Knoxville's McGhee Tyson Airport is a typical regional airport with a
notable exception. TYS' boasts two 9,000 foot runways, so it is capable
of handling any aircraft. TYS also is home to a substantial Air National
Guard base. An attractive renovation was completed in Fall, 2000
using authentic local stone to give it a local feel. TYS is served by
Allegiant, American Eagle, Continental Express, Northwest Airlink,
United Express, and US Airways Express. Allegiant's MD-80s are the
largest passenger airliners to serve TYS.
TYS has two concourses servicing its 8 airlines. It has an attractive
Smoky Mountains theme with waterfalls, a 115 foot stream, local rock
materials, and wood carvings of bears.
Owing to its proximity to the global HQ of Wal Mart, Northwest
Arkansas is a booming area. This area boasts a modern, busy airport
that is quite unusual for its small population. XNA is located located in
Highfill, Arkansas, near Bentonville, Rogers, Fayetteville, Springdale,
and Siloam Springs, Arkansas. It was a brand new airport when it
opened in 1998, replacing Fayetteville's Drake Field. American and
Eagle are the main operators here due to their contract with Wal-Mart.
Unusual for an airport of its size, it has non-stop service to both coasts
(Washington Reagan, Newark, New York Laguardia, and Los Angles),
in addition to airline's major hubs; and it has mainline service with
MD-80 flights to Dallas/Ft. Worth. American, American Eagle,
Continental Express, Delta Connection, Northwest Airlink, United
Express, and US Airways Express all serve XNA. A new concourse is
under construction to support all this booming passenger growth.
American even has a small maintenance hanger here.
American Eagle constitutes the bulk of American's service into XNA,
but they also operate a few mainline MD-80 flights per day here. Eagle
serves DFW, St Louis, Chicago O'Hare, Los Angeles, New York
Laguardia, and Washington Reagan from XNA. They are the largest
operator here.
Nashville International Airport is a busy, modern, user-friendly airport.
It first opened in 1937. The current terminal opened in 1987 but has
aged well. The airport code is BNA, which stands for the former airport
name, Berry Field Nashville. American had a hub here through the mid
1990s, even boasting a non-stop flight to London. While AA shut the
hub down it has still maintained a strong relatively strong schedule to
non-hub cities like New York Laguardia and Los Angeles. American also
has a large Admiral's Club here, relatively rare for a non-hub city.
However, Southwest has become the dominant carrier with almost
50% market share. BNA has 4 concourses. The largest concourse is
Concourse C, home to American and Southwest. Concourse D, a
commuter terminal, has been closed since shortly after 9/11. The only
passenger international flights now are to Cancun and Toronto though
China Airlines operates 747-400F cargo flights to Taiwan.
Nashville's largest concourse is Concourse C. BNA's dominant carriers
American, American Eagle, and Southwest operate from here. Midwest
and Air Canada Jazz operate from her as well. This concourse was
home of American's hub which closed in the mid-1990s. Parts of it are
still under-used. Concourse C is also home to American's Admirals
Club which was closed from 2001-2007, having recently reopened.
JetBlue began operation of the Embraer ERJ-190 in 2005. These
aircraft are supremely comfortable and wide, for an RJ. They are only
4 feet shorter, albeit much narrower, than JetBlue's Airbus A320s. The
ERJ-190 cabin feels almost as high, so there's no feeling of RJ
claustrophobia. JetBlue operates the ERJs on thinner routes and also
uses them to increase capacity and frequency on busier routes.
JetBlue's ERJ also feature the airline's famed LIVE TV DirecTV and XM
product. One especially noteworthy feature are the very large
windows, some of the largest windows on a commercial airliner today.
Apart from a semi-rough ride in turbulence and a narrow aisle, this is a
very comfortable aircraft.
4 years after it was announced, JetBlue opened its fabulous Terminal 5
"PeoplePort" in October, 2008. This is a highly functional Post 9/11
terminal of the 21st Century. JetBlue moved its entire operation from
the old, crowded adjacent Terminal 6 which is now closed. The new T5
was built on the former ramp of the old TWA Saarinen T5 Terminal
which as been preserved, but is yet to be opened. The new T5 terminal
was inexpensively and simply constructed by JFK standards. Most
ticketing is done via electronic check-in terminals, flanking a massive
multi-channel security checkpoint. Past the TSA checkpoint is a 200
foot long bench for passengers to get collect themselves, contributing
to good flow. Upon exiting security, a massive shopping and dining
concourse awaits with 9 full-service restaurants, 6 bars and lounges,
and numerous shops. The restaurant and bars are not the typical
chains you'd expect at an airport. The 55,000 square foot Marketplace
is crowned by a 43 screen Digital Signage Ring displaying dynamic
footage on Manhattan. There are also unique risers for people
watching in the midst of it all. There are 3 concourses. Each feature an
industry first product called Revive which is a computer display at each
of the terminal's 26 gates allowing for food ordering and deliveries
directly to the gate. The concourse also boast a Fisher Price Play Space
and "Just Ask Counters". With the new Terminal 5, JetBlue's innovation
in the air has extended to the ground experience with this brilliant
showplace.
The TWA Terminal 5 Saarinen Building opened in 1961 and operated
until the TWA/AA merger in 2001. It is an architectural masterpiece.
The "Gullwing" gives the terminal the look of a giant wing. Actual
tunnels connected the main building to Flight Centers 1 and 2. The
Flight Centers were demolished when the new JetBlue T6 was built
where its ramp used to be. As beautiful as it is, T5 was a cramped and
ineffective design almost form the moment it opened. TWA had to take
space in the adjacent T6 for a number of years. Though not open
currently with its use still undecided, this terminal is being preserved
as it is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is now the oldest
originally standing terminal at JFK with the demolition of American's
Terminal 8.
JetBlue's 26 gate Terminal 5 at JFK was built on the grounds of the old
TWA Flight Center Ramp. For a time, a temporary terminal was
erected adjacent to its then terminal at T6. These pictures were taken
in the Summer of 2008 when the new T5 was just a few months from
opening.
Emirates operates a daily flight from JFK to Dubai which departs in the
late evening. As of 2008, it was the only A380 service into JFK. This
flagship route was Emirate's first A380 service. Emirates was the first
airline to order the Airbus A380, yet the second to operate it.
