General Paul Tibbets was just 30 years old in 1945 when he piloted the B-29 Enola Gay bomber on its mission to drop the atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. As an Air Force Public Affairs Specialist, in 1999, I was fortunate to hear the then 84-year-old Tibbets speak and also shake his hand at a reunion of the 509th Composite Group at Andrews Air Force Base.
Crews of Enola Gay and Other B-29 Bombers Trained for Historic Mission
Tibbets commanded the 509th in 1945 when he and his 12-man crew took off in the Enola Gay from Ushi Point Airfield on Tinian Island in the Pacific Ocean. During the reunion, the Air Force presented the Group with the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award (with valor). The Air Force Association hosted the reunion.
The Crew of the B-29 Enola Gay. Col. Paul Tibbets is in center. | Image: U.S. Air Force
Close to 100 veterans from the 509th, all at least 75 years old, were at the reunion. The group had never received medals or other official recognition in all the years since 1945. This was due to security concerns, and some clearances finally lifting. The veterans listened intently as Tibbets stepped up to the podium and began to speak.
Gen. Paul Tibbets Addressed Group 54 Years After Enola Gay Mission
I admit I wondered about what Tibbets might say about the Hiroshima mission and the Enola Gay. I was curious about what he might feel, 54 years later, about dropping the first atomic bomb used in war.
With pride and firmness evident in his voice, Tibbets began by praising his men for the way they performed their duties in 1945. He said they were professional and focused during the months of training in Utah and on Tinian Island before the mission.
He continued, adding that the 509th did what it had to do and ended the war, and that no one should criticize them, despite some negative comments over the years about the destructive force of the atomic bomb. When Tibbets finished speaking, his men, some using canes and walkers, and others in wheelchairs, stood and cheered their commander.
B-29 Enola Gay about to land. | Image: U.S. Air Force
Other Members of 509th Composite Group Expressed Pride in Mission of B-29 Enola Gay
Other members of the Enola Gay crew have expressed similar feelings. Second Lt. Russell Gackenbach served as navigator on “Necessary Evil,” one of the two B-29s that flew as observation planes on the mission. During a 2017 interview with NPR, Gackenbach said, “After 73 years, I do not regret what we did that day. All war’s hell. The Japanese started the war. It was our turn to finish it.”
Mushroom cloud over Hiroshima after detonation of atomic bomb from the B-29 Enola Gay. | Image: Russell Gackenbach
Another airman on the mission was Sgt. Melvin H. Bierman. He served as tail gunner on the “Necessary Evil” and had a clear view of the mushroom cloud. According to his son, Mitchell Bierman, his father didn’t say much about the war but was proud of his service. He was convinced they had saved more lives by forcing Japan to surrender, but did regret the loss of life.”
One crew member on the mission, Capt. Robert A. Lewis, did express some remorse about the destruction from the bomb that struck Hiroshima. Lewis, who was co-pilot on the Enola Gay, wrote, “My God, what have we done?” in his journal as the aircraft flew away from the city.
Still, Lewis acknowledged the seriousness and even the necessity of the mission, later stating, “Today I’m pleased the bomb hasn’t been used again. I hope it has become a deterrent force, and maybe we won’t have so many wars.”
B-29s parked at Tinian Airfield during WWII. | Image: NATIONAL ARCHIVES & RECORDS ADMINISTRATION
For me, the opportunity to meet General Tibbets and listen as he addressed his men was a true privilege and a highlight of my career in the Air Force.
During stall testing of the 717 program (formerly the MD-95), the aircraft departed controlled flight. That’s a nice way to say that the jet stalled, rolled, and went inverted. The test pilots on board masterfully recovered the jet and survived to live another day. Here’s the video proof:
With every new aircraft type, test pilots are tasked to test the limits of aircraft. With great preparation, they meticulous plan every maneuver. The flight testing typically confirms computer analysis and helps ensure that the normal flight envelope is safe. The test pilots also test maneuvers outside of the normal envelope.
The test pilots recovered the aircraft and lived to fly another day.
This video is both fascinating and yet pretty disturbing too. We did some research and put together some details that shed some light on the highly unusual flight.
According to a comment on a similar video posted on Vimeo, the 717 was on a test flight in warning area W-291 over the Pacific off the coast of California. The particular 717 was the first off the line. The aircraft had previously experienced some unusual stall characteristics. This test was an attempt to determine why so that engineers could solve the issue.
In the video above, you can see that the pilots initiated a powered approach to stall in a climbing right bank. As the angle of attack increases, the jet appears to stall, then rapidly rolls left, and snaps inverted over a span of about 1 1/2 seconds. The test pilots were prepared. They pulled the power to idle as the speed rapidly climbed (you can probably hear Bitchin’ Betty scream “overspeed”). The crew then accepts the unusual attitude, and works to reduce the roll (most likely using a combination of rudder and the control tabs). They then pulled on the yoke to recover from the unusual attitude. After congratulating each other that they saved the jet, they gingerly returned the jet to normal flight, returned to base, and then most changed to a fresh pair of underwear.
The test pilots did many things right. While the aircraft most likely exceeded the +2.5G load limit, they limited any asymmetric forces on the jet by not attempting to ‘pull’ on the yoke while the wings were not level. Once they leveled the wings, they had to pull to return to level flight and arrest the very steep descent. They avoided the temptation to pull aggressively in order to minimize altitude loss. An aggressive pull could’ve over-G’d the aircraft further and led to a secondary stall and/or spin.
The flying days for this particular test aircraft were limited. This test aircraft was later retired and broken up. Of the 156 717s built, 99 remain flying today. The last Boeing 717 was produced in 2006.
If you are a MadDog or 717 pilot, we’d love to hear your perspective on this incident. Post your thoughts in the comments below.
Low-cost Turkish airline Pegasus Airlines placed a significant order for at least one hundred Boeing 737-10 MAX jets. After months of slow orders, this latest order is a boost for the manufacturer.
Pegasus has been loyal to the Boeing brand of aircraft since its inception 35 years ago. The reason for the large order of 737-10 jets is so the airline can ‘meet growing travel demand’.
New Wings for Pegasus
Boeing announced on Thursday that Pegasus Airlines had placed an order of at least 100 737-10 MAX aircraft. Pegasus can also exercise an option to order 100 more in the deal, for a potential of 200 aircraft in the entire order.
The 737-10 MAX is the company’s largest jet to date, with up to 230 seats and a range of 3,100 nautical miles (5,740 kilometers). This current-gen aircraft also reduces fuel use and emissions by 20% compared to previous-gen aircraft.
Pegasus Airlines CEO Güliz Öztürk had these encouraging words during the Boeing press release:
“Boeing aircraft have been an integral part of our operations since Pegasus entered the aviation industry in 1990. We are pleased to be expanding our fleet with the new Boeing 737-10 model aircraft. We continue to invest in our fleet in line with our growth targets in Türkiye and globally, and to expand our network by launching new routes.”
Boeing President and CEO Stephanie Pope also expressed her excitement on the airline’s decision to order new 737-10 MAXes.
“We have been a proud partner of Pegasus Airlines since their inception and we are excited to welcome them as the newest 737 MAX customer…We appreciate their trust in the Boeing team and we look forward to delivering on the 737-10 and its promise of greater efficiency, versatility and reliability.”
This new order brings the total number of 737 MAX family jets on order overall to over 1,200.
Where Both Companies Currently Stand
Pegasus is looking to receive new aircraft for connections all over Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Pegasus also has nine Boeing 737-8s currently on order. From Airbus, Pegasus is waiting on six A320-200s, 46 A320-200 neos, and 57 A321-200NXes. All of the A321s on order are scheduled to be delivered to Pegasus by 2029.
In 2023, Pegasus executives claimed the airline would switch to an all-Airbus fleet and would phase out its Boeing jets.
According to Boeing’s Commercial Market Outlook, airlines based in Europe and Asia will acquire nearly 8,000 single-aisle jets by 2055.
As of September 2024, Boeing has outstanding debts of about $57.65 billion. The company has suffered financial losses for six years due to safety issues, production delays, and worker strikes. In late October, the company managed to raise $21 billion through a stock fundraising effort.
Replace the Lockheed C-130 Hercules? Don’t You Blaspheme In Here!
The Boeing YC-14 airlifter was built as the company’s entrant in the Force’s Advanced Medium Short Takeoff Landing [STOL] Transport (AMST) competition for the United States Air Force (USAF). The competition actually began in 1970 when the Air Force and key aerospace contractors began the Tactical Aircraft Investigation (TAI) to look at potential new airlifters. This video, uploaded to YouTube by That Smelly Skunk From Palmdale, is a look at the program as it stood during 1977 after the two prototype YC-14s had been built and were in test by the USAF.
Official US Air Force photograph
Not the Kind of USB You Thought
The Boeing YC-14 was built specifically to take advantage of high-lift aircraft configurations. Blown leading edge slats and trailing edge flaps as well as various boundary layer control systems were all investigated. Boeing decided instead to take advantage of research previously conducted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) into powered lift- specifically upper-surface blowing (USB). NASA had done wind tunnel testing of experimental shapes with USB and Boeing was able to examine the data.
