The Aspiring Pilot

Flight for Control author and Aviation Universe come together for a book signing tomorrow!

Okay, I apologize about the constant extended absences. You can thank a broken laptop, coaching two soccer teams, working extra shifts at the firehouse and well, I was left with little time for writing! I'm back, and I plan on writing much more. I missed the Rockford Airfest and will probably miss AirVenture this year as well.

In the meantime, you can get a quick fill of your aviation needs (along with me) at Aviation Universe tomorrow in Bensenville, IL. See my prior post about their grand opening only  a few months ago. Once again, Lora has brought a great event together for the area aviation enthusiasts. This time, it's an internet acquantance of mine who happened to have written a book recently. A great book at that! I'm talking about 'Flight for Control,' an amazing aviation thriller (for adult readers!) that had me at the edge of my seat and was hard to put down. I had the book done in only a few days of reading. 

For full details on the book signing event, check out my examiner.com article : http://www.examiner.com/article/flight-for-control-book-signing-at-aviation-universe-this-weekend

If you'll be there, look for me as well, I'll be there! 

National Air and Space Museum's Become a Pilot Family Day and Aviation Display

The 7th annual 'Become a Pilot' Family Day and Aviation Display will be held June 18th at the Stephen F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. I unfortunately will NOT be attending due to prior commitments, but would have absolutely loved to be in attendance. This year sounds like it may be one of the best yet! I wrote an article off their press release in my Examiner column (except below, with link to full article at the end) and I encourage you to read it. The plans for this year sound very exciting. 

There will be a modest Navy presence in honor of the Centennial of Naval Aviation celebrations as well as the dedication of a new aircraft to the Air and Space Museum collection during the day. The museum is also holding a Tweetup for 25 lucky people who are follower's of their Twitter account and I will write an article focusing on the tweetup itself shortly. From the sounds of it, it's a MUST for any aviation geek! 

It's a good few weeks for aviation fans trying to get others interested in flying, betweenInternational Learn to Fly day this week (see prior posts on my blog) to the Become a Pilot day, there's no excuse not to get introduced to the world of flight. 

Excerpt from my General Aviation Examiner Column:

The Smithshonian's National Air and Space Museum will be hosting it's annual 'Become aPilot' day June 18th this year. The event will be held at the Museum's Steven F. Udvar-HazyCenter in Chantilly, Va., near Washington Dulles International Airport. (Google Map of the Center) 

The 2011 'Become and Pilot' day is the museum's seventh event of it's kind and continued growing the event to what should be one of the best events yet. There are 50 airplanes scheduled for static display, including a mix of vintage, recreational, military and home-built aircraft. The airplanes will be flown in to Dulles International Airport (KIAD) and taxied into position outside the center's Boeing Aviation Hanger. There, visitors will be able to examine the aircraft and possibly even sit behind the controls. The owners and pilots of each aircraftwill be present to answer any questions and to discuss their airplanes with visitors. The museum has a stock pictures of a few of the types of aircraft that will be present on theevent's Aircraft Display page.

The military will have a modest presence as well, with static displays of the F/A-18 Super Hornet, E-2C Hawkeye and the MH-60S Knighthawk and MH-60 Seahawk helicopters. Also slated for a performance are the Navy's internationally renowned Navy Ceremonial Drill Team and the Navy Jazz Ensemble. 

Continue reading on Examiner.com: National Air and Space Museum announces 2011 Become a Pilot Day events - National General Aviation | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/general-aviation-in-national/national-air-and-space-museum-announces-2011-become-a-pilot-day-events#ixzz1Mv4BxJkh

 

Want to be among the first Virgin Galactic space pilots?

Virgin Galactic, the low-earth orbit flight division of Virgin, Richard Branson's holding company that manages companies such as Virgin America, Virgin Atlantic and over 300 others, is seeking to hire it's 3 pilot's for it's space flight operations. 

Before you jump in and think you have a shot, the requirements are very specific and pretty restrictive. If you don't have a lot of large jet time, test-pilot time and an aerospace background, you're probably out of luck.  

The application closing date is April 30, 2011 so you have just under a month to apply for what is probably a dreamjob for a LOT of aviation and aerospace enthusiasts. You can find the application, information and requirements here.

From the job posting, the requirement for 'Pilot-Astronauts' are as follows: 

VG essentials for Pilot-Astronaut successful candidates

•    Must be a US citizen – compliant with ITAR (22 CFR §120.15)
•    A current FAA commercial (or equivalent) pilot license and FAA medical (you will be required to produce evidence of both at interview)
•    Degree level qualification in a relevant technical field 
•    Graduate of a recognized test pilot school, with at least 2 ½ years post-graduate flight test experience (you will be required to produce evidence at interview)
•    A diverse flying background with a minimum of 3,000 hours flying to include considerable experience of: large multi-engine aircraft and high performance fast jet aircraft and low lift-to-drag ratio glide experience (e.g. simulated flameout landings) in complex aircraft 
•    Operational experience of an aerospace aviation project or business
•    Excellent, current knowledge on a diverse range of aerospace matters
•    Ability to communicate aviation knowledge and safety related information simply, succinctly and clearly
•    Previous responsibility for authorizing and implementing policies and procedures to ensure a safe and efficient operation
•    Be a proven team player

Very limited exceptions to the above may be considered for those with truly outstanding test flying or spaceflight experience.

