Want to hear the most annoying sound in the world? Just fly in the cockpit of a Mad Dog!
A YouTuber by the name of ‘Mike’ recently posted a hilarious tribute to the aging MadDog MD-80 series. In the video, he mocks all of the annoying tones and buzzers alerting the pilots of altitude changes, trim wheel movements, and nuisance caution alarms. While every jet has annunciators, the McDonnell Douglas’s 1980s ‘ColecoVision’ sounds are known to be especially annoying as they tend to annunciate loudly right as the pilot is trying to answer a radio call.
There was was time back when the MD-80 represented the pinnacle of aviation technology. With two engines instead of the 727’s three, American Airlines touted a 37% fuel savings of their “Super” -80s. The aircraft featured the latest in avionics, engines, and safety to achieve optimal performance for airlines. This promotional video from 1984 proudly shows off the Mad Dog in its prime with some sweet 1980’s electronica as a musical accompaniment.
Over the past 35+ years though, the MD-80 has been surpassed by more modern aircraft like the 737 and Airbus A320 series. With the MAX and NEO coming online soon, the Mad Dog will remain at some airlines but will continue to be retired in greater numbers. As of June 2020, all major airlines have retired the MD-80.
Famed aviation photographer Jim Mumaw shares his thoughts on how to enjoy one of the most unique places to spot military aircraft in the United States.
A Super Hornet from VFA-154 Black Knights begins its canyon bustin’ run as it starts it’s low level VR-1355.
Editors Update: Jim Mumaw was able to photograph the C-17 in Star Wars Canyon this past week. This is the first high quality photo seen in the canyon. We share the rest of his article highlighting his many journeys to the canyon to photograph amazing aircraft. Check it out!
Death Valley National Monument, the name conjures up visions of desolation and remote silence broken only by the winds blowing across the valley floor. Amid the natural solitude, on the eastern side of the monument, it’s a much different story. It’s one of the world of aviation’s most unheard of treasures.
Along Highway 190, which winds its way from the small town of Olancha on I-395 in the Owens Valley at the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountains to Death Valley, is a canyon of note. The maps call it Rainbow Canyon but to pilots, it’s “Star Wars Canyon”. Just before descending down a winding path into the Panamint Valley, there’s a small paved parking lot. The sign says Father Crowley Point but to aviation enthusiasts, it might as well say Wonderland.
Tourists gather at the railings overlooking the canyon which, at points, has red-colored outcroppings. Suddenly, the silence is broken by the sound of approaching jet engines. A form, at first small, comes around from the northeast and drops down into the canyon. It’s a fighter jet! Within seconds the shape of an F/A-18 Hornet is discernable as it drops well below the walls of the canyon and, in no time, an F/A-18F Super Hornet from the Black Knights comes roaring past below the tourists, yanking and banking as the crew navigates through the winding canyon and out into the valley ahead.
Hornet from VX-9 Vampires, China Lake, dives into the canyon to begin its low level.
Welcome to one of the only places that a person can drive to, get out of their car and walk a matter of feet to see such a show of power and skill. The action can range from nothing to spectacular with no set schedule so it’s always a gamble. And there’s no guarantee as to what aircraft you might see.
It’s fun to watch the tourists look up as the aircraft scream by below them. It’s human nature to look upward instead of below one’s feet to see jets flying. On a summer’s day, very many dialects can be heard among the tourists. One day, I heard French, British, Australian, German, Swiss, Japanese, Spanish (from Spain) and even Dutch.
Planes from NAWS China Lake, NAS Lemoore, the ANG in Fresno, Nellis AFB and even Edwards AFB come smashing through the canyon. You can see F/A-18 E & F Super Hornets, Ea-18G Growlers, F-15 Eagles and even T-38 Talons and F-16s from Edwards AFB. More rare are the Rescue copter from China Lake’s VX-31 as well as the UH-1Y Venom, also from China Lake with VX-9. One never knows what will show up. British GR4 Tornados have also been seen as well as A-4 Skyhawks of a private company. It all depends on luck as to what you’ll see. The training area has been in use for decades. Well back into the 20th century and before jet aircraft, pilots have used it for honing their skills.
