One of the most popular sights at any air show was always Heritage and Legacy flights, with military aviation past and present joining in the sky in symbolic formation spanning generations from WWII, Korea and Vietnam to the present day.
But over the last several years, one of the biggest questions you’ll hear at air shows across the U.S. is, “will Navy Legacy flights ever return?”
Legacy formation break, Hornets in full burners. Photo Credit: Mike Killian (Gary Baker photo pilot)
The Air Force has their Heritage program. The Navy used to do so with a Legacy program too, but they stopped several years ago. And they will remain stopped until the air show and aviation community helps, or the Navy decides to pay for it, which will not happen.
So the Navy Tailhook Legacy Flight Foundation (NTLFF) has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise $20,000 to, “support flying warbird aircraft to and from mandatory formation training with the Navy’s TACDEMO teams,” says Bernie Conaway, President/Director of Operations at the NTLFF. “This training must be accomplished prior to the Navy approving the return of the Tailhook Legacy Flight program in 2018.”
For 15-20 minutes at various show sites each year, the Navy’s single ship F-18 Hornet and Super Hornet Tactical Demonstration teams from Strike Fighter Squadrons VFA-122 and VFA-106 shred the skies for spectators and show off some of the various capabilities of the jet and the men and women who crew them.
But from time to time, in past years at least, they were joined at the end of their demos by old Navy warbirds for something called a “Naval Aviation Tailhook Legacy Flight”, where the past and present of Naval aviation would come together in the sky.
Such a sight has virtually vanished due to budget issues over recent years though, and therefore are not officially back on air show rosters yet. The formations, however, are still flown on case by case basis on rare occasions, the most recent being at the Cleveland National Air Show Sep 2-4, 2017, when TAC DEMO took a hint from the Air Force Heritage Flights and wanted to fly some Legacy passes with the CAF Dixie Wing Corsair also performing at the show, and so they secured the necessary approvals to do it.
Although the Navy funds the training and execution of the active duty demos, due to the fiscal situation dating back to sequestration in 2013 they are currently unable to provide funding for the civilian side of the program.
Navy Legacy formation and tribute to VFA-15, joined by Scott York in his P-51 Mustang “Quick Silver” and Jim Tobul in his F4-U Corsair “Korean War Hero” at the 2017 TICO Warbird Airshow. Photo: Mike Killian (Team Aeroshell photo pilot)
Matter of fact, the TAC DEMO pilots in Cleveland weren’t even aware there used to be an official Legacy program, which speaks volumes to the length of the time Legacy flights have now been grounded.
For the program to return, warbird crews must train with the active duty TAC DEMO flight crews on each TAC DEMO team prior to the start of the air show season, but to accomplish this the warbird aircraft and their crews need to transit to either NAS Lemoore in California (VFA-122 Demo Team), or NAS Oceana in Virginia (VFA-106 Demo Team).
The costs to transit these warbirds and their Legacy trained crews to select TAC DEMO show sites to fly the Legacy Demos, is expected to cost at minimum $300,000 annually.
Two Super Hornets from Strike Fighter Squadron VFA-106 “Gladiators” in formation with Thom Richard flying the Commemorative Air Force Dixie Wing’s Corsair. Photo Credit: Mike Killian (Gary Baker photo pilot)
For this reason, the NTLFF was established in 2015 to raise the funding necessary to accomplish Tailhook Legacy training, and then execute Legacy flights at all the air shows on the TAC DEMO team’s schedule.
“Your support will provide the funding to fly these aircraft to training, and once training is complete, your support will provide for moving these warbirds to each show. Unlike the Air Force Heritage Flight Foundation, we’re not funded by a billionaire, we are Navy verterans who are trying to bring the program back,” added Conaway.
“Without support, the program will remain grounded and these majestic formation flights will not grace the skies,” he adds.
For more information on the grassroots civilian non-profit NTLFF organization, and to donate, please visit https://www.ntlff.org.
ROME, GA — John Young. He was the astronaut’s-astronaut.
A depression-era youth who grew up in northwest Georgia to become the seventh man to walk on the moon discussed his life in his recently released autobiography.
As a young boy attending school in Cartersville, located 40 miles north of Atlanta, John W. Young late in his life wrote about his meager life in the small town. And, how his strengths carried him on to college and into a flying career with the U.S. Navy and later upward to NASA.
Forever Young: A Life of Adventure in Air and Space (2013) is the book on the life of a true American hero, John Watts Young. Co-authored by James R. Hansen, Forever Young puts you on the flight deck and in the cockpit as Young prepares to push America forward in the space race and toward space research.
John Young flew twice aboard Gemini; he flew twice to the moon; and commanded two space shuttle missions aboard Columbia. (NASA)
Young described his father’s job at a Cartersville filling station as a temporary one after being laid off from a prominent job as a world traveling civil engineer during the height of the economic collapse.
Young, who passed away on 5 January 2018 at the age of 87, wrote about his love of model airplanes as a young boy, and how it set the stage for his adult life.
Following high school graduation, Young enrolled at Georgia Tech in Atlanta, and graduated in 1952 with a degree in aeronautical engineering. Young later became a naval aviator having graduated from Navy Test Pilot school in 1959, and in 1965, he soared into orbit with Gus Grissom aboard the first Gemini space flight.
His third trip into space was Apollo 10 which became the first Apollo mission to carry the lunar module to the moon. The flight was note worthy as it set the stage for the first moon landing two months later.
The crew of Apollo 10 also set the record for the fastest speed ever traveled by humans, 24,791 m.p.h., as their command module raced toward earth.
In all, John Young flew in space six times, including two trips to the moon and twice as commander of the space shuttle Columbia. He logged 35 days in space of which four days were spent on the lunar surface.
During Apollo 16, he and Charlie Duke explored the Descartes Highlands on the moon during three moonwalks. The pair collected 211 pounds of lunar material and travels some 16 miles in their lunar rover.
The self-described Georgia boy even hopped up the slopes of Stone Mountain, located on the Moon, and named it for the popular quartz monzonite mountain located east of Atlanta.
Young’s final space flight landing in 1983 proved to be his most “exciting”, as he describes it.
Columbia’s computers which controlled landing began to “crash” hours before her touchdown. Then minutes prior to her dynamic landing in the California desert, power units which help the shuttle fly began to fail, and Columbia’s aft section caught fire caused by leaking fuel.
Young officially left NASA on December 31, 2004, following a storied career. In all, according to NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Young “logged more than 15,275 hours flying time in props, jets, helicopters, rocket jets, more than 9,200 hours in T-38s, and six space flights of 835 hours”.
Forever Young is an incredible read, fast paced at times with great insight into Young’s mind as he takes you with him as he soars into earth orbit and upon the vast ocean of space. The book delves quickly into the early days of human spaceflight, including both NASA’s highlights and low moments.
(Charles A Atkeison reports on aerospace and science. Follow his updates via Twitter @Military_Flight.)
