Aviation News

Part 2 of business owner Christian Lienemann’s story follows below.  An asterisk (*) after a word denotes that it is being defined at the bottom of the article, for those of you who are not that familiar with some of the terms we use as pilots. Christian is a great ambassador for aviation and every pilot should follow his example of promoting aviation to friends and relatives.

I have composed a waiting list of customers who want to experience a Discovery Flight.

The list ranges from a middle age nun, to a young guy who knew the name and type of every airplane picture I showed him (even the extensive album in my company computer!) and more.

Those I take up are always full of questions and shocked that the answers they get do not match what they have seen on TV.  After they relax a little, I can only describe their expressions as either shock or awe. I go as far as to let them lightly hold the yoke with me and take a picture of them assisting in level flight. 

Within in a week, I send them a Discovery Flight certificate, all filled out with their name, date, time, and the aircraft they just flew. I also enclose a color picture of them in the air. One customer’s wife told me he framed it and put it on his desk.  These discovery flights help keeping aviation well and alive and I ask everyone to pay it forward!

Now I realize that I am taking on a large responsibility by simply introducing my customers to their first flight.  So I wanted to do it right (or as right as I possibly could). I did a little research and discovered how the EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) perform their Young Eagle flights for children. AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association) also have a section on the subject, along with several other great aviation blogs (like this one).

I could fill a few pages with what I have found on the internet, and all of it would be recommended reading. But the short of it is simply this; make it as comfortable as you can for your passenger – both mentally and physically.

Shallow banks when you turn, no stalls*or practice maneuvers, pick a smooth day, (that is not a pressure cooker!) and make it short and sweet. Usually thirty minutes is more than ample. The reward is worth its weight in gold.

I usually meet my new passengers at the airport, and give them a quick rundown and answer questions before and after the flight. I found it was hard for them to keep a sterile cockpit* close to the non tower airport* Hammond Northore Regional Airport, simply because they had more questions that kept popping up.

Many times they forget we are on an open comm system and comment aloud with things like “Wow!” or “This is GREAT!”  Then they realize they said it aloud (because its playing in their ears). They then would look over at me and I just give them a smile.

 You have to take human nature into account also. One woman I took up was just in awe that we didn’t fall out of the sky, like she thought would happen from watching the news. Finally she relaxed and really enjoyed the experience. That is all the way up to the landing part.

I flared* and made one of the best landings I have ever made! (The kind you wish your flight instructor was witness to). It was such a greaser, I was a little shocked when the nose wheel lightly set down. I have included a link here of a video which shows one of my landings. 

I looked over to see her gleeful expression and was shocked at what I witnessed. She was white as a sheet, and scowling like she had a mouth full of lemons.

After a short and easy taxi*, I had to inquire. Towards the end of my landing, she heard the stall horn* (realizing it had to be a warning sound like her smoke detector at home ). She just knew at any minute  we were going to be engulfed in flames. (If you are keeping score, that’s evening news two, and pilot one)  Yes I tried to explain how we land aircraft and how an aircraft has to transition from flight to being ground bound.

Some of the color was returning to her face, But her expression told me the adrenalin she was experiencing was only letting part of my explanation sink in. The stall horn is now on my passenger pre-flight briefing. It is always better to let your passengers know ahead of time what they can expect if it is a new experience for them.

Part 3 of this story to follow….

Definitions:

A non-towered airport, sometimes referred to as an uncontrolled airport, is an airport with no operating tower. The vast majority of the more than 15,000 airports in the US are non-towered. At untowered airports, instead of taking instructions from a tower controller, aircraft follow standard procedures, which includes radio reporting procedures and standard traffic patterns to be followed.

Taxi:  To taxi an airplane means to move it slowly on the ground or on the surface of the water before takeoff or after landing.

Sterile cockpit: The Sterile Cockpit Rule is an FAA regulation requiring pilots to refrain from non-essential activities during critical phases of flight, such as the landing phase.

