With Antarctica’s summer season now well underway, Icelandair has helped transport a team of researchers there. The Icelandic flag carrier used one of its Boeing 767s for the job, flying there from its Reykjavík–Keflavík hub via Oslo and Cape Town. The final leg of the journey took just over six hours, and culminated in an arrival on an ice runway.

To be able to successfully break through the sound barrier, an aircraft’s engine and airframe must be designed to overcome the adverse effects of supersonic flight. Wingspan must be limited but wide enough to remain aerodynamically efficient at slower speeds. The airframe must be able to withstand the intense heat that is generated from friction as air rapidly flows across its surface. Additionally, the engine must be able to produce enough thrust to counter significant drag. //

NASA’s predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), believed that it was possible for propeller-driven aircraft to break the sound barrier eventually. In the 1940s, NACA invested heavily in new designs for propellers through a high-speed propeller research program. Over time, it was able to design propeller blades capable of reaching Mach 1.0. This was accomplished by shortening and thinning the blades, sharpening the leading edges, minimizing camber, and increasing the blades’ angles.

While the change was an overall success, parts of the blade would reach supersonic speeds before others. This was problematic for two reasons—first, sonic waves are created when an object nears the speed of sound. Because the blades were reaching Mach 1.0 unevenly, they were creating pockets of sonic waves powerful enough to destroy the propeller. Second, another problem was noise. Propeller-driven aircraft are loud enough, but when those spinning blades reach supersonic speeds, the noise level generated becomes a threat to the structural integrity of the aircraft—and its pilot.

The propeller-driven XF-88B Voodoo, which was fitted with turbojets and a T-38 turboprop engine, was NACA’s experimental aircraft of choice. Unfortunately, just as it was on the brink of success, the agency abandoned the project. By this point, Yeager had made history, and advancements in jet engine technology had effectively crushed any interest in high-speed propellers.

While the name of Singapore Airlines debuted in the 1970s, the carrier’s history traces back to a few decades prior amid the creation of Malayan Airways Limited in 1947. This airline became Malaysian Airways Limited in 1963 before taking on the name of Malaysia-Singapore Airlines Limited in 1966. Singapore Airlines began operations under its current moniker in 1972, going on to become a global powerhouse and achieving numerous awards thanks to its welcoming service. //

The Ocean Steamship Company of Liverpool, Straits Steamship Company of Singapore, and Imperial Airways came together to incorporate Malayan Airways Limited (MAL). The region where this outfit started flying was the recently-formed Malayan Union, which was a combination of the Malay states and the Straits Settlements of Penang and Malacca. The Federation of Malaya was formed in 1948, which underwent several transitions in the following years. //

After launching flights to the United States a few years before, 1972 saw the launch of two names that are still influential forces today. Malaysia-Singapore Airlines split to give both to Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines Systems, with operations of both commencing on October 1st. Notably, Malaysia Airlines System also still flies today, under the brand of Malaysia Airlines. //

Singapore got the 1990s going with the opening of Changi’s Terminal 2. There was also a series of fleet renewals as the airline expanded, such as the $10.3 billion order for 22 747-400 and 30 A340-300 jets in 1994. //

Singapore Airlines stopped flying the 747 for passenger services in 2012, but the family remains in its fleet as a freighter. //

Continuing its trend of experimenting with widebody aircraft, Singapore Airlines introduced the Airbus A380 to the world on October 25th, 2007. This behemoth flew commercially for the first time between Singapore and Sydney. This inaugural flight had 455 passengers and 30 crew members on board. It was joined by the A330 just two years later.

An attack attempt in 2020 proves the UAS threat is real—and not enough is being done to stop it.

In July of last year, a DJI Mavic 2 drone approached a Pennsylvania power substation. Two 4-foot nylon ropes dangled from its rotors, a thick copper wire connected to the ends with electrical tape. The device had been stripped of any identifiable markings, as well as its onboard camera and memory card, in an apparent effort by its owner to avoid detection. Its likely goal, according to a joint security bulletin released by DHS, the FBI, and the National Counterterrorism Center, was to “disrupt operations by creating a short circuit.”

The drone crashed on the roof of an adjacent building before it reached its ostensible target, damaging a rotor in the process. Its operator still hasn’t been found. According to the bulletin, the incident, which was first reported by ABC, constitutes the first known instance of a modified, unmanned aircraft system being used to “specifically target” US energy infrastructure. It seems unlikely to be the last, however.

