Airline Commercials

Here's a couple that you might have missed.

Missing Raptor Found

An Elemendorf AFB, Alaska F-22A Raptor disappeared during routine training mission at 1940 Hours, 16 November 2010. After two days of searching, the crash site has been located 100 miles north of Elemendorf AFB, Alaska.


A recovery crew has been dispatched to the site. The pilot is feared dead. The cause of the crash has not been determined.

A380 Engine Explodes in Flight

Fifteen minutes into a Quantas airline flight Qf34 from Singapore to Sidney, the number two engine exploded. Trailing flame and debris, the aircraft landed safely back in Singapore. Though shaken, none of the 459 passengers were harmed in the mishap. Quantas continues to have an unblemished record of having never injured a passenger.

The investigation continues as Quantas announced that the cause of the explosion was yet to be determined. This is the third engine malfunction for the A380. In September last year another Rolls Royce powered A380, this time operated by Singapore Airlines, was forced to turn back two hours and 45 minutes after leaving Paris on a flight to the Far East, because of an engine malfunction. In August a Lufthansa A380 flying from Tokyo to Frankfurt was forced to shut down one of its four Trent 900 engines shortly before landing, after crew detected a change in oil pressure.

Su-33 Bolter

Here's a Bolter, Russian style. I guess you can say that thrust vectoring comes in handy when trying to come on board. Check out how close the tail gets to the deck.

U2 Incentive Flight

Incentive flights are rides.

They are rewards for a job well done. In 1979 I was named Wing Crew Chief of the Month and got to fly in a F-4 Phantom II. Ten years later, I got a Ride in a F-16. You can do your whole career and not get a single ride. Celebrities get rides all the time. This next one blows my mind. James May , host of the automotive TV show "Top Gear" gets a ride in the U-2. Wow!

Kulula Airlines

Kulula Air is a South African airline with a sense of humor. They painted up 'ol 101 to demystify air travel for folks who have never flown before.See more pictures here.

Malware Downs Spanair Flight 5022

The National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) announced in it's findings of the crash of Spanair flight 5022 that a computer virus is the root cause. The MD-82 crashed shortly after take off from Madrid Spain. Initial investigations blamed pilot error when the flaps and slats needed for take off were found in the retracted position. A maintenance computer should have alerted the ground crew to a problem with the flap system but was prevented from sounding an alarm by the computer virus.

The infected computer, located at the airlines office in Palma de Mallorca, is supposed to emit an alarm signal when three similar technical problems are found in the same device. Though three problems were detected – two Aug. 19, the day before the crash, and a third Aug. 20 – the incidents were not registered in the computer due to the Trojan.

Ground crews attempted to recall the aircraft, but the aircraft was not returned to the gate. Officials will not release the name of the Trojan nor the specific effects it had on the aircraft.

The crash occurred on 20 August, 2008 killing 154 people. There are 18 survivors.

NASA Throws a Yard Sale

NASA announced today that since they don't need them anymore, they are GIVING AWAY their space shuttles. All you have to do is pony up for the shipping and handling. That might be around 30 million bucks. Oh...you have to be a museum to qualify and the Smithsonian already has dibbs on Discovery.

The last big aviation give away was when the Concorde retired. That was easy. There are 13 Concordes left...only three shuttles are on the block. The Government is involved with the shuttles.

Shuttle expert and author Dennis Jenkins was quoted to say:

"The current competition is going to be stupider than Concorde was because the government is involved. Congress will immediately go into an uproar and un-decide for them."

As Shuttle retires there are no plans to replace it. Once again that leaves good ol' Soyuz, the only taxi you can take to get to the International Space Station. U.S. plans to go to Mars and return to the Moon have been scrapped. So if you have kids, you might want to break it to them that they don't have a hoop in Hell of becoming an Astronaut. Maybe their kids will. In the meantime they can play "Community Organizer and Health Care Coordinator".

Appreciate Your Flight Attendant

Safety Rap

Southern Hospitality

You gotta love this one even if you've never lived in the South.
Some of you will enjoy this more than others.... Southerners can be so
Polite!

