Airplane Geeks Podcast

A replay of our conversation with Igor Sikorsky III from Episode 144, published on April 19, 2011.

Interviews from the Breeze Airways inaugural flight celebration at the Portland International Jetport (PWM), and an interview with Cranky.

We speak with a USAF General about the challenges involved in providing Ukraine with F-16s.

Northeast Alliance ruling, American Airlines app, Breeze Airways, Republic Airways pilots, and Cessna Citation Ascend.

How human trafficking takes place at airports, and how the problem is being addressed.

Mission aviation with JAARS, airlines add staff, funding flight training, PAX compensation, Airline Customer Service Dashboard.

We look at the history of the Boeing 747, some facts and figures, our memories of the plane, the 747 in the news, and we discuss a few of the accidents and incidents. We also have some personal photos of the Boeing 747 taken by our listeners.

Live ATC transmissions, FAA Acting Administrator stepping down, Airbus and Air France cleared in AF 447 accident, FAA on TAWS use, ADs for 747-8s and B-17s.

Air turbulence increasing, aeronautics science and technology priorities, Delta pilot raided, passengers skip immigration, prison time for pointing a laser, aborting a takeoff, flying with children.

DOJ antitrust lawsuit to block JetBlue-Spirit Merger, Delta flight aborts takeoff, Shell cancels SAF plans, Delta uses Lyft, FAA travel disruption warning, aviation career advice, more lap babies.

China flies CJ-1000A engine destined for Comac C919, Chinese Airbus final assembly line delivers first A321, “Really Cool” airline, United and Archer eVTOL air taxi service, no permanent FAA Administrator, Osprey V-22 orders, Point Mugu Air Show.

Condor Airlines Director of Sales on plans for the North American market, FAA Aviation Safety Summit sessions, Russian fighter and Reaper drone, CVR recording time, lap infants on commercial flights.

Pacific Northwest Aerospace Alliance, F/A union proposal, Reno air races, parting out 787s, NASA, hydrogen fuel, F130 engine test, Aerospace Media Awards, Boeing 747-400 N401PW.

Status match and airline loyalty programs, an alleged export control violation, a hydrogen-powered regional airliner takes flight, Jetblue court cases, FAA problem impacts check rides, report from Avalon, a visit to an El Al MRO shop.

Decarbonizing aviation, increasing SAF availability, the PT6, GA aircraft shipments, Continental engines AD, airport close call, pets and TSA x-Ray machines, DOJ and the Jetblue/Spirit merger.

Air Traffic Control certification program, FAA safety call to action, increased hand-flying, airport safety management systems, FAA IT system fixes, flying over Russian airspace.

Jon Ostrower describes the exciting new flight sim controller from Yawman, Chinese balloon impact on Boeing, a United 777 experiences a steep dive, American Airlines pilots refuse to be interviewed on tape, more unidentified objects are shot down.

Xwing autonomous aircraft, Airbus and Qatar Airways A350 dispute, personal eVTOL, close call with two airliners on the same runway, F-22 Raptor gets first kill, a Boeing 737 crashed fighting fires in Australia.

The co-founder and CEO of Reliable Robotics on aircraft automation, first United Aviate Academy class, NTSB and BEA on Ethiopian 737 Max crash report, pilots making airport safer, Southwest meltdown, ADS-B Exchange and Jetnet.

The Grand Dames of Aviation, Transonic Truss-Braced Wing airliner, Boeing arraignment, Southwest strike vote, JFK runway incursion, AusDesk, Seattle Aerospace BBQ.