OB-2158-T (MSN 46091), which is now operating pretty-regularly for Amerijet, used to be N873SJ. AStar retired her at IGM on June 26, 2012, per planespotters.net. She was ressurrected and flown to VCV from IGM on May 26, 2017, where she stayed until 7/15/2019, about 2 years ago. She hasn't seen a lot of use since then. Shortly before retirement in 2012, she had 26368 cycles and 93090 hours. //

Both the DC10 and MD11 series are very sturdy built aircraft.
The MD/DC-10 series has a limit of validity of 160.000 hrs and 60.000 cycles, and only a few fatique related AD's.
However the MD11 series has a reduced cycle limit (lengthend fuselage, higher operating weights) : 40,000 cycles, so conseq. will have a shorted technical life than the DC-10 series.

Example : N383FE (MD10-10F) was retired at May 26th 2021 with the last recorded cycles (42343) at August 19 2020

Often, when we think of long-endurance flights, our first thoughts jump to military operations. Big planes with highly-trained crew will fly for long periods, using air-to-air refuelling to stay aloft for extended periods.

However, many of the longest duration flights have been undertaken as entirely civilian operations. The longest of all happened to be undertaken by that most humble of aircraft, the Cessna 172. From December 1958 to February 1959, Bob Timm and John Cook set out to make history. The duo remained aloft for a full 64 days, 22 hours and 19 minutes, setting a record that stands to this day. //

The pint-sized Cessna was fitted with a 95-gallon belly tank, paired with a electric pump that could transfer fuel to the main wing tanks as needed. Special plumbing was also added that would allow the engine oil and filters to be changed while the engine was still running.

The interior was stripped out, and the standard co-pilots door was also removed, replaced with a folding-style accordion door instead. A platform was also rigged up that could be extended out of the co-pilot’s side of the aircraft. This allowed the co-pilot some additional room to move during the crucial refuelling operations. //

Refuelling was handled by lowering a hook via a winch down to a fuel truck that would trail the plane on a straight stretch of road, usually twice a day. The winch would then pull up a fuel hose from the truck, which would be used to fill the belly tank in around three minutes. The same system was used to regularly pull up food, oil and other supplies like towels and water for shaving and bathing. //

The plane took off once more on December 4, 1958, at 3:52 PM from McCarran Field, Las Vegas. Officials monitoring the record chased the plane down the runway in a convertible Ford Thunderbird, putting white paint on the tires as an indicator to ensure the plane didn’t make any secret landings during the attempt.

Over the course of the near-65 day flight, the plane was refuelled by its truck over 128 times. This, and the job of flying the plane kept Timm and Cook plenty busy. What downtime was available was spent reading comics and making up simple games such as counting cars on the roads below to pass the time. //

Over time, equipment failures began to stack up. A generator failure meant that fuel transfers to the wing tanks had to be done using a hand pump. Other failures took out the autopilot, various lights, the tachometer, as well as the fuel gauge for the belly tank and the crucial winch. With the engine racking up over a thousand hours of continuous operation, carbon build-up was starting to reduce engine power, too, making it difficult to climb the plane with the fuel tanks brimmed.

Honda Aircraft Company was born from Honda’s desire to explore new technologies outside of the automotive sector. Years of research and development ensued, and the HondaJet was born and then commercialized after the project team, led by engineer Michimasa Fujino, proved out its breakthrough design and market viability. Today, Fujino leads Honda Aircraft as president and CEO as it manufactures the best-in-class HondaJet Elite. In the few short years since its introduction, the HondaJet Elite’s presence has expanded all over the world, achieving the coveted No. 1 delivery status in its class two years in a row (2017 and 2018).

On October 4, 1992, at 17:20 UTC, El Al Israel Airlines (ELY) Flight 1862, a Boeing 747-200 freighter series airplane with three crewmembers and one non-revenue passenger customer on board, took off from Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The aircraft was on a flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, to Ben Gurion International Airport, Tel Aviv, with an intermediate stop at Schiphol Airport for a crew change and cargo processing.

The weather was clear and dry at the time of the late afternoon (dusk) departure. The maintenance transit check had been performed prior to departure with no significant defects recorded.

