Airplane Geeks Podcast

Guest Kelly Murphy is a founder of Emerald Media, which handles public relations, media services, and all the editorial aspects of producing publications for aviation clients. Kelly runs the group’s publishing activities and that includes newsletters, magazine, brochures, and presentations. She is the editor of Regional Horizons, the magazine of the US Regional Airline Association, and Saab Aircraft Leasing’s Saab Market Report and Saab Aerotech’s Support Solutions. Kelly is a member of the Aero Club of Washington, a private pilot license holder and occasionally flies a Cessna 172 for her family’s aerial photography business. She’s the former editor of Professional Pilot magazine, Water Flying magazine and Commuter/Regional Airline News (US). We talk about last week’s World Airline Training Show in Florida and where the next generation of pilots is going to come from, and the special supplement produced for the Women in Aviation Conference in Dallas. The RAA 37th Annual Convention is coming up in in Minneapolis next month and comments for the NPRM closed on Monday, April 30, 2012. The week’s aviation news: Eclipse Receives Production OK from FAA General Aviation Airport Coalition launches petition against $100 fee and a link to the petition House Panel Reviews Aviation Safety in the U.S. Regional Airline Association Press Release: RAA Emphasizes Flight Time Does Not Equal Experience (PDF) In this week’s Australia Desk report: Tiger Airways ditches $1 fares but is looking toward better use of technology for check-in, Australian Government introduces a National Airline Customer Advocate, Avalon Airport in Victoria to allow greater GA utilisation….but check out those user fees!…Virgin Australia shows off its latest A330s, Australian Government refuses to fully fund a trip for the 70 remaining veterans of Bomber Command from WW2 to attend the opening of the official memorial in London. Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124. This week on Across the Pond, Pieter talks to heavyweight airline executive Tim Gresty from Cognitio about the challenges of the low cost airlines versus the full fare carriers and what impact the new High Speed Rail Link in the UK will have on the regional airline sector. Tim gives us a real insight into what senior airline executives think about these challenges as well as enlightening us to some fascinating views on airline performance. Tim and his business have worked with British Airways, Air France/KLM, Hapag Lloyd, Etihad and Air Belin as well as working in some very interesting markets such as Mauritius, Iran and South Africa. Find Pieter Johnson on Twitter as @Nascothornet, on his blog Alpha Tango Papa, and also on Facebook at XTPMedia. Mentions: US Regional Airline Association Saab Aircraft Leasing General Aviation Airport Coalition Culpeper Regional Airport, Culpeper Air Fest, October 6, 2012 Pilots: JJ Quinn by Kelly Murphy Regional Horizons Women in Aviation Supplement (PDF) Regional Horizons, Regional Airline Industry Forecasts Links from Listener Email: What Cities Gain When Their Airports Are Close to Downtown Aviation reports – 2011 – A11F0012 Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at http://www.brotherloverocks.com/.

Guest Steve Harris is currently a senior at the University of Michigan in Aerospace Engineering and writes the Aeroscholar blog. He’s also the president of the UofM Student Chapter of The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), and is a member of the Jet Engine Team of Michigan. Steve is starting to pursue a private pilot’s license, he has taken students on a tour of the top aerospace companies in southern California, he attends the Aerospace Sciences Meeting every year, and through the AIAA he lobbies for the aerospace industry in Washington D.C. Steve Tweets as @Aeroscholar. The week’s aviation news: David Vanderhoof gives us a report on the Space Shuttle swap-out at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles Airport. He spoke with NASA Director Charles F. “Charlie” Bolden, NASM Curator Dr. Helen Morill, and Senator John Glenn. Dan spoke with Virgin Galactic’s CEO and President George Whitesides aboard Virgin America’s inaugural flight from Los Angeles to Philadelphia. Warbirds Facing Doom? American Airlines unions, US Airways announce deal to support merger Merged airline would be called American Airlines, headquartered in Fort Worth Bates: US Airways has a good plan, American Airlines doesn’t A JET FLIGHT PASSENGER’S NIGHTMARE: Delta flight forced to emergency land after bird strike takes out a 757 jet engine Business Expert Videos Delta 1063 Mid Air Bird Strike David’s aircraft of the Week: the Aérospatiale SA 315B Lama. No Australia Desk news report this week, but you can still find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124. This week on Across the Pond, Pieter talks again to Rohit Rao from AeroBlogger about developments in India with the focus on airlines. There’s more news from Kingfisher and the guys look at some of the new airlines starting up in the region. Find Rohit on Twitter as @TheAeroBlogger. Find Pieter Johnson on Twitter as @Nascothornet, on his blog Alpha Tango Papa, and also on Facebook at XTPMedia. Links from Listener Email: How Things Work: Lightning Protection Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at http://www.brotherloverocks.com/. Post photo by David Vanderhoof  