A Boeing YC-14 seconds away from touchdown | Official US Air Force photograph
Advanced Lifting for $500 Alex
By mounting the turbofan engines high on the wings so that the exhaust was blown over the wing’s upper surface and trailing edge flaps instead of under the lower surfaces of the wing, the exhaust would aerodynamically couple with the trailing edge flaps when they were deployed and the exhaust would be deflected downward, thereby augmenting lift.
This phenomenon, known as the Coandă Effect, was responsible for much of the aircraft’s STOL performance but the lift augmentation was minimal when the flaps were retracted. The USB configuration of the engines coupled with a supercritical wing shape combined to make the YC-14 a stellar STOL performer for its size and weight.
A Boeing YC-14 on the ramp | Official US Air Force photograph
That’s a Tall Order
And it needed to be! When the USAF’s request for proposal (RFP) went out in early 1972 the expectations for the competing designs was ability to haul a 27,000 pound payload more than 1,000 miles without refueling- all after taking off from a 2,000 foot runway.
These seemingly impossible operational requirements made it absolutely necessary to think outside the box. Boeing certainly did.
Eventually, the competitors were whittled down to Boeing’s YC-14 and McDonnell Douglas’ YC-15 in 1972. Each company was awarded a development contract for two prototypes.
Official US Air Force photograph
The Sovs Know a Good Thing When They Copy It
More wind tunnel testing took place at NASA Langley in Virginia. Between the NASA USB program and Boeing’s YC-14 testing much was learned about the viability of USB. During the testing a couple of challenges were met and bested.
Boeing added retractable vortex generators behind the engine exhausts to maintain trailing edge flap effectiveness at low speeds and altitudes. They also revised the design of the empennage by moving it forward and reducing the aft rake of the vertical stabilizer. The Soviets more or less copied the design of the YC-14 in the Antonov An-72 Coaler transport.
Official US Air Force photograph
It Handled Like a Really Big Cub
The YC-14 first flew on 9 August 1976- nearly a year after the YC-15 first took to the skies. The two YC-14 prototypes (serial numbers 72-1873 and 72-1874) were first tested at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) in California. The YC-14 was flown as slowly as 59 knots and as fast as 520 knots at 38,000 feet.
In order to address higher than expected drag numbers the aircraft received several modifications including revised landing gear pods, fuselage strakes, and addition of vortex generators on the engine nacelles.
One thing the YC-14 did that the YC-15 could not do was tote a 55 ton M-60 Patton tank. The airlifter’s two General Electric CF6-50D turbofans, each capable of delivering 51,000 pounds of thrust, enabled that feat.
Boeing YC-14s in flight | Official US Air Force photograph
And the Winner is…The C-17 Globemaster III
When the Air Force finished testing of the Boeing YC-14 prototypes during August of 1977 (right after the film above was produced) they returned the prototypes to Boeing. The YC-14 prototypes both exist today. One is stored at the AMARG boneyard at Davis Monthan AFB near Tucson. The other is on display at the Pima Air and Space Museum.
And the YC-15s? The YC-15 didn’t go into production either. Changing priorities and requirements from the Air Force ended both programs. But the McDonnell Douglas YC-15 served as the basis for…the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III. And there is certainly a McDonnell family resemblance in the C-17’s empennage.
India’s most popular airline IndiGo is expanding its network to connect to more US cities beginning 18 December but not with its own metal. These additional connections are made possible thanks to an expanding codeshare partnership .
Indigo is partnering with Turkish Airlines to expand access to the American markets. Turkish airlines flies to nine US cities total, offering one of the most affordable means to travel to international destinations like Istanbul, Turkey, Mumbai, India, and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
IndiGo To The US Via Turkish Airlines Partner
IndiGo has commenced codeshare service thanks to a growing relationship with Turkish Airlines. The low-cost Indian airline will now offer connections to Houston, Atlanta, Miami, and Los Angeles on Turkish Airlines. Each new route will connect in Istanbul.
These new routes will provide business and leisure travelers in America an affordable way to fly to India via Turkey. They also give Indian, Turkish, and other international travelers access to more American destinations aside from the more frequently connected cities of New York and San Francisco.
Each route will fly at least once daily in both directions. Miami and Houston will have an additional flight every Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Each city will get one more additional seasonal route in March.
On Google, these new routes are listed for booking under Turkish Airlines but not IndiGo yet. Leveraging Turkish’ codeshare network, IndiGo now connects to a total of 43 international destinations outside of India.
IndiGo’s Activity in Istanbul
IndiGo Head of Global Sales Vinay Malhotra shared these comments with members of the media regarding the new US cities:
“We are delighted to announce four additional connections to the US…under our codeshare partnership with Turkish Airlines. These new connections further enhance travel options for our customers. As we expand our global network and connect people with favored destinations, we remain committed to delivering on our promise of providing affordable, on-time, courteous, and hassle-free travel experiences across our extensive network.”
IndiGo also manages routes involving New York City, San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, and Washington DC.
On 14 December, IndiGo sent two jets to pick up almost 500 stranded passengers in Istanbul after a flight to Delhi was canceled due to a technical problem.
Retirement is near for the Air Force’s primary transport trainer jet. On Tuesday, the last T-1A Jayhawk departed Laughlin AFB for the boneyard at David Monthan Air Force Base marking completion of the divestiture of the fleet for the base. Now only the T-6A Texan II and T-38 Talon remain at the base. Now Randolph Air Force base (JBSA) and Laughlin AFB have retired their T-1As. By the end of this fiscal year, all remaining T-1A Jayhawks will be retired, marking the end of an era.
A T-1A Jayhawk parked on the flightline for a photo-op at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, Sept. 23, 2024. The T-1A is being sunsetted from Air Force service after more than 30 years of flying in pilot training. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Nicholas Larsen)
End of An Era For The T-1A Jayhawk and SUPT Pilot Training
The T-1A Jayhawk first entered service in 1992 at the now closed Reece Air Force Base. The slightly modified Beech 400A jet began training students in 1993 as part of an overhaul of Air Force pilot training. Prior to the introduction of the T-1A, all student pilots flew both the T-37 (later the T-6A Texan II) and T-38 jet before being assigned to a fighter, transport, or helicopter track.
The T-1A Jayhawk became a critical component of the revised Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training (SUPT) program. In phase III, students tracked to transport aircraft would hone their skills in advanced navigation, crew resource management, heavy formation low levels, and the basics of air refueling. Thousands of pilots flew the T-1A Jayhawk enroute to the cockpit of jets like the C-17A Globemaster III, KC-135 Stratotanker, C-130 Hercules, and C-5 Galaxy.
Students selected for the fighter track will continue to train in the supersonic T-38 Talon. The delayed Boeing T-7 Red Hawk will eventually replace the T-38 later this decade.
T-1A Jayhawks parked on the flightline at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, Sept. 23, 2024. The Jayhawk has been in service with the Air Force since 1992, and now is being divested after 32 years. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Nicholas Larsen)
No Replacement for the Trainer Transport Jet
Another transport trainer aircraft will not replace the T-1A Jayhawk. Instead, the Air Force has reworked pilot training for students assigned to transport aircraft.As part of the transition to Pilot Training 2.5, students now utilize advanced virtual reality simulator training and have added transport-focused lesson like crew resource management to the syllabus. All training for transport tracked pilots will take place in the T-6A Texan II.
With hundreds of millions of people all over the world flying, that also makes even more people who are eager to find out the whereabouts of their flights. While loved ones can get phone notifications, however, the best flight-tracking apps are within reach, monitoring flights visually and in real time.
These incredible apps use satellites to track planes, and it’s great to know that most of these apps are either free or very inexpensive to use. Consider one of these six flight-tracking apps to monitor your next flight.
Best Flight-Tracking Apps – #6: PlaneFinder
PlaneFinder is one of the original tools to track flights in real time. This app offers an interactive global map, allowing users to follow flights as they crisscross the skies. The user interface is solid and it offers a number of unique features like AR mode where you can point your app at the sky and see aircraft information of the aircraft above.
PlaneFinder is available oniOS and Android via the Google Play store. The app is free but offers a premium subscription for additional features.
Currently #7 on the App Store paid travel app charts, OpenADSB is a versatile app that can connect to one of many VRS servers — even those that require passwords. Users can look up flights by searching its flight number or tapping on the plane on the radar. Each flight even features a picture of the aircraft and its airline logo.
This app is only available on iPhone and iPad. While it costs $10.99, you pay once and own it forever. To many, the price is worth it given the lack of ads and optimal performance.The real value is that you can track flights that are blocked by the FAA. The app also words with multitasking and split view features on the apple device.
Best Flight-Tracking Apps – #4: FlightStats by Cirium
Users love FlightStats for its clean interface opposed to typical apps that offer only basic menus and maps. It encourages you to simply search the route or flight name, and you can easily find the flight.
Once you select a flight, it presents all the information about the flight neatly on one page, including the flight’s trail and weather radar. Here’s one flight for example with all its details one could need.