Stall: In flying, a “stall” is a condition which occurs when there is not enough forward speed for the wings to keep the aircraft flying. The airflow over the wing gets disturbed and thus causes the airplane to lose altitude. A pilot can stall an airplane inadvertently or on purpose. When it is done on purpose, it is usually done to train pilots to recognize the signs of accidental stalls and develop the ability to safely bring the airplane out of a stall should it ever occur. An intentional stall is usually done a few feet over the ground when landing the airplane to bring the airplane down to the ground at the lowest possible speed. Click here for a short video which illustrates a stall.

Stall horn (or stall warning horn): A stall warning is an electronic or mechanical device which sounds an audible warning as the stall speed is approached. Just before an airport touches down on the runway, you can usually hear the stall horn as it slowing down.

Flare: The landing flare is when an airplane transitions from downward flight to a more level flight just before touching down. A properly performed flare will result in the aircraft touching down gently at the lowest possible speed.

The General Aviation community consists of individuals from all walks of life who all share the dream of flying. The article below was written by an Auto Repair shop owner in Metraire, Lousiana, Christian Lienemann, who finally made his lifelong dream of wanting to become a pilot a reality. It was a life changing event for him and he now owns his own airplane and enjoys sharing his passion for aviation with customers and other people he meet. Thank you Christian for sharing this experience with all of us!

RE-IGNITING THE SPARK OF FLIGHT (Part 1 of 3), by Christian Lienemann

Christian Lienemann in front of the Evektor Sports Star Aircraft he learned to fly in.

 By no means am I the next living legend in aviation. I am, however, the little General Aviation (GA) pilot who loves to share the joy of flight with my willing (and sometimes nervous) customers.

My aviation story is just like that of many pilots. I wanted to fly all my life, but like so many others before me, life had different plans.  I took my first ride in a Cessna 172 when I was seventeen years old and from that point never stopped looking towards the sky. I did, however, fly any and every home flight simulator I could find and a vast array of radio controlled (r/c) aircraft as well!

Fast forward twenty eight years, I found an article in one of my many aviation publications, talking about the new Light Sport Pilot category – a new type of pilot license that had just been approved by the FAA, simplifying the process of getting your initial Pilot’s license.

One week later, I found myself at the controls of an Evektor Sports Star aircraft, flying around the patch with my new flight instructor in tow. (Now this guy is a candidate for a living aviation legend, with more than 10,000 flight hours!) So under his watchful eye he transfered the flight controls over to this flight simulator baby. I pulled muscles in my face I didn’t know I had with a smile so big, it took a week to look normal again.  The flight bug hit me again, and so hard I just couldn’t stop.

Every Saturday for a year (weather permitting) I flew that little bird. I took my check ride for my Sport’s Pilot license in her also. It was the examiner’s first time in this aircraft type and he was impressed!

Beechcraft BE-77 Skipper

I then found a nice little Beechcraft, BE-77 Skipper (the smallest they ever made), in New York.

I flew commercially to look at her. One week later, my newly found A&P (Aircraft and Power plant mechanic) ferried her to her new home in Louisiana. Every Saturday for another year(same weather permitting) same great flight instructor, I  took my Private Pilot check ride in her. The examiner had some time in this type, and again was impressed with my little BE-77. That smile came back again! My mother always would tell me “ It’s going to get stuck that way!”  

My beautiful (and understanding) wife and I own a five bay Auto Mechanic shop in Metairie, Louisiana.  We are just making a go of it, as I’m sure many of your readers are, in today’s market. So Monday through Friday, I’m under someone’s vehicle dreaming about the flying weekend to come. In my little office/customer waiting room, the walls are covered with pictures of the things I enjoy in life. They range from customers and their cars, to funny newspaper clippings, events I have attended and (you guessed it) airplanes!

I always offer my customers a seat, but they are usually so busy trying to take it all in that their vehicle is usually ready before they are. I answer many questions about their cars, but I also answer many questions about the pictures as well.

The most common and first question is“ Do you fly?”  Well, yes I do, I say, “ I always wanted to do that” ( the most common statement after the question).

My reply, “ Today is your lucky day”…..

(Part 2 to follow….)

