The Airplane Blog

Top 10 Most Amazing and Dangerous Airplane Landings

Dee Barizo from ProTraveller sent me an email a few days ago and asked me to cover a brief story about an article she wrote on her blog. When I went to visit her article titled, Top 10 Most Dangerous Aircraft Landings, my jaw dropped. She obsviously invested a ton of time and energy into this post, I just couldn’t resist sharing it with my readers on The Airplane Blog.

In her wonderfully written article you can learn some thrilling and chilling facts and watch videos of some spectacular airplanes landing at the following airports:

1. Kai Tak Airport, Hong Kong
2. Funchal Airport, Madeira
3. Gustaf III Airport, St. Barts
4. Courchevel Airport, France
5. Princess Juliana International Airport, Saint Maarten
6. Wellington International Airport, New Zealand
7. Paro Airport, Bhutan
8. Narsarsuaq Airport, Greenland
9. Saba Island Airport, Netherlands Antilles
10. Lugano Airport, Switzerland

Check out the Top 10 Most Dangerous Aircraft Landings. Drop Dee a comment and be sure to tell her that you found her story on The Airplane Blog.

Tags: Airplane Crash Videos, Airplane Landing Videos, Airplane Landings, Amazing Airplane Landings, Crazy Aircraft Landings, Dangerous Airplane Landings

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1978 Cessna 210 M For Sale

Up for sale is an absolute beautiful 1978 Cessna 210 offered by a gentleman named, Don Blakey. I absolutely enjoy writing posts about airplanes for sale because they give me the opportunity to review the quality and craftsmanship of these airplanes and I get to view and post some amazing pictures of these planes.

In this post we have a wonderful Cessna 210 that has a very beautiful custom exterior paint job and an amazing looking interior with sheepskin front seats. A lot of care has been placed into the interior of this airplane as well with having new side panels, new headliner, new windshield and side windows and new sound proofing insulation.

As quoted by the owner, “Certainly one of the nicest 210’s available. 3742 TT with 620 on the Factory reman engine and 620 on prop since overhaul. And No Damage History. And complete logs. This is my personal plane for the last 14 years.” I’d have to agree. This 210 is definitely a nice looking one.

Here are some pictures of the 1978 Cessna 210 M for sale as well as the specifications.

Here are the full specs on this 1978 Cessna 210 M For Sale:

1978 Cessna 210 M
N717DB SN-210-62920

3742 TTAF 620 SFRM No Damage History
Annual Due 3-09 620 SPOH Hangar Kept

Exterior: Custom Paint. Mid 90’s
Interior: Custom leather interior with sheepskin front seats new side panels and new headliner, windshield, side windows, sound proofing insulation

Avionics:
Garmin GNS530 Nav/Com/GPS/Moving Map/waas/ slaved to Auto Pilot
GDL-49 Data Link/ terrain avoidance
Garmin GMA340 Audio panel/ 6 place intercom
Garmin GTX 330 Transponder/ TIS (traffic)
3070 alt. alert.
Dual Glideslopes
NSD 360A-HSI
MIC MX385/485 Nav/Com
STEC-60 autopilot w/GPSS and ALT HLD fully coupled w/ 530
J.P. Engine analyzer EDM 700/OAT
Shading Fuel Management System
Dual altimeters
PXE 7300 C/D player and radio
Headsets jacks-6/pl

Optional Equipment:

WX1000 Stormscope Rosen Tinted Articulating Visors
Main Gear Door Mod Strobe Lights
Gami Fuel Injectors Articulating Front Seats
Tinted Windows Pilot and Co-Pilot Bose Interface
Exterior Antenna for Portable Com Custom-made Aircraft Cover Dual Hinged Windows Voltage Warning Light Instrument Post Lights Hobbs Meter
Avionics Master Switch Astro-Tech LC-2 Quartz Chronometer

Yoke Mounted Trim Control, Autopilot & Trim “Quick Disconnect” Switches
Pilots Yoke Mounted Push-to-talk Right and Left Hand switch
Co-Pilot Yoke Mounted Push-to-talk Switch

Notes:

Dynamic Prop Balance Oil Quick Drain
Monark Fuel Caps Shoulder Harnesses
New fuel gages Chrome Spinner
3-blade McCauley prop Always Hangered
Standby Vacuum Wingtip Strobes

Certainly one of the nicest 210’s available. 3742 TT with 620 on the Factory reman engine and 620 on prop since overhaul. And No Damage History. And complete logs. This is my personal plane for the last 14 years.

