New FAA Rule Prohibits Former Inspectors From Taking Jobs With Airlines For 2 Years

In a recent announcement the FAA confirmed that a new rule has been enacted which specifically prohibits any former FAA Safety Inspector from working for an airline which they had previously been responsible for inspecting. While this does begin to address the issue of close relationships between airlines and FAA inspectors, there is much more that needs to be done in order to fix the problems which have become prevalent in recent years. This rule has been developed in direct response to the lack of inspections done on Southwest Airlines fleet of aircraft.

In that particular situation it was determined that a close relationship between the Southwest safety official and the FAA inspector in charge of handling Southwest’s inspections resulted in a breakdown in the system. As safety inspections are a significant expense for any airline, the less frequently they are done the more money is saved. In this situation it was determined that if the inspections were done at appropriate intervals the problems with the Southwest 737s would have come to light before an in air incident. In this case Southwest Airlines had hired an individual who left his position with the FAA to work with Southwest. Because he had a close relationship with many of the managers and inspectors with the FAA he used this to persuade them to not carry out the necessary inspections. While the new rule is intended to prevent this type of situation, the fact remains that there is an obvious moral and ethical problem within the FAA to allow this to happen in the first place.

As an FAA Inspector, whether or not you have a close personal relationship with an individual working at an airline should not have an impact on your job. These individuals are in charge of the safety of millions of people every year and this is a tremendous responsibility. As such, there is an obvious degree of professionalism which should inherently come with the position. By adopting this new rule the FAA is basically stating that they cannot trust their employees to act in a professional manner and put personal relationships aside. This does not bode well for the FAA and is a sign of the poor overall management quality of the organization. It is interesting to note that the new rule only prohibits former inspectors from working for airlines which they directly worked with in their role with the FAA.

This essentially means that an individual who is a former inspector could work for any airline they did not oversee, before the so called “cooling off” period of 2 years. In this situation they would still have the close relationships with the individuals still working at the FAA and could attempt to use this to benefit their new employer. With this in mind it appears that this rule is nothing more than an attempt to establish a new meaningless regulation that makes it look as though they are taking the matter seriously. It is disheartening that an agency tasked with ensuring the safety of the flying public would even have to write a rule which discourages former employees from trying to leverage their past relationships in an attempt to forgo necessary inspections.

Another issue which was recently addressed by the FAA was the implementation of new safety guidelines regarding the mandatory installation and use of anti-icing devices. The new rule requires aircraft under 60,000 pounds to have ice sensors installed or require airlines operating these aircraft to remind pilots to switch on anti-icing controls much earlier than previously issued guidelines required. Members of the National Transportation Safety Board have been trying to get these rules enacted for years, but some are disappointed that the new regulation does not take further steps to prevent icing problems. As it stands the new rules only apply to aircraft operated by airlines and do not apply to aircraft which weigh more than 60,000 pounds. Safety officials with the NTSB state that these requirements should apply to all aircraft regardless of who owns them and who is operating them.

The new rule relating to FAA safety inspectors is an unfortunate sign of the times we currently live in and how corruption is around us everywhere. The situation involving the lack of inspections for Southwest Airlines fortunately did not result in any loss of life, but it surely could have been the case. The complete disregard for the public’s safety is an unspeakable act committed by the individuals at the FAA who allowed these aircraft to continue operating without having the necessary inspections completed. In fact, these inspectors were responsible for allowing some 60,000 flights to take place without the proper safety inspections. This is a blatant abuse of their position and should have resulted in immediate termination for the individuals involved. Whether or not this is the case cannot be determined as the FAA has not released the name of the individuals involved. The only thing we can do now is to look forward and hope that the current inspectors have learned a valuable lesson from this situation.

Eurofighter Typhoon

The Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin engine supersonic multi-role combat fighter jet aircraft built by the holding company Eurofighter GmbH. The design and production were overseen by a combination of the following three companies: EADS, Alenia Aeronautica, and BAE Systems, while the overall project was managed by NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency. The project got underway in 1986 and models are still being produced today. There are different variations of the Typhoon being produced under what they refer to as “tranches”. Each of these tranches offers a unique set of capabilities that are designed for the end user in mind. The Eurofighter Typhoon is currently deployed by the following military entities: German Luftwaffe, British Royal Air Force, Italian Air Force, Spanish Air Force, Austrian Air Force and Royal Saudi Air Force. The countries of Japan, India, and Greece have also shown great interest in acquiring the Eurofighter Typhoon but no firm deals have been announced yet.