Opa Locka Airport, located a few miles north of Miami International is
a general aviation airport, but also home to many operating vintage
airliners hauling freight today. A number of airplanes are also scrapped
here. It is truly the successor to MIA's "Corrosion Corner".
See shots of those scrapped airliners at
http://airchive.com/html/scrapped/1/opa-locka-florida/13
The DC-7 was the ultimate propliner of the Golden Age of Aviation.
This 1957 era Douglas DC-7B is owned by Juan Carlos Gomez of
Legendary Airlines. He is also the owner of a number of DC-7s and DC6s that still operate today hauling freight to the Caribbean and Latin
America. This DC-7 sat for almost 30 years in Minneapolis before being
ferried to Florida in 2004. As of 2008, it is being restored in Eastern
Airline's 1950s Golden Falcon colors to become the world's only flying
passenger DC-7. The plan is to operate charters and perhaps
scheduled flights with this beautiful and rare aircraft. For more
information on how you can be a part of this wonderful cause go to
www.legendaryairliners.com
Special thanks for the tour to: Dave Cardenas and Michael Corlett at
LAX
American and Qantas are the exclusive operators at Terminal 4.
Terminal 4 has 14 gates. It was built in 1961 and in 2001 was
renovated at a cost of $400 million in order to improve the appearance
and functionality of the terminal.
Special thanks for the tour to: Dave Cardenas and Michael Corlett at
LAX
Alaska Airlines operates from Terminal 3, along with Horizon, V
Australia, and Virgin America. This was originally TWA's terminal. It
has 13 gates and opened in 1961. This 737 commemorates Alaska's
new service to Hawaii from Seattle.
Special thanks for the tour to: Dave Cardenas and Michael Corlett at
LAX
Alaska Airlines operates from Terminal 3, along with Horizon, V
Australia, and Virgin America. This was originally TWA's terminal. It
has 13 gates and opened in 1961. This 737 commemorates Alaska's
partnership with Disneyland and the Make A Wish Foundation.
Special thanks for the tour to: Dave Cardenas and Michael Corlett at
LAX
Continental at one time had a large operation at LAX. Now, flights are
limited to Hawaii and CO's hubs at Newark, Houston, and Cleveaand.
It was headquartered at LAX until its takeover by Texas Air
Corporation in 1982. It shortly thereafter moved HQ to Houston.
Special thanks for the tour to: Dave Cardenas and Michael Corlett at
LAX
Continental at one time had a large operation at LAX. Now, flights are
limited to Hawaii and CO's hubs at Newark, Houston, and Cleveland. It
was headquartered at LAX until its takeover by Texas Air Corporation
in 1982. It shortly thereafter moved HQ to Houston. Continental
operates from terminal 6, which it shares with Frontier, AirTran, Copa,
Spirit, Sun Country, and United.
Special thanks for the tour to: Dave Cardenas and Michael Corlett at
LAX
CO is one of 2 US airlines that operates the Boeing 757-300, the other
being Northwest/Delta.
Continental at one time had a large operation at LAX. Now, flights are
limited to Hawaii and CO's hubs at Newark, Houston, and Clevealnd. It
was headquartered at LAX until its takeover by Texas Air Corporation
in 1982. It shortly thereafter moved HQ to Houston. Continental
operates from terminal 6, which it shares with Frontier, AirTran, Copa,
Spirit, Sun Country, and United.
Special thanks for the tour to: Dave Cardenas and Michael Corlett at
LAX
Continental was headquartered at LAX until its takeover by Texas Air
Corporation in 1982. It shortly thereafter moved HQ to Houston. The
old pre-1968 logo has been preserved on this building at the
southwest end of the airfield. Incidentally, Los Angeles was
Continental's 3rd HQ after Denver and El Paso.
Special thanks for the tour to: Dave Cardenas and Michael Corlett at
LAX
This is seen at the western edge of the airport. Notice how clean it is
as most landings are from the east due to the prevailing westerly offshore winds from the Pacific Ocean. Believe it or not, at one time,
there were homes on these bluffs.
Special thanks for the tour to: Dave Cardenas and Michael Corlett at
LAX
Delta operates from Terminal 5. Terminal 5 was built in 1961 and
renovated in 1987. It was originally the location of Los Angeles based
Western Airlines, but became Delta's terminal when the two airlines
merged in 1987. The terminal was promoted as the "Delta Oasis" for
its then modern and bright design complete with Palm Trees. It looks
very 1980s in my view. Delta also shares the terminal with SkyTeam
partners Aeromexico, Air Jamaica, and Alitalia.
Special thanks for the tour to: Dave Cardenas and Michael Corlett at
LAX
This is seen in the new 2007 "Widget Redux" livery.
Special thanks for the tour to: Dave Cardenas and Michael Corlett at
LAX
This 777-300 is operated by Taiwan based Eva Air. Eva was only
founded in the early 1990s and is challenging China Air for market
share to Taiwan.
The plane is seen at The Tom Bradley International Terminal. Located
in the middle of the Central Terminal "horseshoe" between T3 and T4,
TBIT was opened just in time for the 1984 Olympics. After 25 years, it
is undergoing major renovation due to be completed in 2040. This is
intended to make LAX more competitive with San Francisco whose
2001 era International Terminal has been threatening LAX's lead as
the US' gateway to Asia.
Special thanks for the tour to: Dave Cardenas and Michael Corlett at
LAX
FedEx is one of the last US operators of the venerable Boeing 727.
FedEx LAX facility is located on Sepulveda Blvd on the southern fringe
of the airport.
Special thanks for the tour to: Dave Cardenas and Michael Corlett at
LAX
FedEx is one of the last US operators of the venerable DC-10. It added
a glass cockpit, along with other improvements, and renamed them
MD-10s. FedEx LAX facility is located on Sepulveda Blvd on the
southern fringe of the airport.
Special thanks for the tour to: Dave Cardenas and Michael Corlett at
LAX
Hawaiian operates 767-300s exclusively on its trans-Pacific routes. It
formerly operated DC-10s and L1011s on these routes. Though it
code-shares with American, Hawaiian operates from LAX's Terminal 2.
Terminal 2, built in 1961, was the original international terminal until
TBIT was built. It was completely rebuilt and reopened in 1984. Air
Canada, Air China, Air France, Air New Zealand, Avianca, Hawaiian,
KLM, Northwest (until the merger with Delta), Taca, Virgin Atlantic,
Virgin America, and WestJet operate from here.