The NOTAM outage and subsequent ground stop, why Amazon Air is selling cargo capacity, the runway incursion at JFK, the Airbus automated emergency diversion system, and an Australia News Desk report. Aviation News Here's the latest on the NOTAM outage that caused flight delays and cancellations On January 11, 2023, the Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system failed and the FAA issued a domestic ground stop, leading to thousands of delayed and canceled flights. A corrupt database file has been cited as the cause of the failure. NAV CANADA reported issues with their NOTAM system on the same day. At the time, they did not believe the Canadian outage was related to the FAA outage. See FAA's NOTAM computer outage affected military flights. Amazon Air to Sell Surplus Capacity Onboard its Jets Ahead of Predicted Market Slump In 2023, the global air freight market is forecast to shrink by about 25%. Amazon Air has decided to sell excess air freight capacity on its fleet of 97 wet-leased planes. The FAA is investigating a near-miss between two passenger planes at JFK airport A Delta Air Lines 737-900 (Flight 1943) was on its takeoff roll when ATC noticed an American Airlines Boeing 777 (Flight 106) crossing the active runway. The Delta plane stopped about 1,000 feet before the crossing. The American 737 returned to the gate and passengers disembarked. Due to a crew resource issue, the flight resumed the next morning. Customers were given overnight accommodations. Airbus tests pilot assist that can automatically divert flights Airbus is testing a pilot assistance feature called DragonFly, which can automatically divert a flight in an emergency. The system can pick a flight path to the best airport and communicate with air traffic control and an airline's operations center. Even if the pilots are incapacitated, DragonFly can land the aircraft safely. Australia News Desk This week we have a follow-up on the news about Bonza Airline's air operators certificate, which was approved by the regulator the day last week's episode went live. There's some consternation among the travel agent sector over Bonza's decision not to service Sydney at all, but as we talked about last week, they're trying a different strategy.  Time will tell if it works or not. Australia’s Bonza awarded AOC On the tourism front, two of China's three major carriers - Air China and China Southern - are boosting their schedule for flights to Australia, in a move that many hope will see the lucrative inbound Chinese tourist market ramping back up. China Southern, Air China boosting flights to Australia And a new network of satellites from Skykraft, sporting significant levels of Australian-made components, has been successfully deployed over the country, in a move that will eventually allow more accurate and reliable tracking of aircraft and WHF communications in some of the more remote areas of the continent. Australia’s largest ever satellite constellation now active Mentioned Airline Pilot Study -  A questionnaire for pilots to learn about what aspects of innovation might make an airline more attractive to pilots when they decide which airline to apply to fly for. Rob's Newest jet: Hosts this Episode Max Flight, Rob Mark, and David Vanderhoof.

Cabin air management technology, AD for A220 engines, terrible ground crew accident, Southwest meltdown, airport without fuel, happy pets, giveaway winners, AusDesk.

Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) with the president and CFO of DG Fuels, continuous pricing models for airlines with the co-founder and chief AI at Fetcherr, an #AvGeek look-back at 2022.

A timeless story about a remarkable man named Si Spiegel who flew the B-17 in World War II and went on to develop something that was unusual for the time, but commonplace now during the Christmas season.

We speak with the operator of the world’s largest network of airport lounges. United’s Boeing order, air travel trends, Boom Supersonic engine, Army selects Bell V-280, passengers injured by turbulence.

We speak with the owner of a company that designs and creates airline safety cards, and talk with a T-Mobile manager about an interesting new product for air travelers.

Air mobility grants, preliminary NTSB report on airshow collision, F-22 Raptor, B777X engine issue, Delta pilots contract, F-16 crash.

One-pilot cockpits, Frontier customer service, pigeons, Real ID, A-10 pilot, A-1H Skyraider, Mooney crash, America’s best airports.

Airshow crash, Flight MH17 convictions, A350 carryon weight, GA airplane shipments, A-10 attack aircraft, airport closure impacts seaplanes, G700 world tour, sustainable jet fuel plant.