Less than 10 minutes after takeoff, at 17:27.30 and at an altitude of 6,500 feet, the flight data recorder indicated the number 3 and 4 engines and their struts departed the aircraft. The co-pilot transmitted an emergency call: "El Al 1862, mayday, mayday, we have an emergency."

Total Active Aircraft Carriers Worldwide: 45
Currently In Service In The U.S.: 11
Top Speed: >30 knots (35+ mph)
Powered By: Nuclear energy
Refueling Requirements: Once every 20 years
Lifespan: 50 years

Oldest In Service: USS Nimitz
Built: 1968
Commissioned By The U.S. Navy: 1975
Planned Decommission: 2025
Crew Size Of Nimitz-Class Carriers: 6,012
Capacity: ~80 fighter jets

How Aircraft Are Launched: Catapults
Throttle Power Required Prior To Catapult Release: Full
Brakes Held: No
Cue That Pilot Is Ready To Launch: Salute to catapult operator
Aircraft Acceleration At Launch: Zero to 150 knots in 2 seconds
Time Until Next Aircraft Can Launch: 20 seconds

Distance Between Flight Deck And Water Surface: ~280 feet
How Landing Aircraft Avoid Ending Up In Water: Tailhook snags arresting wire stretched across deck

From most publications and individuals with a platform from which to comment on such things, the coverage is breathlessly positive, merely reprints of glossy press releases in an impressive show of “suspension of common sense.”

Do electric airplanes fly? Well, of course they do! We’ve known that since the early 1970s. Spin a propeller fast enough, even if you use a giant rubber band to do it, and you’ll create enough thrust to get a light plane off the ground. The fatal flaw, that single thing standing in the way of effective use of electric-powered aircraft, is very well understood and easily summed up in two words—“energy density.’’ //

The amount of energy that can be stored and released on demand, be it in a battery or avgas or a twisted rubber band, per unit of mass is known as specific energy.

Es = E/m, that is, specific energy=kilowatt hours/pounds.

What this means is, the higher the specific energy, the more energy you will get out of a pound of whatever it is you’re storing it in. This is the “fatal flaw” I mentioned earlier. The specific energy of 100LL avgas is about 47, while the best lithium-ion battery around is about 1. Put another way, 10 pounds of battery will store 1,200 watt/hours of energy while 10 pounds (1.66 gallons) of 100LL contains 48,000 watt/hours. No clue on the rubber band. //

From a practical perspective, avgas gives you options. If you need to carry a fourth passenger in a 172, merely reduce the fuel load. Need to do that in an electric 172? Ah, no. ///

A gas turbine generator using just one of the two engines on a 737 puts out 30+MW.

I don't think that an airplane like the 737 can carry 100MWh of energy in batteries and still have usable payload.

This database will contains the history of every single Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress which was built. This site shows all the manufactures production-blocks of the B-17s. Click on a production-block to get details of the B-17 serial numbers of the production-block.

The B-17 database is complete now and contains all 12.731 planes:

An October 2019 story in The Washington Post revealed a damning series of pre-certification internal social media messages from Forkner to colleagues and FAA officials revealing his concern over “egregious” changes to the MCAS flight parameters that he discovered in tests, on the one hand, and his plans to, nevertheless, be “jedi-mind tricking regulators” around the world to accept lower levels of training for Max line pilots. He wrote to one FAA official about removing any reference to MCAS from the pilots’ flight manuals: “Delete MCAS, recall we decided we weren’t going to cover it [because it is] way outside the normal operating envelope.”

Kirby was then asked what advice he’d give Parker, and his answer was quite something:

“And I’ll keep any advice to myself. Plus I’m afraid he would follow it. I’d rather [he] keep doing what he’s doing.”

With the ongoing retirement of the Boeing 747-400 and the end of production of the Airbus A380, there is no doubt four-engine aircraft are falling out of favor. Twin-engine aircraft have improved significantly, and many airlines are moving away from the high-capacity ‘hub and spoke’ model. It seems unlikely there will be a need anytime soon for a four-engine passenger aircraft, but perhaps it could re-appear for freight. //

Four engine production has declined as twin-engine operations have improved. In the early days of jet aircraft, a twin-engine aircraft (under FAA rules) could not fly more than 60 minutes away from a diversion airport. This hugely limited the possibilities for trans-oceanic flights. //

Along with this improvement in ETOPS, engine power has also increased. A 1958 Pratt & Whitney JT3D engine on the 707, for example, had a thrust of 17,000 pounds, versus the GE9X engine on the 777X with around 105,000 pounds of thrust. Manufacturers can now power large single-deck widebodies with two engines.