Special thanks for the tour to: Dave Cardenas and Michael Corlett at
LAX
Korean operates 777s and 747s to Seoul from LAX. Korean is a
member of Delta's SkyTeam Alliance. It has improved safety and
service standards massively over the years after poor performance
during late 1990s. Lufthansa assisted largely with this effort.
The plane is seen at The Tom Bradley International Terminal. Located
in the middle of the Central Terminal "horseshoe" between T3 and T4,
TBIT was opened just in time for the 1984 Olympics. After 25 years, it
is undergoing major renovation due to be completed in 2010. This is
intended to make LAX more competitive with San Francisco whose
2001 era International Terminal has been threatening LAX's lead as
the US' gateway to Asia.
Special thanks for the tour to: Dave Cardenas and Michael Corlett at
LAX
This air-to-air refueling aircraft is a very unusual visitor to LAX who
has no military or National Guard operations.
Special thanks for the tour to: Dave Cardenas and Michael Corlett at
LAX
One Word alliance affiliated Lan is Latin America's most successful
mainline airline. It was once known as LAN Chile after its home
country but has become almost a pan Latin carrier with affiliates and
service in other South American countries.
This plane is seen at one of LAX's Satellite Gates. These were built in
the mid 1990s to help with the overflow. Most flights at these gates
are international flights with passengers bussed over from TBIT.
Special thanks for the tour to: Dave Cardenas and Michael Corlett at
LAX
Milwaukee based Midwest has replaced all of its MD-81, 82s, and 88s
in favor of Boeing 717-200s, Embraer ERJ-170s, and CRJ-200s. This
example was sitting in wait at LAX in November, 2008.
Special thanks for the tour to: Dave Cardenas and Michael Corlett at
LAX
I snapped these top secret pictures in the LAX cargo area, just after it
was unloaded for the LA Auto Show. At this point, the Electric Mini
hadn't been unveiled to the world press.
Special thanks for the tour to: Dave Cardenas and Michael Corlett at
LAX
This Northwest Airbus A319, looking like an A318, was at the FBO
presumably on charter.
Special thanks for the tour to: Dave Cardenas and Michael Corlett at
LAX
Polar Air Cargo is an all freight airline based at New York JFK. Founded
in 1993 by Southern Air Transport and GECAS, it is now owned by
Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings. Polar provides scheduled freight service
covering the transpacific, transatlantic, transasia, South Pacific, Middle
East and South American markets. Polar offers frequent flights to
China, connecting Shanghai to New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami,
South America and multiple points in Asia and Europe.
Special thanks for the tour to: Dave Cardenas and Michael Corlett at
LAX
Most of Qantas flights at LAX originate at TBIT, with the exception of a
code-share with American which operates out of T4. The Airbus A380
service originates at TBIT.
The plane is seen at The Tom Bradley International Terminal. Located
in the middle of the Central Terminal "horseshoe" between T3 and T4,
TBIT was opened just in time for the 1984 Olympics. After 25 years, it
is undergoing major renovation due to be completed in 2010. This is
intended to make LAX more competitive with San Francisco whose
2001 era International Terminal has been threatening LAX's lead as
the US' gateway to Asia.
Special thanks for the tour to: Dave Cardenas and Michael Corlett at
LAX
American and Qantas are the exclusive operators at Terminal 4.
Terminal 4 has 14 gates. It was built in 1961 and in 2001 was
renovated at a cost of $400 million in order to improve the appearance
and functionality of the terminal. Most of Quantas' flights (including
the A380) are at TBIT but 1 code-share with American per day is at
T4. This is sometimes an Airbus A330 substituted in.
Special thanks for the tour to: Dave Cardenas and Michael Corlett at
LAX
Southwest has numerous special liveries applied to its 737s. One of
the newest is "Illinois One" commemorating Southwest's dominant
position at Chicago Midway. Southwest began service to LAX way back
in 1982.
Southwest operates, along with rival USAirways, from Terminal 1.
Terminal 1 has the most gates of any terminal at LAX. It was opened
in 1984 in time for the LA Olympics. T1 is the first terminal on the
horseshoe drive as you enter LAX.
Special thanks for the tour to: Dave Cardenas and Michael Corlett at
LAX
Alaska Airlines operates from Terminal 3, along with Horizon, V
Australia, and Virgin America. This was originally TWA's terminal. It
has 13 gates and opened in 1961.
Special thanks for the tour to: Dave Cardenas and Michael Corlett at
LAX
Terminal 2, built in 1961, was the original international terminal until
TBIT was built. It was completely rebuilt and reopened in 1984. Air
Canada, Air China, Air France, Air New Zealand, Avianca, Hawaiian,
KLM, Northwest (until the merger with Delta), Taca, Virgin Atlantic,
Virgin America, and WestJet operate from here.
Special thanks for the tour to: Dave Cardenas and Michael Corlett at
LAX
This is the passageway underneathThe Tom Bradley International
Terminal. Located in the middle of the Central Terminal "horseshoe"
between T3 and T4, TBIT was opened just in time for the 1984
Olympics. After 25 years, it is undergoing major renovation due to be
completed in 2010. This is intended to make LAX more competitive
with San Francisco whose 2001 era International Terminal has been
threatening LAX's lead as the US' gateway to Asia.
Special thanks for the tour to: Dave Cardenas and Michael Corlett at
LAX
Ted was United's low cost carrier, initially designed to compete with
Frontier and other LCC's. Ted, which launched on February 23, 2004,
had 57 Airbus A320s at its peak. The flights were all economy, but
lacked many of the ammenities of Frontier and JetBlue such as live TV.
It's crews were from United mainline so it didn't have any real cost
advantages over the mainline. The primary hub was at Denver with
focus cities at Chicago O'Hare, Washington Dulles, and San Francisco.
It replaced mainline flights to leisure destinations such as Florida and
Las Vegas. Ted was folded back into United mainline in January, 2009
a few months after this photo was taken. It continued the tradition of
failure by legacy airlines to establish LCC brands: United Shuttle,
Delta's Song, Continental Light, and USAirways MetroJet.
Special thanks for the tour to: Dave Cardenas and Michael Corlett at
LAX
Built as a restaurant and observation deck in 1961, the iconic Theme
Building was open but undergoing its second year of a major structural
refurbishment when this picture was taken in November, 2008. The
ATC Tower opened in 1996. It is 277 foot (84 m) tall air.