Preference will be given to those with experience of:
- Spaceflight
- Commercial flight operations
- Flight instruction

Is Southwest Airlines about to re-open pilot application website?

Currently, if you navigate to the pilot employment information section of Southwest, you see the following note: 

Please Note:

Because we are not currently hiring pilots, we have taken down the pilot application site and you will no longer be required to update your information. Once we begin hiring again, we will put the application back up. At that time, you will be able to apply again and update your current information.

However, per a twitter post today, it looks like that may change soon for a two week period or so. According to @SWAPAExecs (the twitter account of 'The executive officers of the Southwest Airlines Pilots' Association') 'SWA online pilot application opening MAR 7th for a limited time only (2 weeks or less)! Pls pass along to fellow pilots who are interested.' 

So, keep an eye on SWA and they're twitter feeds. When they opened their flight attendant application, the site was so overwhelmed, it crashed under the load. I can't imagine the pilot application will be any less popular. 

For those that aren't aware, here's their requirements as listed on their site.  

Southwest Airlines Pilot Application Requirements:

• Certificates/Ratings: U.S. FAA Airline Transport Pilot Certificate. Unrestricted¹ U.S. Type Rating on a B-737 not required for interview, but required for employment².
• Age: Must be at least 23 years of age.
• Flight Experience: 2,500 hours total or 1,500 hours TURBINE total. Additionally, a minimum of 1,000 hours in Turbine aircraft as the Pilot in command³ (as defined below) is required. Southwest considers only Pilot time in fixed-wing aircraft. This specifically excludes simulator, helicopter, WSO, RIO, FE, NAV, EWO, etc. NO other time is counted.³
• Currency: A minimum of 200 hours must be logged in the preceding 36 months.
• Medical: Must possess a current FAA Class 1 Medical Certificate. Must pass FAA mandated Drug Test.
• Authorization to work in the United States: Must have established authorization to work in the United States.
• Driver's License: Must possess a valid United States Driver's License.
• Education: graduation from accredited, four-year college preferred.
• Letters of Recommendation: At least three letters from any individuals who can attest to the pilot's flying skills, by having observed him/her over a sustained period of time.

Pilot base locations: Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, Orlando, Chicago, Baltimore, Oakland, and Las Vegas

 

So, if you're going to try your hand and apply and meet the requirements, good luck! 

'Flyabout' Screening coming to Chicago this weekend

My article on the screening (which will be followed up by a review as well as a second article after speaking with the filmmaker and pilot) can be found at my Chicago General Aviation Examiner site here. Please share this and come to the screening! Bring friends, family and anyone you know that may be interested.  It's a great movie from what I've been hearing from friends and acquaintances.  

Yahoo recognized National Aviation Day with an interesting video

Ran across this on Yahoo! News, enjoy!

 

 

Celebrating National Aviation Day - August 19th

(from my published Examiner.com article)

• August 19th, 2010 9:55 am

Wright Brothers National Memorial

Photo: By taygete05/LizDeCoster via flickr.com

Today is National Aviation Day, a day established to honor aviation on our unique freedom to fly.  From Chicago to Los Angeles to Miami, thousands of General Aviation pilots take to the skies because of the dreams and perseverance of two brothers.  August 19th is the birthday of Orville Wright, who along with his brother Wilbur, created and introduced mankind to controlled, powered airplane flight.

In 1939 President Franlin Roosevelt proclaimed August 19th Naional Aviation Day.  Today is a day of observance and not an actual public holiday.  (read more and see a video at my examiner.com page)

Red Bull Air Races - 1 Year Hiatus

Incredibly, just as the AOPA Pilot magazine publishes an article about the Red Bull Air Races and their role in reintroducing aviation to a younger, more adventurous generation, Red Bull announces that the races will be taking a break for at least a year.  Some of the reasoning behind the break are for safety improvements and stronger city relationships.  According to the articles on AvWeb,  Redbull stated that they will take the next year working to "fast track the technological advancements currently in the making which would further improve the already high levels of safety." They also claimed that they will attempt to strengthen current city relationships and work on establishing a longer-term race calendar.

I've never been to one (since none have been to the Chicago area and a majority are held in other countries) but would love to experience one of these air races.  Unlike the Reno Air Races, the control towers utilized along with the stands and other temporary structures are transported aroudn the world in a modified Boeing 747, enabling a travelling course to be established just about anywhere.   (Imagine an Air Race along the lakeshore of Chicago to coincide with the Chicago Air and Water Show!)

Overall, the safety of both the pilots and spectators of these races has been paramount and this is evendent in the extremely minimal number of incidents.  This summer however, there were two incidents of pilot hitting the river.  Neither suffered any injuries.  The First was during practice in the Perth Australia race in the Swan River when Brazilian Rookie, Adilson Kindelmann, had trouble and put the plane in the water:

The second incident was during the race in Windsor, when Matt Hall hit the water and actually recovered, climbed out and landed safely!