This week our scheduled guest was called away at the last minute, so the Geeks go it alone to talk about some of the recent aviation news and discuss a lot of interesting listener mail. Of course, we also have David’s This Week in Aviation history segment, Steve and Grant’s Australia News Desk, and Pieter’s Across the Pond Segment. The week’s aviation news: NTSB releases recommendations for air races NTSB Provides Investigative Update and Issues Recommendations to Increase Safety at Air Races State Department Seeks Expanded UAV Security Fleet Airlines hit record highs for on-time flights, luggage handling Live Virtual Constructive technology set to revolutionize air combat training Why Doesn’t Snow on the Wings Matter? David’s aircraft of the Week: the Rockwell Space Transportation Systems OV-103, otherwise known as the Space Shuttle Discovery. In this week’s Australia Desk report: Steve has a new get rich quick idea as Qantas operates an A330 from Sydney to Adelaide on April 13th partially powered by biofuel, Qantas A380 VH-OQA takes to the skies after 18 months of repairs following its infamous incident above Indonesia in 2010. Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124. This week on Across the Pond, Pieter talks to Frenchez Pietersz from Aviation Platform about airline news from the Benelux countries of Europe, that’s Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg. With so much to cover we focused this week’s talk on Belgium and Holland, how the KLM Air France merger is developing, and how Lufthansa is challenging them with flights from Brussels. You can dind Aviation Platform on Twitter as @AviPlatform, on Facebook, and on LinkedIn. Find Pieter Johnson on Twitter as @Nascothornet, on his blog Alpha Tango Papa, and also on Facebook at XTPMedia. Links from Listener Email: Lightning Strike via John Arvin. Bush and Arctic Pilot, recommended by Chris. DC-3/Dakota Historical Society, Inc. also from Chris. Lost In Oscar Hotel, celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Piper Cub. Space Shuttle Discovery to Fly Over Washington Metro Area April 17 and… Shuttle lands here soon, so sorry Houston from Harry. RAF sonic boom jets spark resident alarm after helicopter emergency from Ben. Squawk codes & Transponders via Tim Robinson. Permission to use the post photograph has been obtained from the photographer. Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at http://www.brotherloverocks.com/.

Mike Kincaid is a CFI/Designated Examiner at Mountain Lakes Seaplanes, based at Pappy Boyington Airport (COE) in Hayden, Idaho. He learned to fly in Alaska, where seaplanes are a must, and he had a career with the Alaska Department of Public Safety. In Alaska, Mike hiked, fished, hunted, skied, snowshoed, mushed dogs, flew bush planes, chased bad guys, protected the wildlife of Alaska, and built log cabins deep in the woods. He now shares his passion for seaplane flying with students from around the globe in his restored Piper J3 and writes when the weather grounds him. We talk about how Mike ended up in Alaska and learned to fly, and what it’s like to fly with floats. He offers a few stories about his adventures in Alaska, some good and some very much the opposite. Mike’s books include Seaplane Rating Basics and several others based on his Alaska adventures. Mike was also involved in the movie The Frozen Ground based on a real case about a serial killer in Alaska. The movie is scheduled for release December 2012 and stars Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, and Vanessa Hudgens. Mike did the flying (some if it spectacular glacier flying) which director Scott Walker referred to as “organic flying.” He was the stunt double and pilot for John Cusak. The week’s aviation news: Benet Wilson joins us with her impressions from Sun ‘n Fun Man Tries to Board Plane at PHL With Fireworks Man Arrested At PHL Checkpoint With Loaded Firearm JetBlue co-pilot calmly and quickly got jet down David’s aircraft of the Week: the Thwipplenut Parakeet. In this week’s Australia Desk report: Qantas announces Jetstar Hong Kong in partnership with China Eastern….but will Hong Kong’s lawmakers allow it? Fiji’s military government causing problems for Qantas’ 46% stake in Air Pacific, RAAF ramps up plans for EA18G “Growler” conversions, Melbourne Airport announces a $A1billion upgrade. Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124. This week on Across the Pond, we get our own student pilot back: Neil Bradon. When we last talked to Neil back in Episode 168 he had just solo’d in Ireland and was planning to spend the next few years in the USA. Well, he arrived, found his school and is flying again. Find out how he’s doing. Neil is an avid Airplane Geeks listener and supporter and has his own blog at www.getmyppl.blogspot.co.uk and lives his life on Twitter as @Pilot_ngb. Find Pieter Johnson on Twitter as @Nascothornet, on his blog Alpha Tango Papa, and also on Facebook at XTPMedia. Links from Listener Email: Queenstown. The Remarkable Challenge of RNP. (Part One). An Aviation Blog by Owen Zupp As drones rise, a manned fighter falls Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at http://www.brotherloverocks.com/.