Special thanks for the tour to: Dave Cardenas and Michael Corlett at
LAX
United has significantly paired down its 747 fleet over the years. Now,
they are limited to ultra long haul flights to Asia.
Special thanks for the tour to: Dave Cardenas and Michael Corlett at
LAX
United shares Terminal 6 with other airlines but it is the exclusive
airline at Terminal 7. T7, has 11 gates, and is still very similar
externally to the way it looked at its 1961 opening at curbside and the
satellite rotunda gates. United also operates some of its Express flights
from the 1988 era Terminal 8.
Special thanks for the tour to: Dave Cardenas and Michael Corlett at
LAX
United operates some of its Express flights from the 1988 era Terminal
8.
Special thanks for the tour to: Dave Cardenas and Michael Corlett at
LAX
The registration reveals this USAirways A320 was formerly operated by
senior merger partner, America West. USAirways and America West
both operated at Terminal 1 at LAX, before the 2005 merger.
Special thanks for the tour to: Dave Cardenas and Michael Corlett at
LAX
Over 10 years after its less than illustrious July 1998 opening, Hong
Kong's Chep Lak Kok Air continues to impress. It and Kuala Lumpur
Airport were the first wave of the New Asian Airports that have opened
since. It routinely wins "World's Best Airport" Awards by Skytrax and
other surveys. Terminal 1 is the 3rd largest airport passenger terminal
after Dubai T3 and Bejing T3. Terminal 1 is the hub of hometown
carriers Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong Express, and Dragonair. It is the
home of most of the major world airlines. Terminal 2, opened in 2007,
is a check-in only terminal. CLK was designed by the same British
architects who designed Beijing's Terminal 3 and London Heathrow's
new T5. These images were taken in December, 2008, 9 years after
Airchive's last visit to Hong Kong. Still I must confess, I am
sentimental for the cramped, single runway Kai Tak and the "Lion's
Rock Turn".
Special Thanks to: Malcom Bird
Virgin America operates trans-con flights to New York City JFK and
Washington Dulles from LAX. The San Francisco based carrier's sites
are clearly aimed at JetBlue with an even more upscale two-class
cabin. Virgin America launched in August, 2007.
Special thanks for the tour to: Dave Cardenas and Michael Corlett at
LAX
Cathay Pacific operates one of the most massive premium class
lounges in the world, The Wing. The Wing features a Business First
Class Lounge and Business Class Lounge. The pictured Business Class
Lounge features a GameZone, The Long Bar, and the delicious Noodle
Bar. This is a can't miss for One World passengers transiting through
Hong Kong.
Special Thanks to: Malcom Bird
Cathay Pacific operates a fleet of 32 Airbus A330-300s on regional
Asian and some Australian flights. Cathay began acquiring the 330s in
1994 to replace their venerable Lockheed L1011s. CX is the world's
largest operator of the A330. It was also in 1994 that Cathay
introduced their new Landor designed "Caligraphy Stroke" image.
Special Thanks to: Malcom Bird
This Cathay Pacific Boeing 747-400 is seen on the ramp at Hong Kong
Terminal 1. CX began operation of the 747-400 in 1990 on its flights to
London and San Francisco. At this time, they have 23 of these Rolls
Royce powered whales on strength. Actually, CX has an all Rolls Royce
powered fleet. Cathay introduced the Boeing 747 to its fleet back in
1979 to inaugurate the hard fought non-stops to London. The 747 is
expected to remain the flagship of the fleet for a while as the airline
hasn't ordered and 747-8s or A380s. It is seen on the ramp at Hong
Kong CLK.
Special Thanks to: Malcom Bird
Paris Charles De Gualle International Airport is Europe's busiest airport in terms of
aircraft movements and the world's busiest. It is the hub of Air France and a Euro
hub for Delta...2 of the world's top 5 airlines. Paris CDG opened in 1974 at Roisy,
replacing Orly Airport as Paris' primary airport.
The futuristic Terminal 1 was quite shocking when it opened. It consists of a central
"Flying Saucer" 10 level building with 7 satellite airside terminals eminating from it
like spokes from a hub via underground walkways. The center of the airport is a
giant skylight which passengers traverse through tubes on their way to their flights.
Though architecturally fascinating, the terminal in practice is cramped and
awkward to navigate for passengers who must traverse multiple levels, gangways,
and sidewalks to reach their flight. Future terminals at CDG would be much more
conventional in design if not architecture. T1 was the only terminal at CDG until well
into the 1980s.
Originally occupied by Air France, T1 is home to many international airlines such as
Air China, Aer Linguis, Air Baltic, Asiana, SN Brussels, Continental, Lufthansa,
Olympic, PIA, Singapore, Swiss, TAM Brazil, United, US Airways, Turkish and many
others.
The Airbus A340-600, which entered service in 2002, is still the world's longest
airliner. It competes with the Boeing 777-300, a battle it is losing, but has managed
to replace many 747 Classics for airlines such as Virgin, Lufthansa, Iberia, and Air
France.
Paris Charles De Gualle International Airport is Europe's busiest airport in terms of
aircraft movements and the world's busiest. It is the hub of Air France and a Euro
hub for Delta...2 of the world's top 5 airlines. Paris CDG opened in 1974 at Roisy,
replacing Orly Airport as Paris' primary airport.
CDG Terminal 2 (the largest complex at CDG) is divided into 7 terminals: A-G. 2A-2D
were the original conventional 1980s era terminals which were designed as a more
practical successor to T1. 2E-2G are the ultra-modern terminals which opened
beginning in the early 2000s. These were where the U2 video "Beautiful Day' was
filmed just prior to the opening. Terminal 2E is notorious for its partial collapse in
2004 which claimed the lives of 4 people and was eventually demolished and rebuilt
by 2007. 2E through 2G are the focal points for future expansion now underway.
Air France's (and KLM's) hub is at 2C through 2G. Other airlines operating at
Terminal 2 include Japan, Korean, LAN, Ethiad, Delta, Air Canada, American,
Aeroflot, Emirates, Saudi Arabian, Tarom, Oman, Royal Jordanian, and XL.
