09:59
Matalin and Carville: Political Chatter At NBAA2008... Via Aero-TV!
Powerful Political Duo Sounds Off In Bizjet Land The hits from NBAA2008 just keep on coming and as soon as business heats up a little in these chilly economic times, we're likely to remember them quite fondly (we hope). One of the highlights of this year was the return of veteran political couple Mary Matalin and James Carville. This intriguing pair spoke at NBAA's the Opening General Session , offering their perspectives on this year’s election, and marking the couple’s second appearance at an NBAA Convention. Matalin, a Republican political pundit who once served on George Herbert Walker Bush’s campaign, and who has served as Vice President Dick Cheney’s top advisor, entertained the audience with affectionate jabs at her husband, Carville, a Democratic political pundit and former Clinton advisor. Matalin and Carville shared anecdotes about each other, explaining how they reconcile their stark political differences in their married life. Matalin said, "I just ...
Rotax's Basic Four-Stroke Is A Solid Performer In The Sport Aviation World At the US Sport Aviation Expo, Aero-TV caught up with an old friend, Eric Tucker... a guy who is known worldwide as "Mr. Rotax." The most well-known (and easily the hardest working) expert on the Rotax 900 series sport and certified engines, Eric took a few minutes to help us profile each of the amazingly compact, powerful and fuel-efficient 900 series engines, this time concentrating on the 81 HP Rotax 912 UL. With a dry weight of 121.2 pounds, the Rotax 912 UL DCDI 81HP engine is a 4-stroke engine specially developed for recreational aircraft. It also exists in a certified version as the Rotax 912 A and Rotax 912 F. Additional features include: 4 horizontally opposed cylinders, "boxer" configuration Free air cooled cylinders, liquid cooled cylinder heads with integrated pump and expansion tank Dry sump forced lubrication with integrated pump and separate oil tank 8 valves, automatic adjustment by hydraulic ...
Not All Air Force Reserve Pilots Fly Fighters... During last summer's Ocean City Airshow, Aero-TV got the chance to sit down with the best and brightest of the personnel and performers that made this first-time show a truly outstanding event. It was Ocean City, MD’s first ever airshow and was initiated to kick off the town’s 2008 summer season on June 10-11, 2008, adding a new signature attraction to Ocean City’s roster of annual events. Military aircraft demonstrations, low altitude flyovers and civilian aerobatic performances took place over the Ocean City beachfront from noon to 4 pm each day. The airshow was visible along the majority of the Boardwalk creating an inspiring experience for visitors while they enjoyed the hospitality of Ocean City’s beach and attractions. One of the standouts among an impressive roster of expert performances was a stirring routine performed by Veteran Pilot (in more ways than one), Ed Hamill, flying on behalf of the USAFR. While a ...
07:24
Aero-TV Joins In The Discussion Over The Latin American VLJ Market
Oscar Garcia Expresses Optimism Despite Current Economic Challenges ANN and Aero-TV are pleased to announce that we have agreed to be the principal media partner for MIU Events upcoming roster of aviation events and seminars. MIU Events run aviation events and training seminars, specializing in executive flight infrastructure, business aviation and finance solutions for aviation as a whole. They run a number of events focusing on the development of the Very Light Jet in regional markets and cater their events to the needs of senior managers, charter/air taxi operators, high net worth individuals/entrepreneurs, owner pilots and those who shape the future of the aviation and aerospace industries. MIU Events concentrate on providing hard to access information and the exchange of ideas, knowledge and innovative thinking. As a result of this relationship,. we're having a ball meeting some REALLY interesting and learned people... most recently a fellow by the name of Oscar S. Garcia, of InterFlight ...
An Aero-TV Powerplant Profile: The Rotax 914 Rotax's 'Mighty Mite' Remains One Of The Best Bets In Sport Or GA At the US Sport Aviation Expo, Aero-TV caught up with an old friend, Eric Tucker... a guy who is known worldwide as "Mr. Rotax." The most well-known (and easily the hardest working) expert on the Rotax 900 series sport and certified engines, Eric took a few minutes to help us profile each of the amazingly compact, powerful and fuel-efficient 900 series engines starting with our personal favorite... the 115 HP Turbocharged Rotax 914. With a dry weight of 141 pounds, the Rotax 914 UL DCDI 115HP engine is a 4-stroke turbocharged engine specially developed for recreational aircraft. It also exists in a certified version as the Rotax 914 F, that received its first cert in 1996. Additonal features include: 4 horizontally opposed cylinders, "boxer" configuration Free air cooled cylinders, liquid cooled cylinder heads with integrated pump and expansion tank Dry sump forced ...
