The Barge of the Sky

Sometimes people look at certain planes and ask themselves: how exactly does an aircraft of that size ever make it off the ground? Well, most people would agree that after taking one look at the Airbus Beluga they wonder why manufacturers ever designed such a plane that looks like the Astro-Van of the sky. The Airbus A300-600 ST, or otherwise known as the Beluga, has a sole purpose of transporting oversized cargo. Its main deck is larger than military transports such as the C5 Galaxy, Antonov An-124, and the C17.

Airbus only made five Belugas but they are all currently in use operating for Airbus Transport International. The cargo deck, located above the cockpit instead of the traditional lower designs, prevents manufacturers from having to break down large parts of equipment and allows quick and easy transport. The cargo hold also has temperature control for sensitive payload and is large enough to carry most helicopters. The cockpit is designed for a two person crew and has the most up to date glass instrument panel system. However, the Beluga also has a very prominent flaw, which is its performance and maximum distance it can fly without having to refuel. That is why the A300 is mainly used in Europe, while most other cargo aircraft are able to fly oversees without a fuel stop.

Know Your Runways!!

I'm a student pilot, but even I'm not as dumb as this asshole.

Yesterday was my first dual cross country lesson. My instructor and I decided to fly from Lafayette to Frankfort, Frankfort to Monticello, and Monticello back to Lafayette. Both Frankfort and Monticello are local, uncontrolled airports so my instructor taught me the differences in the radio calls at these airports before we left.

Well we took off and flew to Frankfort and everything went fine there, I made the radio calls we did a touch- and- go and headed for Monticello. This was when the fun started.

On the way to Monticello we discovered there was another Purdue plane(Purdue 3) ahead of us and that they were also headed to Monticello. When we began making radio calls a thid aircraft, a Saratoga, made himself known as being inbound for Monticello. About two miles out neither of the Purdue planes had seen the traffic, so Purdue 3 proceded to begin a left traffic pattern. As Purdue 3 turned base I began my downwind and as I called it the Saratoga called his own downwind for runway 18 the same runway Purdue 3 was on pattern for. At this point we began really looking for him. Purdue 3 then called its final and the Saratoga called his simultaneously.

That's when I spotted him! Coming over the trees. Purdue 3 had just landed on 18 and the Saratoga was on final for 36 the same runway running the opposite direction. They were going to crash and all because one pilot had his runways backwards. Thankfully Purdue 3 saw him and took off making a steep right turn to avoid the collision.

This is why Pilots must know their headings and how the runways are set up. Because one pilot had his runways backwards he nearly took three lives including his own. How this jackass got his license, I'll never know, but hopefully he gets his headings straight before he returns to the air.

New Shields

December will mark a new phase in the development of the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle.(CEV) This is when engineers from NASA and the USAF's Arnold Engineering Development Center will begin conducting aerothermal tests on new materials to use as the CEV's heat shields.

Another goal of these tests is to collect data at Mach 8 and Mach 10 from the CEV models surface. These data are then used to update NASA's fluid dynamics data on the Orion project.

Orion although larger than the Apollo spacecraft were built with the same structure details in mind. While they look almost completely the same the Orion heat shields will face far more heating and shear than did any of the Apollo spacecraft.

The Orion is planned to be used for missions to the International Space Station by 2014, and to the moon by 2020.

Good Ol' American Muscle

Dodge is preparing to introduce its 2008 Viper SRT 10. This car has more muscle than ever before and is every speed junkies dream.The bigger muscle is primarily derived by the 8.4L pushrod V-10 engine which produces 600 horsepower for this monster snake.

The 2008 model keeps the classic 18" front alloy wheels, paired with the 19" rear alloy wheels, but features an improved suspension offering the best handling the Viper has yet seen. However this improved handling does have its drawbacks- there is no electronic stability control, so if you have too much throttle in a tight turn it is much easier for the tail to slide out causing you to at best spin out.

This car also looks very much like a race car as well it should. The SRT 10 performed the quarter mile in 11 sec. crossing the line at 123 miles per hour. The car also goes from 60 to 0 in 109 feet thanks to the new set of 4 disc brakes that hold a tight squeeze. Along with all this comes a race inspired cock- pit that even a race car driver would envy. Dodge has added a new element to the console- an optional navigation system in case you get lost on those hair- pin turns.

All this muscle could of course be yours for a price. That price being $83,995. That price, however, is well worth it seeing as this car is being hailed the baddest muscle car on the American Scene today.

4-Door Porsche!

A while back Maserati introduced the Quattroporte, its name means 4-doors in Italian, and since then it has been very popular. This 4-door supercar has been mostly famous between the people who cannot decide whether to buy a sports car of a bigger car for the family; well the thing is that this type of car will fit any one's needs. This car has a lot of room, a slick style, and specially more than enough power under the hood. Recently other car manufactures are following that same route, for example Porsche. They have recently developed the 4-door Panamera. Unfortunately this car is still a concept car but there is a good possibility that it will be launched in 2009.

The Porsche Panamera will be available with the 4.5L V8 engine from the Cayenne. This engine has around 340 horsepower, but there are rumors going around that the Panamera will be available with a V12 engine from the Audi Q7 which puts out a total of 500 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque! This is 100hp more than the Maserati Quattroporte, but it would be tied with the Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG that also has 500hp. Well it is no doubt that if this car goes into production it will sell very well, but it does have a vary hard competition that it will face. Oh and not to mention the Aston Martin Rapide which is also a 4-door concept car. We will have to simply wait and see what happens.