Atlanta Tower: "Saudi Air 511 -- You are cleared to land on
Runway 9R."
Saudi Air: "Thank you Atlanta . Acknowledge cleared to land on
Infidel's' runway 9R - Allah be Praised."
Atlanta Tower: " Iran Air 711 - You are cleared to land on runway 27L."
Iran Air: "Thank you Atlanta . We are cleared to land on infidel's
Runway 27L. -Allah is Great."

Pause....
Saudi Air: "ATLANTA TOWER - ATLANTA TOWER !"
Atlanta Tower: "Go ahead Saudi Air 511.."
Saudi Air: "YOU HAVE CLEARED BOTH OUR AIRCRAFTS FOR
THE SAME RUNWAY GOING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS. WE
ARE ON A COLLISION COURSE . . . . . INSTRUCTIONS, PLEASE!"

Atlanta Tower: "Well bless your hearts. And praise Jesus.
Y'all go on ahead now and tell Allah "hey" for us

Did You See That?

Prepare to be shocked and awed.....

What A Trick - More amazing video clips are a click away

Flight Recorder Survives Guatemalan Crash

Guatemalan Flight's Data-Recording Parrot Holds Clues To Crash

The Horten 229

The Smithsonian Museum is restoring a Horten 229.The Horten 229 was a single seat jet fighter designed by the Horten brothers, Walter and Reimar, for the German Luftwaffe in World War Two. Three prototypes were built. The Ho IX V1 was an non-powered glider. The Ho IX V2 was a jet powered version and first flown on 2 February, 1945.

Ho IX V3 was to be the production version and was captured by American forces. Designated the H0-229 it is the only remaining airframe in existence. It is this aircraft that the Smithsonian is restoring.

When completed, the Ho-229 will look something like this:

The aircraft pictured above is a REPLICA of a Ho-229, built by the Northrop Corporation.

More info and pictures here.

Crash and Burn

The History of Crew Chiefs

A Crew Chief is responsible for the day to day condition of the aircraft assigned to them. The best crew chiefs are assigned to fighter squadrons. Real crew chiefs have nothing what so ever to do with NASCAR. Why would they? Crew chiefs that fuck up really bad or show no talent work on helicopters or (GOD FORBID!) cargo aircraft.

Crew chiefs own their jet and if a pilot is really polite and not running late, the Crew Chief will allow the pilot to fly "his" aircraft. Pilots spend most of their time drinking and fucking off doing whatever pilots do between their occasional visits to the jet. Crew Chiefs live with their jet. They stay with their jet in blazing hot days, rain, snow, through the night, during air raids and mortar attacks. Crew chiefs make Postal Workers look like pussies.

Read on Sports Fans.

Shuttle Fini Flights

The Shuttle Atlantis blasted off for the last time yesterday for a planned 12 day mission (STS-132).
There are two remaining flights in the program. Discovery (STS133) will fly on or about 16 September, 2010. Endeavor (STS134) will be the last Shuttle in orbit in mid November, 2010.

I got to see Enterprise at an Edwards AFB air show back in 1977. During the entire course of the program I am sad to report that I never got the chance to see a Shuttle launch nor landing. Damn.Enterprise Roll Out, Edwards AFB, 1977.

UFO Alert

Before you start calling MUFON, you might want to know about the Bullet 580. The 235 foot airship is scheduled to make it's first flight later this month.

E-Green acquired airship builder 21st Century Airships, which holds patents for Bullet 580 technologies and designs, including a system of bags that hold helium for lighter-than-air lift and an inner hull that is filled with ambient air.

The eight million dollar Bullet 580 is designed to lift payloads weighing up to 15000 pounds. With a top speed of 80 mph, it will also be able to reach 20,000 feet for surveillance operations.

The first flight will be from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida.

Supersonic Sky Dive Planned

Extreme sky diver Felix Baumgartner has announced his intention to jump through the sound barrier. Plans call for him to jump from a balloon at an altitude of 39 kilometers. This will break the altitude record set by US Air Force colonel Joe Kittinger in 1960.


Baumgartner is best known for being the first person to fly across the English Channel with a carbon wing in 2003.

Follow the progress of the Red Bull Stratos Project here.

I'm Back

Sometimes my job is too cool for school.