The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum opened the completed portion of the renovation at the National Mall in Washington, DC. The Museum calls itself “the world's largest and most significant collection of aviation and space artifacts, encompassing all aspects of human flight, as well as related works of art and archival materials.” It’s typically the most visited museum in the United States. The museum occupies two locations: The original location is in Washington, DC and the newer Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is the annex, located outside DC next to Washington Dulles International Airport in Chantilly, Virginia. That facility was made possible by a $65 million donation by Steven F. Udvar-Házy, a co-founder of the aircraft leasing firm International Lease Finance Corporation, or ILFC. In this episode, we look at the DC facility. It was established in 1946 as the National Air Museum and the main building opened on the National Mall in 1976. In 2018 the Museum started a $250 million seven-year renovation project. When the renovation is completed, all of the museum’s 23 galleries and presentation spaces will be updated or completely redone. On Oct. 14, 2022, the downtown museum reopened with eight new and renovated galleries in the west wing. Our Hillel Glazer was present representing the Airplane Geeks podcast at the press preview day, and he recorded some interviews. Christopher Browne Hillel recorded the opening video and the remarks from Christopher Browne, the John and Adrienne Mars Director of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. Browne joined the museum as deputy director in 2017 and served as acting director from 2021 to 2022 when he was named director. Next, Hillel speaks with Dr. Jermery Kinner, the Associate Director of Research and Curatorial Affairs at the National Air and Space Museum. He leads the Museum’s three research and curatorial departments (Aeronautics, the Center for Earth and Planetary Studies or CEPS, and Space History). Kinner also provides counsel and advice on curatorial and museum affairs to the Director and the Senior Leadership Team. Finally, we’ll hear from Beth Wilson. She’s been an educator at the Museum since 2004. Video: Space For Everyone | The Reimagined National Air and Space Museum Open October 14 https://youtu.be/Ds6ILAlNUPU Hosts this Episode Max Flight and Hillel Glazer.

No Boeing MoM for now, propellers for aviation sustainability, high-wall super suites, passenger detention, large PAX weight and balance, KC-46 Class A mishap.

The founder and CEO of Flighty describes the flight tracking app that pulls together a number of tools for flyers into one application.

Isaac Alexander is Chief Content Officer for Hype Aviation, a news aggregator and media intelligence service for aerospace industry professionals and enthusiasts.

SkySquad provides an extra set of helping hands at the airport. John and Martha King talk about their new book Lift: How to start, run, and grow your own business.

Max Flight reports from the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta held October 1-9, 2022. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Balloon Fiesta.

Advances in aircraft towing systems, personal flying vehicles, and a story about becoming an airplane geek.

We talk with a mergers expert about the proposed JetBlue/Spirit merger.

We speak with four women working for air navigation services provider Air Navigation Solutions Ltd (ANSL). We also talk with the president of Hartzel Propeller.

A human factors and ergonomic expert explains how the comfort and safety of airline seats are related. We also talk with the founder and CEO of LiveATC.net and present our traditional Labor Day message.

Airline contact centers, Top Gun Maverick, Boeing and Airbus delivery problems, new aircraft carrier, avionics market report, Air France pilots.

Two woman aviators: An insurance claims adjuster who became a B777 pilot, and a Marine MV-22 pilot in training. Also, DOT wants action from the airlines, an Apple AirTag leads police to a bag thief, two pilots reportedly fell asleep, and seaplane service in the eastern U.S.

AI digital co-pilot, 787 delivery, personal eVTOL, USAF eVTOL training, A-10 updates, partnering for pilots, pilot shortage, B-52 variant.

Earning pilot’s license late in life, helping women become pilots, Cirrus Aircraft CEO, F/A landing injury, mother/daughter flying first, passenger refund NPRM, FAA seeks seat size comments, JetBlue turnover, flight cancellations and delays.

Inside look at a 737 plane crash from a flight attendant. JetBlue to purchase Spirit Airlines, Piper Aircraft and CAE partner on electric aircraft, 2 million aviation professionals needed, FAA wants secondary fight deck barrier, EAA Airventure Oshkosh 2022 numbers.

Aviation training at UMA, orders at Farnborough, Delta TechOps, fighter market forecast, open fan engine demonstrator, KC-46 co-pilots, electronic bag tags, bad airline pilots, travel demand and airline capacity.

Fly-in conversations, lost baggage woes, airports limiting passenger volume, and a missed runway crash investigation.

This episode is dedicated to the Boeing 707 with guest from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute which displays a Boeing VC-137C used as Air Force One for seven U.S. presidents.

Flight delays and cancellations, long lines, higher fares, and travel woes with Johnny Jet. Also, Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta tips, Spurwink Farm International Fly-In, PlaneTags Festival, ultra-efficient business plane.

Air Force One paint scheme and production problems, F-35 Aggressors, Israeli extended range F-35s, Delta “juniority benefit,” Piedmont wage increases, U.S. Navy safety stand-down.

The B-1 BONE bomber, certifying the 737 Max, NGAD, Germany heavy-lift helicopter, piloting an A330 while sleeping, prison time for unruly passenger, staff shortages at European airports.