A scary situation as passengers had to evacuate on slides
A ramp collision between a WestJet Boeing 737 carrying 168 people and a Sunwing 737 on Friday night at Pearson Airport in Toronto resulted in a fuel leak and subsequent fire. Passengers were terrified as they watched the inferno in horror, unaware if the fire would grow. Children were screaming and chaos ensued as everyone wondered if it was their plane that had caught on fire or if it was the empty plane next to them. The order was eventually given to evacuate the Westjet aircraft. The scene was captured in vivid detail on video:
The plane collision happened about 6pm as a Sunwing jet was being repositioned on the ramp by third-party ground crews and the WestJet flight was returning from Cancun, Mexico. Following the crash, flames engulfed one of the Westjet aircraft’s wings. Flight attendants scrambled to control the situation as fears arose about a possible fuel leak.
Passenger Gustavo Lobo told CBC News, “Panic set in when [we saw] what seemed to be fuel spewing from the crash. Out of nowhere there was an audible crunch and the plane rocked slightly. We looked out the window and saw that the plane had backed up into us.”
According to Sunwing, the accident was caused by ground handlers that were working for a third-party company, Swissport. Canada’s Transportation Safety Board is conducting a full investigation.
WestJet spokeswoman Lauren Stewart said there were no injuries and that “emergency crews were on hand and responded immediately.”
Sunwing tweeted, “There were no Sunwing crew or passengers onboard at the time of the incident. We are awaiting further information from Swissport and will provide more details as they become available.” Swissport has not commented on the incident.
U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa this week released new video of two occasions in November and December 2017 where U.S. Air Force F-15s from RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom, were called to intercept Russian fighters near the Baltics.
Both intercepts were initiated because Russian Navy Su-30 Flankers “did not broadcast the appropriate codes required by air traffic control and had no flight plan on file,” said the U.S. Air Force.
The F-15s are with the 493rd Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, belonging to the 48th Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath, but were deployed to Šiauliai Air Base, Lithuania, as part of a four-month NATO Baltic peacetime air policing mission.
They’ve conducted approximately 30 intercepts with the objective to ensure the sovereignty of the Baltic airspace.
At the end of the video, Lt. Col. Cody Blake, 493rd Fighter Squadron commander, provides answers to questions on intercepts and the Baltic Air Policing mission.
A U.S. RC-135U flying in international airspace over the Baltic Sea was intercepted by a Russian SU-27 June 19, 2017. Photo: USAF/European Command
Back in June, another intercept occurred over the Baltic Sea which was deemed as “unsafe” when an armed Russian SU-27 Flanker met up with a U.S. RC-135U reconnaissance plane in international airspace, coming very close with a high rate of closure speed and poor control of the aircraft.
The Russian jet reportedly came within just 5 feet of the wingtip, before flying under and coming up off the other wingtip. Russia’s Defense Ministry said the U.S. plane “swerved dangerously” towards the Russian jet, but the U.S. military claimed the flight crew did nothing to provoke the incident.
Another similar intercept occurred just a month prior too, when another Russian jet came within 20 feet of a U.S. NAVY P-8A Poseidon over the Black Sea.
.
– Follow Mike Killian on Instagram and Facebook, @MikeKillianPhotography
During the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) AirVenture 2017 at Oshkosh in Wisconsin there were scores of thrilling airshow performances by everything from single aircraft to group formations and mass flyovers. But the highlight of the show was, for many in attendance, the performance by the US Navy Blue Angels on Fly-In Friday. The Blues were able to perform their full “high” show thanks to CAVU conditions at KOSH that day. This video of that performance, uploaded to YouTube by our good friends at AirshowStuffVideos, showcases the Blue Angels and the raw power of their F/A-18C Hornet jets.
One unfortunate aspect of the show was the conspicuous absence from the Oshkosh skies of Fat Albert, the Lockheed Martin C-130T Hercules support airlifter assigned to the team and flown by a Marine Corps flight crew. Due to the tragic crash of a Marine Corps VMGR-452 KC-130T in Mississippi on Monday July 10th 2017, the Marine Corps grounded the remaining KC-130T and C-130T aircraft until an investigation could be conducted. Fat Albert performed at airshows later during the Blue Angels 2017 performance season.
Official US Navy photograph
During 2017 the Blues flew 62 performances at 32 airshows and events along with more than 90 practice demonstrations- in front of millions of fans in places like Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS) China Lake in California, Naval Air Facility (NAF) El Centro in California, Brunswick in Maine, Lakeland in Florida, New Orleans, Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Beaufort in South Carolina, Idaho Falls, Millington in Tennessee, and Barksdale Air Force Base (AFB) in Louisiana.
Official US Navy photograph
The Blue Angels also visited Seymour Johnson AFB in North Carolina, Rome in New York, Millville in New Jersey, Ocean City in Maryland, Milwaukee, New Windsor in New York, the Naval Academy at Annapolis in Maryland, Latrobe in Pennsylvania, MCAS Miramar in California, San Francisco, Huntington Beach, Seattle, Chicago, Ypsilanti in Michigan, NAS Oceana in Virginia, NAS Jacksonville and Pensacola in Florida, Fort Worth, Houston, and many more…including this very memorable performance at Oshkosh!
Woops! Some sky gawkers were so captivated by the launch that they forgot to pay to their driving…
The rocket and its smoke contrail drew the eyes and imaginations of millions upward into the twilight skies. Millions of people stopped what they were doing for a few moments to look up into the sky. Holiday travelers stared out car of windows in bumper to bumper traffic, there was even one accident on the I-10 that was associated with the riveting display. (The accident occurs at 1:16 into the video).
Incredible sight ripped across the skies of Southern California and Arizona just a couple days before Christmas. The show in the night sky was created by the launch of a two stage SpaceX Falcon9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base.
The combination of twilight and created an unexpectedly stunning display because as the rocket gained altitude the exhaust plume was illuminated by sunlight creating a spectacular sight in the night sky. The rocket was launched to the South over the Pacific, giving the city of Los Angeles and most of Southern California a front row seat.
Why was the evening launch so visible?
This video explains the launch sequence and the science behind the rocket trail.
The above video was produced by photographer Jesse Wilson who is a SpaceX enthusiast. He was tracking the launch ahead of time and unlike the millions of Southern California viewers who were caught by surprise Wilson setup his equipment in and multiple cameras in Yuma, AZ to shoot the launch.
BONUS: Here’s one of the highest quality videos we’ve seen of the launch.
If at first you don’t succeed, don’t give up. Try, try again.
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) in the Netherlands is definitely one of the most spectacular airports in the world to go to if you want to see awesome stormy landings and go arounds with extreme crosswinds. And all of this within a few hundred yards from the runway with no fences. While its probably not that fun for the pilots, it’s always a joy to see the pilots battle the extreme crosswinds and gusts on runway 18R, also known as the Polderbaan. It’s on the bucketlist of many planespotters around the world. These 2 videos will either make you very thankful for not having to experience such a hairy go around and landing. Or it will be a moment you’ll never forget because you were totally reliant on the pilots skills and perhaps a prayer or two.
A new A350 goes around and gives it a second try
The first video, filmed on September 13, 2017 shows a China Airlines A350 performing a spectacular Go Around while flying perhaps only 10 feet above the runway before the pilot made the wise decision to add some thrust into those powerful Rolls-Royce engines to climb away from the runway to safer heights. The beautiful sound of this will put a smile on the face of many avgeeks. The A350 was already pretty far on the runway to land safely in those extreme conditions. This has got to be the most spectacular Go Around ever performed by a widebody airliner. If this wasn’t enough, the pilot showed his pilot skills on the second attempt to land the A350 with gusts up to 60 knots. The landing was so in control and so smooth, showcasing the pilot’s many flighthours of training and experience.
