Totally Jacked Up Aircraft Photos: February 2014

Friday, February 28, 2014

It's Raining Cats & Dogs Here In California. So, Here Are Some Photos Of A Rainey Takeoff From Florida.

Shot location: FLL (Photos courtesy of our Inland Empire Reporter, H.B.)

Thursday, February 27, 2014

This Day In Aviation History: Engineering Genius, Clarenece Leonard "Kelly" Johnson Was Born.

Born February 27, 1910. Died December 21, 1990.

We don't make them like him, anymore.

From Wikipedia:

"Johnson was an American system engineer and aeronautical innovator. He earned renown for his contributions to many noteworthy aircraft designs, especially the Lockheed U-2 and SR-71 Blackbird spy planes, but also including the P-38 Lightning, P-80 Shooting Star, and F-104 Starfighter, among others. As a member and first team leader of the Lockheed Skunk Works, Johnson worked for more than four decades and is said to have been an "organizing genius".^[1] He played a leading role in the design of over forty aircraft, including several honored with the prestigious Collier Trophy, acquiring a reputation as one of the most talented and prolific aircraft design engineers in the history of aviation. In 2003, as part of its commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers' flight, Aviation Week & Space Technology ranked Johnson 8th on its list of the top 100 "most important, most interesting, and most influential people" in the first century of aerospace."

Even More Secrets Of The Rich & Famous: When In Florida, One Does Not Even Need A Ferrari.

Shot location: PBI (Photo courtesy of the World Famous Bob Holland)

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Secrets Of The Rich & Famous: Not Every Gulfstream Owner Drives A Ferrari.

Shot location: OGG (Photo courtesy of ValkyrieXB70)

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Twofer Tuesday: From Inside & Out, The Biman Bangladesh, Final Douglas DC-10 In Passenger Service, Edition.

Photo courtesy of Ian

Photo courtesy of Robbie Shaw

While the Biman DC-10 was the subject of the photo shoot, a passenger inside decided to get one of the Cessna Citation photo ship.

Shot locations: Somewhere over England.

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Unlike The Sriracha Factory, The Stink From The Lockheed "Skunkworks" Is Very Welcome.

Shot location: PMD (Photo courtesy of Commander John Flores)

Friday, February 21, 2014

Corporate Conglomerates: Whether By Air Or Rail, "The Urge To Merge" Is Alive And Well In Transportation Industry.

If you want some real entertainment, Google the histories of U.S. Airways and Norfolk Southern Railroad.

The list of airlines and railroads absorbed to become the two companies seen here is vastly long, and extremely distinguished.

And, kinda' sad, too.

Shot location: CLT (Photo courtesy of Norfolk Southern)

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Big News Out Of Texas: United Airlines, Aviation Partners Scimitar Winglets, And A Boeing 737. You, And The Airflow, Will Never Look At Wingtips The Same Again.

The search for improved aerodynamics, and it's twin-sister, improved fuel efficiency, is as old as powered flight itself. Aerodynamic efficiency leads to faster speeds, greater payloads, and if done correctly, lower fuel burn. And, in case anyone was asleep during Business 101, less fuel burn means more money in your pocket.

Enter the Scimitar Winglet.

Similar in concept to the wingtip of an MD-11 (only much more pronounced), the design was expected to be seen first on the soon to go into production Boeing 737 MAX. Well, United Airlines, and its corporate bean-counters, saw things in a more immediate economic sense. With a large fleet of 737's already in service, Aviation Partners latest offering could really save a lot of fuel, and thus, a whole lot of money in the long run. Neat stuff.

From United Airlines: "The new Winglet design further reduces aircraft drag, compared with the basic "blended winglet" United uses on its current fleet. The new design will reduce fuel consumption by up to an additional 2 percent per aircraft, and United plans to retrofit its 737-800 and 737-900ER aircraft with the new Winglet."

Winglets reduce drag on the wing which helps the airplane burn less fuel. We expect the new Split Scimitar winglet to result in up to an additional 2% fuel savings for the 737. Once the Split Scimitar winglets are installed, APB estimates that the combined winglet technology on our 737s followed by our 757 and 767 fleets will save us more than $250 million per year in jet fuel costs.

"Fuel is our largest, most volatile expense and we are always looking for opportunities to improve the fuel efficiency of our fleet,” said Fleet VP Ron Baur. “The Next-Generation 737 Split Scimitar Winglet will provide a natural hedge against rising fuel prices while simultaneously reducing carbon emissions."

The word is that United also plans to equip their fleets of Boeing 767 and 757 aircraft with Scimitar Winglets, as well.

Shot location: IAH (Photos courtesy of our Texas Smartphone Division)