Aviation

Welcome, President Bush

President Bush will be paying a visit to Robinson Helicopter in Torrance, California tomorrow. That’s about a mile and a half from our house. We’d like to go see and hear the President, but admission is by invitation only.

Bush to visit Torrance on Wednesday

r22President Bush will pay a visit to Robinson Helicopter Co. in Torrance on Wednesday as he urges Congress to pass three free trade agreements.

Bush will take a tour of the company, which is the world’s largest manufacturer of civilian helicopters, and deliver remarks to employees.

Robinson Helicopter posted a record year in 2007, largely on the strength of its exports to 55 countries. Much of that success is due to the declining value of the dollar, which makes American exports less expensive to foreign customers.

“We’re an unusual story because we’re not outsourcing everything,” said Kurt Robinson, a company vice president. “I think it’s pretty exciting that we get the president here. It’s fun to show off American manufacturing.”

In his State of the Union Address on Monday night, Bush urged Congress to approve trade deals with Colombia, Panama and South Korea, which would reduce or eliminate tariffs on American-made goods.

“These agreements will level the playing field,” Bush said. “They will give us better access to nearly 100 million customers. And they will support good jobs for the finest workers in the world: those whose products say ‘Made in the USA.'”

Read the article in the South Bay Daily Breeze.

Powered Flight – 104th Anniversary

A hundred and four years ago today, Orville and Wilbur Wright made their first flights from Kill Devil Hill, close to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Their history-making effort sparked the greatest period of technology in the United States and abroad.

I took my first flying lesson on December 16th, 1961, just a day short of their 58th anniversary. By then, the sound barrier had been broken, satellites were in orbit, the Russian, Yuri Gagarin had already orbited the Earth, and John Glenn would be in orbit within a couple of months. It was a great time to get into a career in aviation or aerospace.

First Flight

What makes Wilbur and Orville Wright’s achievement so significant is not only that it was the first time in history that a manned, powered aircraft completed a fully-controlled, sustained flight, but it proved to naysayers around the world that heavier-than-air flight was practical. After the Wrights proved their critics wrong, the field of aeronautical engineering was born. Governments, universities, and inventors soon began dedicating vast resources to understanding the science of flight and methods of building improved flying machines. In essence, every event and discovery in aviation either led up to or followed from the flight of the Wright Flyer, and it changed the way we live forever.

Image and text courtesy of AeroSpaceWeb.org.

Airbus Quality Workmanship

You might think that facing away from the blast fence and tying down to concrete-reinforced pad eyes would be precautions to take in case your AirBus jumps the chocks during engine run-up. But I guess they do things differently in France.

Via AP:

Emirates carrier denies Airbus injuries

busted airbusAn Airbus 340-600 lies on the tarmac at Toulouse Blagnac airport, southwestern France, Friday, Nov. 16, 2007. The aircraft slammed into a wall during engine tests on the ground on Thursday.

An Airbus spokesman also corrected the company’s statement late Thursday that seven employees of Etihad Airways were injured, saying they in fact worked for a firm contracted to test the plane.
 

hangoverTen people were injured Thursday during engine tests of an Airbus 340-600 near the southwestern French city of Toulouse shortly before the jet was scheduled to be delivered to Abu Dhabi-based Etihad. Airbus said nine people on board were injured, along with one person on the ground.

Airbus Chief Operating Officer Fabrice Bregier said late Thursday that seven Etihad employees were among the wounded. “It was normal for the client to be present on board the plane,” Bregier said.

You can click on each image to get a closer look.

A Special WWII Veteran

ca-proud-bird.jpgOn this Veterans Day of 2007, in addition to thanking all the veterans for their service, we wanted to recognize a special veteran, David Tallichet Jr. who recently passed away here in Southern California.

Image right: Proud Bird Restaurant – click for large view.

alvo-crew.jpgTallichet flew 20 missions over Europe in the second world war, and then came to California where he became a successful restauranteer and entrepreneur. He was best known for his Proud Bird Restaurant located right next to the final approach path at LAX. David also established Ports O’ Call Village in San Pedro, California, which is a nautical-themed collection of restaurants and shops.

Image courtesy 100th Bomb Group – Milton Alvo crew. Standing (left to right): Walter M. Gibson, Jr., Milton Alvo, David C. Tallichet II and Donald E. Israel, Kneeling: George I. Murray, Boleslaw V. Bitel, Farrell J. Davis, Woodrow W. Wilson and Leonard G. Woodruff. Click on the image for close-up view.

Read the complete article about the life of David C Tallichet, II, from the South Bay Daily Breeze:

Continue reading…

B2 Spirit

I found this photo in my archives and wanted to share it here. Little that I have done in my career in aerospace has made me prouder than to have been on the team that produced this magnificent aircraft.

b2_in_trail

Total Eclipse of the Sun – Sort of

blimp-total-eclipse.jpgWe were in the backyard today when the Goodyear Blimp passed overhead. That happens quite often here since the West Coast Blimp Operation is based in Carson, California, about three miles from our home.

solar-diamond-blimp.jpgThe unusual thing about this particular overhead pass, was the position of the sun behind the airship as it flew directly overhead. As the Blimp passed in front of the sun, we were engulfed in shadow for several seconds, enough to perceive a drop in temperature which would also occur during an actual solar eclipse.

I took several shots during the ‘eclipse’ that included totality and the ‘diamond ring’ effect. Luckily, I heard the Blimp, which has a distinctive sound, and grabbed the camera for this most unusual photo opportunity.

Click on each image to see the full-sized photos on the large image viewer.

This Day in History – Amelia Earhart Disappearance

It was 70 years ago today that aviatrix Amelia Earhart and co-pilot, Fred Noonan disappeared over the Pacific Ocean.

From WikiPedia:

amelia_earhart.jpgAmelia Mary Earhart (24 July 1897 – missing 2 July 1937, declared deceased 5 January 1939) was a noted American aviation pioneer and women’s rights advocate. Earhart was the first woman to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross, which she was awarded as the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. She set many other records, wrote best-selling books about her flying experiences and was instrumental in the formation of The Ninety-Nines, a women’s pilots’ organization.

Earhart disappeared over the central Pacific Ocean during an attempt to make a circumnavigational flight in 1937. Intense public fascination with her life, career and disappearance continues to this day.