Guest Leigh White is President of Alertness Solutions. We talk about the science of fatigue and how it can be applied to aviation, be it for pilots, cabin crew, air traffic controllers, and others. Leigh talks about new fatigue management requirements, how to integrate those with existing processes, and how fatigue management is really an enhancement of operator safety management systems. When managing a flight department and incorporating fatigue into the operation, there are four main factors to be aware of: 1. a continuum of performance impairment, not just falling asleep 2. focus on circadian rhythm 3. the hours of wakefulness (at 16 hours there is a significant performance drop) – impact on long duty days 4. sleep debt – the cumulative effect of insufficient sleep The week’s aviation news: ALPA Galvanizes Industry Efforts to Combat Pilot Fatigue Cessna to develop a plan to build business jets in China David’s aircraft of the Week: the Lockheed JetStar. In this week’s Australia Desk report: Grant is out sick and Steve has been in South Australia covering the Parafield Air Show where among others, he recorded an interview with Flight Lieutenant Richard Morris, a pilot with the RAAF Display Team “The Roulettes.” We give the airline news a break this week as we hear about life in the RAAFs elite display team. Find out more about the Roulettes at www.airforce.gov.au/roulettes and follow the RAAF on Twitter @airforcehq. Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124. In the Across the Pond segment, Gareth Stringer and Tim Robinson talk with Pieter Johnson about the English Electric Lightning, C135′s at Mildenhall, the Singapore Air Show, and an old piece of Royal Aeronautical Society film footage that has surfaced of some great historical aircraft. Find Gareth at Global Aviation Resource and Tim at the Royal Aeronautical Society. Pieter can be found on Twitter as @Nascothornet or at XTP Media’s Facebook Page. Links to items in the Across the Pond segment: Global Aviation Magazine The Royal Aeronautical Society’s Centenary Garden Party in 1966 – caught on film Links from Listener Email: Department of Transport, Bureau of Air Safety Investigation Report, Boeing 727-277 VH-ANA VH-ANA photo Watchdog: Many co-pilots don’t meet training standards Air Canada maintenance firm gets bankruptcy protection Is Boeing’s 737 an Airplane Prone to Problems? Flyngo.com Infinite Flight for iOS Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at http://www.brotherloverocks.com/. In this week’s Australia Desk report: Grant is out sick this week and Steve has been in South Australia covering the Parafield Air Show where among others, he recorded an interview with Flight Lieutenant Richard Morris, a pilot with the RAAF Display Team “The Roulettes.” We give the airline news a break this week as we hear about life in the RAAFs elite display team. Find out more about the Roulettes at www.airforce.gov.au/roulettes and follow the RAAF on Twitter @airforcehq.

Guest Steve Fulton is a Technical Fellow with GE Aviation. He was the pilot at Alaska Airlines who helped develop the world’s first RNP procedure (that’s Required Navigation Performance), and he was a co-founder of Naverus, now part of GE. RNP enables aircraft to be placed on efficient predefined paths from top of descent to the runway. We discuss RNP, the FAA reauthorization, and what the U.S. Congress has mandated. We talk about bringing what was developed in simpler situations to more complex ones here in the U.S., and mention “The Highways in the Sky” study where GE identifies significant benefits at airports that are not at the top of the FAA priority list. Steve points out that besides techincal challanges, this technology requires attention to the human element because it represents such a large change for pilots and air traffic controllers. Controllers, for example, have great vectoring skills that work well for loading the runways, but not very efficiently. RNP brings efficiency, but the task is more about managing automation. Steve also talks about translating the benefits of RNP to general aviation and unmanned aviation as well. Steve writes for the GE Aviation Skyward Blog, and you can follow him Twitter at @captstevefulton. The week’s aviation news: Stretched potential for Boeing 777 Multiple Carriers File for New Beyond-Perimeter DCA Slots Boeing finishes tests for GE-engine 787 [Analysis:] Delta-Boeing clash threatens Obama bid to renew Eximbank Two Venice couples and child killed in N.C. plane crash In this week’s Australia Desk report: Virgin Australia restructure goes ahead despite Qantas trying to block it, damaged Qantas A380 V-OQA repaired and returning to Aus next month, AirNZ ATR 72s grounded due to wing cracks, and Air Asia X pulling out of Christchurch route. Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124. In his Across The Pond segment, Pieter Johnson talks with AeroBlogger Rohit Rao about the situation for airlines in India. Rohit gives his views on Kingfisher and their well publicised troubles as well as looking at Indigo. It’s a fascinating insight into Indian aviation. Follow Rohit on Twitter as @TheAeroBlogger and Pieter can be found on Twitter as @Nascothornet or XTP Media’s Facebook Page. Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at http://www.brotherloverocks.com/.