Paris Charles De Gualle International Airport is Europe's busiest airport in terms of
aircraft movements and the world's busiest. It is the hub of Air France and a Euro
hub for Delta...2 of the world's top 5 airlines. Paris CDG opened in 1974 at Roisy,
replacing Orly Airport as Paris' primary airport.
As the LCC's proliferated in Europe in the late 1990s and 2000s, CDG was losing
business to other airports in the area including Orly and those further afield. Much
like Singapore Airport, ADP constructed a low cost, low frills terminal exclusively for
Low Cost Carriers. The very stark and utilitarian Terminal 3 is in direct contrast to
the modern and lavish Terminal 3. T3 isn't even connected in the terminal to the
CDGVAL train, requiring a 900 foot walk outside and across a busy street to get to
the station. T3 is served by Air Méditerranée, Air Transat, Smart Wings, Tunisair,
Vueling, XL Airways France, and Nikki. Ironically one of the original LCC's, EasyJet
operates from 2B.
nassau
This is the new 247,000 square foot U.S. Departures Terminal. This is Stage 1 of 3
Stages of renovation. The plans include a renovation of the current U.S. terminal to
be the new U.S./International arrivals terminal. Stage 3 will be a domestic terminal.
Miami
The final addition to Miami's North Concourse, the exclusive home provence of
American Airlines, opened in late 2010. This section completes this massive project
which began in the early part of the decade. The North Concourse was the subject of
major cost over-runs, delays, and controversies when American Airlines initially
managed the problem. The new airport director and his team turned the troubled
project around when its construction was recaptured by Miami Dade County. It
resulted in the temporary closure of Terminal A for over 2 years, and the demolition
of Terminals B & C.
This American Airlines Boeing 737-800 is seen on final take-off roll from the North
Runway 27 in front of the now complete MIA American Airlines Concourse D.
American was the exclusive user for the time being of Concourse E which is divided
between "High" and "Low" gates by a train. These terminals were built in the mid
1970s and first used by Eastern. American has since moved over to Concourse D.
Concourse F was originally used by Pan Am when it was built in the 1970s. United
moved in when they took over Pan Am's Latin American services in the 1990s and
created the short-lived hub. UA dissolved the hub in 2004 and for a time didn't even
serve Miami with its mainline carrier, leaving those services to TED and United
Express partners. It was also used as Iberia's hub until that too was shutdown.
Currently, Aeromexico, Alaska, British Airways, Santa Barbara Airlines, and Vision
operate from here as of 2010.
Nine months into flight testing of the Boeing 787 in September 2010, the Dreamliner
made its first visit to South Florida's Ft Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
The aircraft made 3 sorties to South Texas and back during its 3 day stay. N787BX is
significant in that it was the first 787 with a partial passenger interior and the first
to fly internationally, dispatched to the Farnborough International Air Show in July,
2010. This aircraft, also known as ZA003, was the third 787 off the line and third to
join the test program.
Nearly 5 years after the tragic crash that led to the demise of Chalk's International
Airlines, seaplanes have returned to the former Watson Island Miami base with this
Grumman G-21A Goose - registered to Dinca Inc.
Dallas Love Airport is undergoing its first major renovation in 30 years with new
ticketing and baggage halls and a new concourse due by 2013. Airchive visited DAL
in September, 2010 and photographed the new plans as well as the original
terminal. With the final sunset of the Wright Amendment in 2014, Southwest and
other airlines will be able to serve all states non-stop in the Continental U.S. with
none of the passenger capacity limitations that exist now. However, the gates and
slots have been capped as part of the compromise to restrain growth. As part of the
end of Wright, rules not allowing through-ticketing to non-adjacent states have been
discontinued. In addition, nonstop flights to Alabama and Mississippi but curiously
not Colorado, are now allowed with no passenger capacity restrictions. Southwest
remains the dominant carrier with limited Delta Comair and Continental/United
Express flights. Until the opening of DFW in 1974, DAL was the main airport for
Dallas and Ft. Worth.
The Dallas Love Mockingbird Lane Terminal opened in 1958. Until DFW's opening in
1974, it was the main airport for Dallas. All airlines including Braniff whose
headquarters and maintenance remained here, moved to DFW except for Southwest
who remains the dominant carrier here today.
By 2010, Alaska had become a highly profitable airline serving destinations from
Hawaii to the East Coast to Mexico, with Hawaii responsible for 15% of the airline's
revenue after 3 short years. The airline flies an all Boeing 737 fleet.
This is the route map combining Frontier and Midwest Airlines route map at the
time of the takeover and merger of both carriers by Indianapolis based Republic Air.
At this point, the former Frontier hub of Denver and former Milwaukee hub of
Midwest were under attack by Southwest.
Terminal 3, opened in 1991. Most Skyteam and Oneworld airlines serving Pearson
operate out of Terminal 3, along with most airlines that are not affiliated with an
airline alliance such as WestJet. Terminal 3 has 39 gates: A1–A6, B7–B22 and C24–
C41. It has been expanded several times in 2004, 2006, and 2008.
Special Thanks to: Joel Mena
This cutaway of a circa 1974 Boeing 747 is the pride and joy of the Airchive model
collection. It was painstakingly restored over the course of 3 years by Roger and
Carol Jarman's excellent team at Atlantic Models. This model arrived in such a
shambles that they were forced to fabricate many pieces such as the seats
themselves.
The 2010 Farnborough Air Show was noteworthy for its optimistic tone, record
sales announcements, daily fly by's courtesy of the Airbus A380, and the first
international appearance by the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
Lihue Airport located on the island of Kauai is served by American, Delta, United,
and USAirways who all use Boeing 757-200s. Alaska and WestJet use Boeing 737800s. Hawaiian uses Boeing 717-200s. Go! Moulele uses CRJ-200s. This is one of rare
jet airports not to see service from Airbus A320s. Lihue is typical of Hawaiian
airports with its open-air curbside and airside operations. This airport was severely
damaged in 1992 with the onslaught of Hurricane Iniki
Special thanks for the photos to: Ashley Bowling Kraska
Since the demise of Miami based Chalk's in 2005, Seattle is the mecca for floatplane
operations. Kenmore Air the last large scale remaining seaplane airline with
regularly scheduled service in the Continental U.S. Its headquartered on Kenmore
Harbor near Seattle, but operates scheduled and charter seaplane and land plane
service to destinations throughout western Washington and southwestern British
Columbia, as well as seaplane "flightseeing" flights around Seattle from its Lake
Union base near downtown. Kenmore was founded in 1946. It operates the
following seaplanes: Cessna 180s, 2 turbo deHavilland DHC-2 Beavers, 8 original
DHC-2 Beavers, 6 deHavilland Turbine Otters, and 2 SuperCubs. One of the Turbine
Otters, sports a flashy promotional scheme from the local NBC-TV Station KING-TV.