Design
The Eurofighter Typhoon features a canard-delta wing design which helps it to achieve incredible maneuverability at both low and high speeds. The aircraft was designed with a relaxed stability attitude for handling, which essentially means that the aircraft is always on the verge of being out of control and without constant input from the aircraft’s computer or operator this would occur. The F-16 was the first aircraft to feature this design, which at the time was a revolutionary way for designers to come up with an increasingly maneuverable aircraft. The Typhoon is equipped with quadruply redundant digital fly by wire systems which provide artificial stability control, as the pilot alone would not be able to manually compensate for the instability resulting from the relaxed stability design. The fly by wire system also prevents pilots from exceeding any of the aircraft’s performance and maneuver limits. The Eurofighter Typhoon also features dual independent hydraulic control systems to operate rudder, flaperons, foreplanes, canopy, and brakes. These systems are powered by a 4,000psi gearbox which is powered by the aircraft’s engines. The Typhoon features extensive use of lightweight composites, which make up approximately 82% of the aircraft and allow it to achieve a lifespan which is estimated to be 6,000 flying hours.

The Typhoon incorporates an extremely sophisticated defense system which can provide electronic counter measures as well as provide protection from air to air, surface to air, and laser guided missiles. The strength of this system comes from the fact that it can respond to multiple threats simultaneously and assess which threat poses the greatest risk, while responding accordingly. The Typhoon uses an all glass cockpit in combination with a wide angle heads up display (HUD) and helmet mounted symbology system. The aircraft comes with a standard G-suit which provides protection for the pilot, enabling them to perform maneuvers up to 9 g, while the German and Austrian Air Force pilots where a complete hydrostatic suit that provides additional protection for the pilots arms. This increased protection theoretically allows pilots to sustain a greater g force, but no official figures have been released regarding this.

The Eurofighter Typhoon is equipped with one Mauser BK-27 revolver cannon along with a total of 13 hard points which can accommodate a variety of weapons configurations. With a maximum speed of Mach 2, at altitude, and a supercruise speed of between Mach1.1-1.5 the Typhoon features impressive speed capabilities. It features a loaded weight of around 35,000 pounds and each engine features a maximum thrust of 13,000 pounds (20,000 pounds with afterburner). This power is provided by the twin Eurojet EJ200 afterburning turbofan engines.

Development
The Eurofighter Typhoon project was managed from Munich, Germany starting in 1986 by Eurofighter GmbH and at the time was known as the Eurofighter EFA. Later in 1992 the project was renamed EF2000 and later when completed took on the Eurofighter Typhoon moniker. The engine was to be developed by a consortium of several manufacturers, similar to the group undertaking the entire project. This group came to be known as EuroJet Turbo GmbH and consisted of Rolls Royce, MTU Aero Engines, FiatAvio, and ITP. When the project was initially proposed the production work was to be shared among the participating countries based on their projected proportion of aircraft needed. This resulted in Germany and the UK having 33% each, while Italy had 21% and Spain had 13%. This production percentage was to be overseen by the private companies representing each country.

The first flight of the prototype Typhoon took place in March of 1994 in Bavaria. Subsequent cold weather testing took place in Sweden starting in 2004, which was intended to test the aircraft’s handling characteristics in temperatures between -25 and 31 degrees Celsius. The first flight for the Typhoon tranche 2 model took place in January of 2008. To date there have been a total of over 260 Typhoon’s built and delivered, and the expected production summary is as follows: Tranche 1: 148, Tranche 2: 299, Tranche 3A: 112. Including development and production expenses, each aircraft is said to have a cost 125million pounds. The Eurofighter Typhoon is an example of how several nations can work together to produce a revolutionary aircraft through collaboration and sharing of technology.

