Airplane Geeks Podcast

The aviation program at the University of Maine at Augusta, the stolen and crashed Horizon Air turboprop plane, the proposed British jet fighter, the effect of elevated carbon monoxide levels in the flight deck, the percentage of women pilots, a lawsuit over lavatory access, the fatal Ju 52 crash, and a pancake breakfast and fly-in.

Greg Jolda is the aviation program coordinator at the University of Maine at Augusta, as well as a lecturer in computer information systems.

Greg was a United States Air Force pilot and retired as Lieutenant Colonel and Command Pilot with over 3000 hours in four operational aircraft, including over 1000 hours as an instructor pilot. He served as Fighter Pilot, T-33; Instructor Pilot, T-37; Group Chief, Systems Avionics Group, Wright Aeronautical Labs, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio; Aircraft Commander C-130 and Air Operations Officer, Yokota Air Base, Tokyo, Japan; Instructor Pilot and Flight Commander, T-38, Chief, Wing Academics, Reese Air Force Base, Lubbock, Texas; Assistant Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, United States Military Academy, West Point, New York.

Greg earned a BS in Electrical Engineering from Northeastern University in Boston and an MS in Electrical Engineering, from the Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright Patterson AFB in Dayton.

He is also a Cirrus Standardized Instructor Pilot (CSIP).

A Horizon Air Bombardier Q400 turboprop was stolen by an airline employee at Seattle’s SeaTac International airport and made an unauthorized takeoff. Horizon is a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group. During a 75-minute flight, the plane made some aerobatic maneuvers, was chased by two Air National Guard F-15Cs, and crashed on Ketron Island in Puget Sound.

See:

• Stolen Dash-8 Makes an Unauthorized Takeoff at SeaTac
• Plane stolen from Seattle airport chased by fighter jets
• Passengers Report Stolen SeaTac Plane, Grounded Flights

And:

Todd Curtis interviewed by BBC 5 Live Radio about the crash of Horizon Air Q400

https://youtu.be/X2_hbOlx7JM

A full-scale model of the UK’s new Tempest fighter jet was displayed at Farnborough this year. It’s being called a 6th generation fighter with two engines and twin vertical stabilizers, not unlike the F-22. The UK’s Ministry of Defense plans on spending $2.6 billion to develop the plane through 2025. Then a decision will be made to proceed with a 2035 rollout.

A new Harvard University study published in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology has found that carbon dioxide concentrations in the cockpit can affect pilot performance. Current regulations don’t address fresh air in airline flight decks and the impact of carbon dioxide on safety. The article is Airplane pilot flight performance on 21 maneuvers in a flight simulator under varying carbon dioxide concentrations.

CAPA, the Centre for Aviation, says, “Data for the US and the UK indicate that just over 4% of airline pilots are women.”

• 7.0% of all US FAA pilot airline pilot certificates are held by women, while 4.4% of US airline pilots and 4.3% of UK airline pilots are women.
• Women pilots’ share is growing but by less than 1ppt over a decade.
• Among global airlines surveyed by the International Society of Women Airline Pilots, the US big three have the highest number of women pilots.
• IndiGo has the highest percentage of women pilots, with 13.9%.

The ICAO Global Aviation Gender Summit was held August 8-10, 2018 in Cape Town.

The 1986 Air Carrier Access Act prohibits discrimination based on disability in air travel. New twin-aisle planes are required to have a wheelchair accessible lavatory. Single-aisle planes have no such requirement. The Paralyzed Veterans of America organization has filed a lawsuit against the United States Department of Transportation.

From the press release: Paralyzed Veterans of America Sues Department of Transportation For Unlawful Delay of Rule Intended to Make Airline Restrooms Accessible for Travelers With Disabilities:

“…on behalf of Paralyzed Veterans of America, Democracy Forward challenged the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for its unjustified and unlawful delay in issuing rules intended to make airplane restrooms accessible for travelers with disabilities.”

Airplane Geeks reporter-at-large Launchpad Marzari presents his findings on the fatal crash.

• Vintage plane crash in Switzerland kills all 20 people on board, with video of the crash scene.
• Valkyrie Hitler Plane Scene from the 2008 Tom Cruise movie Valkyrie.
• Valkyrie on the Internet Movie Plane Database (IMPDB)
• Rare Junkers JU52 at this summer’s Oshkosh, a 2012 article in General Aviation News.
• Alle 20 Insassen der Ju-52 bei Absturz ums Leben gekommen
• Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board (STSB) home page
• Aviation Safety Network accident description
• JU-AIR Technical Data of our 4 JU-52

Airplane Geeks contributor-at-large Micah brings us two interviews from the event: Shawn Moody and Ed Thompson.

Aviation Week’s Check 6 podcast (Darpa’s Space Shakeup) with Fred Kennedy, the director of DARPA’s Tactical Technology Office.

Air Warriors and Mighty Planes on the Smithsonian Channel.

Outtro by Bruno Misonne from The Sound of Flaps.