Kenmore also operates 4 Cessna 208 Caravan's as land planes from Boeing field.
Terminal 2 was opened in 1962 as the home of Northeast Airlines, Braniff and
Northwest Airlines. After the Delta's takeover of Northeast Airlines in 1972,
Braniff's bankruptcy in 1982, and Delta's takeover of Northwest, the building was
taken over by Delta Air Lines. This terminal was known as the most frugal terminal
at JFK, yet ironically will be the longest lasting when Delta plans to connect T2 with
T4 once it moves int'l operations into T4 and demolishes T3.
Terminal 3 was built as the Worldport in 1960 for Pan American, and substantially
expanded for the introduction of the 747 in 1970 with a new pier. When Delta took
over for the bankrupt Pan Am, Delta took over the entire terminal, and has a
connector to Terminal 2, its other terminal at JFK. Terminal 3 has 16 jetway
equipped gates: 1–10, 12, 14–18, some of which were originally connected by ramps
underneath the canopy in the pre-jetbridge era. This terminal was also noteworthy
for the parking lot on top of the terminal. Terminal 3, though historic, is woefully
crowded, ineffecient, and therefore inadequate for New York JFK's #1 international
carrier Delta.
Unlike TWA's historic Terminal 5, In August, 2010, a 1.2 billion dollar project was
announced which would expand T4 into which Delta would move its current T3
operations, demolish T3 immediately following Terminal 4's expansion in 2013 and
construct a connector between T2 and T4 for Delta transfers. T3 would be entirely
demolished in 2015, including the 'flying saucer' roof, after the T4 expansion is
completed. Terminal 2, though lacking any real sort of flair or design remains
somewhat functional with domestic and Canadian routes operating mostly here.
Delta, who had not been a Boeing 747 operator, since the mid 1970s, became a 747
operator in a big way at the time of the 2008 acquistion of Northwest. Northwest's
main 747 service at the time of the merger was New York JFK to NWA's Tokyo
Narita hub. Delta has shifted many of the 747s to other routes such as South
America, but the JFK-NRT route remains.
Terminal 4 is the major gateway for international arrivals at JFK, replacing the
original International Arrivals Building (IAB)), Opened in 2001, the new terminal
replaced the IAB which opened in 1957. Terminal 4 has 17 gates in two concourses:
A2-A7, B20, B22-B31. The number of gates will be expanded for all of Delta Air Lines
international flights to be operated from Terminal 4, beginning in 2013.
Airchive visits Paris' secondary, but fascinating airport, Paris-Orly in July, 2010.
With its extensive services to Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East, Orly
makes for fascinating Plane Spotting.
Paris Orly opened to commercial traffic in 1946 as Paris' second major airport after
Le Bourget. By 1952, Air France transferred to Orly from Le Bourget. O. It would
remain Paris' main airport until Charles de Gaulle Airport's opening at Roissy in
1974. It has flights to cities to Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Caribbean, North
America and Southeast Asia with largely charter and second tier airlines. Orly
remains the busiest French airport for domestic traffic and the second busiest
French airport overall in terms of passenger boardings. The two terminals are
connected by a light rail system, Orly-Val. Of note, Orly was the first destination for
the Caravelle
Orly is divided into 2 terminals separated by The South Terminal is built in a classic
glass curtain modernism style which was very current in the late 1950s. Today it
still retains much of the same appearance, including the avant-guarde control tower.
The Orly-South terminal was opened in 1961 by General Charles de Gaulle. Orly Sud
is home to Air Algerie, Air Asia X, Air Berlin, Air Ivory, Air Mali, Corsair, Cubana, Iran
Air, Royal Air Moroc, Transavia France, Jets4You, and Tunisair. Orly was home to the
first Boeing 747 arrival in France, flown by Pan Am.
Orly's second terminal, Orly West opened in 1971. It feels more cramped and less
user friendly in some ways than the original terminal, Orly South. This terminal is
served by Air France for principally domestic and African service. Air Inter at one
time hubbed here before Air France took it over in 1991. Other airlines at Orly Ouest
include Air Europa, Air Corsica, Air Malta, Alitalia, Air One, Iberia, Tap Air Portugal,
and Vueling.
The massive Madrid-Barajas Terminal 4 is one of the world's most architectually
striking airports and is also one of the world's largest. It Spain's largest and busiest
airport, and as of 2008 was the world's 11th busiest airport and Europe's fourth.
Airchive visited in July, 2010. It is home to the Madrid-Barcelona route, known as
Puente Aereo, which is the busiest route in Europe. Iberia and its LCC subsidiary
Vueling are headquartered here with the pair accounting for over 60% of traffic.
Madrid-Barajas opened in 1927, but it was 1957 when the airport came of age with
the construction of T2, the National Terminal. These would be expanded to 3
terminals throughout the 1980s and 1990s until Construction on T4 began in 2000.
Currently T3 is home to all Sky Team and Star Alliance terminals.
Terminal 4 is one of the world's largest airport terminals in terms of area,
(8,180,572 square feet) in separate landside and airside structures. It consists of a
main building, T4 and a satellite building, T4S which are approximately 1.5 miles
apart separated by light rail. T4, which opened in 2006, is home to Iberia, Vueling,
partner British Airways, and all One World Alliance carriers. With the opening of T4
came 2 more runways. In 2008, Conde Nast Traveler Reader Awards named Barajas
"Best Airport".
The airport is connected by rail with Madrid's City Center Station.
The National Terminal, currently T2, began construction in 1954, and was
inaugurated later that year. T2 airlines inclue Air Berlin, Air Europa, Air France, Air
Baltic, Alitalia, Brussels, KLM, LOT Polish, Lufthansa, Scandinavian, and Tap
Portugal.