Boeing and Airbus Foresee Strong Growth In Asian Market

Recent press releases by both Airbus and Boeing reveal that both aircraft manufacturers are still predicting strong long term and short term growth in Asia. At a time when aircraft and airline demand is quite dismal in North America and parts of Europe, strong economic growth in Asia has resulted in demand going through the roof in this area of the world. This is mostly due to the shift in wealth that is taking place throughout the world, which has resulted in more people in Asia being able to afford traveling by air. As the economic prosperity of these countries continues to increase this demand for air travel will certainly follow, as flying is viewed in most areas as a luxury that is not affordable for most. The overall increase in wealth for the Asian region is not only resulting in increased demand for airlines but also for private aircraft as well.

This is good news for aircraft manufacturers, which are one of the most “international” business sectors in the world. There are few companies that can match the diverse customer base that both Airbus and Boeing rely upon. This means that even though the economic conditions in their respective countries are struggling, they can rely upon the strong position of the emerging economies in Asia. While this increased demand has been a blessing for both manufacturers, there are challenges that accompany this growth. For example, Boeing recently released information that states they anticipate a severe shortage of qualified pilots in most areas of Asia within the next 20 years.

It is no surprise that the majority of this demand will come from China, which is slated to need an additional 72,700 new pilots and 108,300 new technicians. This takes into account those who will be retiring as well as the new positions created due to increased demand. This is a staggering number that is troubling in a time when the prospect of being a pilot is not a very desirable job. While in the past pilots where given VIP treatment similar to a rock star, the days of glamorous travel are gone. As a whole we now view travel as a means to an end, rather than a experience all its own. There are a variety of reasons that have contributed to this change but the fact remains that becoming a pilot is not a job path sought out by the masses. This has resulted in Boeing undertaking efforts to entice young students into a path to becoming a pilot. These efforts are aimed at recruiting enough pilots to fill these positions in the next 20 years, in order to keep up with demand in the region. Boeing recognizes that no matter what the demand is, they will only get the orders for new aircraft if there are enough pilots to fly them.

It remains to be seen whether this shift in demand from North America and Western Europe to Asia is a short term event or the new reality. Either way it is important for both manufacturers to embrace this change in demand and react accordingly. Boeing’s efforts seem to be a logical response to an obvious issue they will be faced with in the future. The strong demand that is predicted in this region will hopefully be enough to sustain these manufacturers as the economic woes continue to hamper growth in the US and Western Europe.

Awesome Aviation Videos… Plus Some Awesome Music !!

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Does The New Airline Travelers “Bill of Rights” Go Too Far?

On August 23 the majority of the new rules proposed in what is being called the “Travelers Bill of Rights” took effect. This is yet another set of rules and regulations aimed at the already heavily regulated airline industry, which leaves one to wonder how many more regulations can possibly be imposed on the airlines. When it comes to safety it is an obvious necessity to have certain rules in place to protect passengers but if the government continues to impose such hefty regulations they may price the airlines out of business. There is no doubt that these additional rules and regulations will have an impact on the price of airline tickets. The question that is yet to be answered is how much of an impact will this have. This new set of regulations does provide a comprehensive set of consumer protections but at what cost? It has been proven throughout history that whenever an industry is overly regulated that it can result in devastating consequences for those businesses involved.

With the newly imposed rules, the maximum amount of compensation offered to travelers who are involuntarily bumped from a flight and experience a 1-2 hour delay is $650. The amount of actual compensation is equal to two times the one way ticket value and capped at $650, which is up from the previous cap of $400. For those who experience longer delays in the same situation, greater than 2 hours, the maximum amount of compensation is $1,300. This amount is calculated as four times the one way ticket value, with a maximum of $1,300, which was previously capped at $800. So what does all of this mean for the average traveler? As any business would do, the airlines attempt to recoup any fees or expenses that they feel will be forthcoming. This means that the fees that they anticipate paying out to customers will be priced back into future ticket sales. While this is just one small part of the ticket price equation, it does play a role. So consumers will likely end up paying more for their tickets, but getting more if they get bumped from a flight. That doesn’t seem to be a great step forward for passengers, as is being claimed by the Department of Transportation.

While there are some bright spots in this “Bill of Rights” such as making it mandatory for airlines to refund any fees for checking baggage that was lost, in addition to compensating passengers for the actual value of baggage. It only makes sense that if you are charged for a service that is not performed, you should get your money back. Since this is an additional fee on top of ticket prices this should not have any type of impact on ticket prices.