Sad Day for Rally Fans

Tragically another racing hero dies on the 15th of September of 2007. Colin McRae suffered a helicopter accident in which he was piloting. To make maters worst, his 5 year-old son was on board with him at the time. His helicopter landed on his farmhouse in the afternoon. On board the plane were also 2 family friends, one of them was his son’s friend that was 6 years old. Colin McRae is known for his amazing driving skills in dirt and street rally. Many people also know him from his Colin McRae racing game, which in my opinion was the best rally game ever made.
Colin McRae was born on the 5th of August of 1968 in Scotland. In my opinion he is the Ayrton Senna of Rally; he will never be forgotten.

He has won the World Rally Championships (WRC) which is a huge accomplishment, not to mention many other Championships. The WRC is made up of two different sections, the driver and the manufacturer. This means that a driver of a Subaru can win in the Driver's championship and Mitsubishi, for example, can win the Manufacturer's Championship. The WRC limits engines to be a 4 cylinder inline, each cylinder having a max of 2.0L, and a limit of around 300hp. The manufactures that participate in this championship are Subaru, Mitsubishi, Ford, Citroen (French), Peugeot (French), and also Skoda (Czech). This rally takes place all over the world; from places such as Japan, Sweden, Argentina, Spain and many others. My point is, it is not ease whats so ever to win this event.

Colin McRae was part of 4 different Racing teams: Skoda, Subaru, Ford, and Citroen. Even though he actually started racing trail bikes but always preferred racing cars. He won the WRC while he was in the Subaru team. When he was still in the Subaru team he competed in the X-Games in 2006. In this race he was considered the favorite, From the beginning to the very end in the race... where he flipped over and kept going and still got 2nd place!! Watch it here. Colin McRae is now a legend and will never be forgotten.

Sean Tucker: A Legend

Ever since the birth of aviation pilots have tested the limits of the skies in hopes that they will one day be recognized as one of the greatest aviators in history. That tradition still lives on today in the form of air shows, where pilots demonstrate their skills in front of a live audience. Today, one of the greatest aerobatic pilots still performing is Sean D. Tucker. Tucker is the head of Team Oracle, which does aerobatic competitions at various air shows around the globe. Their main event of the year is of course EAA’s Air Venture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where Tucker, his son Eric, and other pilots in Team Oracle test their skills in front of thousands of spectators.

Sean Tucker always goes at life full throttle by learning new manuevers and pushing his limits. Tucker has been flying at airshows worldwide since the 1970’s and has won multiple aerobatic championships for his piloting skill, personality, and professional attitude while at the same time entertaining the crowd. Overall, he has had more than 1000 performances at more than 425 airshows, in front of more than 80 million fans. However this is not an easy task for any pilot to do, despite how easy and smooth he makes it look to the audience. Tucker must practice his routine three times a day and devotes his life to his passion of exploring every aspect of aerobatic flight. His training also includes a rigorous workout session combined with lifting weights and jogging so that his body can endure the physical effects of G-loading he feels while performing. He continues to improve his aviation skills even after his long career of flying and is driven by the inspiration of flight.

The signature airplane that Sean Tucker is known to pilot is the Oracle Challenger II bi-plane. This Pitts Special has over 400 horsepower, weighs just over 1200 pounds and responds to the slightest pressure on the control stick even at 300 mph. Tucker explained that his main goal was to reach out and inspire all the fans that watch his performances, because he says that is the greatest achievement any pilot could desire. At every airshow he wants to leave every person thrilled and going away saying the airshow was one of the greatest things they have ever seen.

Sean Tucker has performed at popular airshows such as the Red Bull Air Race, Dayton Airshow, and Air Venture in Oshkosh. Sean has become so comfortable and in tune with his airplane, that he can even talk to a crowd over the loudspeaker while demonstrating vertical takeoffs, snap rolls, and spins. His most famous maneuver is cutting not one, but three ribbons held twenty feet above the runway with his airplane while upside down using the wheels, or on the side using the wings. Tucker always finishes every performance by saying “God Bless America” to the crowd. He has been named as one of the Living Legends in Aviation, recipient of the Crystal Eagle Award, and named as one of the Living Legends of Flight. This raises Sean Tucker into an elite group of aviators and astronauts that includes General Jimmy Doolittle, General Chuck Yeager, Bob Hoover, Gene Cernan and John Glenn.

Porsche Seeks Helps from Toyota?

Well a couple of days ago I read this article called "Porsche Zooms Ahead of the Pack" written by Gail Edmonson. This article was actually in Business Week Online. The main theme is this article is how Porsche is trying to lower their costs to produce the car while improving their quality. Porsche’s are absolutely great cars. They are maybe the cheapest cars that could actually keep up with a Ferrari; while a Ferrari F430 costs about $200,000 a Porsche Turbo will cost you about $125,000. Now back to the article, the author mentions that Porsche’s revenues are actually going 2 times as much as they are today 5 years from now. The revenue is Porsche’s income without taxation and costs. This does not necessarily mean that they are going to double their profit but it could also mean that they are simply doubling their costs. This is a huge step for Porsche after them almost going into debt in 1993 (the time when they made the ugliest cars in Porsche’s history).