Contact: Don Blakey
Cell-501-993-7632
Fax-501-378-7632
don.blakey@yahoo.com

Call Don Blakey with any questions. Be sure to tell him that you found this airplane on The Airplane Blog!

For your convince, you can also download a copy of this presentation of the 1978 Cessna 210 M for sale.

If you would like to have your airplane featured on The Airplane Blog, you can quickly and easily do so by visiting our advertisement page. We charge a flat $50 dollar fee and your story will stay online for as long as you like. Order your publication today! Learn more. We publish articles related to all aspects of aviation and airplanes.

Tags: 1978 Cessna 210 For Sale, Aircraft For Sale, Cessna 210 For Sale, Cessna Aircraft, Cessna Aircraft For Sale

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Lufthansa Airlines Orders Four Cessna Citation Business Jets

In Sept. 2007 Lufthansa Airlines placed an order for four Cessna Citation CJ1 airplanes for use in their new pilot training program. It was announced today on Cessna.com that Lufthansa Airlines has added four additional aircraft to their order.

The additional airplanes ordered are two Cessna CJ3 jets and two Cessna XLS airplanes. All eight airplanes are scheduled for deliver between March of 2008 and mid year of 2009. Read full story on Cessna.com.

Tags: Cessna Aircraft, Cessna Citation, Cessna CJ1, Cessna CJ3, Cessna News, Cessna XLS, Lufthansa Airlines

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Light Sport Aircraft and Affordable Aviation

If you’re new to aviation or if you’ve had your ticket for a while you may not have noticed all the fuss in the last few years about the new light sport aircraft category (LSA). The fuss is/was for a good reason, with the rising cost of aviation, the LSA rules might be your chance to continue flying or learn to fly for less than you have in the past.

The Pilot: Probably the biggest difference between a sport pilot and your traditionally certificated SEL type pilot is the medical requirements. Sport pilot’s are required to have either a 3rd class medical or a current drivers license. The only caveat is that in order to qualify to use the drivers license they cannot have been denied a 3rd class medical. This is great news if you’re in doubt of your medical or if you just don’t want to bother with the medical exam.

The Airplane: Here’s where you’re gonna save some money… They weigh less than 1,320lbs, have only one or two seats, are single engine and stall slower than 45 knots without cruising faster than 120kts. This may sound a bit restrictive but it save you on the order of $100k. For some of your choices go take a look at this.

These aircraft have a real chance to revitalize the aviation industry. They offer an affordable first step for pilot’s as well as an alternative to more expensive standard category aircraft for flight training. Many of the aircraft have been around for a while in Europe, and as such have some pretty impressive track records already. They represent a return to grassroots aviation, simple and affordable. For more information, definitely take a look at Sportpilot.org and AOPA’s SportPilot page.

Tags: General Aviation, Grassroots Aviation, Learn How To Fly, light sport aircraft, Light Sport Aviation, Pilot Medical Exam, Pilot Medical Requirements, Sport Aircraft Flight Training, Sport Pilots

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Project Aurora: the way to achieve fuel efficient landings

Environment friendly flights are becoming more and more usual. Airlines are making a big effort to ensure that their flights are cleaner and quieter, or as they like to call them, ‘greener’.

One of the last big efforts to farther contribute to these so-called environment friendly flights is project Aurora. Led by Airbus, SAS (Scandinavian Airlines) and the Swedish CAA, Aurora has developed a new landing procedure that will allow airlines to cut down the fuel consumption rate, hence cutting back polluting emissions as well. This new procedure is referred to as aurora approach or green approach.