Video courtesy of Jerry Taha Productions
If at first you don’t succeed, the Emirates A380 tries again
The second video, filmed on February 23, 2017 shows an Emirates A380 doing a Go Around after battling the severe gusts and crosswind on the second attempt to land the Super Jumbo. The pilot already didn’t succeed to land the A380 on the first attempt and because it still was too dangerous on the second attempt, he had to make the hard, but wise decision to divert to Frankfurt Airport in Germany, where he landed the plane safely. The extreme conditions were so dangerous, ATC decided to close runway 18R and ordered all the other airliners to land on runway 27, also known as the Buitenveldertbaan. This is a runway that often will be used during a storm, when landing on runway 18R is no longer safe because of severe crosswinds and gusts. On runway 27 the planes will still have severe gusts, but they will have an extreme headwind instead of an extreme crosswind, making it less dangerous to land.
PASADENA, Calif. — A pair of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters and a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber will honor the men and women of organ donors and their recipients during a fly over as the Tournament of Roses Parade kicks off on New Year’s Day.
The B-2 from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri will join up with the two F-35A’s from Edwards, AFB for the 8:00 a.m. PST start of the 129th Rose Parade (ABC-TV, NBC-TV).
An F-35A Lightning II practices recently over the desert lakebed of Edwards AFB. Image: USAF
As the two F-35 jets flank the bat like B-2, each F-35 will represent millions who have contributed to the organ donation program. “The F-35 on the left of the B-2 will represent all organ donors, while the F-35 on the right will symbolize all who have received organs that have prolonged their lives,” Edward’s 412th Test Wing confirmed.
One individual will be honored by both the Air Force and the Donate Life America organization.
Air Force F-35A pilot Major Benjamin “Chex” Meier, who suffered a massive head injury and was declared brain dead in 2015, donated many of his organs to save the lives of eight people who today welcome in 2018.
U.S. Air Force Airmen and officers and the family of Maj. Benjamin “Chex” Meier pose with his Rose Parade floragraph at Edwards AFB. Image: USAF Kenji Thuloweit
“Major Benjamin Meier saved the lives of many through his service as an Air Force pilot,” President and CEO of Donate Life America David Fleming said on Friday. “We are grateful to partner with the Air Force to honor Major Meier’s memory as not only a war hero, but also as a donor who helped save and heal the lives of many more through organ, eye and tissue donation.”
In addition to the honored fly over, a handmade floragraph of Major Meir made from dried flowers, seeds, and spices will be included on the Donate Life America parade float. Major Meir served with the 31st Test and Evaluation Squadron at Edwards at the time of his death.
(Charles A Atkeison reports on aerospace and technology. Follow his updates via social media @Military_Flight.)
This holiday is setting records for air travel. By the time New Year’s, Christmas and Thanksgiving are over, USA Today predicts more than 51 million people will have passed through airport gates. That is an increase of about 3.5% over last year. Carriers say air travel in general is seeing an uptick since fares are not rising as fast as inflation.
With the large crowds come ginormous appetites. Walking through airports carrying all those gifts and excess baggage can make you ravenous, but many folks have said losing weight is their New Year’s resolution. What is a hungry traveler to do?
Here is how airlines stack up when it comes to providing in flight meals. According to this year’s Airline Food Survey from dietdetective.com, there are a few clear leaders that have pulled ahead of the pack and a few not-so-savory fliers pulling up the rear.
2017’s Healthiest Airline Is ….
This distinction goes to Delta and Virgin America. The two are tied for first place for healthy options. A move toward sustainable, nutritious foods and a moderate calorie count put them at the head of the class.
Delta has decreased average calorie count per meal from 628 to 559. Vegan, vegetarian, non-GMO, gluten-free, and kosher items are available for those with special dietary needs or preferences. More kudos to Delta for providing the Tapas box, the only non-GMO snack box offered by the domestic airline industry. It includes Super Seed Crackers, Snapea Crisps, almonds, hummus, quinoa with pepper dip and even a bit of dark chocolate. Must have those antioxidants!
Lunch Box from Delta Airlines, 2017’s Healthiest Airline. Photo Eric Salard (CC BY-SA 2.0)
And now every class of passenger can join the feasting. Delta joins American in once again offering complimentary meals in economy class on some routes. It has been more than 15 years since these airlines offered a meal to economy class passengers. Bon apetit!
Alaska Air has acquired Virgin America and plans to maintain the current meal standards at least until next year. Virgin is unique in that it provides nutritional information as well as calorie counts. No other airline does that.
When flying on Virgin America, vegetarians can enjoy a quinoa wrap that checks in at a healthy 420 calories. Meat eaters can have the Protein Plate with roasted chicken and farro salad, a nutritious punch that is sure to keep you full for hours.
From the Best … to the Worst
We know at this point you are probably wondering who else made the list. Because we are optimists, we will start with the rest of the top contenders.
1.) Delta and Virgin America
3.) Air Canada
4.) JetBlue
5.) Alaska Air
6.) United Airlines
7.) American Airlines
And the bottom dwellers….
8.) Frontier
9.) Southwest
10.) Allegiant
11.) Spirit
12.) Hawaiian
They weren’t impressed with Hawaiian
Hawaiian Airlines holds down the bottom with less healthy food on offer than any other airline. For this, Diet Detective gave them the dubious “Shame on You” award. (Shrugs … don’t shoot the messenger! I am just reporting).
Photo: Hawaiian Airlines
Hawaiian Airlines apparently did not do a good job replying to reporters’ requests for info. This lack of transparency meant the nutritional information is an estimate. While Hawaiian does offer food on all of their Pacific long-haul flights, the menu does not offer much in the way of healthy options. They offered no non-GMO, no organic or sustainable options, et cetera. Oh, the humanity!
Hawaiian has hummus and pita chips on the menu. It provides some semblance of a proper diet with its balanced protein/fat/carb ratio. And the salted macadamia nuts do provide some vitamins and minerals but you would be packing in a lot of calories, 550 to be exact. That equates to 119 minutes of walking. Popcorn would be a better option, right? Nope. The caramel macadamia nut popcorn sure sounds delicious but in my opinion, it should be classified as a dessert with its sky-high sugar content and 600 calories (which would equate to 130 minutes of schlepping through the airport for one small snack). Not ideal for a bikini body, but to be fair you’re probably on vacation when you fly them and aren’t that worried about the calories.
Other food trends: Small is Becoming Smaller. Your Bag of Peanuts is Shrinking
It is not your imagination. Snack foods on offer at most airlines are indeed shrinking in size. Large packages are being replaced by smaller ones and in some cases, snacks are being totally eliminated. Maybe it is an effort to improve health statistics for the airlines. Maybe it is a way to save them money. Either way, snacks are getting pretty skimpy.
For those airlines who are offering free munchies, the types of snacks they are giving passengers are not very healthy. Expect to get an extra dose of unneeded salt and sugar with your packaged goodie. Depending on what you are washing it down with, this may be just fine with you. Just remember if you have health problems or are watching your weight, read that label. Full details of the Airline Food Survey can be found here:
Avgeekery recently had the opportunity to chat with Lance from WyldeByrd Art. He is a pilot and artist who takes aircraft skins and turns them into beautiful pieces of art. We’re excited to share his story.
