Caballeros. Kelley explained that his aircraft was named after the original Panchito which served with the 396th Bomb Squadron, 41st Bomb Group, 7th Air Force on Okinawa during summer 1945.

The B-25 that was named Panchito.
Photo: Charles A Atkeison

The original Panchito served in the Pacific theater performing bombing runs that hot summer. After the war ended, Kelley noted, many of the Pacific theater aircraft were gathered at Clark airfield in the Philippines and buried in a ravine.

Today, Kelley carries the torch once held by the Greatest Generation to teach and demonstrate to the younger generations the story of the B-25 and her crew members. From the aircraft’s home at the Delaware Aviation Museum in Georgetown to air show sites across North America each year, Panchito is a beacon of education illuminating the minds of those interested in learning about its rich history.

“This aircraft served during World War II in a training command,” Kelly explained. “After the war it went into mothballs for a short time and then brought out to go active duty with the air national guard units until 1959.” The pilot added his aircraft was fully restored to present day condition and marked to represent its original namesake.

Image of the top of a B-25.
Photo: Charles A Atkeison

And why a polished silver and unpainted? To save on weight, nearly 600 pounds. Enough weight to carry an extra bomb. It also allows the B-25 to soar over the heads of the enemy without standing out.

North American Aviation completed nearly 9,815 B-25’s between 1940 and 1945. Designed to perform at low altitudes between 8,0 and 12,0 feet, the Mitchell was powered by two 1700 hp Wright R-2600 engines which provided the aircraft’s crew a cruising speed of 230 m.p.h. It’s maximum speed is listed by official records of 275 m.p.h.

Named in honor of military aviation pioneer General Billy Mitchell, the B-25 Mitchell has a wingspan of nearly 68 feet and covers an area of 610 square feet. The aircraft’s length measures nearly 54 feet.

This aerospace journalist was invited by JLC Airshows to fly with pilot Larry Kelley and his crew during a flight over the beautiful Golden Isles on Georgia’s scenic coastline.

With both hands grasping the yoke and his checklist book in his lap, Kelley kept his aircraft steady as he and his co-pilot performed during an air show. His checklist includes several maneuvers performed by the pilots of the Greatest Generation.

Using show center as a marker, Kelley maneuvered Panchito into exact timed passes while ‘wowing’ the crowds with several flat passes and climbs. Panchito demonstrated a World War II bombing run as Kelley summoned his co-pilot to open the bomb bay doors.

“You want to see what a B-25 is like, come to an air show — see them fly, hear them,” Kelly explained on the gusty Brunswick airfield. “See the smoke as they start up, and nothing like the sound of a radial engine.”

During most air shows Kelley performs, Panchito will draw the attention of one or two fellow warbird pilots. Panchito’s flight demonstration usually concludes with a photo pass over the airfield flanked by fellow historic aircraft of the 1940 and 50’s.

As December turns toward January, Kelley will be busy preparing Panchito for her 21st season in 2018 — both scheduling air show visits and the normal winter maintenance.

Image from the rear of a B-25.
Photo: Charles A Atkeison

“What people don’t see is the tremendous amount of maintenance it takes to keep these flying,” Kelley said. Last winter, he added, his team worked seven days a week for six weeks, putting in a minimum 12 hours each day, “That’s what it takes to keep these old, vintage airplanes flying.”

As March nears, you can discover this warbird’s updated flight schedule, and plan a rare opportunity to schedule a flight on the wings of history aboard Panchito.

(Charles A. Atkeison reports on aerospace and technology. Follow his updates via social media @Military_Flight.)

Will Computers Learn to Fly Well Enough Before Pilots Forget How?

Rob Graves
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Will Computers Learn to Fly Well Enough Before Pilots Forget How?

In my job, I get to fly with all different kinds of cats and dogs. And by cats and dogs, I don’t mean the ubiquitous emotional support animals now being carried by passengers, but rather pilots. The guys and gals I fly with all have different backgrounds and stories. Over the years I’ve flown with pilots from every branch and sub-branch of the armed services, pilots with civilian-only backgrounds, and even pilots from foreign countries to include foreign military services. I even flew with a former submariner who managed to get out of a diesel stink boat and into an airplane.

No matter how diverse their backgrounds, we both get into the jet and within a few minutes it’s like we’ve been flying together for years. That is the power of training to a common standard. We run checklists, make callouts, and fly the airplane in such a way that the other person knows exactly what to expect and when to expect it.

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Quote by Sully Sullenberger.

Over the years I’ve flown with some truly amazing pilots who could fly the machine like a virtuoso might play a finely tuned instrument. I’ve also flown with some, how shall we say, less precise pilots, who, while meeting standards, didn’t go out of their way to make my or anyone else’s eyes water at the sight of their aerial proficiency. This has usually been a case of lacking not skill, but rather the motivation for excellence. And I get it—it’s nearly impossible to be always “on”, but over time an average level of effort will be made apparent.

Automation, however, is changing things, and not unreservedly for the better. Don’t get me wrong; overall, automation is of great value in the cockpit and will be with us for the foreseeable future. The improvements to safety alone are real and well documented. There is, however, a fly or two in the automation ointment.

In today’s highly automated aviation environment, it is becoming more difficult to tell who can fly the airplane well or not because we rarely do it. And when I use the term “fly” here, I mean to hand fly the aircraft without the use of the autopilot or automation. Hand flying, like any precise and complex human task, is a perishable skill. If you don’t practice for a while, you’ll get rusty. Any musician knows this.