FlightStats is available for web browsers and Android and iOS devices. Pay $2.99 monthly to unlock real-time notifications about particular flights on your smart device. Professional accounts cost $24.99 monthly and give users history of any plane, route, and airport.
Best Flight-Tracking Apps – #3: Flighty
Flighty App, available on IOS and Android
This award-winning app touts up-to-the-minute tracking that’s faster than competitor apps. Flighty also comes with ‘industry-first features’ such as explanations for delays, privacy for friends and family who are using the app. Featuring an appealing flight map, this app can also locate grounded planes within the airport and connect with virtual calendars for scheduling.
Flighty is available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac computers. The app comes in a monthly subscription, yearly subscription, or one-time payment of $249. A free trial is also available with no credit card required.
An Android version is currently in the works. Those who are eager to have the app on an Android phone can join a waitlist and get updates on the version’s development.
If you’re looking for an affordable option, FlightAware is very popular and contains more data for free than what other apps may charge for. Like FlightStats, you can look up any flight such as this one and get a whole page of details that look clean and easy to navigate. Unlike FlightStats, you can also get data for cancellations and delays by airport or airline.
FlightAware is available on Apple and Android devices as well as web browsers. Signing up is free, while we recommend avoiding paid tiers ranging from $45 to $150 per month. The free offerings suffice for most users.
This award-winning app arguably can track the most flights at a time, even jets taxiing on the ground, smaller aircraft, and helicopters. FlightRadar24 offers a simply interface: One big map along with a search box for tracking particular flights. With a paid subscription, users can also overlay various weather settings such as rain clouds, lightning strikes, and turbulence.
FlightRadar24 is available for web browsers and iOS and Android devices. Though a free version exists, a Silver subscription plan eliminates ads, unlocks weather radars, and saves flights for the past 90 days. Gold comes with even more premium features and saves flights for up to a year. Both premium tiers have free, seven-day trials.
After Spirit Airlines filed for bankruptcy last month, the airline is now making moves to reduce debt and expenditures. This included slashing the payroll budget and selling a part of their Airbus fleet.
The proposed sale of aircraft was first announced shortly after bankruptcy. The plan was recently given legal approval to move forward.
’23 Skidoo’ for 23 Airbuses
Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based aircraft leasing company GA Telesis has announced it has received approval to purchase 23 Airbus aircraft from Spirit Airlines. The decision was made at the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.
The deal was first announced on 24 October, 2024, though a judge had to review it because all major transactions require bankruptcy court approval. The judge approved a sale of the first five aircraft on 7 December. The judge then approved the remaining 18 aircraft yesterday.
A Spirit Airlines Airbus A321-271N at the gate | IMAGE: Spirit Airlines via Facebook
The Airbus aircraft involved in the transaction include 15 A320s and eight A321s. The press release states the sale will close “over a specific period”. This will allow the airline to speed up its restructuring phase and clear its debts faster.
As of this writing, both parties are discussing the timeline for Spirit’s first deliveries to GA Telesis.
GA Telesis Head of Leasing and Trading Marc Cho expressed his excitement on the recent approval of the sale:
“We are thrilled that the court delivered a conclusive decision on such an expedited timeline…This approval underscores the collaborative efforts of all parties involved, and we look forward to closing this transaction swiftly and supporting Spirit as it executes its restructuring plan.”
More on the Airbus Sale from Spirit
Details on the Airbus sale surfaced back in October. The deal is worth $519 million and consists of some of the airline’s older Airbus aircraft.
From this deal, Spirit plans to free up $225 million in liquidity. The airline reportedly has outstanding debts of over $1 billion going into 2025.
A Spirit Airlines A320-271N departs from Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) | IMAGE: Spirit Airlines via Facebook
To further free up money for debt, the airline has also furloughed and demoted hundreds of pilots already and has announced even more furloughs for early next year.
Spirit’s plan is to free up $80 million in labor costs for the upcoming year. The airline will also plan to retire all of its Airbus A319s this January, which will help to reduce ongoing expenses.
Boeing and McDonnell Douglas agreed to a merger in December, 1996. At the time, Phil Condit, then CEO of Boeing, called the acquisition a “historic moment in aviation and aerospace”. The past 28 years have proven that it was definitely a historic moment–just not in the way Boeing originally envisioned.
Boeing’s Merger With McDonnell Douglas Came From a Position of Commercial Strength
The first United 777-200A departs during testing. Photo by Solitude [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Back in the late 1990s, Boeing was a forced to be reckoned with on the commercial side of the business. They had recently introduced the Boeing 777 aircraft that had set records for efficiency in the long haul market. Boeing also introduced a much upgraded 737, the 737 Next Generation (NG).
The upgraded 737NG featured a new wing that turned a single-aisle jet with the range of a few hours into a coast to coast money maker. Boeing also enjoyed continued success with a solid lineup of 757, 767, and the refreshed 747-400. Boeing was the dominant aircraft maker of its time. Airbus was competitive but a clear second to Boeing in the markets where it mattered most, particularly North America and Asia.
McDonnell Douglas Was Flailing
Delta MD-90. Image: Wikipedia CC 2.0
By contrast, McDonnell Douglas was a struggling commercial aircraft maker in the mid-1990s. The airline hadn’t designed a clean-sheet aircraft since the 1970s, some 20 years before its merger with Boeing. Every commercial offering was a derivative of a previous aircraft. Their three-engined MD-11 was a rehash of the DC-10. The MD-90 and forthcoming MD-95 were both double derivatives of the venerable DC-9.
McDonnell Douglas lacked the capital to invest in an upgraded wing that would have made their narrow body offerings more efficient and capable of flying at higher altitudes. Thus, their final offerings of the MD-90 and MD-95 had trouble competing with the more modern and capable 737NG and A320, particularly on longer routes across the country.
Paper Airplanes Abounded at McDonnell Douglas
McDonnell Douglas proposed the MD-12. It was nothing more than a paper proposal. Image: McDonnell Douglas
Due to slower sales and less R&D capital, McDonnell Douglas lacked the financial means to build any new clean sheet aircraft. Instead, McDonnell Douglas focused on incremental improvements and longshot projects like the UDF or unducted fan on an MD-80 that never materialized.
They occasionally pushed press releases for new offerings like the giant double decker MD-12 (that looked suspiciously like the A380 Airbus later released), but none of them panned out either. Each of these ‘Hail Mary’ designs were ambitious but lacked the financial capital and airline interest to make them reality.
Boeing’s McDonnell Douglas Merger: A Strategic Move For McDonnell Douglas
The Boeing logo after a merger with McDonnell Douglas. Image: Boeing
By 1996, McDonnell Douglas’ defense and space divisions were the only profitable segments. These assets were the real prize for Boeing. McDonnell Douglas had built an admirable military portfolio with the C-17, F/A-18 Super Hornet, F-15, and an array of space technology.
Boeing absorbed McDonnell Douglas’ commercial assets, favoring its own stronger portfolio. Yet, following the merger, an unexpected shift occurred: Boeing’s design and innovation approach began to resemble McDonnell Douglas’ playbook.
Post-Merger: Boeing Adopts McDonnell Douglas’ Approach
Something big changed in the years after Boeing made the acquisition/merger. Boeing’s commercial side somehow morphed into operating like McDonnell Douglas, particularly from a design and innovation aspect.
There are many factors to the reasons why Boeing has struggled. Stock buy backs, the brain drain of engineers, and a culture led by accountants are all common areas of focus that describe Boeing’s decline. While there are a number of stories on the internet that focus on the business, culture, and management aspects of Boeing (here, here, here.and here as quality examples) few have delved into the design and commercial roadmap aspect of Boeing’s offerings and compared it to how it mirrors McDonnell Douglas’ playbook from the 1980s and 1990s.
Sonic Cruiser Was Boeing’s First McDonnell Douglas-like Head Scratcher After Merger
Image of Boeing Sonic Cruiser. Image: Boeing
Boeing’s last clean sheet design was the Boeing 787. The Dreamliner was born out of a failed Sonic Cruiser that Boeing proposed in 2001 at the Paris Air Show. The Sonic Cruiser itself was a very un-Boeing-like reveal.
Short on details and long on media hype, the Sonic Cruiser was either a great head-fake by Boeing to its competitors or an early sign that McDonnell Douglas culture was beginning to influence Boeing.
Boeing still had immense industry credibility at the time. So when Boeing made an announcement that speed was what would sell in the future, Wall Street and the media paid attention. Maybe it was Boeing seeing a new market opportunity that analysts had missed. Or maybe the Sonic Cruiser was another paper airplane.
The Sonic Cruiser’s reveal was a flop. It used too much fuel and its canards made ground servicing challenging. Most airlines didn’t want a gas guzzling jet that only flew 15% faster. With its poor fuel efficiency, Boeing shelved the project after airlines rejected the proposal.
Boeing had shared other technology proposals before but this was the first time that they seemed to announce an aircraft without any orders.
Boeing’s 787’s Showed Early Signs Of Trouble Too
A mock up of the Boeing 787-10 and Boeing 737 MAX fly in formation. Image: Boeing
Boeing introduced the more conventional-looking Boeing 7E7 that eventually became the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Unlike the Sonic Cruiser, the 7E7 prioritized efficiency and new materials.