In 1999 the new South Dock opened, which signified an expansion of the
international terminal. At this time, the nomenclature of the terminals changed: The
south dock and most of the International Terminal were now called T1, the rest of
the International Terminal and Domestic Terminal were now called T2 and the
north dock was called T3. T1 and T3 are served by non One-World Airlines such as
Aeroflot, Aerolineas Argentinas, , Aeromexico, Air Algerie, Air China, Air Europa, Air
transat, Continental, Cubana, Delta, EasyJet, Egyptair, Gereman Wings, Iberworld,
Korean, Niki, Qatar, Ryan Air, Saudi Arabian, Spaniar, Tam Brazil, Wizz Air, and US
Airways.
Barcelona El Prat Airport is Spain's #2 Airport behind Madrid Barajas. El Prat is the
main hub for Spanair and Vueling and a focus city for Air Europa and Iberia. It is the
#1 airport in the Spanish state of Catalonia. El Prat mainly serves domestic,
European and North African destinations, with limited flights to Southeast Asia,
Latin America and North America. cheduled commercial service began in 1927 with
an Iberia service to Madrid Cuatro Vientos Airport. This was Iberia's first route.
In 1948, a runway was built and in the same year the first overseas service was
operated by Pan American World Airways to New York City, using a Lockheed
Constellation. In 1963 the airport reached one million passengers a year. A new
control tower was built in 1965 and the terminal was rebuilt in 1968, which is part
of Terminal 2B. On 3 August 1970, Pan American World Airways began regular
service between Barcelona, Lisbon and New York, operated by a Boeing 747. On 4
November of the same year, Iberia began the "Air-shuttle" service between
Barcelona and Madrid-Barajas. A few years later, in 1976, a terminal was built
specifically for Iberia's air-shuttle service.
From the late seventies to the early nineties the airport was stalled in traffic and
investments until the 1992 Summer Olympics held in Barcelona. El Prat underwent
a major development consisting in the modernization and expansion of the existing
terminal (terminal B) and the construction of the other two (A and C terminals)
which included jetways for direct access to the aircraft. The new control tower
opened in 1996.
The Barcelona-Madrid air shuttle service, known as the "Puente Aéreo" (in Spanish),
or "Pont Aeri" (in Catalan) literally "Air Bridge", was the world's busiest route until
2008. The schedule has tapered off when a Madrid-Barcelona high-speed rail line
was opened, covering the distance in 2 hours 40 minutes.
The new terminal T1 was inaugurated in June 2009. It has 50 jetways, 168 check-in
counters, and is used by most carriers including Adria, Aegean, Aeroflot,
Aeromexico, Aerolineas Argentinas, Air Algerie, Air Canada, Air Europa, Air France,
Alitalia, American, British Airways, Continental, Croatia, Czech, El Air, Finnaie,
Iberia, Iberworld, KLM, Lufthansa, Royal Air Moroco, Royal Jordanian, Singapore,
Swiss, Tap Portugal, Tunisair, Turkish, Ukraine, US Airways, and major hub carrier
Vueling.
Terminal 2 occupants include Aer Lingus, Air Berlin, Aer Transat, Akria Israel,
EasyJet, Jet4You, Jet2, Malev, Nikki, Pakistan, Qatar, Ryanair, Transavia, and Wizz
Air.
Vueling serves destinations in Europe and the western Mediterranean. It is also the
second largest airline in Spain after Iberia. It is based at Barcelona El Prat. Vueling is
owned by Iberia and is its Low cost carrier, even competing with Iberia on
numerous routes. Vueling began flying in 2004 and purchased competitor Clickair in
2007. Vueling, though successful, has been often criticized for its flight crew, surly
service, and very tight seat pitch. The webmaster experienced this first hand in July,
2010 on a flight between Barcelona El Prat and Paris Orly. Vueling flies soley Airbus
A320s.
Iberia has an excellent domestic service with 32" of seat pitch even in economy...a
major improvement over the 29" seat pitch of sister LCC carrier Vueling. Iberia is
now an all all-Airbus carrier.
American took delivery of their first new Boeing 737, in 1998 as a Dash 800. It had
flown used Dash 300s from the 1986 takeover of AirCal. The 737-800s are steadily
replacing the MD-80s and are being refitted with new interiors with tighter seat
pitch. AA is now one of the world's largest 737-800 operators with Delta.
American operates the Boeing 777s from LAX to Miami, Japan, and Europe. The
flagship of the fleet, they began replacing the McDonnell Douglas MD-11s in 1999.
This Boeing 747-400F, B-2460 msn 24348, was delivered to Beijing based Air China
in September, 1990 as a passenger airliner. It was converted to a freighter in the
mid 2000s. Reportedly even as freighters these elderly 747-400F's are only worth
$15-20 Million.
Continental and Northwest/Delta are the only U.S. operators of the stretch Boeing
757-300 which entered service in early 1999. In July 2009, there were 55 Boeing
757-300 aircraft in airline service with Continental Airlines (21), Delta Air Lines
(16), Condor Airlines (13), Arkia Israel Airlines (2), Thomas Cook Airlines (2) and
Icelandair (1).
This Continental example will be rebranded as United in 2011 as the
Continental/United merger takes place. The Boeing 757 was discontinued in 2004,
replaced largely by the Boeing 737-900s on the low end. The Dash 300 was not a
successful program, but on the high end will be replaced by the Boeing 787-800.
N310NW was a very early Airbus A320-200 delivered originally to Northwest in
October, 1990. It is now part of the approximately 120 Airbus A319/320s in the
Delta fleet. Some of these older A320s are due for replacement.
N930FR is one of 38 Airbus A319s operated by Frontier. Frontier operats 7 of the
larger Airbus A320s as of 2011, and 5 of the smaller Airbus A318s as of 2011.
Republic purchased Frontier and Midwest Airlines in 2009 with the Frontier brand
surviving. Frontier operates from Terminal 3 at LAX.
Korean operates 10 Boeing 777-300s and 777-300ERs. Korean serves São PauloGuarulhos, Seoul-Incheon, and Tokyo-Narita from LAX using 747-400s, 777-200s
and 777-300s.
Qantas operates to Sydney, Auckland, Melbourne, and Brisbane from LAX. Airbus
A380s have begun to replace the Boeing 747-400s, though following the November,
2010 engine explosion incident of the Airbus A380s, the 747-400s have returned en
masse. Qantas flights tend to arrive in the morning and depart in the evening with
off-gate storage on the Southwest part of the airfield. Most Qantas flights depart
from Tom Bradley, but a few depart from American's Terminal 4. The Longreach
badge commemorates the Queensland town where Qantas was founded.