1.) Hey Lance! We’re excited to chat with you and learn about your business. Tell us a little about what makes you an avgeek.
I started my love for aviation as a kid in Sioux Lookout, Ontario, Canada. It is a busy hub for local aviation with light twins and float planes. If you have ever heard a Dehaviland Beaver flying overhead at first light it can either do two things: Inspire a call to the office of the business to complain, or create the memory of home and the desire to run outside to the first sound of a radial engine flying over. Now that I live near the Commemorative Air Force in Mesa, Arizona, I still stop and look up and remember my childhood home in Canada.
2.) How did you get started in aviation?
This answer leads back to the first question. My parents, Howard and Sandra Lockhart, started their own aviation business in Northern Ontario, Lockhart Air Service. Before I had a pilot’s license, I was the builder at their business on my college summer break. They had a Cessna 180 and a DHC-2 Beaver. The funny part was I didn’t fly in the planes very often, I was too busy building. A few years later, I dropped out of full time studies and started working on my ratings and licenses. Eventually, I was the new ‘green horn’ flying the C180 on local luggage only flights. It didn’t take long to move up to the DHC-2 and flying on floats and skis in some of the most challenging flying in the area.
3.) Everyone has a crazy flying story from back when they were young, what’s yours?
This again connects to flying float planes and being a bush pilot. I was up at Lake River in Polar Bear Provincial Park on James Bay, Ontario. The location was above the tree line with coastal rivers only to land on. This was before GPS with only map reading and the occasional ADF station. On this particular day, I found a small hole in the rear float of the plane, almost sinking the plane at the dock in Fort Albany, as well having to make an extra flight that left me flying later than planned. Later that day, I got caught in a near whiteout with snow, falling ceilings, and darkness. Without ceiling or visibility, I had to land the airplane on a sliver of a river.
There wasn’t a pre-landing check, this was a “land now and pray later” event. I had one passenger with me who didn’t speak English and a plane load of snow goose for the spring harvest. During the flight, he would nod and point his hand if he saw me flying off course. We landed in the river and I could just imagine what he was thinking. There was no dock, only mud to drive the plane onto for the night and secure it. Eli Meeket spent several weeks at the goose camp without showering, and I had nervously shaken myself into my own funky smell.
If anyone can relate to the leg shaking on the rudder pedal, yep that was me with about 1000 hours of flying experience. The two of us tried to find shelter in an old trapper’s tent with a pot-bellied stove. We took turns keeping the fire burning. Between the snow, stepping into the mud (almost losing my boot), and having to sleep back to back to keep from freezing, yep that was a fun flight. And the next day… wow… I could go on!
4.) And you ended up as a captain at Southwest Airlines. Tell us about flying the mighty 737. What was your most memorable flight?
I have enjoyed the position as a Captain for Southwest, really who wouldn’t? It really is everything people think it is: fun, challenging, working hard, and playing hard together. As well flying the Boeing 737, being a prior bush pilot the configuration of Southwest suits my personality. One class of seating, treating everyone the same, work work work, and living the dream. The 737 is predictable to fly, once you get to know the performance of the plane being too high or fast isn’t the planes fault, or ATC (mostly but sometimes under my breath) it is responsibility of predicting performance for the pilot. I love that challenge where your math predictions are constantly updating, just as I love the Rubrik’s Cube as a teenager.
As for my most memorable flight, it was a few years ago as a first officer on a 737-500 model and we experienced smoke in the cabin. From memory, I had flown four different -500s airplanes that day with three different Captains. (I remember it was an Instagram highlight!) Flying from Austin to Dallas at night on climb out, we received cabin notifications from the flight attendants and began to smell the smoke simultaneously. As I was the flying pilot that segment, we began emergency procedures and returned immediately to Austin.
The Captain performed immediate action items as well as the Quick Reference Handbook checklist (QRH). I was tasked with flying single pilot wearing the oxygen mask back to Austin, communicating with ATC, configuring the aircraft and landing. It is something pilots practice in the simulators, but doing it real life sounding like Darth Vadar, but isn’t as sexy or as fun. The flight was a back-page mention in local news and the USA Today online regional section. I googled it, other flights I have had didn’t make a blip. This is the life of being a pilot, we train for days like this and the satisfaction is the seat at the hotel later on telling pilot lounge stories and replaying the event in your mind ensuring the choices you make were correct.
5.) In addition to your flying career, you have an incredibly unique business. Tell us a little about it.
Well, Wyldebyrd Art, is the business. It’s named after my kids, Lucas Wylde and Judah Byrd. I take the carpentry and craftsmanship I learned along the way and I apply it to reclaimed aviation pieces. I make aircraft art affordable to the average home, and I still sell my original product – a $10 original key chain from aircraft skin. Now, I’ve uniquely designed, created and assembled more than 600 items on my Etsy page, wyldebyrdart. I love repurposing these pieces, connecting with aviation history, and hearing stories from my customers.
6.) Every artist has to purchase their supplies, you buy decommissioned airliner parts as your medium. How do you actually go about purchasing plane parts?
I started like everyone else on the outside looking in. I searched eBay, Craigslist, the dumpster bin, everywhere. On one trip to Kenmore (which I am a huge fan of because of the flying a DHC-2 with a dozen of the modifications), I asked to dumpster dive their metal scrap bin. I mailed home a box with 20 lbs of goodies I still incorporate into my three letter airport identifier pieces. Now, though, I have contacts at a few teardown facilities. I email a cutout request and pick it up when completed. Only on occasion, have I walked the grounds and explored the parked B747 aircraft and pulled out galley pieces and such.
7.) What is the toughest part about working with aircraft skin?
Well there is no manual printed on how to do this. Home Depot doesn’t have a section to buy aviation art supplies. So, you figure it out! Sometimes, you look like you wrestled a rabbit in the briar patch. My hands are never clean. I work alone, so moving the overwing section of the B747 four window cutout by myself is a challenge. It is the heaviest section of any aircraft. Trust me, it is like working with a passed out grizzly bear. It is dead weight with razor sharp edges.
8.) What’s been the most rewarding artwork that you’ve done?
Truly, the luggage tags and keychains people have on their bags. The aluminum makes a distinctive sound and I can hear it so well. In fact, all my customers can. We are tuned to hear it and look to see what and where it is. I often get to surprise my customers in person and say hey do you know the guy who makes those. It isn’t the sexy expensive art, it is the community I have created together. It is very rewarding.
9.) Can you share the next project that you have planned?
I was able to purchase several sections of the iconic California One, a B737 classic aircraft for SWA. I have both the windows for sale and several uniquely cut keychains and luggage tags. I enjoy making these available and Wyldebyrd Art is the only place you can buy them.
10.) We have a number of readers who want to work as a pilot at a major airline. What advice do you have for them?
Being a pilot takes a lot of humility and courage – an interesting mix. Everyone watches the pilot in uniform, and look to us for so much. Aside from being asked where the bathroom is, we have to be prepared to follow our careers to places we have never desired to live. Completing work that challenges our natural sleep cycle, work demands and coworkers who are demanding.