This year the Aviation Entrepreneur of the Year Award was awarded to Lynn Tilton, as the first woman to receive it for her accomplishments in turning around MD Helicopters Inc as their CEO. Click here or on the photo of her for a short video about her. Other recipients of this award include: (from most recent) Elon Musk, Linden Blue, HH Sheik Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Alan & Dale Klapmeier, Vern Raburn, Joe Clark and Rick Adams.

Joe Clark, courtesy of San Diego Air & Space Museum

“I think that aviation attract entrepreneurs. At least it certainly did in my case. Why, you know, entrepreneurs and aviation are almost one and the same.”

“Almost everyone I’ve known in my life in aviation has been an entrepreneur; people like Bill Lear, Clay Lacy, Steven Udvar-Hazy. They all kind of started without very much and had big dreams.”

“Entrepreneurs have a lot of drive and most entrepreneurs have a lot of failures getting to the top and so, you know, they have the ability to look back, learn from their mistakes and move forward.”

“An entrepreneur in my mind is someone who has a dream or an idea and has such focus that no matter what the obstacles are, they press ahead and make it happen.”

“Most people in aviation, they have such a passion for it they don’t feel they are taking a risk and most people I’ve seen in aviation, unlike a lot of other businesses, they don’t start out to make a lot of money, they just love what they do and if it happens it happens!”

Beverly Hills, 21^st January 2011 Friends of Aviation Press Release:

Last night on January 21^st many Hollywood and aviation celebrities gathered for the 8^th annual Living Legends of Aviation Awards at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills. This event, which by many is considered “the Oscars of Aviation” is all about recognizing and honoring individuals with great and significant contributions to the field of aviation.

With the challenges for the aviation industry of recent years, this event plays an important role, not only to recognize individuals with great achievements as aviators and entrepreneurs, but also to highlight everything that is made possible through the work of aviation. This includes humanitarian efforts, rescue operations and the role of aviation in enabling commerce to take place.

Rather than just being a “star studded” event, many Hollywood and Aviation celebrities are passionate about aviation and attend this gathering to help pushing the message of keeping the dream of flight alive and to make it real to people that aviation is not just something for a few select individuals but plays an important role in today’s society.  

The current 70 people who are now part of the Living Legends of Aviation are people of remarkable accomplishments, in aviation. Members include entrepreneurs, innovators, industry leaders, record breakers, astronauts, pilots who are now celebrities and celebrities who have become pilots.

John Travolta - Photo Credit: Bob Charlotte / PR Photos

John Travolta, the Ambassador of Aviation is himself a Legend of Aviation and started flying at the age of 17. He presented the newest Inductee Mr M Laurent Beaudion, the CEO of Bombardier with his award. His accomplishments to bring aviation forward are nothing short of remarkable.

Sean Tucker, the award emcee, always has an enthusiasm for aviation that is contagious to anyone he gets in contact with. From a reliable source, and from what I have seen with my own eyes, he is probably the greatest aerobatics pilots currently flying at air shows – a true professional in his field.

Actors and Pilots Harrison Ford and Kurt Russell gave out several recognitions at the event. Harrison Ford has done a remarkable job to introduce people and our youth to flying and is a great proponent and spokesman for aviation.  Awards included the “Aviation Legacy Award” given to Pat Epps, Atlanta, Georgia. Captain “Sully” Sullenberger awarded Captain James Lovell, Apollo 13 Commander, the “Captain Cool Award”. Sully mentioned that the only thing he really had in common with Mr. Lovell was that they both landed in water, but on the other hand, Mr. Lovell was supposed to!  Buzz Aldrin was in attendance as well, the second person to put a foot on the moon.

Lynn Tilton

Delford M. Smith who founded Evergreen International Airlines was given the “Lifetime Aviation Entrepreneur of the Year Award” Clay Jones, the “Aviation Industry Leader of the Year” and Lynn Tilton, the first woman to achieve the “Aviation Entrepreneur of the Year” award. Frank Robinson, founder of Robinson Helicopters, was acknowledged for his role in creating what ended up becoming the most popular helicopter in the world.

Bob Hoover, a true Legend of Aviation in his own right presented the Freedom of Flight Award to his fellow aviator and congressman and national hero, Sam Johnson.