Wendelin Wiedeking is Porsche’s Chief Executive and as Edmonson says "Wiedeking's winning formula at Porsche is making high-performance sports cars with Toyota-like quality at a competitive price." Now as you read that quote you might think to yourself…Toyota-like quality?? Don’t Porsche’s have way better quality than Toyota since they do cost way more? Well the thing is that Porches do have some problems. For example, when the Cayenne was first released, all of them were assembled in the same facility as VW Touaregs since they had similar parts. What happened with this was that the Cayenne suffered many problems such as wind noise and electrical problems. These problems got so bad that it actually reached about 233 problems per 100 cars.

Well this is the problem in which Porsche is seeking help from Toyota; well everyone knows Toyotas last forever. So now what is going to happen is that Porsche will send many people to Japan to learn more from Toyota and with that improve Porsche’s quality; which for me to be quite honest they don’t really need it. They already make some the most amazing cars in the world with tremendous quality and I really can't wait to get my two eyes the brand new Porsche 911 GT2! It is already on their website; check it out and sooner than later I'll write a review on it.

Boeing's Race to the Finish

All eyes are on Boeing as they plan to deliver their first 787 Dreamliner Jet in May of 2008. Despite a four month delay placed on the 787 program, Boeing still strives to push forward and meet their deadline. The first flight of Boeing’s new jet was supposed to take place this past August, but has now been pushed back to sometime in November this year. Many industry analysts claim that it will be nearly impossible for the manufacturing giant to meet its deadline with all the delays that have been imposed on it.

Suppliers are hopeful that everything will continually go right for Boeing in the upcoming months to ensure that they receive their shipments of aircraft on time. While the Dreamliner is awaiting its first takeoff, some of the biggest airlines in the world are waiting for good news concerning its arrival to their fleet. By 2009, it is projected that Boeing will deliver 112 Dreamliners. There have been over 700 orders from 48 airlines to purchase the 787, some of which include ILFC, Qantas, Air Canada, Japan Airlines, and Continental Airlines.

However, there is still a long road ahead to assembling the 787. Engineers must install intricate webs of electrical wiring and high tech computer equipment throughout the aircraft that controls everything from the flight controls to the automated window shades. All of these systems must also be checked thoroughly to insure that there are no problems and allow the airplane to be declared airworthy and safe. Boeing reported that their two main concerns in the development are part shortages and time deadlines each month. If they begin to fall behind, it could set in motion delays of up to two years and extremely damage Boeing’s reputation and costing the company millions of dollars.

The production system of the 787 is becoming increasingly important as deadlines approach. Boeing needs to start mass assembling these monstrous aircraft to ensure they reach their destinations in Italy, Japan, and in the United States. Boeing’s latest design is said to be the best selling wide bodied jet in the world. The 787 Dreamliner is mainly composed of carbon fibers and is being advertised as more fuel efficient, comfortable, and easier to maintain than any other large jet airliner. Despite the production problems it has faced so far, Vought Aircraft Industries and General Electric issued a statement saying that is the progress is making steady improvements. The Boeing 787 is nonetheless a first class jet in every aspect in its design and over time will redefine luxury in commercial air travel.

Purdue University Flight Team

It is typical in college to join a competitive team that is either athletic or academic. Most people would not suspect that there was a club that competes with other schools in the sport of flying. Purdue University has such a team that trains rigorously trains to show their flying skills to other schools with flight programs. The flight team is part of the National Intercollegiate Flying Association and must abide by all their rules.

The Purdue University Flight Team chooses select students in the flight program that compete in a variety of events that earn the school points in competition. The spot landing event is the main part in competition, where pilots must do their best to land on a line painted on the runway. They have two power on and two power off landings to try to get points by being accurate on the runway. The ground events include aircraft recognition, Simulated Comprehensive Aircraft Navigation, computer accuracy, skills on a flight simulator, and aircraft preflight. There is also an additional event that doesn’t require any skill but is only purpose is to drop a block on a specific spot on marked in a field.

Purdue’s regional competition is being held at Middle Tennessee State University in late October and if the team is fortunate enough to make it to nationals they will occur in the spring at Middle Tennessee State University. Every member of the team must be committed to practice and is required to stay during fall break to make sure that they are ready for regional competition. The team is headed by Professor Larry Gross, who is also head of the flight program at the university. However, the team is mainly organized and ran by the students themselves who work hard at making it a great experience each year.

A Legend is Coming Back to Life!

The brand new Skyline GT-R will soon be here,

around 2009. It has been seen in the body of a Infiniti G35. It has been heard to have a 3.7 to 3.8 liter twin turbo V6, putting out about 450 to 500 horsepower. The Nissan Skyline will also be all-wheel-drive which will give it amazing handling and traction. It recently has been caught in many test tracks, such as Laguna Seca and Nürburgring. In Nürburgring it has been caught while racing against a Porsche 911 Turbo, their lap was timed by the photografer's and their results were pretty impressing. The time that they came up with was 7:40 which is roughly 2 seconds quicker and the 911 Turbo. So this car is very promising, I can't wait to get my hands on one!!!

The A-12 Returns

Many Americans can remember the effectiveness of the A-12 during the Viet Nam War. When these planes debuted in the 1960's they were to replace the U-2 spy plane, but were soon discovered to be ineffective against the Soviet's during the Cold War. There are currently only nine left in existence today. One of those planes was brought to CIA headquarters this week where it now sits inactive.

This is a fitting place for the A-12 since it was commisioned as a spy plane for the CIA during the Cold War and was later used in Viet Nam for the same kind of operations. By then adjustments had been made making it more effective and a critical part of the US strategy in Viet Nam.

