Some pilots say flying isn’t all “rainbows and butterflies”. Other’s say it’s just “work, work, work, work…”
Being an airline pilot is a great deal. Your office is a cockpit. No one bothers you on your days off. You don’t have to check your e-mail every five minutes. It’s still not perfect though. Flying isn’t what it used to be. Mindless passengers mistake you for a bus driver or even worse a security guard. Not every crew rest hotel is glamourous. And contract negotiations lead to contentious debates in the cockpit during that redeye.
This hilarious skit – as told by Legos and high quality sets – highlights some of the annoying things about being an airline pilot.
This video was first uploaded on YouTube by Balroc12.
Was the proposed MD-12 Jumbo way ahead of its time or just a ‘Hail Mary’ attempt to keep airlines interested in an ailing company? Avgeekery explores the ‘why’ behind the failed MD-12 program.
McDonnell Douglas surprised the world in 1992 by unveiling a full double decker airliner program. Although certainly not as majestic as the 747, the MD-12 would have looked much like the A380 should have looked.
Without that hideous nose and a more streamlined body, the MD-12 could have actually been an attractive giant that would have given the Queen of the Skies a run for her money. Some uncharitably say they never really intended to build it at all.
Unveiled in April 1992, by a financially ailing McDonnell Douglas, they also announced first delivery of the 511 passenger, four-engine, full double-decker would be just five years. Officially it was a strategic move to leap-frog Boeing’s 747-400 and the Airbus 380 – Boeing had been exploring an all new, double-deck, four engine, airliner seating over 500 which was uncreatively named, the NLA – “New Large Aircraft”.
The press seemed to love the MD-12, but skeptics said it was just a ploy to get Boeing to pay more for the company.
At the time McDonnell Douglas was very sick financially, creaking under tremendous debt, and this project, although conservative in its design, would need lots of cash the company just didn’t have.
Reality or Wall Street subterfuge, the MD-12 featured four variants – the MD-12 ST (Stretch), MD-12 HC (High Capacity), MD-12 LR (Long Range) and a two-engine MD-12 Twin.
But it was never to be.
McDonnell Douglas MD-12 Wasn’t Meant To Be
Hindsight is 20/20. The market has proven barely large enough to support the A380 and the late-to-the-party 747-8. Both aircraft are still struggling to gain orders today. Other paper jumbos like the Sukhoi KR-860 (SKD-717) (which by the way, had it been built, would have been the world’s largest, widest, and heaviest airliner, beating the world’s current heavy-weight champion, the AN-225 by 50 tons of max weight) never got off the drawing board. The MD-12 would remain only a concept as one of aviation’s fallen flags.
What happened? Why did a struggling McDonnell Douglas even propose such a bold aircraft? Let’s explore.
Born Out Of A Failing McDonnell Douglas MD-11 Program
Ironically initial concept for the MD-12 had been smaller, a three-engine derivative of its MD-11 which itself wasn’t attract sufficient orders.
This idea morphed into the four engine, two pilot MD-12 with huge wingspan of over 200 feet, a fuselage 31 feet longer than the current MD11 and range of 8320 nautical miles.
Source: Wikipedia Images
In its long-range configuration carrying 430 passengers (3-class) and high-capacity 511 passengers (3-class) it was aimed directly at potential customers for the 747-400 that entered service in 1989. The MD-12 with a maximum take-off weight of 949,000 pounds would have easily beaten the 747-400’s 875,000 pounds and the current maximum weight of the 747-400ERF cargo’s 910,000 pounds.
Remember the scramble as airport built new gates to accommodate the A380 when it finally rolled out? The A380-800 has a wingspan of 261.6 feet. The MD-12’s 213 foot wingspan would have been comfortably slipped into the existing 747 airport gates. The current generation 747-400 has wingspan of 211 feet 5 inches.
McDonnell Douglas went as far as putting together a new company with a consortium of Taiwanese companies to build much of the MD-12, although final assembly was probably to have been in the US.
In the end the MD-12 would go down, not just as the first fully double decked commercial jumbo never to materialize, but also as the last new commercial aircraft designed by McDonnell Douglas before the company was sucked into Boeing in a US $13 billion stock swap in August of 1997.
McDonnell Douglas MD-12 Legacy Survives (Sort of)
The MD-12 program wasn’t a complete bust. Twenty five years later, you can still find reminders of the MD-12.
A view of Boeing’s AT Winglet that will be featured on the new 737MAX.
Boeing is now busily stirring vestiges of the MD-12 design into the wing of the next version 777 with folding wings and the advanced 737 MAX winglet, the “dual feather”.