After the event many celebrities gathered on the 8^th floor of the hotel, mingled with guests and and shared stories about aviation with those who attended.

Harrison Ford with Captain Sully and other guests

Harrison Ford with Nick Rahkonen, President Friends of Aviation

Overall a great and very memorable event . We at Friends of Aviation are already looking forward to next years event.

The spirit of the event and aviation overall can appropriately be summed up with what Del  Smith quoted in his acceptance speech; “Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve”. I believe that this is something that all great dreamers and achievers do know and have in common as a reality.

8th Annual ‘Living Legends of Aviation’ ® Awards to Honor Captain James Lovell, Delford M. Smith, Lynn Tilton, Clay Jones, Congressman Sam Johnson, Frank Robinson, the Doolittle Raiders and others.

Beverly Hills, CA – The 8th Annual Living Legends of Aviation Awards, presented by Learjet, will be held on January 21st at the Beverly Hilton.

Considered the most prestigious and important recognition event of aviation, it’s an intimate, memorable, and historic evening of entertainment. Morgan Freeman, the “Voice of Aviation” presents the “Flown West” tribute to the Legends lost. John Travolta, the Ambassador of Aviation, will present the newest Legend inductee, M. Laurent Beaudoin. Harrison Ford will present a special Aviation Legacy Award to Pat Epps. Sean Tucker, the awards emcee, will be assisted by Kurt Russell, as Tom Hanks recognizes Captain James Lovell, commander of the Apollo 13 mission, and Captain “Sully” Sullenberger will present the “Captain Cool Award.” Bob Hoover will present the Freedom of Flight award to fellow aviator, congressman, and true national hero Sam Johnson. Meet Delford M. Smith, the “Lifetime Aviation Entrepreneur,” Clay Jones, the “Aviation Industry Leader of the Year,” Lynn Tilton, the “Aviation Entrepreneur of the Year,” and other truly remarkable individuals of extraordinary accomplishment.
The ballroom at the Beverly Hilton accommodates the 70 Legends, their guests, and a small number of other attendees.

This year’s expected celebrity/Legend attendees include: John Travolta, Captain James Lovell, Laurent Beaudoin, Bob Hoover, “Sully” Sullenberger, Kurt Russell, Clay Lacy, Morgan Freeman, Dr. Buzz Aldrin, Tom Cruise, Joe Clark, Maj. Gen. William Anders, Cliff Robertson, Lynn Tilton ,Tony Bill, Dr. Forrest Bird, Carroll Shelby, James Raisbeck, Linden Blue, Barron Hilton, Sir Richard Branson, Harrison Ford, Gene Cernan, Julie Clark, Dick Rutan, Pat Epps, Greg Herrick, Dieter F Uchtdorf, Alan Klapmeier, Bruce McCaw, Lorenzo Lamas, Col. Max Moga, Zoe Dell Lantis Nutter, Tom Poberezny, Mike Melvill, Vern Raburn, Si Robin, Frank Robinson, Sean Tucker, Steven Udvar-Hazy, Emily Howell-Warner, Patty Wagstaff, Kermit Weeks,Treat Williams, Michael Dorn, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tom Selleck.

For more information please visit www.livinglegendsofaviation.org (Event Sold Out)

About Living Legends of Aviation:
The “Living Legends of Aviation” are 70 admirable people of remarkable accomplishment in aviation including: entrepreneurs, innovators, industry leaders, record breakers, astronauts, pilots who have become celebrities and celebrities who have become pilots. The Legends meet yearly to recognize and honor individuals that have made significant contributions in aviation. Living Legends of Aviation is a registered trademark.

About Kiddie Hawk Air Academy:
The Legends event is produced by the Kiddie Hawk Air Academy, a non-profit 501(c)(3) qualified organization. Kiddie Hawk introduces kids ages 5 thru 11 to flight with the Kiddie Hawk Trainer. The Kiddie Hawk Trainer allows kids to take their first flight lesson with the sophistication of motion and control of real flight, piloting their airplane, albeit just a few feet off the ground. Kiddie Hawk follows the students as they progress, making scholarships available as Kiddie Hawk pilots enter actual flight training. The Kiddie Hawk program also introduces youngsters to other aviation related careers.