There was a ceremony held at the CIA for this homecoming where some of the original pilots of the A-12 talked about their experiences with the development of this aircraft in which two of fifteen pilots were killed five of fifteen planes crashed and many problems were ironed out.

The A-12 is now home and the CIA is proud to have it there. The pilots who made them famous are glad to have the plane recognized and I am glad to recognize those pilots for their accomplishments with the A-12.

Dulles Gets a Facelift

With Air Traffic Controllers becoming increasingly unhappy with their jobs something must be done to keep them in the business. Along with pay increases ATC's at Dulles will have a new tower to perform their jobs from making them a little more comfortable. This facelift not only makes Dulles' ATC's more willing to come to work, but brings some new equipment to the airport. For a complete list of equiptment click here.

This $67.3 million renovation will pay for a brand new tower and the new equiptment to prepare Dulles for the next generation in aviation. Dulles handles roughly 1200 flights per day and is in great need of this new equiptment. Dulles is one of the bussiest airports in the United States, but is less sophisticated than some of its counterparts such as LAX because this will be its first renovation since the airport was built in 1962.

The renovation really is a much needed one that should aid one of our nations bussiest airports with the masses of flights that pass through it everyday. This renovation will make the jobs of the ATC's and the pilots much easier. Hopefully this will also speed things up at the gate. Ideally this renovation will prepare Dulles for the next 45 years in aviation.

Virgin Soloist

Well readers, I have some exciting news, this week I had my first taste of solo flight. For those of you who are pilots you already know about all the feelings and emotions that you go through the first time the plane is all yours. This article, however, is for those thinking that maybe they might want to be a pilot. Hopefully this will convince you.

This week my instructor told me she thought I was ready to solo. When I heard this I thought 'Yes I finally get to show what I've got and prove that I should be here. Then the plane was actually turned over to me and all that changed.

Firstly when I ran through my checklists, I tripple checked everything. I was not gonna make an ass of myself, I didn't come this far to screw it up now. I made sure that nothing could possibly go wrong. I made absolutely sure that all the instruments worked, all the gauges read well, and all the controls worked correctly.

Once I was sure the plane was ready, I started getting those butterflies in my stomach. What if I screwed up? What if something went wrong?

Then clearance came from the tower, and I taxied out to the runway and gave the engine full power, this was it, whether I was ready or not, I was going solo.

I was rolling down the runway and the emotions really started to kick in. My airspeed got up to 63 knots and the airplane lifted off. I was officially flying solo. It felt so great, the plane was all mine, it would do what I wanted to do and there was no instructor in the seat next to me to nag about something I was doing a little wrong.

Then I got my call from tower telling me where my traffic was. I spotted it and was cleared to land. This was it. If I could get back to the ground I could do this for real. My stomach started turning over, this was going to show what I could really do.

I turned final and everything looked perfect. My airspeed looked good my altitude looked good I had corrected for the wind and now all I had to do was wait for the plane to touch down. I crossed the numbers, cut the power, and flared. Then I felt the wheels meet the ground and it was official, I had flown solo. My confidence soared. I wanted to jump up and down, but I was still in control of the plane. I taxied back to the ramp where I was met by my instructor and I knew for sure that this was what I was born to do. I was the happiest I have ever been and couldn't wait for my next flight.

Dodge Fails Again

For years american car companies have been struggling to keep up with the foreign car companies in many different ways. Cars made by American car companies have always been plagued with problems, namely reliability. One of the worst in recent years has been Dodge. Dodge is now actually owned by what was until recently know as DaimlerChrysler. This is German corporation recently sold off the chrysler division because it was hemorraging money. Dodge's most recent failure comes in the form of their replacement for the Neon SRT-4. The original SRT-4 was basically a Chrysler PT-Cruiser in drag with the transmission from a european minivan. This latest attempt at a decent 'sporty' vehicle is bound for failure as well. Let me first define what I mean by 'failure'. This car will sell in fairly respectable numbers. However, it will never meet its goal of competing with other hot-hatchbacks like the VW R32 or the Mazdaspeed 3. I would like to address some of the issues that are inherent with this car. Dodge's goal was a respectable one: build a quick, sporty hatchback that will be reasonably priced. To keep costs down they employed a technique used by almost all car companies nowadays, they lift parts from other cars to make a new one. The engine from this can be seen making an appearance in other cars such as the Jeep Compass, the Jeep Patriot, and the Chrysler Sebring. This is not actually a bad thing because that means that the engine is well tested and tends to be more reliable. Yet, when it comes to owning a sports car it is not fun to brag that your engine can be can be found in a SUV. There are some improvements that Dodge has made over the last version of the SRT-4. The most obvious of these improvements is the 85 horsepower increase over the last version. This time Dodge actually fitted a decent 6-speed transmission in the car as well. The geniuses over at Dodge's SRT division were even smart enough to fit four wheel disc brakes from the larger SRT-8. This way the SRT-4 will actually stop once those 285 horses get it up to speed. Right now you might be thinking, well this car doesn't actually sound that bad. Well... your wrong. Dodge says that they have worked on the cars handling by putting in a new rack and pinion steering system and some electronic steering assists. Yet, they overlooked the most important feature of all. Its a front wheel drive car! That means that the front wheels have to pull the car along and steer the car. It is hard enough for traction control systems to put that kind of horsepower down to the ground with out having to steer the car. The results are two different things. First the car torque steers like a monster. Let the wheel go when you hit the accelerator and you might end up in a ditch. The other issue is that you can't take a turn at any relatively high speed. The car will suffer from what is called understeer. The wheels will be trying to pull the car forward and try to turn at the same time. The result is terrible handling. This problem can be easily solved. MAKE IT 4-WHEEL DRIVE!!! Yet this would take more money to make than Dodge was willing to spend. This brings me to my conclusion which is that this car, like its predecessor, is a failure.