Unfortunately, standard operating procedure at nearly every airline in the world to varying degrees is to employ automation to the maximum extent possible. So, if the automation flies as well as or better than a human (and it does, most of the time), what does it matter if pilots are losing their manual flying skills? To these hundreds of people I mention below, it mattered quite a bit. Consider the following.

A New Category of Crash

 After any aviation accident, investigators will pour over the wreckage trying to figure out what went wrong. They will also look closely at the pilots’ backgrounds, their training, and their proficiency. What is becoming apparent is the discovery of a disturbingly new type of crash where one of the primary causes is either the pilot’s interaction with automated systems, or even worse, a pilot’s lack of proficiency in recovering an aircraft from an upset or automation failure.
The crash landing of Emirates 521 in 2016 is an example of the first type of failure which I explored in detail here. The pilot expected the automation to perform in a certain manner, but due to circumstances which he had evidently not anticipated nor been trained for, the throttles were never advanced on a go-around. This caused the airplane to settle onto the runway after the gear had been retracted. The aircraft was destroyed in the post-crash fire while luckily, there was only one fatality.

The crashes of Asiana 214, a Boeing 777, Air France 447, an Airbus A330, and AirAsia 8501, an Airbus A320, are examples of a lack of proficiency in basic flying skills. I wrote about those tragedies here, here, and here. Collectively these crashes resulted in the deaths of 393 passengers and crew. The common link is that all three airplanes were perfectly flyable when they went down. In each case, the pilots had profound misunderstandings about what was happening to their airplanes and were not equipped to remedy the situations.

Pilots Who Can’t Fly?

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Automation has made flying easier in some respects but more challenging in others.
Photo by Alex Beltyukov – http://www.airliners.net/photo/Boeing/Boeing-787-8-Dreamliner/1940205/L/, CC BY-SA 3.0, Ligação

How have we arrived at this juncture where (some) pilots are lacking in basic stick and rudder skills? The short answer is through years of charging into a technological future without taking the time to think about where we’re going, nor planning how to get there.

We can all anticipate a time at some point in the distant future where automation and software are so far advanced that manual flying skills will be relegated to wealthy hobbyists who maintain and fly antique aircraft for fun. We’re not there yet and won’t be for some time. Even though the automation on today’s airliners is quite sophisticated, it just isn’t ready for prime time. I find myself having to intervene multiple times on nearly every flight to correct automation generated errors on the state of the art Boeing aircraft I fly. Heck, having the automation attempt to exceed structural limits of the aircraft isn’t that uncommon. I suspect my Airbus, Embraer, and Canadair flying compatriots have similar experiences.

Another problem with automation as it is currently deployed finds the machine doing most of the flying while the humans sit on their hands waiting for it to make a mistake. No one seems to have considered that humans are uniquely unsuited to monitor machines, but rather it is the machine which should be assisting and monitoring the humans. Humans become quickly bored and will mentally check out after a short amount of time staring at a machine that may randomly make a mistake at any time.

As alluded to by Sully in the above quote, a better deployment of technology might be to keep the pilots in the control loop as an active participant, and to relegate the automation to the role of watchdog, which machines can do quite well.

As an aside, I am always amused that many sci-fi movies still depict some sort of manual control in futuristic spacecraft. It was Luke’s manual flying skills obtained from bulls eyeing womp rats that carried the day in the original Star Wars movie. And while Sulu never had a side stick controller in the original Star Trek, one was added in later incarnations of that franchise. (Be sure not to miss the maiden voyage scene from the Star Trek spoof movie Galaxy Quest.) Perhaps they were onto something. There will always be a certain romanticism attached to the idea of the steely eyed flying ace hand flying the machine.

Back to Basics: The FAA Reacts

Alarmed by the recent spate of accidents attributed in part to the lack of pilot proficiency, the FAA recently created new rules for pilot training to address these deficiencies. Added in 2014, FAR 121.423 now mandates additional training for pilots which they call “Extended Envelope Training” (EET). This new training will now require pilots to demonstrate manually controlled proficiency in slow flight, loss of reliable airspeed, instrument departures and arrivals, upset recovery, and bounced landing recovery. Airlines were given a few years to upgrade their training programs and simulator capabilities to accommodate the new maneuvers.

Here’s the sad part. All these maneuvers are Aviation 101, and are taught to beginning pilots. This actually reads like the syllabus I taught to pre-solo nuggets in the T-37 aircraft back in the 80s. What the FAA has inadvertently done is to validate the criticism that modern automated cockpits are causing pilots to become so rusty that they need to relearn basic airmanship.

In Conclusion

Automation, while bringing many benefits and efficiencies to aviation, does have a downside. Over-reliance on automation has caused a gradual erosion in pilots’ stick and rudder skills to such a degree that the safe operation of an aircraft can be jeopardized by automation failures. The FAA is now attempting a rear guard operation to restore basic skills to airmen whose acumen has been dulled by years of push-button flying.

There will eventually come a time when automation is robust enough and redundant enough to never need human intervention, but that time is still many years away. During this transition era, pilots will still need to maintain their skill set and be ready to assume control of the airplane with little or no warning. A smarter way to have humans and machines work together would see the machine deployed as an assistant to the humans who remain in direct control of the airplane, rather than the other way around.

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