An Austrian-based company is working on a patented propulsion technology for VTOLs (vertical take-off and landing) and has recently shared the first test flight of a prototype aircraft using the unique approach. //

In the footage released by CycloTech, the prototype is tethered and tested indoors. Finally, the aircraft is able to successfully take off, hover in the air, and land. While it is not the same as actually testing the technology outside, it is nevertheless a good start in wind conditions.

CycloTech claims its rotor technology brings several advantages. Precision is one notable benefit of the CycloRotor. Being able to steer the magnitude and direction of thrust 360 degrees around the rotation axis of every single rotor offers better maneuverability of the aircraft.

Qantas performed its longest-ever commercial passenger flight this week, repatriating Australian citizens from South America on behalf of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The flight departed Buenos Aires, Argentina bound for Darwin, the location of one of Australia’s supervised quarantine facilities. The 787-9 carried 107 passengers, 4 pilots, and 17 cabin crew and other staff, including engineers and ground staff. En route the flight passed over Antarctica, reaching just north of 75 degrees southern latitude. //

The actual flight path, in red, shows the flight’s path hewing closely to the Antarctic coast to avoid the small area outside the ETOPS allowable area. Over the Southern Ocean between Antarctica and Australia the flight made use of favorable winds and avoided adverse weather, adding distance, but reducing time in flight. The Great circle distance between Buenos Aires and Darwin is 14,683 km, while the actual distance flown was 15,037 km. As the flight progressed, the 787 also increased its cruising altitude to maintain maximum efficiency. Beginning with a maximum fuel load of 126,000 liters, QF14 climbed to an initial cruising altitude of 34,000 feet and then step climbed to 40,000 feet as it burned fuel and reduced weight.

I dare anyone to tell me that this flight isn’t ridiculously cool.

In this post:

Qantas’ Buenos Aires to Darwin flight
This Qantas flight flew over Antarctica

Win says:
October 4, 2021 at 8:56 am
Mr. Woolman, founder of Delta Air Lines, said it best, “Consideration is an extension of safety. It begins with the first contact with our passengers, no matter where this is—reservations, porter, ticket agent or wherever. Make the customer feel special. There’s more to flying than just buying a ticket.” Do we sometimes fail, of course. But we try to learn from our mistakes and correct them. Delta’s management stresses that our success is based on Mr. Woolman’s philosophy of hiring the best people to do the job, paying them a good wage, appreciating their work and treating us with respect. In my years with Delta, I’ve had some issues…every family has issues. But, in the end, the fair treatment of our passengers is a direct result of management’s philosophy of… “stay within the box” but if you must go outside of the box, do what is right and we’ll back you up. The key is “back you up” SouthWest and Alaska both run great airlines because they empower their people to do well. They don’t belittle their employees. Ask any AA employee if they remember when “Dougie” got a DUI or when he told them that they have nothing to do with the company’s profitability. Jerry Grinstein said it best when he told Delta employees that we have everything to do with profitability.

“Our eight Lufthansa B747-400 aircraft will get reactivated and taken out of storage step by step and put back in operation for the upcoming years. This is only until they will get replaced by the Boeing 777-9, also step by step. There are no fixed timelines on this exchange, however.”

While it’s not uncommon for Bell Textron to deliver its helicopters to customers around the world, it is unusual for a buyer from Ukraine to pick one up at the factory in Mirabel, Canada, and fly it home. But that’s exactly what an unnamed customer did last week.

After taking delivery of a Bell 407GXi, equipped for IFR flight, the customer rode along with pilot Maksym Lunov, the owner of Ukraine-based Heliclub, one of Bell’s independent representatives in the country. The light single will be used for corporate transportation.

The flight included stops in 13 different countries. “I’ve been a pilot for 13 years,” said Lunov, “and a transatlantic flight is something I’ve always wanted to do. It would not have been easily done without the IFR kit. We had no weather limitations and it allowed us to proceed with the planned route without any delays.” /)

Terry Spath
September 29, 2021 at 8:10 am
Looks like it can be seen on Flight Aware, registration UR-RAH