Lexus IS-F!!

This car is simply amazing! The looks of this car are absolutely perfect in my opinion. From the very aggressive front bumper, the amazing 19’’ wheels, all the way to the amazing dual exhaust. The exhaust is the most unique thing in this beast. The "F" series will be Lexus’ new sports high performance vehicle line, just like BMW has the "M" line and Mercedes-Bendz has "AMG" line.

Many people like me waiting and wondering which car will be the next victim of an "F" logo on it. Anyways back to the IS-F, this car has a 5.0-liter direct-injected V8, which will give you 350 lb-ft of torque and 400 hp!! Not like its huge engine its time from 0 to 60 is right under 4.9 seconds. This car also comes with the world’s first eight-speed "direct sport-shift" which is also in the Lexus LS 460. The engineers at Lexus also developed a thing called the torque-converter lock-up control that makes every single shift completed smooth and unnoticeable.

What also makes this car stand out are the BBS wheels which were specially designed for Lexus. Another awesome feature of this car is that it comes with Brembo brakes, many people don’t know that which is because Lexus actually put their logo on the caliper.

The only thing that worries me is the competition that it is going to face, with cars such as the new BMW M3. Both cars gave great performance and what really sets them apart is their appearance. So there will be some noticeable variation in the buyers of these cars since the BMW is a 2-door and the Lexus is 4-door. I predict that the people that will buy a Lexus over the BMW is maybe because they have kids or simply just need the space. Overall this car is simply indescribable and I can’t wait to go to a dealer and test-drive one of these things for myself.

An Unknown Talent

Many actors and actresses whose careers revolve around them pretending to perform insane stunts and hazardous moves also are dare devils in real life. They set time aside out of their busy lifestyle to do the things that they love, and by this I mean flying. It is a passion that they can’t get away from and they also share it with other famous people. It also transforms them from an idol and gossiped over actor to a normal pilot who shares the same love for flying as any other person who has ever been interested in aviation.

Kurt Russell is known for his bizarre and hell raising nature in movies such as Grindhouse and his infamous character “Snake Plissken” in the movie Escape from New York. However, most people who watch his movies do not know that he is a very avid pilot and works together with other actors to get them involved with aviation. Russell is very similar to the character he played in the movie Executive Decision because he lands an airliner solely from the flight lessons he had. He strongly supports general aviation and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. Russell also has influenced actors Edward Norton and Tom Cruise to become avid aviation enthusiasts and pilots themselves. He fly’s a Socata TBM 700and regularly likes to fly his friends from Hollywood. His main inspiration was his grandfather, who always told him stories about the situations he would encounter on his flights.

There are also many other actors that are involved in aviation. John Travolta took a majority of his flying lessons in a turbine aircraft and recently bought his very own Boeing 747 jet that he uses to fly his family all over the world. Harrison Ford, who starred in the film Air Force One, is a talented pilot and speaks frequently at air shows such as EAA’s Air Venture in Oshkosh Wisconsin. All of these actors greatly support general aviation and will continue to share their love of flying to anyone they encounter.

VLJ's: The Future of Commercial Aviation?

As you look around most airports today you will notice that there is a decreasing amount of large aircraft in the area, while at the same time the amount of corporate jets are flying in more and more at an extremely fast rate. The reason for this change is the dawn of a new age in commercial aviation, where small light jets are used more frequently than ever thought possible. New models of small jets, called Very Light Jets or VLJ’s, are being developed by several major aircraft manufacturers so that they can compete with the rising demand of these airplanes.

At first small jets were only reserved for the rich and famous, but now they are becoming more affordable and accessible for pilots to purchase and passengers to commute. Most pilots would agree that they would rather own and pilot their own aircraft and fly themselves around the globe wherever they please, than spend time hassling with the airlines. Any passenger would agree it would be better to have a direct route to their destination, rather than spending hours in layovers and security checkpoints. Many experts agree that VLJ’s are working their way up the corporate ladder in civil aviation.

One of the latest releases of the VLJ came with Cessna’s new Citation Mustang. Cessna surprised many people by releasing their new aircraft much later than some of their main competitors, but nonetheless it has the quality and service that Cessna built has off its eighty year old reputation. This aircraft features breathtaking performance at similar costs of most new twin piston airplanes. The company plans to make its first deliveries of the Citation Mustang by the end of 2007. What separates this design from all the other business jets that Cessna has manufactured is its new power plant, avionics, and reasonable price.

The biggest competitor to Cessna in the VLJ market is Eclipse Aviation. Over the past few years Eclipse is designing more models of small jets and many people give Eclipse credit for bringing the market to full swing. However, Cessna promises to make VLJ’s even more a reality for buyers. The Mustang is capable of carrying up to five passengers plus the pilot at speeds of 340 knots and a range of 1,500 nautical miles at a cruising altitude of 41,000 feet. It is smaller than any other Citation that Cessna has built and is also the easiest to fly out of all the Citations. Most of the orders have been made to pilots with little or no turbine time, which makes this plane a perfect trainer for jet pilots and those just getting into the seat of turbine aircraft. Cessna is an example of how the VLJ phenomenon is expanding and beginning to make its presence at airports throughout all corners of the world.

