Meet MAX

Yep, it's official - the new 737s will be known as the Boeing 737 MAX 7, 737 MAX 8, and 737 MAX 9.

More renderings available at the official 737 MAX site.

PZL M-15 Belphegor

The old-school Lockheed engineers designed and built the SR-71 using slide rules. They were second only to the Belphegor engineers, who used witchcraft and dark forces.

The Belphegor has long been my favorite aircraft. It kills me that there are none in the US, and it kills me that not a single one is flying. It is beyond any common logic how one could opt to restore, fly, and maintain something as trite and mundane as a T-6, T-33, or L-29 when cold-war-era jet-powered Polish biplane crop dusters are there for the taking in eastern Europe and Russia.

Were I to win the lottery, I would acquire and restore one to be used as an Oshkosh partymobile. I would install amphibious floats to further enhance it's massive ramp presence and to enable operation from lakes that would otherwise remain tranquil and serene. The chemical hoppers would be converted into refrigerated beer storage tanks for the aforementioned Oshkosh trips. Skis would be installed for the annual Skiplane Fly-in and Chili Dump up at Pioneer Field:

Although the temptation to paint it an ominous matte black with mysterious red symbols would be nearly irresistible, I would likely paint it in accurate original colors:

Alas, I do not possess the necessary funding to transform such dreams into reality. Instead, my current budget can only sustain the acquisition of an authentic flight manual and control yoke. If anyone can track these items down or acquire them for me, I will gladly pay a fair price. Just contact me at the above link.

Vintage Bellanca Crashes in Stoughton, WI

A Bellanca 14-13 Cruisair Senior has crashed in Stoughton, WI. The classic aircraft, manufactured in 1946, had been on display in Oshkosh for the 2011 Airventure fly-in:

The aircraft is registered to Richard Cross of Brewster, Minnesota. WKOW of Madison reported that a father and son from Minnesota were on board. The father was reportedly taken to UW hospital via ambulance, and the son was taken via Medflight.

Here is a photo of the aircraft (N74260) as it appeared last Friday at Oshkosh:

Here's hoping father and son make a full recovery soon. And here's hoping the media keep in mind that for every general aviation accident, there are tens of thousands of automobile accidents.

Jet-Powered Aerostar Debuts

Seems people just can't resist modifying the Piper Aerostar. The last couple of years, we've seen the Speedstar single-engine turboprop development at Oshkosh:

And now, it seems a twin-jet version has arrived. Here's video of it's first flight:



And here's a shot of it on display at Oshkosh:

American is Getting A320s...and an Opportunity to Evolve the Livery

It was announced a few hours ago that American Airlines is ordering at least 260 A320-series aircraft. Deliveries will begin in 2013. Now more than ever, the airline should be thinking hard about updating it's livery.

Here is an examples of how the present livery will look on an Airbus fleet:

Aviation-Design.Net:

Design © mikephotos
Template © mikephotos

It's not that the current livery is bad or outdated from a design standpoint...it's that a livery based on polished aluminum is most suited to aircraft that are built primarily from that material. As more aircraft types integrate composite materials in their construction, the attractiveness of polished aluminum quickly becomes overshadowed by the painted gray composite panels surrounding it.

This much is certain - American's livery is changing whether they want it to or not. If they continue to do nothing, it will continue to evolve into a drab and unattractive mishmash of various dull gray and white paints. If, however, they become proactive and update their livery now, they will strengthen their brand in both the short and long term.

There's no shortage of opportunity, American. The time is right to evolve the brand. Eagle's E-jets are already a nightmare of painted whites and grays with no visible aluminum whatsoever...let's make sure that look doesn't continue to infest the mainline brand.


Aviation-Design.Net:

Design © Almaden
Template © Almaden


Aviation-Design.Net:

Design © Ryan Powers
Template © Ryan Powers


Aviation-Design.Net:

Design © Yves Mayer
Template © Yves Mayer


Aviation-Design.Net:

Design © Yves Mayer
Template © Yves Mayer


Aviation-Design.Net:

Design © Ryan Powers
Template © Ryan Powers


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Design © R P Abraham
Template © R P Abraham

Gulfstream Declares War on Aircraft Recognition

In what appears to be an outright declaration of war on consistency and straightforward aircraft recognition, Gulfstream has yet again renamed the IAI Galaxy. In an attempt to enhance "cultural sensitivity", and despite remaining unchanged, the G250 will henceforth be known as the G280:

Although no mechanical modifications have been mentioned, weight and balance restrictions are sure to be introduced as the dataplate continues to grow and shift the CG rearward:

Cockpit Photography

Photographing cockpits and instrument panels can be pretty challenging. All too often, the light coming through the windows is overpowering, and the top half of the image becomes blown-out, like this:

I was sure this shot was going to be rejected by the Airliners.net screeners, but perhaps because they understand the challenges in shooting cockpits, they accepted it into the database. The shot has always bothered me, though, since everything above and to the side of the glareshield is invisible. I would have greatly preferred to frame the panel with a blue sky background.