While the 787 looked sleek and had significant efficiency gains, the real game changer was how it would be built. The manufacturing process was very different than its most recent predecessor, the 777. Boeing planned to subcontract parts of the aircraft globally, then assemble it in the United States.
Boeing showed off a hollow shell of a jet to the public
The problems with the manufacturing process were clear before the jet was even revealed. When the jet debuted in 2007 to the public (as seen in the video above), it was really just a hollow shell of an aircraft. The 787 was not even close to being flight ready.
Manufacturing challenges, design flaws, then transportation, and integration issues delayed the first flight of the aircraft until a full two years later. And while the 787 eventually turned into a full-fledged program, quality and manufacturing issues continue to hound it even today.
The Train Went Off the Rails Beginning With The 787
Once Boeing delivered the 787, attention then turned to the midsize airliner market. In the years prior, Boeing had retired its 757 line due to low demand. This left a gap in its offering between the 737NG and the aging 767.
Various clean-sheet aircraft designs were studied and rumored to be in the works. However, an event happened in December of 2011 that forced Boeing to offer a refreshed 737 instead of a clean sheet design. It forever altered the direction of the company.
American Forced Boeing’s Hand on the 737 MAX
A 2012 rendering of an American Airlines Boeing 737 MAX-8. Image: American Airlines Facebook page
In December of 2011, American Airlines – who had recently entered bankruptcy – announced one of the greatest aircraft recapitalization programs of all time. They wanted to completely refresh their fleet with a focus on replacing their aging MD-80 jets as they plotted an exit from Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
The airline sought out the most efficient fleet, even beyond the current offerings of Boeing and Airbus. American had previously been one of Boeing’s best and most loyal customers. Airbus offered American a great deal on current A320s in exchange for equity in the airline. Airbus also sweetened the pot with some of the first available delivery slots to the new A320NEO line.
The NEOs featured significantly more efficient engines, lowering American’s costs even further. At the same time, one manufacturer alone could not deliver all the jets American needed in a reasonable timeframe.
Thus American went to Boeing too for their best offer. Boeing offered their 737-800 and hastily introduced the 737 MAX, promising delivery within six years. The New York Times does a solid job of detailing the business aspects behind this rapid launch of the troubled MAX. From a design standpoint though, it is interesting to look at the choices Boeing made and how it has affected aircraft design for the past 13+ years.
Boeing’s Previous 737 Improvements were Straight Forward and Crisp, But Not The Max
American Airlines 737-800 NG. Image: By Tomás Del Coro from Wikimedia Commons
From a design perspective, the choices Boeing made with the MAX differ from the choices Boeing previously made with their upgrades from the 737-300 Classic series to the 737NG.
On the NG, Boeing made design decision to build an all new supercritical wing that greatly increased the efficiency of the jet and added more efficient engines.
Due to FAA commonality restrictions and customer desires, Boeing only incorporated a moderately updated cockpit. Boeing went for a simple update that modernized the panel (but maintained the common overhead panel) to mirror other more modern Boeing cockpits. This change though was very inline with Boeing’s approach to design iteration.
Changes were straightforward and crisp that went for the biggest gains in efficiency possible on major components. The company avoided unnecessary design changes or ‘hacky’ fixes that made small improvements but drove tradeoffs in commonality and efficiency.
MAX Design Decisions
The 737-9MAX in flight. Photo courtesy of Boeing
The design choices on the MAX have a bit of a McDonnell Douglas flavor to them. If you look at the MAX’s changes closely, they kind of remind you of McDonnell Douglas’ approach. While the -8 and -9 are flying, the the -7 and -10 are still stuck awaiting regulatory approval before deliveries can commence.
Bigger Engines Force MCAS ‘Fix’
On the MD-80, McDonnell Douglas put larger and more efficient engines on an extended DC-9 fuselage. McDonnell Douglas chose not to invest in a new wing for the MD-80 but instead grew the wing in size and strengthened the landing gear on the larger version. The upgrades engines were enough to keep the MD-80 competitive. McDonnell Douglas’ choice of adding a larger engine to the MD-90 required the hacky fix of pylon flaps on the engines to prevent a deep stall.
The MAX also did an engine swap, replacing the NG engine with an even larger diameter engine that required a rework of the nose landing gear and wing attachment points. This forced Boeing to adopt a hacky MCAS system to provide a similar aircraft feel for pilots in certain near stall regimes of flight. Unfortunately, this hacky fix also led to two crashes and grounding of the fleet for two years.
Complex Landing Gear ‘Hack’ For The MAX -10
Boeing 737 MAX-10 Photo: Boeing
The landing gear had to be lengthened to provide the required engine clearance on the jet. On the -7,-8, and -9, Boeing was able to be raise the length of the gear slightly to accommodate the engines.
Many of these design choices seen on the MAX seem to violate Boeing’s previous straightforward philosophy in how they updated and upgraded their product offerings.
Winglets Key To Performance Improvements on the MAX
McDonnell Douglas spent a ton of time on researching and incorporating winglets into their designs in the late 1980s. Both their MD-11 and C-17 featured winglets much earlier than Boeing.
McDonnell Douglas added winglets more by necessity to the MD-11 to improve on a 30 year old wing design whereas Boeing touted their prior winglet offerings as an extra 1-2% on an already efficient aircraft.
MAX7winglet. Image: Boeing
The MAX made winglets a defining feature of the jet. Boeing introduced the 737 MAX AT winglets calling them “the most efficient winglet on any airplane.” It was a way to quickly eek efficiency out of the Boeing 737.
The 737 Would Compete on Price
In the early 1990s, McDonnell Douglas made minor changes to the MD-90 but failed to invest in game changing upgrades that would have made the jet more attractive to top-tier airlines. McDonnell Douglas was forced to compete primarily on price.
Likewise, Boeing believed that a more efficient engine, a lucrative price point, commonality, and a competitive entry date were sufficient to make their 737 competitive with the Airbus A320NEO family for years to come.
Foldable Wings, New Engines, New Wing…Boeing’s Other Jets Adopt McDonnell Douglas’ Incremental Playbook
Boeing 747-8F Image Courtesy Boeing Commercial Airplane Company
The incremental/hacky improvement philosophy with their product offerings are now seen throughout Boeing’s product line. Boeing’s now retired 747-8i and 747-8 freighters also had similar incremental improvements.
Boeing utilized 787 technology to improve the wing, lengthened the fuselage, and added 787 engines to the venerable Queen of the Skies. The aircraft struggled to find its niche though resulting in only 155 aircraft produced including just 48 deliveries of the passenger variant.
777X Continues The Incremental Design Trend
Boeing launched the 777-X project in November of 2013, just two years after the rushed launch of the 737 MAX. The refreshed version of the 777 was intended to ward off customers defecting to Airbus’ A380 and A350XWB product line.
On the 777, Boeing is once again adding more efficient engines to the jet and to their credit have introduced a new super-critical wing similar in approach to the Boeing 747-8 and 737NG.
Boeing lengthened the aircraft and updated the cabin too. They did however add a new concept – foldable wings. This allows the larger jet to fit in existing 777 gate footprints but adds complexity to design and operation.
The 777-9 features foldable wingtips to increase the span of the wings while still fitting in existing 777-sized gates. Photo: Boeing
While the foldable wings have not been a contributing factor to the delays, it is an interesting design choice that echos back to McDonnell Douglas’ more hacky approach to designing a new aircraft. In a way, it might remind you of how McDonnell Douglas made design compromises in the past.
On the MD-11, they shrunk the horizontal stabilizer from the previous DC-10 design. This change was made to save weight on the newer version of the tri-jet and meet performance targets. The smaller stabilizer did make the MD-11 more pitch sensitive though and many consider that change a contributing factor to two MD-11s that crashed on approach during gusty wind conditions.
The Boeing 777-9 has not yet entered service but a foldable wing is a novel design decision previously only attempted on Navy carrier aircraft. It will be interesting to watch whether this design choice succeeds or becomes a liability.
Product Line has Gaps With No Clear Roadmap
Delta 757 Landing at Maho Beach. Image: Avgeekery
Beyond design choices, Boeing’s public commercial roadmap has some large holes in it and you can clearly still see McDonnell Douglas’ influence on it.
Boeing’s lineup is missing a clear replacement for the Boeing 757. Much of the market that it previously owned has been captured by the Airbus A321NEO. Boeing is also lacking a clear replacement for the Boeing 767. While the 787 can do everything the 767 can do and more, the 787 is too large for some routes currently flown by the Boeing 767.
In the battle for single aisle jets, the venerable Boeing 737 has become a liability with no clear replacement yet. The MAX has seen an amazing amount of negative press and delays. Within the MAX family, only two of their four versions are available and will be for some time.
Some airlines have started defecting from Boeing. United made alternative purchases with Airbus after Boeing’s 737 MAX 10 delays to ensure they have enough narrow body jets for the current decade.