What Makes a Pilot

Some people think that flying a plane is just like driving a car and in some ways it is, but it takes special skills to be able to fly a plane. Some of which are behaviors which can not be learned.

To be a pilot you have to be cool under pressure and know what to do to solve any problems that may arise during flight. If your engine fails, you need to know that you have time to fix it we can't just give up. If you lose your instruments you have to be able to fly without them, and if you're an airline pilot and something obvious goes wrong you have to keep the passengers calm and fix it at the same time.

Pilots are also people who tend to be laid back. This is because flying is such a calming activity. You can climb to cruise level off and let the plane do the flying so you don't have a care in the world. All a pilot really has to do in cruise is keep his heading- the rest is beautiful scenery. Less traffic too.

We as pilots also like to have complete control over our lives, so naturally flying comes easy. This is because in a plane you control everything. The plane reacts to you and it will do whatever you want it to. It's that significant other you wish that you wish you had but know doesn't exist.

Flying is that one thing that many people are looking for to complete their lives, but that few people actually find. It can either scare the hell out of you or be the best feeling in the world. It can be one of the most stressful or calming situations you have ever been in. It all depends on if you have what it takes.

PATCO Returns

Last seen on a large scale during the Air Traffic Controller strike in the early eighties PATCO is making a comeback.

On Friday the tower at Gary, Indiana voted hands down for PATCO as their Union, opposing NATCA the Union of choice in the area. PATCO believes that this could play a crucial role in their comeback from simply representing small FBO's to larger aircraft facilities. Similar elections are scheduled for the coming week in Trenton, Appleton, and Waukesha. The outcome of these elections will plat a crucial role in the comeback of PATCO.

It appears that PATCO is making a bid to retake what thet once owned. If there's one piece of advice to be given to any competeing Union I would say keep your ears opened for answers of what may have convinced Gary to vote away from the mainstream. Some are assuming that this may be because PATCO represents solely ATC's.

Obesity Problems Extend to the Skies

Many people don't understand why their expanding waistlines would affect the airlines and the business that they do. But passenger waistlines have been hitting the airlines...hard.

Over the past year the average weight of an airline passenger has increased from 180 pounds to 190 pounds. This may not seemed like much, but the airlines have spent an extra $275 million per capita on fuel this year. Not to mention the airlines have had to cut back on the people allowed on the plane due to weight capacities. This is a major hit in ticket sales and is affecting the airlines very negatively.

With fewer passengers on the planes and more fuel being needed, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that means an increase in ticket prices. Now it circles back to the consumers wanting to save money therefore not buying tickets causing the airlines to spiral down just as they did after 9/11.

A Pattern of Safety

Safety is the first priority for pilots. There are multiple checklists we complete before taxiing, one that we complete while taxiing, a run up checklist, a before take off checklist, and many more. All of these are for our safety so we pay attention to them and make sure our plane is in working order.

We have all these safety measures that we make sure are complete before each take off, yet there is one time in the air when safety gets thrown out the window and we don't even think twice. Have you got an idea of when this may occur? I'll give you a hint- It's in the pattern. Still nothing?

Well it happens most at Purdue when we have a congested traffic pattern. We enter the downwind following the traffic ahead like we should be, we watch the traffic ahead of him turn, he turns when that plane turns final and is abreast his wing tip, and we turn when our traffic is turned final and abreast our wingtip.

This is where you should be able to spot the problem. A normal final at Purdue is a half to three quarters of a mile. The final you just turned is a five mile final. That means if your engine were to quit right there at 1500 feet you would have roughly three minutes before you need to land. That will get you close enough to the airport to just see the runway- on the other side of the building that you're about to smash into!

There is no reason we should be flying five mile finals. There are multiple ways around this. We could fly longer upwinds, we could fly wider downwinds, or ideally the students who are not in AT 145 would exit the pattern and fly to another approved airport.

Pilots entrust their lives to the checklists, but they don't make one of those for a retarded tower. So we need to use our heads and bring a pattern of safety to the pattern.

Veyron's Speed Record was Beat!

This past Thusday 13th the brand new SSC Aero (Super Shelby Cars) beat Bugatti Veyron's speed record. Veyron's previous record was 253mph but the SSC reached 255.82mph in West Richland, WA. This car has a Twin Turbo 6.2L V8 with an amazing 1183hp!!! This beast can cost you $239,000 for the base model and $650,500 for the Ultimate Aero, aka fastest production car in the world.

My Sunday Afternoon

This past Sunday was very unique for me. I was just sitting in my room wondering where to go for dinner. Suddenly two of my friends come in and ask me if I want to go to Indianapolis to have dinner in Hard Rock Café. I though that they were joking around, but somehow they were telling the truth. One of my friends, who is a pilot, told me that we were going to fly there I honestly didn’t believe him until we actually got in the plane. My friend just rented a Cessna 172RG (retractable gear). This plane has a Lycoming 4-inline 180hp engine that reaches a cruising speed of 150mph and we flew about 2500ft both ways. On the way there I went in the back of the plane, I literally couldn’t believe that I was being flown by one of my friends. We landed in the international airport and saw some amazing airplanes; while we were taxing the plane we came face-to-face with a huge DC 10! So after taxing the plane in the FOD, they simply gave us a car for evening, for free! So we drove downtown ate at Hard Rock and flew back to West Lafayette. The ride back was way better since I got shotgun! I got to put on the headphone and listen to everything people were saying on the radio. That was my awesome Sunday afternoon. Oh before I forget, here is a clip of the landing in West Lafayette...not so smooth as the one in Indy.