The Brady's Rugged Little RANS S-7 While I'm sure that you're having as much fun with the heavy iron and hot biz birds as we are, sometimes it makes sense to get back to basics... especially when Part 2 of our program on the Eclipse Training Program gets nuked by a bad hard drive (Don't worry, we'll salvage it and have it for you shortly) and we really needed a good excuse to put up a different program. Grin. OK... so let's get to the meat of the matter. While perusing Oshkosh 2008, we ran into lots of REALLY cool people, planes and products... sometimes all at once. The Bradys provided one of those welcome interludes as well as an excuse for a cool Aero-TV piece... from the perspective of a Sport Aviation couple and their little RANS S-7. Their RANS S-7 was the result of a "need to train Coyote I pilots: (the single seat Randy Schlitter design that preceded the S-7 by a number of years). Named the Courier in honor of one of Designer Schlitter's favorite planes, The Helio Courier, the S-7 ...
Just How Will They Train All Those Eclipse Pilots, Anyway? Despite all the growing pains associated with getting the Eclipse program up to speed, one thing continues unabated... Eclipse Pilot training. A visit to the factory flight training facility a few weeks back showed ANN that this was one part of the program that seems ready and able to keep up with the demand, and that Director of Customer Training, Randy Brooks, seems more than optimistic about their efforts. Just last January, Eclipse told us that the FAA had awarded Eclipse's training provider, Higher Power Aviation (HPA), authorization to conduct Eclipse 500 Type Training under HPA's Part 142 Training Certificate. The authorization increases Eclipse's training capacity and enables the company to type rate customers entirely in its certified Level D Full Motion simulators. During the Part 142 certification process, the FAA examined Eclipse's training curriculum and analyzed how Eclipse uses its advanced simulator to train and type ...
Let's Talk About The MU-2 With An Expert... ANN has always found the controversy over the airworthiness of the MU-2 an argument of political hype over reality. Much maligned over a number of highly visible accidents (often hyped by some politicos with an aviation-ignorant agenda), the truth of the matter is that the MU-2 is a hell of an airplane... and PROPERLY trained and flown, this is a serious working airplane. To separate the "Bravo Sierra" from the reality of the matter, ANN and Aero-TV interviewed and flew with MU-2 expert Pat Cannon to detail the TRUE nature of this airplane and the community that has grown around it... especially in light of the recent SFAR actions. After receiving numerous comments from both private and commercial operators of the Mitsubishi MU-2 turboprop -- as well as owner representatives, and the plane's manufacturer -- the FAA has gone forward with its call for a Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) calling for new pilot training, experience, and operating ...
09:39
Aero-TV Special Series: Understanding The Critical Pilot Shortage (Part Five)
This Episode Features A Presentation By John Dixon, Director of Pilot Recruitment for American Eagle (Part 5 Of A Series) We've been hearing about it for years... a pilot shortage... a critical one, at that. For many in the aviation community, it sounded like good news... at least if you were on the bottom rungs of the pilot hiring ladder and working desperately to climb your way up. However; after engaging in discussions thorough the industry over the last year and in attending a particularly pointed (and very well-organized) presentation at the FAA Forecast Conference some months ago, ANN and Aero-TV are left with the troubling impression that aviation has a BIG problem on its hands. The session devoted to discussing the Pilot Supply was, as indicated earlier, exceptionally produced and wholly on target. The session was presented by Moderator Peter J. Wolfe, Executive Director, Professional Aviation Board of Certification (PABC), and augmented by presentations delivered by Kit Darby, President, ...
One Of The World's Most Recognizable Aircraft Plays In The Skies Above Oshkosh At the recently concluded Oshkosh 2008 aerial extravaganza, ANN and Aero-TV, yet again, got to play with the Goodyear Blimp. We admit it... we love the big monster gas bag and we thought an update and additional look at this amazing and gentle flyer was worth a second look from Aero-TV. For 80 years, Goodyear tells ANN that their 'blimps have adorned the skies as very visible corporate symbols of the tire and rubber company that began operations in 1898.' Today, these graceful giants travel more than 100,000 miles across the United States per year as Goodyear's "Aerial Ambassadors." The blimp tradition began in 1925 when Goodyear built its first helium-filled public relations airship, the Pilgrim. The tire company painted its name on the side and began barnstorming the United States. Humble beginnings to an illustrious history. Over the years, Goodyear built more than 300 airships, more than any other ...