VX-31’s Rescue copter comes through the canyon, training for any situation
There are some things to keep in mind when if you decide to take the challenge to go to the canyon though. It is Death Valley, so depending upon the time of year, you need to be prepared to boil or freeze. Water is imperative regardless. Also good tires if you venture away from any paved area. There are different spots that photographers venture but once you leave the pavement for marked dirt roads, you must stay on the dirt roads only (no off roading) and those roads are ripe at time with potholes and, always rife with tire killing rocks.
It is within a national monument so the landscape must be left as you found it. No changing things around for a more comfortable experience, no stacking rocks, don’t even take any home. And… NO litter or trash! This is a treasure but the Federal Government can shut down access to it by closing roads, etc. if they believe that it is being abused in any way. You’ll also suffer the wrath of the regular photographers and enthusiasts who jealously guard the area against abuse, not to mention the rangers.
It must also be stressed that, if you choose to view the action away from the safety of the parking area’s railings, the drop into the canyon will almost always mean a body recovery opposed to a rescue for anybody unlucky enough to misstep or lose their situational awareness as the aircraft come by.
A lot of things to keep in mind, but they will make for a safer and more enjoyable experience as well as keep this wonder available to all for years to come.
It has been called the Kai Tak of European airports, after Hong Kong’s notorious airport, infamous for its own roof-top, cross-wind approaches to runway 13.
The History Channel rated it as the 9th most extreme airport in the world.
The website, Interesting Engineering rated it #2 in its ranking of the world’s most dangerous airports, more dangerous than Tenzing Hillary Airport in Nepal.
Runway is an engineering marvel
In 2004, its runway – which bears a disturbing similarity to Monaco’s famous tunnel on it Gran Prix circuit – was awarded the Outstanding Structure Award (“OSA”) for 2004 by the International Association of Bridge and Structural Engineering (“IABSE”).
Wedged between a steep cliff and the sea, Madeira’s Airport, formerly Santa Catarina Airport, is also known as Funchal Airport (IATA: FNC; ICAO: LPMA) has a single runway of just over 9100 feet capable of landing an A330. It’s similarity to Monaco is because a considerable segment of the runway is an extension built on a platform sitting atop 180 columns, each over 200 feet tall.
Landing on a windy bridge
While the elevated platform gave pilots more runway, it did nothing to eliminate the turbulence and downdrafts for which the airport is still famous. And in the back of every pilot’s mind is that over-running the runways gets you a 200 vertical drop to the sea.
In 2015, 2.5 million commercial passengers quite safely passed through the airport’s largely subterranean terminal, 13.2 kilometers (8.2 miles) from the Island capital, Funchal. Skilled pilots execute the difficult approach safely. But the internet abounds with breath-taking videos of extreme landings and missed approaches .
Alaska Airlines introduced a full brand refresh today. The update includes new a new “Alaska” logo with a new airplane paint scheme the includes bright northern lights colors a modified, more friendly eskimo design. The update will be incorporated into signage at the airport, a new paint scheme aircraft, along with a refreshed website and mobile app.
In a press release, Alaska’s Vice President of Marketing, Sangita Woerner said, “Our goal was to bring more energy to the brand, so we brought color that represents the places we fly and our home here in the Pacific Northwest. We’re a brand that’s all about brightening your day, so we added some complimentary blues and green to reflect that in our outward appearance.”
Woerner also made a statement proclaiming Alaska’s fierce independence in the midst of all of the mega-airline mergers over the past few years: “This sets us up for future growth,” Woerner said. “We’re a fiercely independent company, and we’re updating our brand to take us into the future.” Her comments seem to indicate that no merger partner is waiting in the wings.
Alaska Airlines currently operates a fleet of 147 Boeing 737 aircraft and provides additional branded flying on Horizon’s 52 Q400 along with Skywest’s CRJ-700 and ERJ-175 aircraft. In December, they announced that they will be phasing out the 737-400 fleet.