My goal was to work at Southwest. I interviewed the first time and didn’t get hired. It was six years later before I interviewed again. If you take one thing away from this, here it is – during my second interview, every flight, every coworker, every interaction with passengers, the FAA, check rides, job choices, how long, why I left, etc. was fair game and relevant to be questioned during that interview. Everything. Remember that. Be nice. Be professional. Seek wise council. Try to be patient with your career, and enjoy it too.
Call us a sucker for sappy commercials, but even 16+ years later, these American commercials still hit you right in the feels.
Less than five months after American acquired TWA, the 9-11 attacks shook the foundation of the airline industry. American originally had high hopes for TWA. They planned to use St. Louis Lambert as a reliever hub for Chicago O’Hare. TWA had a fleet of MD-80s, 717s and 757s. American planned to keep the MD-80s and looked at keeping the 757s for a period. Unfortunately, 9/11 struck.
9/11 Put The Industry In Peril
The U.S. government closed airports and canceled thousands of flights which resulted in huge losses. Even when airports reopened, passengers remained wary of flying on major airlines and demand shrunk. In total, domestic airlines lost $13 billion in 2001 and a further $11.3 billion in 2002.
Congress passed a law creating the Air Transportation Stabilization Board which made $10 billion in loans available to the struggling airlines. Even so, US Airways and United filed for bankruptcy and while it survived, American was forced to lay off 7,000 employees.
AA’s Two Best Commercials
A major public relations push got underway to encourage people to their faith back into American Airlines. AA’s post 9-11 ad campaign appealed to viewer’s sense of patriotism and encouraged them to enjoy their freedom to travel as citizens of the United States.We think these two commercials might be some of American’s best advertisements.
Wanfeng Auto Holding Group of China has completed the acquisition of Diamond Aircraft Group and announced plans to expand production including researching, developing and designing new aircraft.
Wanfeng Chairman Bin Chen expressed enthusiasm in his commentary about future plans for Diamond, saying “We were attracted to Diamond’s leadership position in the market. Based on this excellent foundation, we intend to take Diamond to a long-term leadership position in worldwide general aviation.” Wanfeng is one of China’s largest companies. Few would argue that it has the resources to take Diamond to the next level.
Mr. Chen stated that the company will work to increase sales globally and place a greater emphasis on the U.S. marketplace. Last year, Wanfeng acquired a 60 percent share of Diamond’s Canadian operation. This week’s announcement did not mention the Canadian operation’s role in the new venture.
Ex-Chief Executive officer Christian Dries commented, “I look forward to seeing Diamond develop further and based on our successful year-long partnership in Diamond Canada, I am fully satisfied that I leave Diamond in very good hands.”
China’s expanding general aviation footprint
China has been expanding its aviation footprint. In 2013, for the first time a Chinese real estate development company, Meijing Group, acquired Mooney Aviation. Mooney had been manufacturing light aircraft until being forced to cease production in 2010. The investment from Meijing Group allowed Mooney to restart production at its plant in Kerrville, Texas.
China owns other aviation companies including plane maker Cirrus, Superior Air which makes aircraft components, Brantley and Enstrom helicopter manufacturers and engine manufacturer Continental.
The Raytheon Trophy is presented to the best fighter squadron in the United States Air Force (USAF). Up until 2014 competition for this highly coveted award was open to Air Superiority or “pure” fighter squadrons only. Since then USAF fighter squadrons of all kinds have been allowed to compete for the prize. The 493rd Fighter Squadron (FS) Grim Reapers along with the 493rd Aircraft Maintenance Unit (AMU) of the 48th Fighter Wing (FW) based at RAF Lakenheath in the UK have won the Raytheon Trophy a staggering five times! The video linked below, uploaded to YouTube by Salmon Boss Ross, highlights the Grim Reapers and their McDonnell Douglas (Boeing) F-15C Eagle jets during their most recent trophy-winning campaign- that for 2016.
The Grim Reapers are the only USAF squadron still flying the F-15C Eagle fighter. They also operate a few two-seater F-15Ds. The 493rd deployed for about 190 days at various locations frequented by United States Air Force Europe (USAFE) commands during 2017. Footage for the video was shot during Red Flag 17-2 at Nellis Air Force Base (AFB) in Nevada as well as at RAF Lakenheath during a 2017 weapons system evaluation program (WSEP). Most of the cockpit footage was shot using GoPro cameras by USAF Captain “Tread” Mills. The footage and editing is superb and the visuals are striking.
Official US Air Force photograph
The 493rd can trace its lineage back to before World War II. In 1944 the squadron became part of IX Fighter Command, flying Republic P-47 Thunderbolts and bombing and strafing their way across occupied Europe. Inactivated after the war, the 493rd came back to life to fly Republic F-84G Thunderjets, then North American F-86 Sabres, and later F-100 Super Sabres as part of the USAFE. They then flew McDonnell Douglas F-4D Phantom IIs and General Dynamics F-111 Aardvarks before being equipped with F-15Cs in 1994.
Back on May 2, 1980, one of the MD-80 demonstrators was conducting a test sortie to evaluate landing distance. During one of the approaches, the pilot flew a steeper than normal approach, flared late, and touched down hard. But what happens next is incredible.
The MD-80 that was being tested had a HUD in the pilot’s position. But the copilot just had traditional instrumentation. During the last seconds of the final approach, the pilot saw that he was near the maximum descent rate of 720 feet per minute. The pilot reported that he felt a slight increase in the descent rate but kept the power in later and applied back pressure on the yoke a bit early to arrest the descent rate.
The aircraft touched down hard as the nose slammed down and the tires blew. After touchdown, the pilot continued the planned landing procedure. He applied full brakes, deployed the thrust reverser and stopped on the runway.
The aircraft not only exceeded the structural limitations (ie- a hard landing), but landed so hard that the aircraft sustained structural failure. The aircraft touched down 2,298 feet down the runway. Upon the hard landing, the tail buckled and then sheared off. The plane continued down the runway, minus its tail. It stopped at 5,634 feet down the runway.
Here’s the crazy part…they didn’t know they lost the tail until they shutdown the aircraft after stopping on the runway.
The crew knew it was a hard landing but didn’t expect it to be that bad. Can you imagine the shock of exiting the aircraft and not seeing a tail?
Seven people were on-board the aircraft. Only one flight-test engineer was injured. He broke his left leg. Everyone else survived without injury.
The NTSB determined that the official cause of the accident was the pilot’s failure to fly a stabilized approach within manufacturer’s tolerances. Contributing to the accident was the fact that the manufacturer’s procedures didn’t require crews to call out critical flight parameters. You can read the full report here.
Repaired and returned to service
The aircraft suffered substantial damage. Not only did the tail separate but the gear was heavily damaged and there was some buckling of the fuselage skin.
McDonnell Douglas decided to repair the aircraft. It returned to service as a test article, later flying the McDonnell Douglas’s test UHD Unducted Fan. The aircraft remained with McDonnell Douglas until it was broken up in 1994
Francisco Anthony Lorenzo is a Harvard Business School graduate who served as the head of several domestic airlines including Eastern, Continental, New York Air, Frontier and People Express during the ’80s and ’90s. During his career, Frank Lorenzo became known as a kind of white collar thug, infamous for union busting and heavy-handed treatment of employees.
