Search Results for: Lockheed

(March 2012) I debated putting words on paper regarding the recent Chapter 11 filing by my airline. Bankruptcy has become so vogue that the flying public now yawns at the notion, knowing that very little will change from their perspective. Frequent flyer miles remain intact. Steerage class food remains inedible. Baggage mishandling remains an everyday […]

The U.S. Air Force unveiled the X-56A last week, its newest experimental aircraft specifically crafted to explore ways to protect against flutter. Flutter is an aerodynamic effect – one that has caused a number of fatal accidents over the years – that occurs when the vibrations of an aircraft’s wing trigger a potentially dangerous increase […]

The Pipistrel Taurus G4, a four-seat electric aircraft that won NASA’s $1.35 million Green Flight Challenge last year, has been nominated for this year’s prestigious Collier Trophy. The competition this year is especially tough. The National Aeronautic Association named four nominees for the 2011 Robert J. Collier Trophy, one of which — the Boeing 787 […]

(February 2012) This story is not only about an aviation experience, but it is also about a man who went out of his way to help a young pilot he didn’t even know. It is also a story about meeting some really great people in this country. It all happened back in 1964 when I […]

What does the future of green aircraft look like? NASA recently gave aviation enthusiasts a peek by unveiling what’s coming out of the agency’s Environmentally Responsible Aviation Project, including three new aircraft designs put forth by some of the industry’s manufacturing giants. Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman were awarded close to $11 million by […]

NASA recently gave aviation enthusiasts a peek at what may lie ahead for the industry.

Boneyards – the graveyards of worn out airplanes – are generally depressing collections of airplanes whose useful life has come and gone. But art aficionado and gallery owner Eric Firestone saw these airplanes as an opportunity to create something beautiful. Along with curator Carlo McCormick, Firestone conceived The Boneyard Project, which put retired historical airplanes […]

It’s no secret that the makers of the widely popular Microsoft Flight Simulator game series are preparing a new aviation title intended to spread PC flying to the masses. The just-revealed news is that the game, when it’s launched this spring, will be downloadable for free — at least for virtual flights around Hawaii in […]

We’ve all been there: A personal or professional commitment encourages us to cut a corner or launch when otherwise we might not. The corner could be a mechanical deficiency with the aircraft, failing to obtain a weather briefing or taking off with minimal fuel. The pressure of schedules and commitments tempts us to do things like make a zero-zero instrument takeoff, shoot an approach in conditions below published minimums or stretch our fuel to the breaking point in the face of headwinds and the time it will take to make an en route fuel stop.

There’s been a lot of hand-wringing in Washington after that super-secret American spy drone fell into Iranian hands last week. Tehran claims it shot down the UAV, which analysts have identified as an RQ-170 Sentinel. The White House has asked for it back. The Iranian government has responded with the diplomatic equivalent of, “In your […]