You can learn more about the refresh by watching the video that Alaska Airlines released in concert with the refresh below.
One of the frequent complaints about our nation’s efforts against ISIS is that we are losing the media war. ISIS frequently puts together slick videos of their disgusting actions. They leverage social media to share their ideas worldwide. America counters with a paltry press release or still photo of an airman loading a bomb. Messaging is important in warfare. It’s why America and it’s allies enlisted Hollywood in World War II to visually depict how totalitarianism was so objectively evil. We won that war. Telling our side of the story is no less important today. The storytelling behind airdropping aid to starving refugees, killing the enemy, and sharing a compelling vision of our side to the world is just as important as actually doing the mission itself.
That is why this B-1 squadron’s deployment video is so awesome. While it’s not perfect, it shows what every squadron and important mission video should look like these days. If you are going to kill ISIS with warheads on foreheads–the most evil force on the planet since WWII– your pilots and supporting crews should look like a rockstar while doing it.
This video shows the potential of what slick production skills could do to better tell America’s story. The video features every aspect of the mission. Pilots are the executors of the mission but the host of supporting functions are no less critical to a perfectly executed mission. Together, they deliver death to evildoers and do America proud.
Kudos to the 37th EBS and thanks for your service.
UPDATE: The video was recently changed to private for unknown reasons. We’ll repost the video when/if it is back up on YouTube.
We’ve seen people position a GoPro at the end of the runway before but this is a first. A guy stood on the end of an assault runway to film the departure of a C-130. It’s gutsy, rare footage, and a sight to behold as the massive Herk departs over the videographer’s head.
Engines are extremely reliable pieces of machinery. This reliability isn’t just luck though. It is a result of a robust testing and maintenance program. Prior to service entry, a jet engine undergoes an extensive testing to prove reliability. After service entry, an engine is sometimes tested to diagnose a fault, test an upgraded feature, or ensure proper function after an overhaul. Because of the raw power of a jet engine, great care in normally taken to secure the engine before a test.
Today, our focus is on the J-85 engine built by General Electric. The J-85 is a small but powerful engine with proven reliability. With up to 6,000lbs of thrust, the engine powers the T-38, F-5 and a non-afterburner powered version powered the A-37 Firefly. It can power jet aircraft to supersonic speeds. The jet engine is still tested on a regular basis. This is what a J-85 test is supposed to look like.
How to Properly Test a J-85 Engine:
Don’t Do This! (Video Below)
Unfortunately, mistakes occasionally occur. It appears someone forgot to bolt down the J-85 to the test rig properly in this video. Just 10 seconds into the testing, the engine is detached from its rig. Woosh! 6,000 lbs of thrust hurtle forward in an uncontrolled manner. That’ll leave a mark.
The amazing video shows a near collision between an airliner and a small twin aircraft. Back in the 1970s, Ansett Airways (Australia) did an air-to-air photo shoot with one of their F-27 Friendship turboprop aircraft. The formation photoshoot was flown with a Piper Navajo aircraft.
Details are really sketchy about this video. A few forums call it a fake video. Others say the plane and the photo shoot really happened. The prevailing theory is that the Piper was too close and was sucked into the Fokker’s vortices. I’m not sure I believe the reasoning but the video does look real. Regardless of the cause, it’s a very unique video showing how VH-FND’s tail almost lopped off by the wing of the smaller plane.
This video is a good reminder that formation flight is inherently dangerous. Don’t try it if you’ve never been trained on how to do it. If you have been trained, prebrief all pilots, don’t cut corners or showoff. And don’t lose focus, even for a split second.
This F/A-18 pilot sure knows how to yank and bank. It’s not unusual for fighter pilots to perform low levels. They are an essential part of training and a skill that is necessary for combat. What is impressive in this clip is how aggressive the pilot actually flies the route. He’s either a really good pilot or crazy…or a little of both. You decide.