Another piece of these new regulations is to limit the amount of time an aircraft can spend on the tarmac to 3 hours for domestic flights and 4 hours for international flights. While the domestic rule had already been in place in larger airports, it is now in effect at all airports. The international rule of 4 hours just took effect with the other regulations. This has already had a substantial impact in reducing the amount of delayed flights but this comes at a cost to passengers. Now the airlines are so afraid of the potential penalties that they are simply canceling any flights that are going to have passengers waiting on the plane. This is one of those double edged sword rules that has had some positive impact but also some negatives. It comes down to whether you would prefer to wait it out on the plane and make it to your destination a few hours late or have your flight canceled and leave the next day.

No matter how you feel about these new rules it is indisputable that there will be economic consequences attached. There comes a point where businesses need to be allowed some control over how they operate and the airlines are losing more control every year. If consumers are unhappy with the way an airline operates they will choose a different one, adding more government regulations simply adds more government jobs and isn’t government already big enough?

Boeing Gets The Nod From FAA For Its Largest Aircraft Ever, The 747-8

After countless delays and numerous cost overruns the Boeing 747-8 has finally received approval from the FAA. The project initially got underway in 2005 with the goal of finishing in 2009 and was bogged down from the beginning as engineers had to put more effort into the already lagging 787 Dreamliner project. In addition to this the design underwent numerous design changes after the test flights began. These changes resulted in even more delays and pushed the entire process way behind schedule. The initial plan for this cargo jet project was to simply stretch the layout of the existing 747-400 aircraft. This plan consisted of adding two extensions to the fuselage, with the wings and remaining structure unchanged. Boeing decided to utilize the 787 style engine on the new aircraft for increased fuel efficiency, but this required changes to the wing in order to perform as expected.

Since this decision required the engineering team to totally redesign the wing it resulted in a much longer time frame than anticipated. The wingspan on the new 747-8 is a total of 225 feet which is 13 feet wider than the model used on the previous design. This ultimately resulted in some issues that were found on test flights. On the test flights it was discovered that there was excess vibration while operating at cruising speeds. While these vibrations were discovered to only be a nuisance, and nothing that compromised the safety of the aircraft, it was still another issue to be resolved. Another problem that was discovered during the many test flights was buffeting which occurred when the flaps were lowered during landing. However, this was a minor issue and was resolved by changing the settings of the flaps and did not require any structural alterations. The Boeing 747-8 was found to have much better handling at low speeds than expected, which helped with resolving the buffeting issue.

Test pilots who flew the 747-8 during the test phase of the project report that this model handles similar to the existing 747-400 models. Boeing reports that pilots who are certified to fly the 747-400 will only be required to have 3 days of training in order to fly the 747-8. While the new 747-8 was intended to have an advanced flight management computer system, problems in developing the new system resulted in the 747-8 being rolled out with the same flight management system as current 747 models. Boeing has plans to release an upgraded software package in the future which will add to the functionality of the current system.

With a total of $4 billion being spent thus far on developing the 747-8, Boeing is looking to recoup these costs as quickly as possible by increasing production of these models. They are currently producing approximately 1.5 units per month and they are planing to increase production to 2 units per month starting in early 2012. They have received a total of 78 orders for the 747-8 model and they are working on a separate model to accommodate passengers instead of freight.

McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet

The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is a multiple role fighter jet capable of achieving supersonic flight speeds and carrying out a mixed variety of missions. The aircraft features twin engines which give it the necessary power for carrier takeoffs, high performance maneuverability, and carrying a large munitions load. The F/A-18′s high thrust to weight ratio of nearly 1 allows the aircraft to perform near vertical ascents and high G turns, which can be crucial in combat scenarios. It can also fly at a maximum speed of Mach 1.8 allowing it to be used for a variety of roles. The standard armament for the F/A-18 is one M61 Vulcan cannon which holds 500+ 20mm rounds along with up to nine hard points which can be configured to hold a variety of weapons depending upon the specific mission. The F/A-18 design was heavily relied upon for the development of the larger, more powerful F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. The Super Hornet improved upon the F/A-18′s capabilities by allowing for a greater payload and longer range, thus improving the two areas which were viewed as the F/A-18′s weaknesses. Contrary to what the name suggests the Super Hornet was not intended to replace the F/A-18 but rather to complement it. The Super Hornet was actually developed with the goal of replacing the existing A-6 and F-14 Tomcat.