Any new clean-sheet offering will be expensive and complex. It will be a challenge to match Airbus’ cockpit and fleet commonality as well.
Boeing’s More Recent R&D Smells Like The Old McD
Livery of the X-66A, unveiled by NASA and Boeing | IMAGE: NASA
While Boeing is publicly committed to the MAX for now, the company unveiled a radical design in the form of the X-66 last year which could evolve into their next narrowbody offering. This test aircraft will attempt to use a transonic truss-braced wing to demonstrate greater efficiency. The test fuselage is, you guessed it, a repurposed MD-90.
While it is exciting that Boeing continues to invest in new technologies, this feels eerily similar to how McDonnell Douglas tested their experimental Unducted Fan on an MD-80 in the late 1980s. Given the radical design and current challenges Boeing is facing, it is difficult to see the X-66 design become reality anytime soon.
You can’t help but wonder if Boeing is once again distracted by the shiny object of long-shot innovations instead of principled design decisions to dig themselves out of their current hole. While the X-66 represents a potential game changer, Boeing may miss out on more near term opportunities to produce a strong, conventional clean sheet design that reestablishes market dominance.
Boeing is at a Design Crossroads With Significant Hurdles
The bottom line is that Boeing stands at a crossroads. Boeing has not announced a clean sheet aircraft in 21 years. Boeing’s new CEO faces significant challenges, including labor unrest, backlogs, and the need for a clear commercial strategy.
While inspiration from the past can be a great motivator for future design, Boeing should approach McDonnell Douglas’ playbook with caution. That playbook already led to defeat once. And success usually only happens if you learn from your past mistakes and chart a different course.
To regain its leadership position, Boeing must find a way to prioritize clean-sheet innovation, quality control, and engineering excellence to avoid the pitfalls of incrementalism that led to McDonnell Douglas’ decline.
The US government is cracking down on airlines that mishandle passenger wheelchairs. The hope is that a new rule will encourage safer and more responsible wheelchair transportation.
The US Department of Transportation (DOT) data reveals that airlines damage or lose one out of every 100 wheelchairs or scooters following a domestic flight. While this might not sound like an excessive amount, the new law recognizes that any damaged wheelchair can result in a total loss of mobility for affected passengers.
Airline Policies Get a Government Mandated Update
File Photo: American Airlines have 737-800
The DOT announced updated protections for passengers with disabilities that travel with airlines in the US. The DOT announced updated protections for passengers with disabilities traveling by air. Under the new rule, airlines operating in the U.S. must:
Provide specialized training for baggage handlers on the correct handling of wheelchairs.
Ensure handlers pass an assessment or exam following their training.
Offer necessary assistance to passengers traveling without their original wheelchairs, both on the plane and within the airport.
Currently, when a wheelchair-bound passenger boards a flight, airlines treat the wheelchair as checked luggage. However, improper handling often results in damage, delays in return, or both.
The new federal rules will work to reduce the number of violations that airlines make when handling wheelchairs. These violations have resulted in damaged wheelchairs and/or delays that significantly impact the passenger experience for individuals with disabilities.
Airlines must also follow a series of protocols in the event an employee reports a damaged or misplaced wheelchair.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg issued a statement to members of the media about the new ruling to airlines Monday:
“We’ve taken unprecedented actions to hold airlines accountable when they do not provide fair treatment to passengers with disabilities…With the new protections we’re announcing today, we’re establishing a new standard for air travel — with clear and thorough guidelines for airlines to ensure that passengers using wheelchairs can travel safely and with dignity.”
American Airlines Takes Brunt of Wheelchair Fines
The new ruling comes off the heels of a historic $50 million fine to American Airlines in 2024. This ruling came after the DOT found American Airlines employees mishandled wheelchairs countless times from 2019 to 2023.
In late 2023, a video went viral of an American Airlines handler dropping a wheelchair down a baggage ramp. A second handler also stood by as the wheelchair crashed at the bottom of the chute.
Wheelchair users have been trying for ages to raise awareness about their wheelchairs being broken so often when they fly, and the devastating impact this has on them. @AmericanAir baggage handlers decided to give a demonstration of how much they enjoy breaking them 😡 pic.twitter.com/jQvILpTRyQ
JetBlue boasts itself as the largest carrier in Puerto Rico, and its presence in San Juan continues to bustle with a new expansion, more flights, and a new crew base.
While JetBlue has hubs in New York City, Boston, and Fort Lauderdale, the airline sees the appeal in expanding its presence in the Caribbeans, being at the forefront of air travel as well as driving job growth.
‘A Celebration of Growth Continues’
JetBlue has posted a press release on Thursday to announce the opening of a new crew base at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico. This is the first base that JetBlue has built outside of the mainland United States.
The new crew base allows pilots and attendants to begin and conclude trips from the airport. The airport’s Terminal A is home to the new crew base. JetBlue crews will also report to JetBlue’s Tech Ops team which opened in San Juan four years ago. JetBlue plans to base 100 pilots and 300 flight attendants in Puerto Rico in 2025.
JetBlue A320 departure from SXM. Photo by Brad Hayes.
JetBlue Chief Operating Officer Warren Christie shared comments in the press release about the base opening and recruitment campaign:
“We are proud to celebrate this important milestone in Puerto Rico…The new crew base reinforces our commitment to investing in the communities we serve, creating opportunities for crew members in San Juan and for those who want to return home to the island, while expanding our network to meet the growing demand for travel to the Caribbean and beyond.”
Puerto Rico’s Governor Pedro Pierluisi also chimed in on how the expansion will further help the island’s activity:
“We celebrate that JetBlue continues to bet on Puerto Rico. We are proud of this strategic alliance with Puerto Rico, reinforcing the airline’s commitment to the island and its people. Our tourism had record growth numbers over the past four years, and this is one more sign that good news continues for our people.”
Another Addition to JetBlue’s Caribbean Network
That same afternoon, JetBlue started a new route from San Juan to St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands. According to FlightAware, this route operates once daily in the afternoon local time. The flight uses an Airbus A320 and takes less than an hour.
Google currently has JetBlue round trip fares at $102 per person, though Frontier Airlines currently offers the most economical fare at $72 per person.
JetBlue also flies between San Juan and St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands once daily. The airline also opens a seasonal route every winter from St. Thomas to Boston.
JetBlue also recently announced a new 2025 schedule for Europe, including flights to Madrid, Spain for the first time ever.
Last week, FAA Administrator Mike Whittaker unexpectedly stepped down after just over a year in office. His brief tenure raises questions about whether significant reforms are possible in a sprawling bureaucracy like the FAA. Yet, with our national air system facing mounting challenges—from air traffic controller shortages to outdated medical policies—a visionary leader could seize the moment to enact lasting change. Here are seven critical priorities for the next Administrator to restore confidence and efficiency in America’s skies.
1.) Solve The Air Traffic Controller Shortage
FAA Next-Gen Control Tower. IMAGE: PAU
Air Traffic Controllers have one of the most difficult and stressful jobs in the industry. It’s always been that way and it likely always will be. It’s the nature of the job. What can be fixed though is how few of controllers we have across the nation.
The challenge, however, is the lengthy training process. A new controller might be ready for a busy day in Birmingham, Alabama’s tower after a few years of training but it will be years before they are ready to manage the traffic flow at busy airports like Atlanta or Chicago O’Hare. Without addressing this issue though, ATC delays will continue to grow and place the entire industry at risk.
Gen Z and younger generations also aren’t as attracted to a stressful government career. The FAA has to find ways to make the job more attractive and fulfilling. The FAA needs to adapt to a changing talent marketplace. The future of an industry that contributes almost one trillion dollars to our nation’s GDP depends on it.
2.) Modernize Airspace and Tower Classifications
Austin’s Class C airspace is unchanged since the airport opened in 1999
The country’s airspace is divided into two different categories of airspace, regulatory and non-regulatory. Within the regulatory airspace, there are 4 different types all designed around the type of aircraft and the volume of operations. It’s worked for generations, mostly. The issue is that the airspace is largely static, regardless of volume changes over time.
Airports that were once hubs like Cincinnati, Cleveland, or Pittsburgh remain class B airspace even if their volume of traffic have decreased greatly from 20 years ago when they were hubs. They are still Class B today. Class B airports receive a significant amount of controllers and logistics to handle the expected aircraft operations, even if the current volume may not require it. On the other hand, you have airports like Austin, Texas that remain a paltry Class C even though it is the 29th busiest airport in the United States.
These airspace issues are about streamlining operations in some cases and correcting critical safety issues in others. Airspace is consistent for good reason but there should be a process to review and adjust sizing on a much more frequent basis to enhance smooth operations and safety.
3.) Fix The FAA Medical Process Now!
The FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) Building in Oklahoma City, OK. Photo by Dr. Stephen Véronneau of the Aerospace Medical Research Division of CAMI
The FAA medical process is a bureaucratic nightmare. If you are a pilot in perfect health it might not seem so bad. You just walk into a doctors office, get your blood pressure checked, read an eye chart and you walk away with your certificate for another six months to two years. For most other mortals though, it can be a nightmare.
