The Dash 7, as it's typically referred to, is an aircraft used as a regional airliner. The Dash 7 is powered by four Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-50 Turbprop Engines. This aircraft is also known for its short take-off and landing, or STOL, performance. Development and First Flight Prior to the success of the Dash [...]
Are greener skies on the horizon for travelers? Looks like it! NASA recently confirmed jet engines that use biofuels produce fewer aerosol particle emissions in their exhaust trails. Aviation produces 2.5% of the world’s carbon emissions so this can have a big impact on the environment and the airlines. Alternative Fuel Effects on Contrails and Cruise [...]
Remember when in 1984 NASA and the FAA got together and intentionally crashed a B-720 aircraft in the name of airplane safety? Well, they’re back at it again—because who doesn’t like intentionally crashing stuff? Recently, NASA and the FAA put 10 crash test dummies to the test to help develop new crashworthiness guidelines for the future of [...]
In a world of fabric-and-wood, be metal. Hugo Junkers (1859-1935)©MP/Leemage The Junkers F.13 was one of the most advanced aircraft of its time. Developed in Germany at the end of WWI, this advanced cantilever-wing monoplane was the first ever all-metal transport aircraft. It was also Junker's first commercial aircraft--not too shabby considering they would go [...]
Let’s face it: no one likes going to the airport and dealing with security. Sure, we understand that it’s important and necessary and we’re grateful for it, but that doesn’t make it any easier to deal with. You never know what to expect when you go to an airport anymore: are you going to get [...]
Singer, songwriter, actor and activist John Denver was also a pilot during his time. If you don't know who John Denver is, I'd be surprised. This man is a music legend. Of the nearly 300 songs he recorded and released, he wrote about 200 of them himself. I've always been a fan of his music. A [...]
I’ve written about the Battle of Britain before where I mentioned that 500 of the Royal Air Force (RAF) pilots were from other countries, including Ireland. Many of those pilots flew Supermarine Spitfires, and one particular Irish pilot was very well known for his Spitfire flying abilities. They called him Spitfire Paddy. The Supermarine Spitfire [...]
Move over, No-Shave November. If you have an Air Force man in your life, maybe you've been wondering why he's suddenly decided to start nurturing a caterpillar above his upper lip. Maybe he was born with it--or maybe it's just Mustache March. When the Mustaches March Along The month of March. We all know that [...]
One of my favorite parts of flying is getting the meal. I know that a lot of people would frown down on me or just laugh in my face, but it’s always amazed me how much food they keep packed up and ready to serve on any given flight. And, personally, I never had a [...]
Nicknamed the HammerHead, the P.1HH looks like a mythical beast flying through the sky; and, naturally, it’s status in modern aviation is a mysterious one, indeed. The “P” stands for Piaggio Aerospace, the multinational aeronautical engineers headquartered in — you guessed it — Italy. Piaggio, though lesser known in the states than some American manufacturers, [...]