He remains banned from holding any position in the airline industry to this day. But how did this man become arguably one of the most despised figures in aviation?
Win Some, Lose Some, or Literally Die Trying
Frank Lorenzo’s career had a shining start. After graduation, he wound up as the head of Texas International Airlines in 1972. Lorenzo turned TIA around by getting rid of unprofitable routes, revamping the fleet of planes and for the first time ever in airline history, introducing half-price airfares. TIA was restored to profitability and Lorenzo was lauded as a huge success.
His winning streak continued at the helm of Continental Airlines, although other people often paid a heavy price for his success. TIA put forth an offer to buy Continental in 1981. Continental workers strongly opposed the acquisition, citing Lorenzo’s history of cost-cutting and layoffs.
Employees ventured to form a group that would allow them to take control of the airline. Continental’s then-Chairman, Alvin L. Feldman, also did his best to prevent Lorenzo from getting his hands-on Continental and was very public about his bitter opposition to the TIA takeover.
But hostile corporate takeovers were the name of the game during the Reagan-Bush era and in the 11th hour, the financing for the employee group fell through. Continental was then handed to Lorenzo on a silver platter while President Reagan did nothing to oppose the deal.
Upon hearing the news, Alvin L. Feldman committed suicide in his office in Los Angeles. Lorenzo was elected to the Board of Directors in November of that year. The combined companies resumed operations under the Continental brand.
The Grinch Declared Bankruptcy, a Legal Way of Busting Unions
Lorenzo continued his campaign of drastically cutting wages and benefits for employees at Continental, who at that point were earning only a fraction of their past salaries. The mechanics’ union went on strike and after 19 months on the picket lines, no agreement had been reached. Under Lorenzo, the carrier then declared bankruptcy.
The pilots’ union also went on strike after the bankruptcy filing. But under bankruptcy laws, the unions’ contracts were deemed to be null and void. Lorenzo claimed the company would go belly-up if wages were not contained. Unions accused Lorenzo of using bankruptcy as a legal trick to void contracts and bust up unions.
Continental wound up laying off 65% of its employees during this period. The airline emerged from bankruptcy in 1986 and worked out a plan to pay off debt over a decade-long period. But the average salary earned by Continental’s pilots was as much as 50% lower than before Lorenzo first filed for bankruptcy.
The Death of Eastern Airlines
Like a pirate taking over a ship on the ocean, some industry observers say Frank Lorenzo took over Eastern Airlines and then pillaged it for his own profit before burning it to the ground.
Frank Lorenzo was entrusted with the position of CEO of Eastern Airlines in 1986. At the time Eastern, then the third largest airline in the country, was in serious decline. Labor unions were constantly disrupting the business while costs were at an all-time high.
Based on his successful past, it was initially thought that Lorenzo would be the carrier’s savior. After all, he had grown the once-small, barely significant Texas Air Corporation into a real player in the industry and was credited for ‘saving’ Continental. He was seen as a ruthless businessman with a proven formula for success.
Lorenzo’s credo was simple: offer low fares and cut costs. The aggressive CEO was credited by many in the business community for being an uncompromising leader that was willing to bust up unions to create a lean company.
Accusations of Drug Use and Theft
But Lorenzo was so heavy-handed with subordinates at Eastern that, in the end, the airline’s employees basically put their own jobs on the line to get rid of him. When he first arrived, he tried to turn the company around by incessantly hammering the unions to make concessions. He enlisted the help of Eastern Airlines’ managers who were ‘company men’ and enforced what some call abusive policies against employees.
Workers were required to adhere to very strict rules and were written up for lying about nonexistent medical conditions if they called in sick to work. So many machinists were accused of theft and/or drug use that in one year alone, 262 unionized machinists lost their jobs.
Psychological warfare was even waged on flight attendants who were forced to collect garbage on flights (a violation of their contract). What if a flight attendant refused to act as garbage collector? They were fired on the spot for insubordination.
More and more employees were laid off and those who remained on the job were forced to work longer hours with less time off. Pilot exhaustion became a real threat to passenger safety. Disgruntled flight crews’ discontent was glaringly obvious to passengers and customer satisfaction scores hit rock bottom.
But all the while, Frank Lorenzo had a seemingly unquenchable thirst for acquisition and constantly attempted to take over other airlines. Indeed, Lorenzo later became responsible for the largest airline in the country when Eastern was combined with Continental, People Express, and Frontier.
This combination gave him control over 1/5 of the air traffic in the U.S. As the businessman made questionable deal after questionable deal, operational problems were ignored. Routes were nonsensical, planes were in disrepair, crews were overworked, and the airline was in a state of organizational chaos.
Union Employees Removed at Gun Point
Frank Lorenzo’s relentless crusade may have been a thinly veiled effort to terrorize union employees until they went on strike so he could create an impasse and bring in non-union workers at lower cost.
It took almost two years of mistreatment but early on March 3, 1989, the Eastern Airlines machinist union went on strike. That day, President George H. W. Bush declined to create a presidential emergency board that would have acted as mediator. Later that day in an illegal lockout, EAL pilot James L. Caufman witnessed private security forces removing machinists from their jobs at gunpoint at Miami’s airport.
Lorenzo had apparently expected several things to happen that fateful day, including federal intervention. He probably also expected the pilots’ union to cross the picket line and keep operations going whilst the crafty CEO could bring in cheaper labor. Too bad for Lorenzo, none of that happened.
Bye-Bye Blue Sky, Lorenzo Gets Banned
To be sure, Frank Lorenzo did not expect what came next. After years of abuse, the pilots’ and flight attendants’ unions went on a sympathy strike alongside the machinist union and basically grounded Eastern Airlines for good. With no one to work, the carrier went bankrupt.
Saddled with mounting debt, Eastern went through the legal process and officially ceased operations on January 18, 1991. Lorenzo got away with as much as $750 million in assets as the chief operator. Sayonara suckers!
Following the breakup, a Scandinavian airline acquired Continental on the condition that Lorenzo be banned from the airline industry for seven years. That did not stop him from trying to start up another airline in Baltimore in 1993 though. Lorenzo wanted to call it Friendship Airlines (chuckle). Given his past record and loud protests from unions however the Department of Transportation declined the bid, saying Lorenzo was not fit to fly “in accord with the public interest.”
In 1994, Continental got a new Chief Operating Officer in Gordon Bethune, who turned operations around and rescued the airline from obscurity. Read more here:
Lorenzo’s philosophies were no doubt formed by the corporate raider mentality of the late ’80s (probably something he learned at Harvard). In the end, the real problem was he was so entrenched in union busting that he failed to do anything about the real day-to-day problems at the airlines he ran.
To play devil’s advocate for a moment, cutting labor costs could have helped reduce debt and other problems could have ostensibly been resolved with a common-sense merger with another airline. But when Frank Lorenzo arrived on the scene, airline employees were already turning hostile and blaming management for deregulation. He made managers and workers adversaries and the way he treated employees had the effect of adding jet fuel to an already raging fire.
Depending on whether you agree or disagree with his style of management, Frank Lorenzo is remembered for his tough-guy approach or regarded as the most heinous villain aviation has ever seen.