The problem is a lack of resourcing by the FAA, confusing regulations, and the lack of ability to reach out to a human when you have questions. Sure there are great organizations like Wingman Med to guide pilots through the process but it can be costly. The fact that organizations like these have to exist is a reaction to a broken system, not the solution.
4.) Encourage Pilot Access to Healthcare
Two pilots in the cockpit get ready for a flight. | IMAGE: Photo by Rafael Cosquiere via pexels.com
Pilots livelihoods depends on obtaining and maintaining a medical clearance. Yet pilots are just like every other person in America. Pilots face tragedy, divorce, relationship challenges, and financial difficulties just like every one else.
The challenge for pilots though is that speaking out for help could lead to the loss of their ability to do their job. A 2022 study said that 56% of pilots fear seeking health care because it could affect their ability to continue flying.
The FAA has an opportunity on both mental heath and veteran benefits to explicitly state their policies and make them much more transparent and pilot friendly.
5.) Fix NOTAMs, No Really This Time
Seven Things The New FAA Administrator Should Do To Fix Our Nation's Skies 50
There’s no way around it. Our US NOTAMs system is trash. Even the former NTSB chief called them garbage in 2018. The last administration acted liked they fixed NOTAMs by changing the name from Notices to Airman to Notices to Air Missions. It was heralded as a way to be more inclusive. Unfortunately, that didn’t fix the core issue that continues to use a system built on teletype to convey critical safety updates to pilots.
NOTAMs need a huge facelift. They need to display information in a much more digestible format highlighting criticality first, not just date of publishing. Pilots are visual. NOTAMs should visually depict closed runways and taxiways. While some apps like Foreflight and Jeppesen on Electronic Flight Bags have helped, so much more needs to be done.
NOTAMs have been a contributing factor in multiple mishaps and countless more incidents. This fix would enhance safety and remove one more possible link in the error chain.
6.) Address Checkride Backlogs
Cessna 152 Trainer.
If the FAA truly wants to create a more diverse industry of aviation professionals, it needs to do more than changing the titles of their tools. The FAA needs to invest in unjamming the backlog of checkrides. On forums across social media, student pilots frequently post desperately trying to find a DPE (Designated Pilot Examiner).
DPEs are a hot commodity these days driving by both the growth of pilot training and the difficulty of becoming one. It used to be $400-$600 for a checkride. They could frequently be scheduled a week or two in advance.
Now the wait can be months, particularly in more remote areas. The cost for a checkride can be over $1000 too. This system harms everyone but particularly people who are self-financing their aviation career.
7.) Accelerate Aircraft Certification and Innovation
A rendering of a Boeing 737 max 10 flying over snowy mountains. Image: Boeing
It’s no secret that Boeing has had a plethora of issues. Their Boeing 737 MAX -7 and -10 and their 777-9 have all been severely delayed. There are good reasons for the delays yet our nation still depends on Boeing and needs it to be successful.
On another front, there is a fresh new industry of eVTOLs that are emerging. New types of aircraft will require a new way of thinking to ensure safety but also ensure that America retains its global leadership position.
Equally important, the FAA oversees spaceflight. Recent Starship test launches were treated as accidents if they didn’t land as intended even though there was no property damaged or people hurt. The agency has to think differently about testing and development.
The FAA has a tremendous opportunity to streamline and modernize their certification processes for the good of our nation while still ensuring safety.
You Have The Aircraft
These seven priorities represent not just a wish list but a potential roadmap for the FAA’s next Administrator to ensure the safety, efficiency, and sustainability of our aviation system. America’s airspace is a cornerstone of global commerce and connectivity. Addressing these challenges head-on is essential for maintaining our leadership in the skies.
The F-102A Delta Dagger Interceptor Was a ‘Round The World Cold-War Warrior
Convair’s F-102A Delta Dagger served with distinction as an Air Defense Command (ADC) interceptor with the United States Air Force (USAF) and with the Air National Guard (ANG) for twenty years.
Commonly referred to as The Deuce, the F-102A was the first operational delta-winged supersonic jet interceptor to see service with the USAF and ADC. But the design of the F-102, which was drawn to compete in a 1948 USAF competition to place in service a new “ultimate” interceptor and derived from Convair’s XF-92A delta-wing research aircraft, required major revisions before the jet was ready to enter service.
Official US Air Force photograph
Thank Goodness (and Pratt & Whitney) for the J57!
Initially, the YF-102 prototypes were both underpowered due to engine development snags and slow due to a phenomenon called transonic drag. The engine issues eventually led to the F-102 being powered by the Pratt & Whitney J57 axial-flow turbojet engine with afterburner- the power plant used in such designs as the North American F-100 Super Sabre, the Vought F-8 Crusader, and the Douglas A-3 Skywarrior. After the first YF-102 first flew on 23 October 1953, the aircraft’s performance was deemed unsatisfactory (read: it was a dog) and drove Convair back to the drawing board.
Official US Air Force photograph
Area Rules
Transonic drag occurs as an aircraft approaches supersonic speeds. Without slogging through the physics involved, the phenomenon was causing especially high drag in the forward fuselage around the canopy, at the engine intakes, and along the sides of the fuselage aft of the wing leading edge.
The Convair engineers lengthened the fuselage of the aircraft by some 11 feet. They also narrowed the canopy and redesigned the engine intakes. However, the real difference maker in the revised design was the narrowing of the fuselage aft of the wing leading edge and widening it forward of the vertical stabilizer- employing an area rule.
YF-102 (left) and YF-102A (right). Official US Air Force photograph
Origins of the Coke Bottle Curve
Now I don’t know if there was a Coke bottle sitting on some engineer’s desk when that “Eureka” moment took place, but we do know that incorporating the Whitcomb Area Rule (AKA the transonic area rule) into the design solved the F-102’s transonic drag problem.
The fuselage width was reduced from just aft of the wing leading edge and widened aft of the wing trailing edge. Fairings were added aft of the wing trailing edge and extending well beyond the afterburner on both sides of the jet’s fuselage.
Combined, these changes resulted in the Deuce’s waspish figure- resembling the shape of a Mark 1 Mod Zero Coca-Cola bottle as much as anything. Aircraft designed to operate in the transonic speed ranges, like the Convair B-58 Hustler, Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter, T-38 Talon, and many others, have employed the area rule ever since.
The redesigned F-102 prototype, dubbed the YF-102A, first flew on 20 December 1954.
Official US Air Force photograph
Tri-Angular Shapes
So now that Convair had a supersonic design and an engine to power it, the company received a contract to produce the Delta Dagger. Other features of the revised F-102A design included primarily aluminum alloy construction with some titanium in the structure. The low-mounted swept delta wing had a leading edge sweep of 60 degrees. Those wings had wing fences mounted inboard and outboard along with two-section hydraulically-actuated elevons at the trailing edge of each wing. The vertical stabilizer was triangular in shape with a hydraulically-actuated trailing edge rudder. The surface area of the vertical stabilizer was increased early in production of the F-102A.
Official US Air Force photograph
No Guns for This Interceptor
The F-102A also employed a pair of hydraulically-actuated airbrakes mounted at the base of the vertical stabilizer. A braking parachute was housed between the airbrake surfaces, meaning it could only be used when the airbrakes were deployed. The revised engine intakes employed splitter plates to reduce drag and turbulence along the fuselage. The Deuce was not armed with any internal guns- it had a ventral weapons bay just aft of the nose gear to carry Hughes GAR-series (AIM-4) Falcon air-to-air missiles. In addition, folding-fin aerial rockets (FFARs) could be fired from mounts in the weapons bay doors. Though not initially designed to carry drop tanks, the ability to carry two 230-gallon drop tanks was later added.
Official US Air Force photograph
Chilly Willy and the Bears
The F-102A first entered service in April 1956 with the 327th Fighter Interceptor Squadron (FIS) at George Air Force Base (AFB) in Victorville, California. Of the 889 F-102As built before production ended in September of 1958, the majority were operated first by ADC squadrons, many of which were based in warm sunny locales like Elmendorf AFB in Alaska, Thule Air Base in Greenland, and Keflavik Air Base in Iceland. These cold-soaked but alert Deuces intercepted hundreds of Soviet Tupelov Tu-95 Bears, Tu-16 Badgers, Myasishchev M-4 Bison, and many more during their Cold War service.
Official US Air Force photograph
For the rest of the Deuce Details, bang NEXT PAGE below
Asobo Studio has acknowledged the bugs and technical issues plaguing Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 and has been actively releasing patches and updates to fix these problems. The development team is committed to listening to player feedback and implementing necessary improvements to enhance the overall performance and stability of the game.
A Promising MSFS2024 Release Turned Sour Fast
The problems started on release day and have continued over the past month. Many customers who excitedly purchased the next version of MSFS faced long delays just trying to install their software. Once the software loaded too 99%, it crashed and needed to start again. They couldn’t access the game the first day!
We are aware of the technical issues you are facing with the launch of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024.