Design
The F/A-18 Hornet features twin General Electric F404 turbofan engines with afterburner and a thrust of 17,750 pounds per engine. The F/A-18A model is the standard single seat version of the aircraft while the F/A-18B model is a two seat version, both with similar characteristics and capabilities. The F/A-18 features a mid-wing design and leading edge extensions which allow the fighter jet to maintain a high degree of maneuverability even at high angles of attack. The leading edge extensions provide powerful vortices which allow the wings to generate lift when flying at high angles of attack, thus preventing stalls and allowing for greater performance. The great aerodynamic characteristics of the F/A-18 allow it to make extremely tight turns at both moderate and high speeds, making it a solid performer in air to air situations.

When originally built the F/A-18 was one of the first aircraft to feature a digital fly by wire control system with quadruple redundancy. It also features a multiple function heads up display which allows the pilot to switch between fighter roles, attack roles, or a combination of both. This allows pilots and commanders the versatility that is necessary when going into a battle situation where the situation is unknown. While previous fighter jets were either one or the other, attack or fighter, the F/A-18 essentially played the role of two aircraft. It also featured an advanced digital avionics suite, the first of its kind, which allowed for easy upgrades to newer systems. This is compared to previous models which required extensive work and physically swapping out instruments when new developments came along.

The F/A-18 was also designed to increase its availability by reducing down time for maintenance and repairs. With this in mind the engine was mounted to the aircraft with only ten contact points and uses standard tools and equipment for removal or installation. In the event that a new engine is needed, a crew of 4 are able to easily remove the engine in less than 20 minutes using standard tools. This has led to impressive availability percentages for the F/A-18 and it boasts an average time between failures which is three times longer than any other Navy strike aircraft. This was deemed an issue with the F-14 Tomcat and the A-6 Intruder, so great attention was paid to ensure it wouldn’t become an issue with the F/A-18.

Development
The F/A-18 Hornet was developed as a sort of hybrid model fighter jet as a result of two different design concepts being developed by the US Navy and Air Force. The combined results of the Navy’s Naval Fighter Attack Experimental program (VFAX) and the Air Force’s Lightweight Fighter program (LWF) were used to develop what would later be known as the F/A-18. McDonnell Douglas and Northrop Grumman worked together on the project, with much of the design coming from the Northrop YF-17, which was developed for the LWF program. Since McDonnell Douglas had more previous experience in developing carrier based aircraft they took the lead on the project, which essentially altered the YF-17 to be suitable for carrier based operations. Under this agreement McDonnell retained the right to manufacture the units for the Navy and Northrop had rights to sell a land based variant to ally nations.

The first F/A-18A was complete on September 13, 1978 and was first flown on November 18, 1978. The F/A-18 entered into operational service with both the Marines and Navy in early 1983. There were a total of 380 of the F/A-18A’s produced between 1980-1987, with production shifting to the F/A-18C variant in 1987. To date there have been a total of 1,480 F/A-18′s produced, including all variants. The aircraft is utilized by military forces throughout the world, from Malaysia to Australia and Kuwait to Finland and everywhere in between. The F/A-18′s most notable role is being the aircraft which is flown by the US Navy’s flight demonstration team the Blue Angels.

Boeing, Dassault, & Saab In Three Way Battle For Brazilian Fighter Jet Contract

The Brazilian government is negotiating with aircraft manufacturers Boeing, Dassault, & SAAB as part of their FX-2 fighter aircraft competition. This contract is potentially worth several billions of dollars and is therefore garnering major attention from all three of the manufacturing companies. While each manufacturer has unique advantages to offer, it seems likely that the contract will go to either Boeing or Dassault. The interesting part of Brazil’s FX-2 fighter aircraft competition program is the fact that they are not only interested in buying the actual fighter jets, but they are also demanding that the technology behind the aircraft be transferred to them.

This demand for a transfer of technology is certainly a complex matter that has executives at all three manufacturers working hard to come up with a viable solution. Brazil is leveraging the allure of a multi-billion dollar deal to help entice the manufacturers to essentially hand over the design technology used to build the fighter jets being sold. This will essentially allow Brazil to circumvent much of the research and development process in the future, if they are to start a fighter jet manufacturing program. With the impressive recent growth of the aviation industry in Brazil it is no wonder that they will be trying to develop a fighter aircraft manufacturing industry all their own. Now that the country has established a successful network of manufacturing companies for the civil aviation market, the step up to producing aircraft for military applications will be much easier to facilitate.