The first green approach took place in December 2007. The flight was part of a program in which all of SAS´s A330´s inbound to Arlanda airport between December 1^st 2007 and January 6^th 2008 were supposed to conduct aurora arrivals. The aircraft took off from New York’s Newark Liberty International airport and landed in Arlanda as intended, this is, performing a green approach, an aurora approach.

What are these aurora approaches anyways? Well, the truth is that they’re actually quite simple procedures, and they ensure airlines to save up a lot of fuel.

While performing an aurora approach, an aircraft performs a continuous and uninterrupted descent at idle power from cruising altitude to the runway. This explains why these descents are also called continuous descent approaches (CDA´s).

During the duration of a CDA, an aircraft is supposed to fly on it’s autopilot practically until it touches down. Once it does, the airplane taxies to it’s final position using one single engine. In fact, the airplane also taxies on one engine from the boarding gate to the runway when it’s going to take off.

Not only does this procedure allow airlines to save up fuel, it also helps to reduce noise and save up time. However, SAS knows that it will still take a little while to perform CDA´s on a large scale. Air traffic remains a problem, and since Arlanda´s ground flight management system is only now beginning to test this procedure, CDA´s must be limited to days with little air traffic. If SAS decides to conduct aurora approaches on a large scale, Arlanda´s air traffic management system will have to be updated.

Another European project, this one called SESAR, which stands for Single European Sky Initiative, is closely looking at Aurora’s green approaches to improve not only Arlanda´s, but also Europe’s air traffic management system

Project Aurora and the USA

After it’s successful trial period in Arlanda Airport, project Aurora will probably be put into good use in the US under a program called AIRE, a joint program between the US Federal Aviation Administration and the European Commission. AIRE plans to expand the already established network of American airports that will be receiving aircraft conducting CDA´s. It looks like the next two airports to be included in this list will be Miami International and Atlanta International. If one keeps in mind the huge air traffic flow generated by these two airports, it will become pretty obvious that the US Federal Aviation Administration is taking project Aurora very seriously.

Forecast winds, nowcast winds and observed winds.

Another asset being tested by project Aurora is a ‘tool’ capable of giving very precise wind forecasts. This ‘tool’ (when use this word I do it in a metaphoric way), takes into consideration three different kinds of wind related information.

While in flight, an aircraft is continuously being fed with information regarding to the winds ahead of it. This information either comes from the nearest meteorological center or airport, or even from an airplane following the same flight route. This is what we call forecast winds. As for the nowcast winds and observed winds, they give live information regarding to the winds a given aircraft is actually flying through.

By taking in consideration these three kinds of wind forecasts, people at project Aurora are trying to develop a much more efficient and accurate way of knowing the winds an aircraft will run into whilst in flight. By doing so, the pilot and copilot will be able to set the most ideal cruising altitude so as to get the biggest amount of tail wind as possible, cutting down both the fuel consumption rate and the flight time.

To take advantage of this new ‘tool’ an aircraft would have to update it’s flight management system. Once it did, the airplane would be able to plot an extremely accurate and precise arrival routing, allowing the destination airport to know the exact landing time.

Several airlines (both European and American) have already taken into serious consideration conducting CDA´s on a regular basis. SAS has estimated that after more than 1300 green approaches it has saved up to 186 kg of fuel per flight, with a 315 kg reduction of CO2 emissions. Over in the USA, UPS has estimated that it would save up to almost 4 million litters of fuel in one year if it’s entire fleet conducted CDA´s. On the other hand, Delta Airlines has said that aurora approaches would allow her to save up to 500kg of fuel per landing. The benefits of this procedure are not only obvious, they’re also amazing, it wouldn’t surprise me if in a few years all airlines were conducting aurora approaches.