The International Albuquerque Ballon Fiesta was held October 2-10 this year with more than 700 participating balloons. Attending the event is a great way to experience the very uplifting world of ballooning.

Kevin Knapp  with his “Wounded Warrior” balloon showed a great cause by taking up wounded soldiers for flights. He is a board member of the Balloon Federation of America and part of the Board of Advisors for Friends of Aviation.

Click here for a news account of the project and people he helped. Stay tuned for a more complete account and more photos from this great event on this blog.

Photo: Courtesy of www.jetman.com

Fiction or Fantasy? No what you see is real!

Yves Rossi from Switzerland became the first and only aviator in history to fly with a jet propelled wing, when he launched on his first flight with the initial version of his wing in 2006 in Switzerland. With a background in the Swiss Air Force as a jet fighter pilot, and as a former Captain of Swiss International Air Lines, Yves has always been passionate about aviation. He always had a dream to fly in the most natural possible way.

Yves experimented with sky surfing and wingsuits but was not fully satisfied with this as a natural way to fly and developed a way of flying  a jet propelled wing.

He has been featured in National Geographics and other international publications and TV programs and in September this year made his debut in the US. At the Jersey International Air Display on September 9th he demonstrated his very unique concept of human flight! 

An HD video was produced of his flight which you can see by clicking here or on the photo at the top of this article.

Yves has had many unique flights with his jet wings and what he has accomplished so far is nothing short of amazing.

In September 2008, close to 100 years after Louis Bleriot’s flight across the English Channel, Yves followed the path of Bleriot and made an amazing 10 minute long flight from the Coast of England to Cain in France. This was broadcast live to 165 countries and made headlines all over the world.

On July 2nd, 2010, during the Breitling Flying days in Buochs, Switzerland, Yves Rossy presented his formation and precision flight abilities by flying together with and around the Breitling Wingwalkers. After jumping out of a Pilatus PC-6 at an altitude of 3,500 meters (11,483-feet), Rossy made his way down to two Boeing Stearman wingwalker biplanes, which were waiting for him at an altitude of 1,000 meters (3,280-feet).  Rossy flew alongside the Breitling Wingwalkers for more than six minutes separated by distances of only a few meters.

You can watch a spectacular video of this by clicking on the photo below.

Rossy was born on August 27th, 1959 in Switzerland. After attending an airshow and admiring military jets when he was 13, he decided that was what he wanted to do. He succeeded in becoming a military pilot, was assigned on the Hawker Hunter, and later Mirage III. After his career in the Air Force, he has worked as a captain with Swiss International Air Lines on commercial flights on Boeing and Airbus airliners.

A true example of what a man can accomplish when he follows his dreams.

Electrical Cri Cri

The first electric Cri-Cri airplane was airborne Thursday – for all of seven minutes. The all electric aircraft, jointly developed by EADS Innovation Works, Aero Composites Saintonge and the Green Cri-Cri Association, made its official maiden flight at Le Bourget airport near Paris on Thursday, Sept. 1. 

“This aircraft flies very smoothly, much more quietly than a plane with conventional propulsion”, said Didier Esteyne, who piloted the all-electric Cri-Cri. “But we are still at the beginning and have a lot to learn.” 

Click here or on the picture above see a video if its maiden voyage flight. (The narration is in French, but even if you don’t speak the language, it is still worth watching.) 

The Cri-Cri was originally designed in the early 1970′s by a French aeronautical engineer, Michael Colomban, as the smallest twin-engine airplane in the world.

His goal was to build a very small and economical plane powered by two engines, that would be capable of flying even some aerobatic maneuvers. He also wanted not to exceed his budget over 1000 USD, including two engines, which was quite hard to believe even in early 70s.

At only 4.9 m (16.1 ft) wingspan and 3.9 m (12.8 ft) length, it has become a well known airplane around the world. It is a single-seater, which can even be transported on top of a car. It sort of reminds you of a model airplane on steroids.