Ayrton Senna, The Legend

Ayrton Senna, the legend in F-1 racing. He was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil on March 21st of 1960. He was a three-time F3 World Champion. He began racing go- karts when he was only 13. He then made his way up and soon winning British F3 Championship. With this achievement he drew attention of many F1 teams, eventually joining Toleman in 1984. But he only stayed with them for a year until switching to Lotus where he stayed for 2 years. Then from 1988 to 1993 he was in the McLaren Team. Then after that he joined the Williams team where he stayed until his horrible accident.

At the time of his accident I was still in Brazil. I was very young so all I remember is watching the race and suddenly it happened. He was leading the race and at the most dangerous curve of the entire course he totally lost traction of the car and rammed into the wall while still going 135mph. He died soon after crashing on May 1st of 1994. I remember how the entire country was upset and people even crying. To us he was a is still our biggest idol.
He was best known for his skills in driving in the rain. When it rained nobody could ever beat him in a race. One of his strategies was to wait while everyone else was in the pit-stops and gain a couple seconds ahead of them. But at this time he had to drive with his slick tire in the rain, which is extremely hard! Ayrton would then change into rain-tires only after all of his competitors had done so. If he can drive in the rain with slicks and gain more advantage from his competition, just imagine what he can do with the rain-tires. Ayrton Senna is also known for his great personality. He was a very passionate person and was said to use driving as a way to find himself.

"The harder I push, the more I find within myself. I am always looking for the next step, a different world to go into, areas where I have not been before. It’s lonely driving a Grand Prix car, but very absorbing. I have experienced new sensations and I want more. That is my excitement, my motivation"

- Ayrton Senna

Overall he is still greatly missed by all race fan especially all of Brazil. Ayrton made the sport a gentleman’s game. It is true that these days there are some amazing drivers like Fernando Alonso, Michael Schumacher, and Felipe Massa. But imagine if Ayrton Senna was still around…

Old Planes Die Hard

Have you ever wondered what ever happens to airplanes that no longer are able to take to the skies? Does it boggle your mind on how these huge chunks of metal weighing tens of thousands of pounds just magically disappear? These questions can be answered with only a single word: “desert.” While traveling out west in the United States you may notice some of these grave sites for airplanes; locations where they are left to sit until they either deteriorate or more parts off of them are needed elsewhere. Usually before airplanes are permanently parked on these barren wastelands, they are stripped of their engines, electrical equipment, landing gear, and seats. The wings and tail section are usually left intact, but otherwise the birds are not used for anything else other than a monument for those passing by to look at in awe of the aircraft of the ages.

The Fleet of Purdue University

Out of the some 40,000 students that are enrolled at Purdue University, very few know about the array of aircraft that the university owns and allows its students to use in the Flight Program. The aircraft range from single engine piston powered planes, to turbine engine business jets and turboprops. Only with the staff, teachers, and students combined can Purdue’s fleet be maintained and used in an educational manner that allows pilots to fly professionally for their career.

When students begin their flight training at Purdue, the first airplane they train in is the Piper PA 28-162 Warrior. The Warrior features a low wing design and a Lycoming O-320-A2B flat four piston engine driving a two blade fixed pitch propeller. Its maximum speed is 126 knots and seats up to four people. Generally students use the Warrior for their Private and Commercial Certificates.

During their sophomore year, the students are introduced to the high performance Piper Arrow for their instrument training. The specs of an Arrow include a retractable landing gear, fuel injected four cylinder engine with a constant speed propeller, and two radios and navigation systems that are needed for instrument training.

When it comes time for students to do their multiengine training, they use the university’s Piper PA-34 Seneca’s. The Seneca seats six passengers and has a maximum cruising speed of 180 knots. The airplane can climb up to altitudes of 25,000 feet and contains two 220 horsepower Teledyne Continental L/TSIO-360-RB turbocharged, intercooled fuel injected engines.

As students reach their senior year it is time to get them prepared for the airlines, and there are very few airplanes better to do that in than the Beechcraft King Air. The King Air has two turboprop engines that produce 1050 horsepower each. The aircraft cruises at 312 knots and can reach a ceiling of 34,000 feet. It usually seats 11 passengers and has a maximum range of 1800 nautical miles.

Purdue also specially reserves one airplane for students who display excellent academic performance during their first three years of college. If chosen, the students are able to fly in right seat of the Beech Jet. This business jet gives students the full experience of what it is like to fly for an airline and enables them to learn firsthand how to fly a jet aircraft. Only the top 10 students in each class are selected to pilot the Beech Jet in the right seat per semester.

User Fees: A Dark Day for General Aviation

Have you ever heard anyone say they are thankful about gas prices these days? Actually, if you ever have a discussion with a pilot from Germany or England they are usually extremely grateful of having the opportunity to fly in the United States. You may ask yourself why they would be saying these things when there is an uproar on gas prices in America, but the truth is that to get a Private Pilot’s License in Europe costs almost four times the amount that it does to get the same license in the United States. This is due to user fees being imposed on all general aviation flights throughout most of Europe. The prices oversees are so outrageous that they are beginning to render the extinction of general aviation itself. Now, general aviation in the United States is being threatened with the same issue, which includes having to pay 25 dollars per flight just for air traffic control.