While none of the current military aircraft manufacturers are eager to hand over what amounts to years of research data, Brazil is putting them all on the spot. Boeing representatives recently held an event in Brazil to promote their offering for the FX-2 competition, which is a version of the F/A-18 Super Hornet. This event was coordinated by the head of Boeing’s Super Hornet program, Tom DeWald. He used the event as a way to gain popular support for the F/A-18 program and to educate the Brazilian public about what Boeing was going to bring to the table for this deal. In addition to simply building the aircraft for the military, Boeing states that they will help to bring jobs to the area and help with industrial planning & development. They stated that not only will the people of Brazil gain economic opportunities just from Boeing but also from their extensive number of suppliers.

The amount of time and effort that Boeing has spent to gain support for the sale of F/A-18 Super Hornets to Brazil shows that they are taking this deal seriously. Being the worldwide leader in the aerospace industry allows Boeing to bring more to the table as compared to the other competitors. The ultimate decision will likely come down to which manufacturer is willing to provide Brazil with the most extensive transfer of technology. It appears that the specifics of the actual jet being purchased may not be quite as important as the technology that Brazil is looking to gain. There is still a ways to go until anything is finalized, as the next step in the decision making process is not slated to take place until 2012. By that time it should be much clearer as to which company will be awarded this lucrative and interesting contract.

Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird

The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird is a supersonic long range reconnaissance aircraft that was developed from the Lockheed YF-12. When this was being developed it was classified as a top secret project and was undertaken by the now well know Lockheed Skunk Works. The SR-71 featured many advanced technologies and concepts that were primarily designed by Clarence Kelly Johnson. The aircraft set top speed records over Mach 3 when it first flew in the mid 1960s and these records still stand some 40 years later. This is a true testament to just how far ahead of the curve Lockheed Skunk Works was when developing the Blackbird. The supersonic aircraft was designed to fly at altitudes as high as 80,000 feet and with its dark coloring it was difficult to detect from the ground. The Blackbirds main defense was speed, as it was able to outrun just about any weapon that was fired upon it. There are documented cases where it accelerated to speeds above Mach 3 when a ground to air missile was fired at it and it was able to simply outrun the missile. Another impressive feature of the SR-71 is the fact that it is one of very few, if any, aircraft that was able to improve fuel efficiency the faster it flew. This was discovered by accident when on a reconnaissance mission pilots where fired at and had to fly at Mach 3+. After flying at this speed for a while to ensure they had outrun the missile the pilots discovered that they had actually used less fuel to cover the same distance as compared to flying at lower speeds. The SR-71 was also the first aircraft to employ stealth technologies in order to reduce the aircraft’s radar cross signature to help avoid detection by enemy forces. When compared to current stealth aircraft the SR-71 features many similarities in the visual characteristics and design elements found on both types of aircraft.

Design
The SR-71 Blackbird features an overall design that was completely unique when it was developed and has never been replicated. The extensive engineering that went into developing this aircraft is astounding, especially when you take into consideration the fact that computers were of limited use at the time. There were significant challenges faced by those designing the aircraft because of the high speed and high altitude at which the aircraft flew. The high speeds at which the SR-71 was to fly at were going to result in extremely high temperatures due to friction and other factors. To counter this the SR-71 was designed to be manufactured with a titanium airframe, which would withstand the stresses exerted as a result of these extreme conditions. The titanium was ironically bought from the USSR and to reduce suspicions they used many cover companies and elaborate stories to explain why the titanium was needed. The SR-71 utilized JP-7 fuel for a variety of reasons and with its high flash temperature it was also utilized as a coolant for the avionics. This process actually heated the JP-7 fuel to a higher temperature for better ignition. Another unique design element found on the Blackbird is the cone shaped “spike” at the front of each engine. These “spikes” actually had a significant role in helping the engines to perform at high speeds. They altered the extremely high pressure created when flying at such high speed and allowed the engines to function normally under these extreme conditions. The Blackbird was also one of the first aircraft to feature the use of chines around the nose and front portion of the fuselage. These chines were initially used to reduce the aircraft’s radar cross section, but it was later discovered that they also offered numerous aerodynamic advantages. They allowed for greater maneuverability, increased payload capacity, reduced landing speed, and other benefits. While there are certainly many other noteworthy design elements found on the SR-71 Blackbird, those found above are some of the most notable and they were far ahead of their time when introduced.