We can’t help but wonder if those two innovations on modern airliners were first seeded in the minds of ex-MDC engineers from the failed jumbo program. The engines that would have hung on MD-12’s, General Electric’s CF6-80C2 high-bypass turbofans, later powered versions of the 747, 767 and A330.
And in one last irony, a number of those airlines interested in the MD-12 ultimately became customers for the ugly A380.
Last year, Avgeekery highlighted a unique video from Andrews Air Force Base’s Wing Commander–home of Air Force One near Washington DC. You may remember that the Commander appeared to ‘forget’ a coin to reward a troop but instead grabbed a shiny new stripe from his pocket and promoted him on the spot. It looks like Col Millard is back this year with another surprise.
In an effort to build a little esprit de corps around the holiday, the Wing Commander wrote and asked his ‘Port Dawg’ troops to sing a wonky “12 Days of Christmas” song that he had written. This video seems like it’s just a few minutes of holiday cheer until the very end. As painful as the singing might be on the ears, you have to listen to the last verse!
Port Dawgs are part of the Aerial Port Squadron. They load aircraft, process passengers, and prepare aircraft for their next flight. Port Dawgs take pride in working night and day, rain or shine to ensure aircraft are loaded and ready to fly.
Surprise! NCO “step’d” to TSgtThis Wing Commander wrote Port Dawg lyrics to a rendition of “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” and gathered his Aerial Porters together to practice. What happened next will blow your mind … (U.S. Air Force video by Maj. Russell James and Senior Master Sgt. Kevin Wallace/RELEASED)
Crosswinds are notoriously tricky, and landing in one is anything but easy. You’ve got to have intense coordination and precision flying. As a plane descends, it encounters changing wind profiles that can easily push a slow, vulnerable aircraft off the extended runway centerline unless the pilot makes quick, purposeful corrections.
Upon entering ground effect, the pilot must maintain the centerline while cutting the power and keeping the aircraft not only aligned with the runway but also the fuselage centered on the centerline of the runway. In the videos below, you’ll see that the pilots do their best to ‘kick’ the jet straight before touchdown by deflecting the rudder. Unfortunately, many pilots in this video take out the rudder deflection just a second too early or touch down safely then fail to keep ‘in’ the crosswind controls once the main gear hit terra firma.
The bottom line is that landing in a crosswind isn’t easy. Enjoy this video we found by flugsnug who recently compiled footage of turboprops landing at Birmingham International Airport in the UK.
“I’ll try to get through this if I can. It will be my last clearance here in a second. It’s been a great 31 years here at Atlanta Center and I appreciate everyone here being on the other side of this voice…”
An Atlanta Center controller recently signed off after a 31-year career. His last words on the radio are a great sendoff. A series of pilots congratulate him for his service after his final call to a Delta Heavy aircraft.
UPDATE: The video appears to have been removed. We’ll keep searching for another copy. If you find one, e-mail us at avgeekeryblog@gmail.com
N767BA, the Boeing 767 prototype (Seattle Municipal Archives via Wikipedia)
Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) 121.161 states “Unless authorized by the administrator, based on the character of the terrain, the kind of operation, or the performance of the airplane to be used, no certificate holder may operate two-engine airplanes over a route that contains a point farther than 1 hour flying time (in still air at normal cruising speed with one engine inoperative) from an adequate airport.”
The rule was written in the days of the propliner when piston engines didn’t have the reliability of modern jet turbines. When the Boeing 767-200ER entered service, it was the first commercial twin-jet capable of crossing the oceans*- when Boeing’s director of engineering, Dick Taylor, first approached FAA administrator Lyn Helms in 1980, Helms responded “It’ll be a cold day in hell before I let twins fly long haul, overwater routes.” Helms even felt that the 60-minute rule was too generous. Despite his opposition, though, in 1982, the FAA began technical discussions with aircraft manufacturers, airlines and ICAO (they had formed a study group of their own in 1982) on the possibility of extended twin-engine overwater flights. At an ICAO meeting in Montreal that December, the FAA asked airline operators of twin jet aircraft to compile a database of inflight events and engine shut downs. Since long range commercial twins were relatively new to the market, the FAA needed a database to draw upon in figuring out the regulatory details of what would become ETOPS flying. After the Air Canada Flight 143 incident (the “Gimli Glider”) where fuel starvation resulted in a skillful emergency landing on an old Canadian military air strip, some thought it a set back for what Dick Taylor had been pushing for with the Boeing 767. However, in a speech to the Royal Aeronautical Society in London in late 1983, he argued that fuel starvation would have shut down all the engines regardless of whether you have two, three, or four engines.