While flying almost any plane can be fun (even the CRJ200), there is nothing as pure as stick and rudder flying. The thrill of taking a plane up into the sky without a host of complicated electronics and systems is second to none. Flying a taildragger in Hawaii is near heavenly.
When you think of Hawaiian aviation, most people think of flying into Honolulu International or one of the major international airports on the primary tourist islands. Yet there is also a large general aviation scene. Flight training and tourist flights make up most of the industry. But there are also plenty of glider clubs and a few lucky souls who have their own aircraft.
The thrill of flying over the waves and near soaring cliffs must be a thrill. I just hope they wash the sea salt off their birds once they land.
1968 was a year of upheaval. War, civil rights struggle, scandal, and tragedy. Yet for one day, all of humanity seemed to come together to watch the first time that man had ever orbited around another heavenly body.
Three astronauts, Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders, all floated in an Apollo command module (without the delayed lunar module) as the the grey, desolate moon passed below.
As they passed over the moon, the had access to what was then called the largest television audience ever amassed.Bill Anders took the opportunity to read the first four verses of the Bible. Jim Lovell then read the next three. Frank Borman then read the next three. Their full two minute reading is below.
Apollo 8 was also famous for the photograph titled ‘Earthrise’. That photo contained every living and deceased being known to man, except for the three in the Apollo module.
After ten orbits of the moon, the crew fired its engines for a burn that put it back on a trajectory towards Earth. When the burn was complete, Lovell said, “Roger, please be informed there is a Santa Claus.”
Lovell would take to space again on Apollo 13. He was supposed to set foot on Apollo 13. Unfortunately, the crew encountered a major malfunction that forced them to abandon the lunar landing. Despite severe damage to the command module, the crippled craft limped home with the aid of the lunar module. Lovell never did land on the moon, but he’ll be remembered for giving a speech that was seen and heard live by a good part of the world.
We recently passed the one year anniversary of the retirement of the last F-4 (actually the QF-4) in the USAF inventory. And while other air forces still have a few left in service, the worldwide fleet is dwindling. Here’s some aviation trivia for you Phantom Phreaks. There is actually a continuous line of evolution from the McDonnell F3H Demon to the F-4 Phantom (which was designated F4H when it first flew). This photo is of the full scale mock up of the main missing link that connects the F3H Demon to the F4H Phantom. In 1953, the McDonnell team headed by Herman Barkey was looking at ways of extending the Demon’s viability and expanding its versatility. McDonnell had the in house designation F3H-X for the design as it was considered an evolution of the Demon.
F3H-C “Super Demon”: This design was first, it was powered by a single J67 engine. The J67 was to be have been a license-built version of the Rolls Royce Olympus. No J67s were ever built in the US and the Navy wasn’t keen on an unproven engine.
F3H-E: This was different enough from the Demon that it was given the Model 98A designator. It was also powered by the J67 but had a bigger wing than the Demon and had a level stance on the ground instead of the nose-high stance of the Demon.
Full scale mock up of the F3H-G design (Wikipedia)
F3H-G (Model 98B): This one had twin J65 engines, a license built British Sapphire engine like that used on the Hawker Hunter. It had lateral intakes that looked more like the Phantoms and exhausts that looked also more like the eventual Phantom design. The Navy was attracted to twin engines for safety. The wing was also further enlarged from the F3H-E. It had four 20mm cannon and had an impressive external stores capability. F3H-H: This was was the F3H-G but with two of the then-new and promising GE J79 engines.
Model 98C: Delta winged version of the F3H-G/98B with J65 engines.
Model 98D: Delta winged version of the F3H-G/98B with J79 engines.
F3H-J (Model 98E): Similar to the 98C/D, but with an even larger delta wing.
Model 98F: Recon version of the 98C.
Tail section of the F3H-G mockup showing the two different engine sizes- The J79 was on the right side, the J65 was on the left side. (Wikipedia)
Barkey’s team decided the F3H-G/98B was the most promising of the designs and built a full scale mockup, but one side was sized for the J65 engine and the other side sized for the J79 engine. On 19 September 1953 McDonnell submitted the design as an unsolicited proposal to the Navy. Though impressed with the design, the Navy had already ordered the Grumman F11F Tiger and Vought F8U Crusader for its supersonic fighter needs. The Navy, however, encouraged Herman Barkley’s team to refine the design to meet an all-weather attack requirement. This design was submitted to the Navy in 1954 and two prototypes were ordered as the AH-1 which had four 20mm cannon and eleven weapons stations.
F4H full scale mock up showing the originally planned trapeze launchers for the Sparrow missiles. (Wikipedia)
The following year the all-weather attack program was canceled and McDonnell was asked to redesign the AH-1 into a two-seat interceptor with a single centerline station for a 600-gallon fuel tank and AIM-7 Sparrow capability. The J65 engine was dropped from contention when the Chief of Naval Operations selected the J79 engine for the new aircraft which would be designated F4H Phantom II.
DETROIT — Europe’s popular Breitling Jet Team took North America by storm during their historic inaugural tour in 2015 and 2016, exciting crowds as they performed at several of the top air shows in the United States and Canada.
The Breiting Jet Team recently wrapped up their 2017 tour of Europe having performed many of the same aerobatic maneuvers they demonstrated to American audiences one year prior. Much like the watch and chronograph manufacturer who sponsors the team, the Breitling jets perform with aerobatic precision and with a timeless beauty high above the airfield.
Breitling’s seven jets travel at high altitude across North America in 2016. (Breitling)
Headquartered in Dijon, France, the jet team has been sponsored by the Swiss watch manufacturer Breitling since 2003 due in part by the company’s rich history in aviation. Breitling watches were strapped to the wrists of many aviation pioneers, and even kept time for NASA’s astronauts en route to the Moon.
Jacque Bothelin, whose pilot call sign is “Speedy”, leads an exceptional team both in the air and on the ground. Pilots Bernard Charbonnel, Christophe Deketelaere, Francois Ponsot, Georges-Eric Castaing, Paco Wallaert, and Patrick Marchand perform together in close formation, and at times with two of the jet aircraft performing a specific maneuver such as the Opposite Barrel Roll.
During one of the final American shows, the team displayed their excitement to showcase their aircraft during the Thunder Over Michigan Airshow. Hosted by the Willow Run Airport in Ypsilanti, Michigan, the pilots of Breitling co-headlined the show with the Navy’s Blue Angels and the Air Force’s F-22 Raptor.
160924-M-UX416-009
As the jets stood poised on the flight line of Willow Run on Thursday, the Breitling Jet Team discussed with this aerospace journalist their new experiences performing in America and Canada. Bothelin began by explaining the need to change up a few maneuvers to fall in line with the Federal Aviation Administration’s airshow guidelines.
“We had to set up a new display to fit with the FAA requirements because the regulations in Europe are a little different,” Bothelin said as he and his team stood poised in their black flight suits and each sporting a Breitling timepiece on their left wrist. “It’s a little funny because we have the same target which is safety, but we have a different approach as to what’s permitted and what’s not. So we had to adapt our normal European display to the American requirements.”
The world’s largest professional civilian jet team, Breitling’s aircraft is the Aero L-39C Albatros, a single engine military training jet originally used by the Soviet bloc countries. Each plane aligned side by side, their vertical stabilizers supporting the pilot’s single digit number in large fashion, and the name ‘Breitling’ across each side and the aircraft’s belly.