Jorg Neumann, Sebastian Wloch, and Jayne share the latest updates and priorities to address them. Check out this video for more information:https://t.co/Q7efoBLQG5
Asobo Studio acknowledged the issues and blamed them on overwhelming interest in the product. It wouldn’t be unusual for a big release to have issues on the first day. The problem is that day one issues gave way to a host of challenges that have still left customers complaining over a month later.
We have increased our server capacity and are seeing more players accessing the sim, however, we are still seeing access issues continue.
This is not the launch experience we want for our players and want to apologize to the community. We will continue to work around the clock…
The list of issues are long. If it were just a poor onboarding experience, I believe many flight simmers would have forgiven Microsoft and Asobo. The problems run deep with planes that don’t work properly, scenery bugs, controllers that won’t connect, and an exceedingly frustrating career mode.
Honestly, I don´t know what are you thinking about when you perform stupid live eventes while the game is still unplayable, 2 weeks after launch date. Really a absolute shame of you are throwing the franchise name to the trash bin.
Some have commented that some of the scenery looks melted, particularly places like Las Vegas as seen below.
Some scenery isn’t rendering properly on MSFS2024.
Career Mode Didn’t Work Initially; It’s Getting Better
Career mode is one of the new feature sets in MSFS2024. When we first heard about it, we were excited about the prospect of millions of fans learning to fly, then advancing through a career as an aviator. The gamified version is fraught with issues though.
Some users experienced a crash just by releasing the parking brake in certain aircraft. Others are launched on missions without enough fuel to arrive at the destination.
Add-ons Moved To The Cloud and Simmers Don’t Like It
Asobo made the decision with MSFS2024 to move everything to the cloud. The simulator only works with an internet connection. This allows the game to have a lighter footprint on one’s computer and in theory should improve performance.
The tradeoff is that all add-ons are now stored on the cloud too. Many have lamented how Asobo has moved add-ons to the cloud. Part of what has always made the Microsoft Flight Simulator series so unique is that users and companies have been able to customize the simulator. There have always been large markets for custom scenery, unique aircraft, and other plug-ins. Now, Asobo has moved all add-ons to the cloud.
Vendors who want to publish to MSFS2024 have to publish through Asobo’s store. While it is still technically possible to upload your own add ons in MSFS2024, users have said that they feel they don’t have as much control over customization as they did in the past. The worst part though was that Asobo’s own marketplace was virtually empty at launch. Even something as simple as liveries for default aircraft were missing.
Microsoft Flight Simulator Bugs, Bugs Galore
Even outside of Career Mode, there are plenty of bugs in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 that are detrimental to the experience. A quick spin in the new Boeing 737 Max-8 by Avgeekery resulted in an autopilot that wouldn’t follow the route in the box in LNAV along with a Boeing Thrustmaster controller that would only push up a single throttle.
The ability to add surface level winds was also locked out. Restarting the sim fixed the latter two issues but it served as a representative example of how many sim users feel the product was rushed to the market without sufficient testing.
A Major Add-On Developer Can’t Sell Their Products Yet On MSFS2024
MSFS developer PMDG has been unable to convert their 2020 aircraft to MSFS2024. Image: PMDG
One of the more prominent developers, PMDG has posted a compatibility warning on their Boeing 777 product stating, “This product is not compatible with MSFS2024 and will require updates to become compatible. Updates may be free or offered at a modest surcharge, depending upon policies eventually set for MSFS2024 Marketplace guidelines, to be determined at a date following release of MSFS2024’s in-game Marketplace. If you do not intend to use this product in MSFS2020, do not purchase it until this warning is removed, as it is not compatible with MSFS2024.”
The company is working on making their prominent 737 and 777 aircraft compatible with MSFS2024 via patch sometime in the future.
Asobo Studio Promised Fixes and Has Delivered On Some
To Asobo’s credit, the company has acknowledged the screw up. They stated that their initial server issues were because they weren’t expecting the high level of users on the first day of the release. They added significant capacity in the subsequent days resulting in almost all server issue complaints cease in the user forums over the past few weeks.
Asobo announced patch #3 on their developer blog this past week. This latest release solved a number of the most complained about issues with career mode, fixed scenery, and improved performance. The response on X has been mixed. Some users like @BucketNate have appreciated the improvements as the game has become more playable.
Others like X user @ACinPhilly are still experiencing issues.
Did the update…then I did a total UNINSTALL & REINSTALL of this, it actually felt promising for 35 min. actually…but it all went to crap again. After seeing this chaos of plane traffic, the sim totally crashed when I exited to the main menu. Its still a mess! #MSFS2024pic.twitter.com/OIwciEcJ7o
For Asobo, there is still time to fix their product. The ambitious plan to take an already solid sim and add in a major gamified world was bound to be difficult. The flight sim community is different than your average gaming population.
As a group, they not only provide candid feedback but get excited when they see consistent improvements. Asobo has had solid communication on their progress to fix MSFS2024. They communicate regularly on social media via X.com, Youtube, and Instagram.
Asobo Got Behind The Power Curve on Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
For many it seems as if the company released a half-baked beta version of their final product. Asobo Studio will need to pull out of this stall quickly by applying the proper coordinated controls. Otherwise, the storied franchise could enter a graveyard spin that permanently damages the simulator’s storied reputation. That’s something every fan of flight simulation doesn’t want to see.
Hong Kong Airlines is making a return to Vancouver after several years of absence. The airlines will capitalize off the high fares that competing airlines are charging for the nonstop route.
The announcement came in the middle of the airline’s 18th anniversary festivities. The first flights to and from Canada will take place in January of next year.
Hong Kong Finds America’s Hat–Canada
Hong Kong Airlines uploaded a press release announcing the return of service to and from Vancouver, Canada. Flights connecting Hong Kong to Vancouver will resume on 18 January, 2025. These flights will take place twice weekly each direction.
The route was originally in service from June 2017 and did great business for the airline, being the first route to fly to North America. The route was then scrapped during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The other two airlines offering nonstop flights to Hong Kong and Vancouver are Air Canada and Cathay Pacific. For this January on average, Air Canada charges $2,012 (HK$15,661) while Cathay has a price of $1,706 (HK$13,281).
Image: emperornie of Wikimedia Commons
Hong Kong Airlines will charge fares at just $1,220 (HK$9,491) in January, being the most affordable airline for the route.
Hong Kong Airlines Chairman Yan Bo also had comments to share in the press release:
“We are thrilled to welcome Vancouver back as Hong Kong Airlines’ first North American destination. We aim to attract more travelers to experience Vancouver’s beauty, facilitating family reunions and business collaborations.”
International Route is the Start of Something More
With the return to Vancouver next year, the airline will serve travelers in over 30 destinations. Hong Kong Airlines will also start service in Gold Coast, Australia for the first time ever. The season route starts 17 January, 2025 and ends 15 February.
In December 2022, the airline managed to restructure HK$49 billion in debts. A repayment plan had been approved by a federal court as well as the airline’s creditors, giving the company wiggle-room to pay back money owed.
According to a Hong Kong spokesperson, the airline is managing as many flights as before the pandemic. Each flight is on average 85% of full capacity. The airline aims to serve over five million passengers in 2024.
One month has been removed from a series of incidents where aircraft from US airlines were struck by bullets. Since then, the unrest in Haiti doesn’t seem to have died down, with the country still deemed unsafe for travel.
While the US government could have lifted restrictions this week, it will suspend flights to and from Haiti much longer to protect US Airlines.
More on US Airlines Banned from Haiti Travel
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) proclaimed late last week that it will extend restrictions for US travel in Haiti until 12 March, 2025. This means airlines from the US can’t arrive or depart from anywhere in the country or fly over it from a low altitude. The Notice to Air Missions currently prohibits flights over Haiti at 10,000 feet or less.
Government originally placed the ban on 11 November when alleged gang members fired bullets at aircraft from American Airlines, Spirit Airlines, and JetBlue. A Spirit Airlines attendant was reportedly injured as a result of the gunfire.
Spirit Airlines Airbus A319 exterior | IMAGE: Spirit Airlines
If you are a traveler who is looking to fly to or near Haiti in the near future with one of the affected airlines, you may need to get in touch with your airline’s customer support.
If you’re traveling directly to Haiti, your airline should have automatically canceled your flight and refunded you. As for indirect flights involving Haiti, you may need to be rebooked or rerouted which might involve paying more money.
Official Statement by the US Department of State
Travelers can read the US Department of State’s Haiti Travel Advisory, which was published on 18 September. The advisory has a ‘Level 4: Do Not Travel’ grade, cited for crime, kidnapping, civil unrest, and health risks.
“Since March 2024, Haiti has been under a State of Emergency. Crimes involving firearms are common in Haiti. They include robbery, carjackings, sexual assault, and kidnappings for ransom. Kidnapping is widespread, and U.S. citizens have been victims and have been hurt or killed,” the notice reads.
US Airlines Banned from Haiti Travel Until at Least March 2025 63
The Department goes on to specify that Aeroport International Toussaint Louverture, the airport in Port-Au-Prince is a ‘focal point for armed activity’. Robberies and carjackings are also common and spontaneous, often occurring during traffic stops.
The notice even advises against traveling to Haiti through the bordering country Dominican Republic.