Tags: Airbus, Airbus A330, Airline Fuel Consumption, Airplane Air, Aurora Approach, Environment Friendly Flights, Flight Management Systems, Green Air Flights, Green Approach, New Your Liberty International Airport, project aurora, SAS Airbus A330, Scandinavian Airlines, SESAR Project, Single European Sky Initiative, Swedish CAA

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Review of Leading Aircraft Painting Services and Facilities

Tags: Aircraft Exteriors, Aircraft Paint Schemes, Aircraft Painting, Aircraft Painting Facilities, Aircraft Painting Services, Business Jet Aircraft Painting, Corporate Aircraft Painting, Luxury Aircraft Painting

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Toyota Could Invest Into The Mitsubishi Regional Jet

46 years ago Japan had their own domestically built passenger aircraft, the NAMC YS-11. It was a turbo prop aircraft that seated 64 passengers and would cruise at 22,900 feet at 282 MPH with a range of 1,367 miles. The reign of production was carried out for 12 years, from 1962 to 1974. Recently, on Sept. 30th, 2006, marked the last flight of the YS-11. Slowly over time, Canada’s Bombardier and Brazil’s Empresa Brasileira have overtaken Japan in the passenger jet market. It is now recognized that Toyota might get their hands into the aircraft market.

Toyota Motor Corp. has an interest in investing into the passenger aircraft market. It has been reported that they have their eyes on helping fund Mitsubishi Heavy Industries LTD, with the development of a new airplane called, The Mitsubishi Regional Jet. According to Hiromi Hirooka, a Toyota spokeswoman, “Nothing has been decided yet”. According to Yuichi Ishida, an analyst at Mizuho Investors Securities Co. it would take 100 airplanes built to absorb to development costs.

If all parties concerned can pull the project together, Japan will have the first domestic airplane in production since 1974. The MRJ, or Mitsubishi Regional Jet would carry around 70 to 90 passengers and would be equipped with similar carbon-fiber wings as found on the newer Boeing 787, and would make use of the model of United Technologies Corp. Pratt & Whitney engines that have fans which spin independent from the main turbine which is projected to help reduce fuel costs.

Future manufactures with aircraft development plans includes Honda Motor Co. which plan to develop a smaller 8 passenger jet called, The HondaJet, that will start delivers to the U.S. sometime in 2010. Regarding The MRJ, a decision to push forward with the program will be made by the end of this month.

Sources of Interest:

1. Toyota Considers Investing in Mitsubishi Heavy Jet
2. NAMC YS-11
3. Toyota Asked to Invest in Jet Project

Tags: Boeing 787, Carbon-Fiber Wing, Honda Motor Co, HondaJet, Mitsubishi Aircraft, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries LTD, Mitsubishi Heavy Jet, Mitsubishi Regional Jet, NAMC YS-11, Pratt & Whitney, Toyota Aircraft, Toyota Jet, Toyota Jet Project, Toyota Motor Corp, United Technologies Corp

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AWIATOR, a research program with amazing results.

Our friends at Airbus have been undergoing some testing during the past few months that may end up with the application of some pretty neat devices on future commercial aircraft.

In fact, these tests were the last ones to be done in order to complete a research program called AWIATOR, which stands for Advanced Wing with Advanced Technology Operation. Led by Airbus, this program began in 2002 with an 80 million euro budget, and was completed in July 2007. Several countries took part in it: Germany, France, United Kingdom, Spain, Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, Israel, Portugal and Greece.

As said by the people in AWIATOR, this research program was aiming to reduce the impact of aviation on the environment and to increase the security on flights as well as passenger comfort. For such purposes, several new wing technologies were tested between 2002 and 2007.

These tests took place in two different phases. The first one ran up until the end of 2003 and saw the testing of these new technologies on ground. The second phase saw the most promising technologies being installed onto an aircraft and tested in flight.

The airplane chosen for such purpose was an Airbus A340-300. Fitted with a wide range of new devices, including a considerable arrange of sensors and cameras, the aircraft took off and tested these new technologies for over 3 years.

Enlarged winglets

If one takes a look at the wing of an A340 or an A330 (there are plenty of videos in Youtube if you can´t make it to the airport), he or she will be able to clearly see that this wing has a winglet fixed to it’s end. Winglets are beginning to be a common element among modern airliners. The latest versions of Boeing’s 747, 757 and 737 came with winglets, and as for Airbus, most of it’s designs have been conceived with winglets. Even smaller aircraft like those from Bombardier come with them.