In 1980 three- and four-engined aircraft handled all the long range routes, particularly those that were overwater. There was a joke that stated “” But modern technology and computerized systems brought to the Boeing 767 a level of redundancy, safety, and efficiency not seen in any prior commercial aircraft. And it wasn’t just the reliability of the engines, the various systems of the 767 facilitated the development of ETOPS- Extended-range Twin-engine Operational Performance Standards- the ability of a twin engine jetliner to exceed the old 60-minute rule.
In 1980 three- and four-engined aircraft handled all the long range routes, particularly those that were overwater. There was a joke that stated “The reason I fly four-engined aircraft across the ocean is because there are no five-engined aircraft.” But modern technology and computerized systems brought to the Boeing 767 a level of redundancy, safety, and efficiency not seen in any prior commercial aircraft. And it wasn’t just the reliability of the engines, the various systems of the 767 facilitated the development of ETOPS- Extended-range Twin-engine Operational Performance Standards- the ability of a twin engine jetliner to exceed the old 60-minute rule.
I should point out at this point that before the 767, some Airbus A300 operators were flying overwater routes beyond the FAA’s 60-minute rule under ICAO regulations, but that’s beyond the scope of this article and I’ll be touching upon the A300 in a future article on ETOPS history.
Israel Airlines became the first airline to operate the 767 on trans-Atlantic services between Montreal and Tel Aviv, but the aircraft’s routing complied with the 60-minute rule. Not long after, El Al, Air Canada, and Trans World Airlines (TWA) received exemptions to operate no more than 75 minutes from a suitable diversion airport. This would open up some trans-Atlantic routes and Caribbean routes to the 767. In fact, Air Canada was the first to crack the 60-minute barrier having earned its 75-minute exemption in late 1983. By this point Lyn Helms was no longer the FAA Administrator, the post now assumed by Donald Engen who was more open minded to extended twin overwater flights. (Engen would later become the head of the National Air & Space Museum) Interestingly and perhaps not surprisingly, one of the biggest opponents of ETOPS at the time was McDonnell Douglas, who saw the future of the DC-10 line threatened by the 767.
In June 1984 Boeing showcased the new 767-200ER’s long legs with a 7,500 mile delivery flight from Washington Dulles to Addis Adaba, Ethiopia to bring the 767 to Ethiopian Airlines. The flight required a special one-time FAA waiver to take place. In October 1984 Air Canada took delivery of the first ETOPS-qualified 767-200ER which was permitted to go 75 minutes from a suitable diversion airport. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the International Federation of Air Line Pilots Association, the US-based pilots’ union Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) and the FAA made several recommendations to Boeing that resulted in the 767-200ER having a fourth electrical generator independently powered by a hydraulic motor, additional fire suppression features and equipment for cooling of the CRT displays in the cockpit.
By 1985 Dick Taylor at Boeing was lobbying the FAA hard for extension of the 75-minute rule to 120 minutes which would open up a large number of trans-Atlantic routes to the 767. Already several airlines led by TWA had petitioned the FAA for an ETOPS extension to 120 minutes but before the FAA would grant the extension, Boeing had to show “statistical maturity” by equipping a number of 767s with special data gathering equipment to show unparalleled standards of inflight reliability and the Pratt & Whitney JT9D engines had to log 250,000 consecutive flight hours on passenger flights with a very low rate of shutdown.
Trans World Airlines made the first 120-minute ETOPS flight in 1985 (Jon Proctor Collection via Wikipedia)
On 1 February 1985, TWA Flight 810 departed Boston for Paris on the first revenue passenger flight in history under the 120-minute ETOPS rule. The new ETOPS rule shortened the flight distance and it would replace a Lockheed L-1011 Tristar that normally served the route. Before Flight 810 departed, sixteen TWA pilots went through specialized ETOPS training on international requirements, intensive time in a simulator and landing procedures for the airport at Sondrestromfjord in Greenland, the designated 120-minute diversion airport. Eleven observers from the FAA were aboard TWA 810 and the fuel burn was found to be 7,000 lbs an hour less than that of the L-1011 Tristar on the same route. TWA was so convinced of the efficiency of the 767 with the 120-minute ETOPS rule that it spent $2.6 million per aircraft retrofitting all of its 767-200s for 120-minute ETOPS compliance.
But Boeing and Dick Taylor didn’t stop there. The existing 120-minute ETOPS rule wasn’t enough to get the 767 to Hawaii from California. But Boeing continued to compile failure and shutdown data on the 767 on the trans-Atlantic route to prove the the FAA that it was possible to safely operate the 767 to Hawaii from the US mainland. In 1989, the FAA approved the ETOPS extension to 180 minutes which opened up Hawaii to the 767, as the halfway point between Hawaii and the US mainland is approximately 150 minutes’ flying time. But to gain the 180-minute extension, a particular aircraft and engine combination had to show 12 consecutive months of 120-minute ETOPS flights and meet stringent engine failure rates. The first 180-minutes ETOPS flights were made by American Airlines on the DFW-Honolulu routing starting in 1989. By 1993 the entire 767 family, both the -200 and the -300, as well as the possible engine options of GE, Pratt & Whitney, and Rolls-Royce, gained full 180-minute ETOPS extensions.