Back in late 2014, American Airlines announced that they would be painting new liveries on three 737-800s in the colors of TWA, RenoAir, and AirCal. Avgeeks everywhere rejoiced that the famous tails from three departed airlines would soon return to the skies.
Throughout 2015, American Airlines actually unveiled four unique heritage liveries honoring the four major acquisitions by the company over the years. This included 737-800s from TWA, RenoAir, and AirCal. A fourth Airbus A321 was painted in factory fresh US Airways colors with American titles to represent the heritage plane of US Airways for the ‘new’ American Airlines.
American Introduces Heritage Liveries
American’s AirCal Heritage Livery (Courtesy American Airlines)
The TWA, RenoAir, and AirCal airplanes were met with excitement but also some criticism. All three aircraft had a primary gray (mica) color instead of the white background seen on the schemes they were meant to represent. The color of the jets were a disappointment to many avgeek purists who had hoped for completely accurate paint schemes.
Why Are They Gray?
American’s new TWA Heritage Livery (Courtesy American Airlines)
Avgeekery reached out to American Airlines for comment. We asked the question, “why were the heritage liveries gray instead of white?” American responded to us with the following comments.
The base color for the TWA, Reno Air and AirCal aircraft sometimes have a grayer look because the current American Airlines mica system was used instead of the white used in some liveries in the past. The mica flecks within the three-coat system can look slightly grayer under overcast skies, but in sunlight it puts off a brilliant reflection that can appear white.
There was an important, practical consideration for this. Using the same paint means it will still match when we do repairs and body panel swaps. Some items that are replaced frequently, such as radomes and cargo doors, would be mismatched if the plane were a base white, and the spare was the same color as the rest of the American Airlines livery. Our heritage planes would then look patchy due to the different colors, or they would have to come out of service more often for re-painting. Using the same base color system means these heritage planes will spend more time where they belong – out flying, where everyone can see them.
American’s new TWA Heritage Livery (Courtesy American Airlines)
The logic behind this move makes sense. There is nothing uglier than a mismatched nose or panel on a beautiful aircraft. As a follow up, we wanted to find out if the previous Heritage Liveries of Piedmont, PSA, Allegheny, and America West Airlines would be painted in mica as well as American finished repainting the US Airways fleet to the ‘new’ American scheme. American responded with:
Not at this time.
Based on the logic of American’s response, we wouldn’t be surprised if American’s other heritage aircraft eventually are painted in a mica scheme one day.
American’s new TWA Heritage Livery (Courtesy American Airlines)American’s new TWA Heritage Livery (Courtesy American Airlines)American’s new TWA Heritage Livery (Courtesy American Airlines)American’s new TWA Heritage Livery (Courtesy American Airlines)American’s new TWA Heritage Livery (Courtesy American Airlines)American’s AirCal Heritage Livery (Courtesy American Airlines)American’s AirCal Heritage Livery (Courtesy American Airlines)American’s AirCal Heritage Livery (Courtesy American Airlines)American’s RenoAir Heritage Livery (Courtesy American Airlines)American’s RenoAir Heritage Livery (Courtesy American Airlines)American’s RenoAir Heritage Livery (Courtesy American Airlines)American’s RenoAir Heritage Livery (Courtesy American Airlines)American’s RenoAir Heritage Livery (Courtesy American Airlines)American’s AirCal Heritage Livery (Courtesy American Airlines
It was a plane that ‘converted jet fuel to noise’. Some nicknamed it the ‘quarter-million dollar dog whistle.’ If you ask any Air Force pilot who flew the T-37 Tweet to describe why they loved the jet trainer, their first response to your question will probably be, “huh? Say again?” But if you ask a little louder and/or tell them to turn up their hearing aid, you’ll inevitably get a heartfelt reply describing how special the plane was to them. They’ll talk about how the airplane flew formation like a dream, was built like a tank, and how it turned them into a real pilot.