As a follow-up to last month’s iPhone update, United Airlines has announced that its mobile app is fully-integrated with Apple’s new ‘Share Item Location’ feature. This will allow the airline to help customers quickly locate luggage, phones, and laptops that potentially go missing during travel.
United is the first of 15 airlines to use this new Apple software, with other airlines working on their own integrations. These airlines include Delta, Air Canada, and British Airways.
Uniting with Lost Luggage In Record Time
United Airlines sent out a press release Thursday evening to announce that customers can now integrate ‘Share Item Location’ for Apple AirTag with the United mobile app.
With this feature, United customers will be able to monitor the whereabouts of tracked devices and luggage right from the United smartphone app. According to the press release, the app will now ‘drive a much-improved customer service experience’ for customers who may not realize their bags will arrive on a later flight.
United Airlines jets at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) on 09 May 2024 | IMAGE: Photo by David Syphers on Unsplash
‘Share Item Location’ is available on iPhone with iOS 18.2. The feature is free and can be toggled on in the phone’s settings app.
Here’s what happens if a customer suspects his or her tracked luggage to go missing:
The user can open the United app and file a ‘delayed baggage’ claim. Apple will generate a link for you to share with United that will track the luggage in question.
A United customer support agent will access the link. This will allow the agent to pinpoint the luggage on a map. The map will also update in real time.
United will work with airports and authorities to find the bag in the area and reunite it with the owner.
Once the issue has been resolved, the link will be deactivated for privacy and security purposes.
United’s Improvements with iPhone
United Airlines Chief Customer Officer David Kinzelman shared his thoughts Thursday. He explained how the new app update gives iPhone owners a peace of mind during travels with United:
“For years, every customer has been able to track the journey of their bag through the United app as it is scanned on and off the plane, and previously, they didn’t have a way to directly share their AirTag information with our baggage team…They can (now) easily and securely share that with us in the United app, and our team can use the location information to find the bag and get it reunited with its owner much more quickly.”
A United Airlines Boeing 777-200 lands at Tokyo Narita (NRT) on 12 February 2018 | IMAGE: Masahiro TAKAGI from Ichikawa, Chiba, Japan, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
United has continuously integrated updates for iPhone and Apple Watch to improve customer experience. The airline touted how it was the first in the US to provide live flight notifications for loved ones. United has also made the bag drop process easier with checking bags. The app eliminates the need to print a label or tag before each flight.
The United Airlines app is free to download on the Apple App store and Google Play Store. While Android phone owners can still get assistance with lost luggage and bag-tracking, there has yet to be a ‘Share My Location’ equivalent feature that United has invested in for Android phones.
Move over Chick-Fil-A gift cards! In what would be a fabulous holiday surprise to many, Frontier is offering its ‘All-You-Can-Fly’ annual pass for just under $300, giving pass owners one year of unlimited flights that only cost $0.01 each.
The special price will only be available to early bird customers that respond fast to the pre-sale event. But if you’re too late to respond, you can still win one of ten passes for free.
A Free Year of Frontier
Frontier Airlines has issued a press release hyping up a ‘GoWild! All-You-Can-Fly’ annual pass pre-sale event. During this event, those that sign up to get notified of an annual pass sale could claim one for just $299.
To be eligible for a special deal, customers can simply register for the special pre-sale email on their website. It’s uncertain when the pass will be available at the low price, but when it does, emails will be sent en masse and recipients are encouraged to act fast.
The $299 price will only be available to the first 5,000 customers. After 5,000 customers purchased the pass, its price will move up to $499, which was the special price for last year’s promotion.
Image: By Tomás Del Coro from Wikimedia Commons
Frontier will also give away ten passes for free to email recipients that simply sign up for the pre-sale. According to Frontier, this sweepstakes will run through 27 December.
Penny Fares From Aguadilla to Wilmington
The pass will be good from 1 May 2025 to 30 April 2026. During this time, pass owners can book any flight on Frontier’s website for just a penny, though extra fees such as for bags will still apply. All flights are subject to the one-cent fare, though Frontier does post a series of blackout periods through 2025 and 2026.
The airline also notes that only the pass owner is subject to the one-cent fares and that the pass is non-transferable.
Frontier Airlines Chief Commercial Officer Bobby Schroeter called the ‘GoWild!’ pass ‘perfect’ for travelers that fly frequently. Schroeter also touts that $299 is the cheapest the price has every gone down, making it affordable for more travelers to fly to their ideal vacation spots.
Frontier flies to over 120 destinations in the Americas. In addition to over 100 major cities in the United States, customers can also book flights to Canada, Puerto Rico, Mexico, the Bahamas, and various other Caribbean nations.
New Englanders will soon be able to fly with JetBlue to Madrid and Edinburgh, which are two popular tourist destinations. Both flights will start this late spring, just in time for vacation season for many travelers.
With these new routes, JetBlue will attempt to take business away from American Airlines, United, and Delta regarding Madrid and Edinburgh flights from Boston.
Europe In My Face
JetBlue posted a press release to announce new international flights for 2025. Starting in May, the airline will be flying to and from both Madrid, Spain and Edinburgh, Scotland. These flights will come from JetBlue’s home base at Boston Logan International Airport in Massachusetts.
According to JetBlue, both routes will be open from 22 May to 24 October of next year and take place once daily. A London-Gatwick, England route will also be open during this time frame. Routes to Dublin, Ireland and Amsterdam, Netherlands will start a little earlier in the year.
This is the first time ever JetBlue will do service in Spain. JetBlue previously managed Edinburgh, Scotland seasonal routes via John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City earlier this year. Next year, JetBlue will fly to Edinburgh from both Boston Logan and JFK.
JetBlue Welcomes Europe
Between Boston and New York, JetBlue will fly to a total of seven destinations across Europe over the summer season. Other destinations on this docket include London-Heathrow and Paris, France.
JetBlue Head of Enterprise Planning Daniel Shurz gave these comments regarding the airline’s additional European routes:
“Madrid and Edinburgh represent two of Europe’s most exciting and popular destinations, and we’re happy to offer even more Trans-Atlantic travel options for our customers from Boston and New England…As our loyal customers look for JetBlue’s signature service and low fares to bring them to top leisure destinations, including across the Atlantic.”
JetBlue will also be opening its first lounge at Boston airport later in 2025. This lounge will be exclusive to those who purchase a Mint class Trans-Atlantic flight, reach Mosaic 4 on their TrueBlue membership, or own the upcoming JetBlue credit card.
Fiji flag carrier Fiji Airways is breaking company records while expanding its horizons this week with new flights to Dallas, Texas. Both the airline and Dallas-Fort Worth expect favorable outcomes to come from the new route.
Customers also can get in on an introductory fare for booking on this route until 17 December. The airline also shares details on the brand-new aircraft the route is using.
From the Soft Coral Capital to the Heart of Texas
Fiji Airways has kicked off its longest nonstop route yet connecting Nadi, Fiji to Dallas, Texas. The airline notes in its latest press release that the route is already operating every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.
The inaugural flight departed Nadi International Airport on 10 December at around 200 Central Standard Time. Touching down at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport over 13 hours later, the first passengers were greeted with a ‘water cannon salute’.
Fiji Airways is using new Airbus A350-900 XWB aircraft for this route. This aircraft comes with 334 seats, including 33 flatbed business class seats.
The Dallas route marks the fourth concurrent route the airline manages in America. The other four involve Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Honolulu.
Fiji Airways CEO and Managing Director Andre Viljoen discussed the new route during the latest press release:
“This new route significantly strengthens Fiji Airways’ connectivity across North America, making it easier than ever for U.S. travelers to access Fiji and the South Pacific, with seamless onward connections to Australia and New Zealand. In line with our mission, ‘We Fly for Fiji,’ this new service will bring up to 1,000 passengers to Fiji each week, supporting our nation’s tourism industry and creating new avenues for business collaboration between our two nations.”
Viljoen also considered Dallas’ airport to be a ‘key strategic hub’ that connects travelers to over 250 additional destinations worldwide, which opens up additional ‘travel and business opportunities’.
Dallas-Fort Worth Airport Chief Executive Officer Sean Donohue also shared remarks regarding the new connection to Fiji:
“DFW is excited to add the beautiful islands of Fiji to our growing portfolio of international destinations, bringing North Texas nonstop access to a tropical paradise and connecting Nadi with DFW’s network of more than 250 destinations around the world.”
Fiji Airways is also promoting an ‘introductory fare’ for the new route until 17 December. Though the press release is promoting fares at $1,999 per passenger, Fiji has reportedly marked round trip fares down to $859 as of this writing.
Fiji Airways in 2025
Fiji Airways is already preparing for more exciting additions for next year. This March, the airline will be the latest to join the Oneworld Alliance. This alliance allows flexibility for travelers to fly with Fiji and other participating airlines and earn points with the American Airlines AAdvantage loyalty program.
On 10 April, 2025, Fiji Airways will start its 27th international route connecting Fiji to Cairns, Australia. The airline currently connects travelers to and from several Australian cities such as Sydney and Brisbane.
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