The FAA's government funding will run out on September 30, 2007, forcing Congress to act to keep the agency operating, either by reauthorizing the existing tax-based funding system, accepting the Bush administration's proposed FAA funding scheme of increased taxes and user fees, or by writing Congress' own new funding legislation. Advocates of general aviation say that user fees have proven to be unsuccessful and insufficient in other parts of the world. It would be a mistake to burden pilots with expensive fees and sacrifice safety, when the past system has proven successful. The United States has more general aviation aircraft than any other country and also has more airports, money, and pilots than most places in the world. With the new user fees, airplane rental costs could rise to at least an extra 5 dollars per hour, air traffic control and landing fees will be imposed, and charges for weather briefings.

However like the FAA, the airlines have proposed user fees as a way to give them increased control of the air traffic system while lowering their out-of-pocket costs. However, it is the taxpayers that have been bailing the airlines out over the years from bankruptcy and bad management. Also, the airlines require much more expensive equipment for both air traffic control, and the airport itself, such as including low-visibility taxi lights, precision approach monitor radar, ground radar, low-level wind shear alert systems, snow removal, and huge ramps, taxiways, runways, and parking areas.

Many organizations such as the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) are opposed to proposed Senate legislation that includes aviation user fees. Many experts agree that user fees would be the first step toward privatization of the aviation system, stripping the role of Congress in preserving all aviation interests, including those of general aviation. That is why we must support any opposition to user fees and preserve what America stands for by flying in a free country. We must preserve the system that has remained efficient over the past decade and allow anyone with a strong determination to take to the skies.

Frustrated by Fossett

I know everyone has seen stories or at least heard something on the news about Steve Fossett and his disappearance. And it seems like no one can believe it. My question to all of you is WHY NOT?

What is the number one rule in aviation? Always file a flight plan. Fossett didn't do that. Without a flight plan you have no idea where to look for someones plane so why can no one believe we can't find him. I guess they have narrowed it down to a grid system. It is, however, the size of Massachusetts. The problem is of course that we don't even have a general direction in which to look.

The thing about this story that amazes me the most is that he is or was a skilled, well known pilot who has accomplished many records one of which being flying a baloon around the world, but he somehow made a rookie mistake. Here at Purdue we aren't even allowed to take off without having filed a flight plan, but somehow Fossett got around that step at the Hilton's airstrip.

I guess if he knew how this trip was going to end he wouldn't have gone on it. He was apparently looking for a dried lake bed in which he could test out his new rocket car. How stupid does that seem now? He was used to risking his life, but now there are a few hundred people risking their's to find him. I can guarantee one thing though if he is found alive he'll never take off before filing a flight plan again.

Operation Obsolete

We've all been there. You're sitting in your cramped next to the lady that should have bought two seats so she could stop taking up yours. At this point you start praying for the plane to start rolling so this flight can get over with. All of a sudden the plane gets rolled back and you get all excited because the only things left to do are to take off and get to where you're going.

Then the problem becomes apparent- taking off. You come to a stop on the taxi way. To investigate you casually look out the window only to discover you're about tenth in line for take off and your stomach sinks. That means roughly another half an hour of being squished against the wall before you're even in the air and you suddenly find yourself dreaming of that first class ticket you were thinking of buying.

GOOD NEWS! These days are coming to an end if ever so slightly. The FAA has begun awarding contracts to airlines willing to use GPS in their air traffic controlling instead of the radar like those used in most control towers.

UPS was recently awarded one such contract. The UPS company spoke with a third party which gave them the idea to use GPS to see other planesin the area. The GPS information could then be used to calculate times to runways not distances which would allow for planes to take off more often saving a few minutes per plane on the ramp. Now I know what you're thinking- a few minutes doesn't sound like much, but multiply that by the nine planes sitting in front of you and I think you will be a little happier.

No deadline has yet been set for all airlines to switch to this new technology, but next time you're on a plane see if you notice.

BWM's New M3!

This brand new car is a beast! It is a continuation to all the other M3s and it does not seem to disappoint anybody with its upgraded V8 engine that puts out a total of 420hp. That is a huge increase from the last M3 that "only" had 330hp. But this awesome car does have so tough competition just to name a few: Lexus IS-F, Audi RS5, and the Mercedes CLK63 AMG. But with its killer looks and asphalt-burning performance I am sure that it will do just fine.

Now about the specifications; the motor is a 4.0L V8 putting out 414hp and a 295 lb-ft at 3,900 rpm. BMW put the lightest V8 engine in this car and surprisingly it is even 30 pounds lighter than the previous inline-6! Apart from making the engine lighter, BMW added a lot of carbon fiber in many parts of the car to decease the weight as much as possible, especially to the new aerodynamic features such as the body kit and the new air intakes. The M3’s suspension has 3 different riding styles which include Normal, Comfort, and of coarse Sports!

This car has some of the newest technology out there. This BMW come with the Mdrive option which is only offered in BMW’s M vehicles. This device is used for the driver to customize his or her own way combination of preferences by simply pushing a button. This M3 has certainly been a gigantic improvement from all the other M3s and it will be a challenge to outperform this one.

In my personal opinion this car is flawless, well that is I haven’t driven it yet but I am sure I will not be disappointed when I do drive this baby (yeah right!). The only thing is that we will all have to wait till next year, but if you are really interested in this car I suggest you reserve one now because sooner then later they will be all gone. As a conclusion, we who adore every single M3 that has been made, think that this is a beautiful piece of machinery. So with that a sum up my first blog ever! Oh and btw if I ever do drive it I will come straight here to tell you guys all about it! For a little extra imformation and pictures of the new M3 click here.