 

It's a shame that there will not be any Red Bull Air Races next year, but hopefully is truly only a year-long hiatus.  I do believe they will be back as Red Bull has a long, storied relationships with aviation in general.  The founder of RedBull has the largest, most extensive private airplane collection in Europe with his own museum to show it off.

Here's hoping to be able to watch the races in 2012, and keeping my fingers crossed that somehow they'll make their way to Chicago.

 

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The 'Greening' of aviation? Hybrid Airplanes.

First there were hybrid cars that have recently become very popular, technology and efficiency continues to improve, but could this technology every apply to aviation?  It has been an idea that has popped into my head recently.  In times when the FAA and EPA are looking for alternatives to 100LL AvGas to remove lead from fuels once and for all, to the constant worry by environmentalists of airplanes effects on global warming and our atmosphere, the need for more fuel efficient airplanes has been growing.

From Boeing (with funding from NASA), on the heels of the 'Solar Impulse' solar powered flight lasting 24 hours, increased fuel economy of the upcoming Boeing 787, comes the Boeing SUGAR Volt.   (The SUGAR stands for 'Subsonic, Ultra Green Airplane Research'.) The Boeing's subsonic team, consisting of Boeing, General Electric and Georgia Tech personnel, have created the SUGAR Volt concept.   According to Boeing, the team "found that one concept known as SUGAR Volt - which includes an electric battery gas turbine hybrid propulsion system - can reduce fuel burn by more than 70 percent and total energy use by 55 percent. This fuel burn reduction and the "greening" of the electrical power grid can greatly reduce emissions of life cycle carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide. Hybrid electric propulsion also has the potential to shorten takeoff distance and reduce noise."

In addition to the efficiency of the design, the noise reductions quoted by the designers come in around 70% as well,  no doubt providing welcome relief for neighbors of large, busy airports.

To those wondering how it would work, just think basically of the Prius, the conventional jet-engines would power and charge the bank of batteries that supply an electric powered propulsion system.  To help reduce fuel-consumption, the engine would consist of one of the highest bypass ratios (BPR) to date.   See here for a scientific explanation of the bypass ratio.  The higher the BPR, the more fuel-efficient the engine.  Current jet engines fall around 5:1 - 7:1, with the newest, most fuel efficient engines coming in around 10:1 and 11:1 on the Airbus A380 and Boeing 787 respectively.   The goal for the SUGAR Volt will be in excess of 20:1.

Imagine, air travel to be quieter, more efficient, and much more environmentally friendly.  Remember, fuel costs based off the dramatic rise in oil in 2009 led to extremely large losses for the airlines.  This resulted in fuel surcharges and other fees.  With fuel efficiency increasing by 70% if this technology comes to fruition, the cost savings to the airlines would be immense, not to mention additional decreases in the world's reliance on oil.

Don't expect to see these anytime soon however, Boeing is aiming for having planes like the SUGAR Volt available for commercial use around 2035, so 25 years down the road; however, there is finally some spectacular innovation occurring that will change the face of aviation once again.

 

 

Why? .. and the Future of Flying...

Well, I know given the current state of the industry and flying, I do occasionally get the question as to why I want to fly.  Simply for the fact that I absolutely love it.  All throughout training, I never once viewed it as training, or a chore, career, etc.  I want to fly for the sheer and utter love of it.

I understand that the days of pilot's being these icons are long gone, but people that are getting into the field just so they can say they're a pilot shouldn't be doing it then.  If you don't love this, you won't last.  It's a time consuming (and resource consuming) process.  I unfortunately think that a lot of the modern ages fascination with flight has waned.  Thanks to the introduction of ultra-low fare and no frill airline service, flight has become just another mode of transportation.  Gone are the days when I was little and flying was an adventure and an experience.  People still mostly dressed nicely (not like the really old days of suits and dresses, looking your 'Sunday Best.'  Now, it's the cattle car mentality in some cases and profit in most others.  I do understand the profit aspect as you need to make a profit in the end to be a viable company, but to what extent?  Airlines need to return to the error of customer service and comforts.  Make flying an adventure and experience again.

Will that ever actually happen? i highly doubt it, the bottom line is king now, and with so many low-fare startups and the general populaces need for the cheapest expenditure for them.  I've always been curious what would happen if an airline started up that focused on providing service on par with the golden age of aviation?  Sadly, then reality sets in and I doubt it would last beyond the first few flights that would be successful solely due to nostalgia and simple curiosity.  I doubt if it would take long for the mighty pocketbook to once again rule in favor of discount fares.

Now, where does the future lie?  With new student pilot certificates at an all time low (@60,000) and record low responses from student pilots wanting to pursue an airline career, it could be an interesting future.  How low will the supply of qualified airline pilots get?  Especially with the retirement of more and more of the current pilots and an concurrent increase in air traffic.  Could this lead to an eventual strengthening of the pay and benefits that airline pilots experience.  I think that is a distinct possibility, but only time will tell.

Well, till next time, enjoy your flight!