09:01
Aero-TV Chills Out With NASA-Glenn's Icing Encounter Flight Simulator
A Vital Topic... Deserving Of NASA's Attention (and YOURS) Late last year, ANN's Aero-TV crews spied a truly marvelous piece of flight simulation technology... NASA Glenn's icing flight training simulator. Demonstrated at the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC), we were incredibly impressed at the apparent accuracy of the model (ANN's Jim Campbell has plenty of Twin Otter time -- the aircraft used in the icing encounter sim model -- and knows only too well that the icing behavior they displayed is what he has experienced, personally, in real icing conditions). The high-fidelity simulation model for icing effects flight training was developed from wind tunnel data for the DeHavilland DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft. First, a flight model of the un-iced airplane was developed and then modifications were generated to model the icing conditions. The models were validated against data records from the NASA Twin Otter Icing Research flight test program with only ...
Cautious Optimism Remains The Watchword For A Show Almost As Popular As 2007's This is Aero-TV's final daily update from the floor of the National Business Aviation Association's 61st Annual Meeting & Convention. Among the highlights Tuesday, Jim Bass, President of Piper Aircraft announced that, against declining industry-wide sales of piston aircraft, Piper's piston sales are up this year. We caught up with Nicolas Chabbert from EADS Socata for an update... including word on the company's next aircraft project. Hawker Beechcraft announced its own foray into a new market... with a $200 million order from its dealership in Brazil, the backyard of rival Embraer... Monday's Very Light Jet forum got a status report on the segment from four manufacturers in varying stages of VLJ development. Training and electronics leader Jeppesen signed the first of what might lead to many agreements with French planemaker Dassault Falcon, to distribute the Jeppesen's electronic flight bag software to ...
The G1000 And PW's Finest Make This An Exceptional Way To Travel It would be hard to improve on a such an impressive performer as the TBM 850 single-engine turboprop... but that said, if there was one area the previous generation aircraft came up lacking, it was in cockpit integration. That concern has been nicely addressed by EADS Socata for 2008, with a simple one-word explanation: Garmin. After working our way on a warm day at 308-310 kts at FL260, with th best of Garmin keeping things VERY manageable, we have to tell you that the TBM 850 has it RIGHT. Upgrades to the latest TBM 850 variant includes its Integrated All-Glass Flight Deck, based on the last-generation Garmin G1000 system -- which replaces traditional instruments with large liquid crystal display (LCD) screens. It integrates primary flight, navigation, weather, traffic, ground proximity and technical information on the aircraft, fully associated with a digital autopilot. This reduces pilot workload and eases maintenance, and ...
09:58
Aero-TV At NBAA2008: Day Two, With A Lot of Surprisingly Good News
The News Keeps Soaring At NBAA2008.... Despite the turmoil outside trhe sunshine state, the business avaion indsutry is still doing Business... and lots of it. NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen welcomed Attendees of the NBAA 61st Annual Meeting & Convention at this morning?s Opening General Session, which featured distinguished speaker Roberto Kobeh González, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) president, along with Ron Kaplan, executive director of the National Aviation Association Hall of Fame, who announced this year's recipient of the Combs-Gates Award. To underscore the increasing international presence of business aviation, NBAA invited Kobeh to give this year's keynote address. The engineer, professor and former deputy general has served as ICAO's president since 2006. "It is a great pleasure for me to address this Opening Session, and to take part in the largest and most important civil aviation event," said Kobeh. His address focused on several key issues facing the business ...
Let's Talk About The MU-2 With An Expert... ANN has always found the controversy over the airworthiness of the MU-2 an argument of political hype over reality. Much maligned over a number of highly visible accidents (often hyped by some politicos with an aviation-ignorant agenda), the truth of the matter is that the MU-2 is a hell of an airplane... and PROPERLY trained and flown, this is a serious working airplane. To separate the "Bravo Sierra" from the reality of the matter, ANN and Aero-TV interviewed and flew with MU-2 expert Pat Cannon to detail the TRUE nature of this airplane and the community that has grown around it... especially in light of the recent SFAR actions. After receiving numerous comments from both private and commercial operators of the Mitsubishi MU-2 turboprop -- as well as owner representatives, and the plane's manufacturer -- the FAA has gone forward with its call for a Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) calling for new pilot training, experience, and ...