Development
The SR-71 was designed as a replacement for the U-2 after it was shot down over the USSR and it was obvious that the low speed of the U-2 was unacceptable for a reconnaissance aircraft. While the SR-71 was flown by the USAF it was actually developed for use by the CIA, as was the U-2. The initial models of the SR-71 were known as the A-12 while being designed by Clarence Johnson for Lockheed Skunk Works. The A-12 was first flown in Area 51 in April of 1962 and there were a total of thirteen A-12s built. The A-12 also flew missions over North Korea and Vietnam before they were retired a short while later in 1968. The A-12 evolved into the SR-71 with the first flight of the new Blackbird taking place on December 22, 1964. The existence of the newly designed aircraft was confirmed by President Johnson as a result of political pressure on July 25, 1964. Those at Lockheed Skunk Works where shocked at the announcement because all aspects of the program were deemed top secret when the president revealed the project. After it was confirmed to exist there were a total of 32 SR-71 Blackbirds built and they operated up until the official retirement in 1998. With the introduction of advanced satellite capabilities, as well as advanced UAVs, there was no need for an advanced reconnaissance aircraft thus ending the impressive reign of the SR-71 Blackbird.

Spirit Airlines No Frills Philosophy Paying Off

With the currently struggling economy and high fuel prices there are few airlines that are still making substantial profits, Spirit Airlines is one of those few. They have been consistently profitable, having turned a profit in every quarter of the last four years. This is an impressive feat considering that the last four years have probably been the worst years, economically speaking, of the last few decades. Prior to this point four years ago they were not turning a profit so it begs the question “what changed”. The answer to that is, the company hired Ben Baldanza as its CEO and they have never looked back since. Prior to Baldanza’s hiring the company struggled to turn a profit as the airline is a small company in an industry that is known for chewing up and spitting out this size of a company. The problem with the previous business model was that Spirit Airlines was trying to offer ticket prices that were middle of the road and service that matched. This strategy has proven to be disastrous for many airlines and would have likely led to Spirit’s demise had they continued down this path.

In 2006 when Baldanza took over they evaluated every aspect of the airline’s operations and decided to implement many radical changes. The initial strategy was to compete as an ultra low cost airline that focused solely on making a profit. Every decision was driven by the impact it would have on the bottom line, putting customer service at the back of the line as a priority. They decided that every effort would be made to offer the lowest price fares of any airline, which meant charging fees for things that were included with a base ticket price on other airlines. This method allows customers to choose what services they want and not end up paying for things that they don’t care about. For example, they charge customers for a bottle of water, which is included for free with most other airlines. This may not seem like a big deal but when you multiply the cost of a single bottle of water by the total number of passengers an airline carries in a year you will see that it adds up quickly.

Another move which helped Spirit Airlines achieve profitability is to always configure aircraft with the maximum amount of seating as possible. While other airlines will often have aircraft configured with less seats to give passengers a few extra inches of legroom, Spirit Airlines puts the most seats possible in every aircraft which allows them to charge lower fares. For example, if operating costs increase by $1,000 per flight and this is spread amongst more passengers it will obviously result in much less of an increase per passenger under this model. There are many people who feel nickel and dimed by all of the fees charged by airlines, but in the case of Spirit Airlines these fees are all optional. When you are charged a mandatory fuel surcharge fee it feels like you are being taken advantage of but when you have to pay for a bottle of water that you ask for it doesn’t seem as bad. The reason for this is because people view optional fees in a much more positive light when compared to mandatory fees.

The last four years of profitability at Spirit Airlines has proven that there is a market for ultra low cost carriers. This is because there are many people who don’t care about the little extras when flying and just want the cheapest fare possible. Spirit offers customers the ability for its customers to receive extra services, you just have to pay a fee. In an economy where funds are so scarce it is no wonder that they have done so well using this model. The only question now is whether this model will work when the economy improves, if it ever does. The way things look right now, we may never know.

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