By 1991 the number of passengers crossing the Atlantic on 767s exceeded the number of passengers crossing on three- and four-engined aircraft for the first time in history. By 2000, over 50% of all trans-Atlantic crossings were being made by the 767 family of aircraft. By that time, all brand new 767s rolling out at Boeing’s factory in Everett were certified for 180 minutes ETOPS extensions.
It will be the legacy of the Boeing 767 to show that any place in the world could be crossed safely and efficiently with only two engines and it set the stage for the arrival of the Boeing 777 and Airbus A330 family of aircraft that routinely fly routes today that were once the exclusive domain of multi-engined aircraft like the Boeing 747, A340, DC-10/MD-11 and L-1011 Tristar.
Just like cars, airplanes have a comprehensive maintenance schedule that airlines must follow. Maintenance is scheduled based on the number of cycles (takeoffs and landings) as well as additional inspections based on the age of a plane.
The 747-400 is no different. Every 5 years a 747-400 has to undergo a ‘D-check’ inspection. The inspection isn’t cheap. They cost almost $3M as they strip the aircraft for a very thorough inspection and cleaning.
Remember the days when MacGyver would rig a machine gun with just a string, matches and a stick? We’re pretty sure that Samm Sheperd could do even better. As an #avgeek himself, he recently decided to build an RC aircraft from scratch using just foam and broken wall heater parts. Here’s Samm’s story and video of how his ingenious idea turned out. Spoiler alert: It’s pretty amazing.
I am a commercial pilot going on CFI and senior aviation technology major at Walla Walla University. After I finished my private pilots certification, I went and taught sailing at a summer camp. These two factors put me in a position to really ponder aerodynamics and how simple airplanes are, to the point that I thought I could make an RC airplane out of foam board. I tried it and found out that I could! I’ve been addicted ever since.
I had recently learned about centrifugal pumps, and so when I found a funny hamster wheel thing in my broken wall heater, I recognized a fun idea. I made a centrifugal blower and then built an airplane around it in one day. This simple blower is not as efficient as a professionally manufactured propellor, but that wasn’t really the point of the exercise. It’s what aviation is all about, crazy ideas and having fun manipulating the air.
What I hope to do in making videos is to educate and inspire people to try things for themselves.
Southwest is known for their ‘free-spirited’ image. They embraced hot pants in the ’70s, Shamu in the ’80s, and state flags beginning with Lone Star One in 1990 and continuing with California One, Nevada One, New Mexico One, Florida One, Maryland One, Illinois One and now Missouri One in 2015. Missouri’s state flag is extremely intricate for a paint scheme. This time lapse video, produced by Southwest Airlines, shows the sheer amount of skill and patience it took to paint the jet.
Ever since Captain Oveur ate fish in the movie “Airplane”, #avgeeks have wondered if they could successfully land an airliner in the event that both pilots somehow passed out. Avgeekery’s friend Steve Thorne recently went to the Delta Flight Museum to find out by signing up to fly in their Level-D (full motion) 737-200 simulator. Below is his account with video!
As a weekend warrior private pilot, I’ve always wondered about the challenge of being handed the controls of an airliner. (it’s actually been more of a fear really, as I had little confidence that I could handle it.)
I got to test that theory recently!
We produced a 2 part series flying the 737-200 full motion level D sim at the Delta Flight Museum in Atlanta!
If you’re interested in more flying films produced from the perspective of a self-analytical private pilot, flying for fun, but striving for professionalism, check out www.FlightChops.com
– we’ve produced over 75 videos, and release a new one every 2nd Friday
We love flyovers at Avgeekery. Even after seeing hundreds of them on video and live, we have to say that this one is by far the best. Watch as Blue Angel #5 performs a low pass flyby over the crowd at Pensacola Beach. The jet sneaks by flying low, fast, and precise. The poor people on the beach never saw it coming. The crowd reacts with excitement as beach umbrellas blow everywhere! It’s an awesome testament to the power and speed of the mighty F/A-18.
Why would an F-18 take off on a road? It might look crazy but this crew is just practicing a capability and utilizing what’s known as a highway airstrip. A nation’s air force is only effective if they can get the planes off the ground. It is assumed that some of the first targets of a war would be the airfield. Highway airstrips were built during the cold war. Segments of straight, reinforced concrete roads capable of landing aircraft are strategically located throughout Europe. These auxiliary strips allow aircraft to take to the skies in the event that the primary airfields are rendered unusable.