Construction time took around 1500 hours for the first airplane and it became a reality in 1973, when it was given the name “Cri-Cri” after Michel Colomban’s daughter, who was often called “Cri-Cri”. 

The airplane has now been modified and expanded into a 4-engine aircraft with electrical and environmental friendly motors!  The plane has lithium batteries and four electric prop motors that don’t emit carbon dioxide like standard aircraft.

 The Cri-Cri is made relatively lightweight to compensate for the weight of the batteries, the company said. It is capable of 30 minutes of cruising and will fly at about 68 mph. 

There is currently a lot of effort being put into making aviation environmentally friendly. Besides the Cri-Cri, there are also larger projects in the works.

The photo below shows a project currently being worked on by MIT, for an airplane which is estimated to use 70 % less fuel than a conventional aircraft and is designed to carry 180 passengers. The aircraft is referred to as the “double-bubble”. The design uses long, skinny wings, a small tail and – hence the name – replaces the traditional cylindrical fuselage with a two partial cylinders placed side-by-side.

For more information on this project, you can visit MIT’s website http://web.mit.edu/press/2010/green-airplanes.html

If you are in Los Angeles or the surrounding areas, mark your calendars in red for Saturday, October 9th. Aviation Legend Bob Hoover will be the Grand Marshall at the event “A Salute to North American Aviation”, which is being held at Zamperini field, Torrance. The event is being put on by the Western Museum of Flight. Click here to get all details about the event.

Mr Hoover is a true legend of Aviation, as covered in an earlier blog this week. He is now in his late 80′s but still very active and in high spirits. No less an authority than Jimmy Doolittle considers Hoover “the greatest stick and rudder pilot who ever lived”. In the 1990′s, Chuck Yeager called Hoover the best pilot flying. 

Born in 1922, he soloed at age 16 and went on to become a fighter pilot in WWII, during which he was shot down and served more than a year as a German prisoner of war.  He escaped from the prison, stole a German fighter plane and made it back to allied territory in that.

He was selected at the back up pilot to Chuck Yeager, when he broke the sound barrier in 1947. In 1950, he became one of the chief test pilots for North American Aviation and, subsequently, for the merged NAA-Rockwell.  Hoover retired from the aviation industry in 1986 but continued appearing in air shows after that. Click on the photo above or on this link to watch an 8 minute interview, where he describes parts of his very rich life in an interview that was done last year.  

The Museum Director, Cynthia Macha, to the left with Chuck Galbasin from the City of Torrance are doing the final planning for the upcoming event, which will be a very memorable occasion.

   

If you have not visited the Western Museum of Flight and are in the Los Angeles area take the opportunity to do so. It is well worth doing it! Located at Torrance Airport, 3315 Airport Drive, they are open 10am-3pm Wednesday through Sunday.

The Western Museum of Flight is a non-profit, educational institution dedicated to preserving and displaying aircraft history and artifacts of southern California’s aviation heritage. The Museum’s educational programs give children an opportunity to see and touch the airplanes that made aviation history history.

The collection includes warbirds, aircraft and target drones, piston and jet aircraft engines, aircraft components, aircraft ejection seats, World War II instruments, aircrew accessories, and an extensive model aircraft collection. This area is very rich in aviation history. More details about them can be found at their website: http://www.wmof.com.

An American Airlines DC-10 crash lands on the 405 freeway in LA. This film is a fictional account of a guy in the wrong place at the wrong time. Probably the single most amazing aspect of 405 is that this film was not created by an army of special effects artists. It was not a project that took years to complete. And it did not cost a million dollars to create. In fact, 405 was created about 10 years ago by just two people, in only three months, with the only expense being their time and personal home computers. Visit www.405themovie.com to see how film makers Bruce Branit and Jeremy Hunt made this amazing film. Click on the picture or on the link, Landing on the 405 Freeway to watch this 3 minutes long film.

If you have an aviation video you would like to see in our video library, please email me at nick@friendsofaviation.org. We plan to add hundreds of videos to it over the next few weeks and you will be able to vote on your favorite videos. Looking forward to your replies and suggestions.