“We are the first civilian professional jet team, and the Breitling Jet Team is really unique because there is no equivalent of what we do in the world,” Bothelin added with a proud tone echoing from his strong French accent. “We have flown in 34 countries around the world, and all the team pilots, technicians, everybody is full time so we really have to say ‘thank-you’ to Breitling to give us… let’s say the word, the budget, to be able to properly operate a team professionally with two key words which are safety and quality.”
Hours before their flight before an air show crowd, the team’s black and gray aircraft are prepared near the flight line by Breitling’s top maintenance professionals. Their preflight checks cover the entire aircraft, and include ensuring that each jet has a full amount of biodegradable oil which, when heated, creates the pronounced airshow smoke trails.
image via john5199
During the Breitling’s flight demonstration their L-39C Albatros jet’s can pull nearly eight times the force of gravity, and soar up to near the speed of sound. The black color of the jet’s fuselage helps highlight each maneuver followed by smoke trails created during many of their maneuvers. Air show spectators along the flight line have noted the they they look like missiles streaking across the deep blue sky.
“We fly in seven ship aerobatic formation and we call that our 20 minute demonstration flight,” said pilot Francois Ponsot, call sign “PonPon”, who performs as Breitling’s left inside wingman. “The first part of the display is a kind of ballet with the seven ships, and after eight minutes we split the formation and we do some crossovers and many other maneuvers.”
PonPon added, “It’s the first time for us in United States, and I’m very happy to be here. In our job it’s very nice to discover countries, and Michigan is a well known place and so I’m happy to be here… it’ll be very fun.”
Breitling Jet Team pilot Francois Ponsot and Charles A Atkeison during preflight preparations.
This aerospace journalist welcomed the opportunity to fly with the team with PonPon as my pilot aboard the number 4 aircraft. We first donned our black flight suit, grabbed our yellow helmet, and then departed for a preflight briefing by Breitling’s Boss Jacques Bothelin.
Once strapped in to the jet’s five-point harness, the duel canopies were manually closed by the ground crew, and I began to hear the instructions of uniformed preflight discussions in my headset. The choregraphed speech was like music as each pilot held a rythem of confidence.
The six aircraft then began their taxi out for take-off lead by Bothelin, each jet making a sharp left to align and follow the preceding L-39 aircraft. Once we paused at the end of the runway, with each of the jets aligned in a near Delta formation, the pilots checked their aerosurfaces one last time. It was time to fly.
The engines were throttled to near full thrust and our speed increased. Lift-off! Aboard Breitling 4, our jet’s nose slowly lifted upwards, and soon the entire aircraft was off the runway and soaring into skies over southern Michigan. Our flight formation arose as one in an alignment one can never truly appreciate as viewed from the ground.
AvGeekery.com Charles A Atkeison soars in formation with the Breitling Jet Team. (Breitling)
Breitling’s Jets align in several fascinating formations high overhead during the airshow. The “Blackbird” has jet one aligned in front of the six jets delta formation; and the “Chronomat” displays jets one, three, and five aligned nose to rear with jets seven, four, two, and six making up the wings on either side. The popular “Rocket” formation has three jets aligned nose to rear with two jets behind and on wither side of the alignment.
Most of Breitling’s pilots had sharpened their aviation and aerobatic skills as fighter pilots while in the French Air Force. Each one having over 4,600 hours of jet time in such European aircraft as the Alpha Jet, Jaguar, and the popular Mirage F1.
Breitling’s right outside wing man Paco Wallaert served 22 years in the French Air Force both as fighter pilot and as aerobatic pilot for four years in the Patrouille de France — France’s military version of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. He spoke of his transition to Breitling at the same time he moved back into civilian life.
“Breitling’s not flying five or six jets, but seven which is quite unique as a civilian jet team,” Paco said with deep feelings for his new team. “I’m not a fighter pilot anymore, but I’m a jet pilot as a civilian. So I feel very fortunate to still fly in jets and above all with Breitling.”
Breitling Jet Team pilots pose with guests, including AvGeekery’s Charles A Atkeison. (Breitling)
In March, the jet team will release a busy 2018 schedule. Many of the pilots and maintenance personnel have expressed a sincere interest in returning to America in the future. However, it will likely be a few years before their anticipated return.
“I was a fan of the Breitling brand before being a Breitling pilot, so my first Breitlings I bought them, I still have them, and I am very proud of that,” Bothelin said. “It was very natural to me to be a Breitling ambassador, and when I see the latest watches by Breitling, I see how very useful they are to our job.”
Paco stepped in to add, “For me, when you’re a pilot wearing a Breitling it’s like a badge of honor. The link between Breitling and the world of aviation is obvious… we share the same value like the precision and team spirit — we have a passion for the world of aviation.”
(Charles A Atkeison reports on aerospace and technology. Follow his updates via social media @Military_Flight.)
This weeks Wall Street Journal report on the potential merger of Boeing and Brazilian aircraft company Embraer has sent shockwaves through the small jet market and could reshape the competitive landscape. According to the WSJ, negotiations are in a holding pattern while the Brazilian government reviews the deal.
The talks are taking place against the backdrop of an ongoing dispute between Boeing and Canadian jet manufacturer Bombardier. Boeing filed a complaint against Bombardier for allegedly illegally dumping jets into the U.S. market by selling its C Series to Delta Airlines for absurdly low prices. The dispute almost incited an international trade war, as Bombardier then gave an ownership stake in the C Series joint venture to Airbus.
The Airbus Bombardier partnership did not only affect Boeing; it fueled speculation about Embraer’s E2 jet program. According to analyst Carter Copeland of Melius Research, “I’m sure Embraer’s view of the likely success of their product in the E2 was materially altered by the Airbus transaction for the C Series. They went from competing against a distressed Bombardier to competing against a healthy and extremely competitive entity in Airbus. That changes the mindset of the leadership team at Embraer.”
Analysts also seem to think that Boeing might look to partner with Embraer on the KC-390 which falls into the category below the 737 MAX 7 which is currently Boeing’s smallest jet at 138 seats.
A Boeing/Airbus Duopoly in the regional jet market too?
Small jet manufacturers like Russia’s Sukhoi are an emerging competitive threat. Boeing had avoided making the smaller, less-than-100 seat jets since the 717 retired in 2006. But the small jet market is arguably getting large enough to garner their interest.
Airlines are increasingly buying more fuel efficient planes. Strategically, Airbus’ agreement with Bombardier and Boeing’s potential merger with Embraer could give the pair a duopoly, solidifying both companies as market leaders in the small jet space. This would create barriers to entry to other manufacturers from Russia, China and Japan who would have less cross-selling opportunity and limited access to suppliers.
However, the Brazilian government itself may be what mucks up the potential Boeing Embraer merger. Brazil holds a “golden share” in Embraer and may be reticent to give it up.
Insiders, who prefer to stay anonymous because the talks are private, say the two companies are therefore considering not only a merger but a joint venture as well. A JV would give both companies advantages while avoiding an all-out Boeing takeover. Either way, it appears as if Airbus/Bombardier and Boeing/Embraer may wind up being the two big dogs in small jet manufacturing.