So, for a subsequent photo shoot, I decided to try a different technique. 

This time, rather than expose the shot for the panel, I exposed it for the sky and scenery beyond. I did this by setting my camera to 'Auto', aiming it through the front windscreen just above the panel, depressing the shutter release halfway, and making a note of the suggested shutter and aperture settings.

Then, switching to 'Manual', I duplicated those suggested settings.

At this point, if I were to snap a shot of the panel, the sky/scenery beyond would look great, but the panel itself would be far too dark. So I activated the flash to illuminate the panel.

Here, we see the Waco RPT cockpit using my old technique:

...and here, we see the same view using the new technique:

A big improvement, to be sure. And I was using only the basic, built-in flash on the D90. A nice ring flash would make an even bigger difference.

New USAF Designation - Cirrus T-53A

Heads up, NIFA competitors...there's a new USAF aircraft to study. The Cirrus T-53A:

As Flying Magazine reports, the USAF Academy will start taking delivery of 25 aircraft this summer, and deliveries will continue through 2012.

USA Today Does it Again

It's always been apparent that USA Today's primary motivation when covering aviation-related stories is fear mongering and sensationalism. Today's coverage of a plane crash in California demonstrates that their reporters don't even let official sources stand in the way of a sensationalist headline:

USA Today - Your coverage and your reporters are a shameful embarrassment to the journalism community.

Starships For Sale

If you're in the market for a Beechcraft Starship, you're in luck - two of the five in active service are presently on the market.

The first, N8285Q/NC-50, is listed for $1,400,000 in Washington state. The airframe has 2695 hours, and the seller points out that the "jet quiet" cabin is a third larger than a King Air 350 at 2/3 the price.

The second, N8244L/NC-29, is listed for $1,600,000 in Oklahoma City. It was a marketing plane for Beechcraft that was featured on many magazine covers stories and in many articles. It is the only Starship with the original factory N number. The airframe has a higher total time (3985 hours), but you won't care, because included in the sale is NC-43, a parts aircraft sans engines.

But wait - there's more!

The seller is also including "plenty of tires" and a third set of props. He/she also points out that Starfleetsupport.com has parts and support available to Starship owners.

If you love the Starship but can't quite swing the cash for one of these examples, be sure to explore Bob Scherer's site. There, you can find downloadable flight manuals, parts catalogs, wiring diagrams, and all kinds of historical information.

I also recommend picking up a copy of The Starship Diaries, by Dallas Kachan. It's a fictional account of a very successful Silicon Valley resident who purchases a Starship and then "slowly meanders around the planet with no fixed route, and no fixed return date."

Study: Fast Food Enhances Pilot Performance

In what appears to be a link between our nations fast-food addiction and our aviation safety record that is second to none, unhealthy foods have been shown to enhance pilot performance.

As reported by Ultra Fitness Dynamics, a University of North Dakota study has shown that "commercial airline pilots who ate a diet that was high in fat or carbohydrates performed significantly better on a flight simulator than did pilots who ate a diet high in protein."

The report went on to describe that cognitive function and sleep were also enhanced with such a diet.

The implications are clear - when you board your next flight, you want to see your pilots straining their waistbands, smacking their lips, and covered in grease.

And while no operator-specific correlations have been linked to the study, the Yum! Brands senior management team can likely rest assured that they are in good hands:

MyAviation.net:

Photographer © James Richard Covington

Royal Navy Dubs New King-Air Trainers "Avenger"

Having retired their 30+ year-old Jetstreams, the Royal Navy will soon be taking delivery of their replacement - converted Beechcraft King Air 350ERs:

What's interesting about these aircraft from a NIFA/Aircraft Rec perspective is their name. Soon, a King-Air 350ER in Royal Navy colors will be an "Avenger".