There is an obvious reason for the wide acceptance of these devices; they help reduce the drag produced by an aircraft, hence making the fuel consumption rate better.

Getting back to AWIATOR (I tend to overwrite sometimes, sorry for that), winglets were one of the devices being tested. New, enlarged winglets, with a height of 3.73 meters were mounted onto the A340-300. The winglets were tested to find out more about their behavior, their structural and aerodynamic characteristics and their ability to reduce drag farther more than the original winglets, again cutting down the fuel consumption rate.

Inner spoilers and landing flaps

Spoilers were another of the elements to be tested by the AWIATOR program. Spoilers are flap-looking elements situated on the upper side of the wing. When an aircraft touches down, the spoilers are raised, thus stopping the normal flow of air around the wing (which produces lift), and makes the airplane ‘stick’ to the ground. Spoilers are also used as airbrakes while the aircraft is in the air.

By making some openings on the bottom of the spoiler, AWIATOR was trying to optimize the performance of these devices. These openings redirect the air towards the wing, keeping it away form the plane’s tail, making the aircraft easer to fly. It must be said that these changes were made on new, inner spoilers, the idea being that this would increase the aircraft’s drag, allowing a faster, steeper descent.

The Airbus led research program also tested some new devices attached to the A340´s landing flaps. These new devices were new, smaller flaps attached to leading edge of the original ones. They proved to be very successful in increasing the wing’s performance while in flight and during the landing procedure. Noise reduction was also achieved through these small leading edge flaps, properly called Mini-

Trailing Edge Devices, reducing the environmental impact of an aircraft fitted with them. We must not forget that one of AWIATOR’s main objectives was to reduce the impact of commercial aviation on the environment.

More testing was done on the airplane’s flaps. Small metal strips known as Sub-Boundary Layer Vortex Generators were added to them. This was done to improve the flow of air over the landing flap when it’s lowered and the airplane’s air speed has drastically dropped. At such speeds, keeping the air flowing correctly over and below the wings and flaps is crucial, and the Sub-Boundary Layer Vortex Generators proved themselves to be very effective in doing so.

The LIDAR turbulence sensor

Last but no least, and in fact I’m leaving this to the end on purpose, the AWIATOR program did some serious research in order to develop a device that would be able to detect clear-air turbulences before an aircraft actually had to fly through them.

Modern airliners are designed to sustain very heavy turbulences, so these pose no serious threat to an aircraft. However, they can be very uncomfortable, and if they’re very intense, they can make the wings sustain very heavy structural loads. A device that detects such turbulences will most surely be of good help to any airline, since it will prevent any further repairs.

The LIDAR turbulence sensor is a laser based ‘radar’ which operates at ultra violate wave lengths. It detects any variations in the air that may end up in any kind of turbulence. By using the backscatter produced by air molecules, the LIDAR turbulence sensor is capable of ‘seeing’ turbulences ahead of the aircraft. Modern airliners cruise at extremely high altitudes, almost 40.000 feet. At such a height, it is very hard to find any kind of particles rather than thin air ones. It is hard not be astonished at the precision of this device.

The turbulence sensor converts the readings it does into images in a screen, which is located in the cockpit. This allows the pilot and copilot to evaluate the magnitude and intenseness of the air gusts ahead of them, and then deciding either to fly around them or through them. If they choose to go right through the turbulent air, the LIDAR turbulence sensor will independently operate any necessary aircraft surface to make the flight as smooth as possible.

Amazing.

The AWIATOR program has proven to be a great success, achieving environmental friendly, smoother and safer flights. Even though it might take a few more years to fully develop these new devices, they’re ready for use. Will Airbus wait for the airlines to request their installation or will it go ahead alone? Now that’s a good question, I’ll get back to it in the future.

Tags: a340, Airbus, awiator, flaps, lidar, spoilers, turbulence, winglets

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