The Tweet was loved but it was far from perfect. The plane was so loud that just listening to a Tweet video on YouTube still requires two forms of hearing protection. Most jets were bent from years of abuse and needed a little (or alot of) trim to attempt to center the aircraft. Engines were notoriously frustrating to start. I once needed a 300lb crew chief named Hector to bounce on the wing while I jiggled in my seat just to get the left engine started. The plane also had a spin recovery procedure so complicated that most student pilots could barely remember the boldface verbatim while sitting at the briefing table–let alone in an actual jet while you were hurtling towards your death in a spin with an instructor screaming at you just one foot from your face.
Even with all its faults, the T-37 Tweet was still a magnificent airplane though. It was a real airplane: no fly by wire, no auto-throttles, no autopilot either. I’m pretty sure the calculator in my flight suit pocket had more computing power than the Tweet. And that was why most people loved the airplane, myself included. It was the first and only jet airplane I ever soloed. I remember taking to the skies on one crystal-clear fall morning for a pattern solo flight where every landing I made for a solid hour was like a gentle good morning kiss to the runway. It was followed by repeated ‘double-clicks’ on the radio from the RSU as applause for not killing myself. I’m pretty sure that runway 13R at Laughlin AFB was made of butter that morning. It was a feat of professional flying that I haven’t replicated since.
So when I stumbled upon a T-37 video the other day, I knew I had to post it on Avgeekery. The video was shot way back in 1992. The particular Tweet in the video was probably flown by a MAC pilot who was part of the ACE program. It was a program that allowed ‘banked’ pilots to continue to fly something (a Tweet) while the Air Force absorbed excess pilots during the cutbacks after the Gulf War ended. Even 24 years later, the tweet sound from the video clip is so distinctive, so loud, but somehow soothing. The sound is as special to a Tweet pilot’s ears as it would be to anyone if they heard a beloved relative’s voice on an old VHS home video.
Riding high from that nostalgia, the next freakin’ clip that loaded on my screen absolutely broke my heart. Damn you, YouTube and your video suggestions! Now I’m not naive, I knew that T-37s died long ago. The last class flew them out of Sheppard AFB’s ENJJPT program in 2009. But there was a part of me that wanted to remember the good ‘ole days and not think about the sad fate that would unfortunately face most of the retired Tweets at Davis Monthan Air Base. Bad news doesn’t get better with time… Watch the clip yourself:
In reflection, the end is tragic but the journey was fantastic. Great memories and permanent hearing loss are all that remains. Cheers to you T-37! May you rest in peace.
We’ve heard of touch and goes, but touch and roll? Really? This is impressive!
The F-104 Starfighter was a century jet with a big engine and a very thin, stubby wing. The jet sacrificed maneuverability for speed and power. Built by Lockheed, the aircraft was originally built to battle the Mig-15, but its thin wing was notoriously finicky at low speeds, unforgiving at higher speeds and featured high takeoff and landing speeds of at 170+kts.
Flying a touch and roll in any plane is a very difficult and dangerous stunt. It requires a pilot to perform a role very close to the ground with landing gear extended, all while remaining at a speed low enough to descend and enter a landing flare just seconds later. Belgian fighter pilot Bill Ongena performed a touch and roll maneuver in the F-104 Starfighter. The maneuver highlighted in this video was made even more impressive by the fact that the maneuver was thought to be so dangerous that not even experienced Lockheed test pilots would attempt such a stunt.
Although the F-104 had its shortcomings, Lockheed still enjoyed a successful run of Starfighter production. The F-104 was built by the Lockheed and licensed partners for over 30 years. The key to the model’s longevity was its incremental approach to improvements and the success of its export in western allied air forces. The F-104 started out as a very limited daytime supersonic fighter that evolved over time with upgraded engines, radar, armament and techniques.
While the first F-104 was built in 1956, the final F-104 in the Italian Air Force was only retired in 2004. Nearly fifty years of operational flight for a century series fighter jet is unmatched by any other model of the era. If you are interested in learning more about the F-104, check out this video that originally appeared on the Discovery Channel back when they actually featured programming about aviation.