The News Starts Early Here At NBAA.... Welcome to Orlando, Florida... home to this year's National Business Aviation Association Conference and Trade Show. These are some of the recent NBAA show headlines for Monday, October Sixth, 2008. There's no denying these are different times in the world of business aviation... just as these are difficult times for the world at large. In stark contrast to the festive atmosphere seen over the past three years at NBAA, the news from the first day of this year's event was subdued by comparison, yet still cautiously optimistic... a tone NBAA President Ed Bolen says reflects a general uneasiness of the today's marketplace... Continuing a somewhat-quirky NBAA tradition, Sunday's 'sneak-peak' press conference schedule was jam-packed with companies hoping to get their announcements out ahead of the show's formal opening ceremonies on Monday. Gulfstream was among the first to show their hand, announcing its new G250 "super mid-size" jet. Based on the ...
A VERY Close Look At Piper's Most Exciting Aircraft Program Yet ANN had extensive access to the exciting new PiperJet just a few days ago... inside, outside and in the air! Piper's most aggressive new airplane program, the FJ44-powered PiperJet is set to make aviation history as one of the new generation of high-performance single-engine jets that is setting the aviation world abuzz. ANN broke the news, worldwide, of the first flight of the PiperJet during Oshkosh 2008. The new aircraft, the first pure, jet-powered, turbofan design in the company's 71-year history, made its first flight at 11:11 AM, July 30th, from Piper Headquarters in Vero Beach, Fla. Piper was ebullient over this new development... "Today marks the beginning of a new era for Piper Aircraft as the company literally takes flight into a whole new realm of performance, luxury and capability," said Piper President & CEO James K. Bass. "With this major milestone in the PiperJet's development, we are witnessing our future - one ...
09:50
The KC-10 Extender Shows Aero-TV It's Multi-Mission Tanker Role (Part 3)
Cool: A KC-10 Flight Engineer Explains Life Aboard A Multi-Mission Tanker One of the highlights of the 2008 Oshkosh Fly-In was the chance to get up close and personal with all manner of military aircraft -- the same birds that can be called upon at a moment's notice to serve and protect this nation... While the fighters get most of the glory and the bombers get some notice here and there, rarely do we here about the tankers. Take the KC-10 for instance... According to the US Air Force, the KC-10 'Extender' is an Air Mobility Command advanced tanker and cargo aircraft designed to provide increased global mobility for US armed forces. Although the KC-10's primary mission is aerial refueling, it can combine the tasks of a tanker and cargo aircraft by refueling fighters and simultaneously carry the fighter support personnel and equipment on overseas deployments. The KC-10 is also capable of transporting litter and ambulatory patients using patient support pallets during aeromedical ...
07:43
The KC-10 Extender Shows Aero-TV It's Multi-Mission Tanker Role (Part 2)
Fascinating: KC-10 Pilots Detail The Intricacies Of Refueling Aircraft in Flight One of the highlights of the 2008 Oshkosh Fly-In was the chance to get up close and personal with all manner of military aircraft -- the same birds that can be called upon at a moment's notice to serve and protect this nation... While the fighters get most of the glory and the bombers get some notice here and there, rarely do we here about the tankers. Take the KC-10 for instance... According to the US Air Force, the KC-10 'Extender' is an Air Mobility Command advanced tanker and cargo aircraft designed to provide increased global mobility for US armed forces. Although the KC-10's primary mission is aerial refueling, it can combine the tasks of a tanker and cargo aircraft by refueling fighters and simultaneously carry the fighter support personnel and equipment on overseas deployments. The KC-10 is also capable of transporting litter and ambulatory patients using patient support pallets during aeromedical ...
09:53
The KC-10 Extender Shows Aero-TV It's Multi-Mission Tanker Role (Part 1)
This Advanced Tanker/Cargo Aircraft Is An Unsung Hero... One of the highlights of the 2008 Oshkosh Fly-In was the chance to get up close and personal with all manner of military aircraft -- the same birds that can be called upon at a moment's notice to serve and protect this nation... While the fighters get most of the glory and the bombers get some notice here and there, rarely do we here about the tankers. Take the KC-10 for instance... According to the US Air Force, the KC-10 'Extender' is an Air Mobility Command advanced tanker and cargo aircraft designed to provide increased global mobility for US armed forces. Although the KC-10's primary mission is aerial refueling, it can combine the tasks of a tanker and cargo aircraft by refueling fighters and simultaneously carry the fighter support personnel and equipment on overseas deployments. The KC-10 is also capable of transporting litter and ambulatory patients using patient support pallets during aeromedical evacuations. The KC-10 can ...
Not finding what you want? View results from YouTube.
Comments