Guest Darryl Jenkins is a seasoned airline analyst, Chairman of the American Aviation Institute, and author of the Handbook of Airline Economics. The week’s aviation news: EU-China Battle Stalls Sales of Airbus Jets US to send JSTARs to South Korea United’s Reservation System Switch Goes Well With Only Minor Glitches In this week’s Australia Desk report: the Qantas Asian venture takes a dive as Malaysia Airlines pulls out of the Red Q proposal, Air New Zealand is upsetting customers with its new “bid for a seat” frequent flyer programme, and Airbus Military offers the RAAF a 6th KC30A tanker. Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124. In his Across The Pond segment, Pieter Johnson talks with Diego López-Salazar from Aeropodcast.com to give us an update on the airlines in Spain. They discuss Spanair, Iberia Express and Volotea and the Spanish Government’s step down from privatisation. Pieter can be found on Twitter as @Nascothornet or XTP Media’s Facebook Page. Mentioned in the episode: AirlineMeals.net F7U Cutlass National Museum – United States Air Force Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at http://www.brotherloverocks.com/.

Guest Ryan P. Starkey, Ph.D. has been working with University of Colorado students to develop a Mach 1.4 UAV. Propulsion for this very efficient aircraft comes from a 20 pound turbojet that features an afterburner and thrust vectoring nozzle. We talk about the design of the vehicle, possible commercial and military applications, and the timeline for first flight. Ryan is Assistant Professor and a McAnally Faculty Fellow, as well as Director of the Busemann Advanced Concepts Lab at the University of Colorado Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences. You can also learn more about this project at Starkey Aerospace Corporation. The week’s aviation news: Air Force Aborts Tucano Contract two months after Awarding it! UN aviation body says emissions proposal by year-end Airport gate crasher charged by feds FAA publishes first officer qualification rule American Will Join The ‘Premium Economy’ Parade By Selling Extra Legroom Rows This week’s Australia Desk report was recorded live at the Tyabb Airshow, 70km southeast of Melbourne. Air Australia owes creditors $A90million but had less than $A500,000 in funds when it went bankrupt, Qantas fails in its bit to have to Federal Government change the Qantas Sale Act (1992), Virgin Australia restructures into domestic & international companies, tour operator, Jetset, has an incredible profit increase thanks to the high value of the Aussie dollar, ATC Ben makes a cameo appearance, Grant is horrified that Steve left light beer in his fridge! Find more from Grant and Steve at the Plane Crazy Down Under podcast, and follow the show on Twitter at @pcdu. Steve’s at @stevevisscher and Grant at @falcon124. This week on Across The Pond, Pieter Johnson talks to John Greenway from the Manchester Airport Group about Manchester Airport’s growth and success at becoming the first Aerocity. Manchester has an innovative style to accommodating its customers, has a great Twitter feed and is performing well in a demanding market. Hear how the Airpark (the place for aviation spotters and enthusiasts) homes some of the nations most prized assets, including a Concorde. You can find the Manchester Airport Group at www.manchesterairport.co.uk and on Twitter as @manairport. See also the Airport City website at airportcity.co.uk. Pieter can be found on Twitter as @Nascothornet or XTP Media’s Facebook Page. Mentioned in the episode: Center for Space Entrepreneurship Skippyscage Photography Links from listeners: FAA, airport officials no-shows at hearing Photos: Boeing Delivers First 747-8 Intercontinental, Though VIP Buyer Remains a Mystery Opening and closing music is provided by Brother Love from the Album Of The Year CD. You can find his great music at http://www.brotherloverocks.com/. Post photo by Paul Thompson: Three Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft based at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire UK. He liked the picture as they flew towards him at around 500 feet and then went and had a little play ( vertically to about 20000 feet) as it were.