This United Boeing 767-300 is seen in the 1993 livery as late as October, 2010.
United introduced its new livery in 2004 so this plane has long been out of the paint
shop. The 767-300 will be repainted in the new Continental/United hybrid livery
following the 2011-12 merger. United is the top carrier out of LAX.
This site, location of the former American Eagle Terminal and American
Maintenance Hanger, will be the almost mile-long concourse of the Tom Bradley
International Terminal Midfield Satellite Concourse. It will be connected to the main
TBIT airside terminal by a bridge capable of clearing an Airbus A380. It is due to
open is 2012. Eventual plans call for a 2nd parallel concourse.
Terminal 3 opened in 1961 and was Trans World Airlines' terminal. For a time, it
formerly housed some American flights after acquiring Reno and TWA in 1999 and
2001, respectively, then moved all American flights to Terminal 4 when it was
rebuilt in 2001. As of October-2010, AirTran Airways, Alaska Airlines, JetBlue , V
Australia and Virgin America are the primary tenants of Terminal 3. AirTran will
move when the Southwest merger is finalized. Alaska will be moving to Delta's
Terminal 5. This terminal is in fairly original condition, including the underground
connector which remains in operation.
Terminal 6 has 14 gates accomodating Continental and United. Parts of this terminal
have changed little from its opening in 1961, though there originally was an
underground connector. In 1979, new gates were expanded from the main building,
as is obvious from the rotunda at the end. Continental was headquartered at Los
Angeles and this was their main hub until the 1982 move to Houston. United and
Delta lease some gates here with both terminals connected to Terminal 6. T6's
location next to United's Terminal 7 and 8 is fortuitous as Continental and United
merge.
Terminal 7 has 11 gates exclusively dedicated to United, LA's #1 airline by
destinations. This terminal opened in 1962. The terminal was renovated between
1997 and 1999 and has the United Red Carpet Club and International First Class
Lounge. It is adjacent to Terminal 8 which was built for United Express in 1988 and
joined by Shuttle by United. Some Mainline flights operate out of Terminal 8, along
with some regional flights.
United's Terminal 7 is adjacent and connected to Continental's Terminal 6 which
will be very advantageous when the Continental / United merger is complete.
Denver
Denver International Airport, DIA, is by land size the third largest airport in the
world, and the largest in the U.S. It is the 10th busiest airport in the world by
passenger traffic with 3 major airlines vying for bragging rights in order of traffic:
United (DIA is its 4th largest post-merger hub and was 2nd behind ORD before the
merger), Frontier, and Southwest (who only returned in 2005 and is now using DIA
as a focus city). In addition, regional Great Lakes Airlines uses DIA as a hub.
DIA opened 18 months late on February 28, 1995 amidst great controversy, delays,
and cost over runs ($2 billion over budget) principally due to the now abandoned
automatic baggage system. Since finally replacing the congested Stapleton, Its
unique architecture, user friendliness, and 6 runways have made it a passenger
favorite and operationally efficient airport in the face of the tough weather in the
Denver area. DIA is located far east of the city in a sparsely populated area in the
Front Plains.
The airport has a midfield configuration similar to Atlanta Hartsfield. Landside
operations are located in the Jeppesen Terminal, named after aviation safety
pioneer Elrey Jeppesen. The terminal is separated into west and east terminals for
passenger drop off and pickup. The airport's iconic white tensile fiberglass roof is
aesthetically designed to be reminiscent of the snow-capped Rocky Mountains in
winter. The central security and shopping area is bathed in natural light, but
ironically the ticketing areas themselves are dark and low ceilinged.
The central area of the airport houses two security screening areas as well as a large
fountain and exits from the underground train system. The north side of the
Jeppesen Terminal contains a third security screening area and a segregated
immigration and customs area.
Passengers are routed first to airline ticket counters or kiosks for checking in. Since
all gates at Denver are in the midfied concourses, passengers must pass through any
one of the three separate security screening areas for admittance into the secure air
side of the airport (one at each end of the main terminal, with escalators down to
the trains, plus one at the end of the walkway to Concourse A). After leaving the
main terminal via the train or pedestrian bridge so called Lorenzo's Bridge,
passengers can access 95 full-service gates on 3 separate concourses (A, B, & C), plus
gates for regional flights. There is a new $600 million terminal under construction
adjacent to the current Jeppesen Terminal that will house a railway station that will
link DIA to downtown Denver and hotel by 2016.
Concourse A has 37 Gates and is used by all international airlines and international
arrivals. It is used by British Airways, Aeromexico, Air Canada, and Lufthansa.
Denver is one of the busiest airports worldwide with only limited international
operations. Frontier, DIA's #2 carrier, American, AirTran, Alaska, and JetBlue
operate from here as well. It is connected to the main terminal by a bridge called
"Lorenzo's Bridge" which though rarely used as such can accomodate an airplane up
to A320 size underneath. It is so named as Continental was a hub carrier at
Stapleton and insisted on the close end Concourse A at DIA. Instead CO closed its
hub with the move to DIA.
Concourse B has 77 gates and is exclusively used by United and its merger partner,
Continental and current Star Alliance member, US Airways. Concourse B is the
longest concourse at DIA. Concourse B is connected via train to the other concourses
and the Jeppesen landside terminal.
Further afield is Concourse C with 22 gates. Southwest, DIA's #3 carrier, is the main
occupant here but Delta and Delta Connection operate from here as well. There are
plans available to expand Concourses A & C as well as build new Concourses D & E
should traffic require it. Concourse C is connected via train to the other concourses
and the Jeppesen landside terminal.
Frontier is the #2 carrier at Denver. It has since been purchased by Republic and
merged with Midwestern, gaining hub/focus cities at Milwaukee and Kansas City.
Airbus A319s comprise the bulk of the fleet with a few A320s and A318s operating
as well. Frontier has an excellent inflight service with quality food to order, leather
seats, GoGo internet, DirecTV, and the famous chocolate cookie inherited from
Midwest on all of its aircraft. It began operations with 3 Boeing 737-200s in 1994.
Lufthansa and British Airways are the only 2 European airlines operating at DIA.
Lufthansa operates a daily service to Frankfurt which connects with fellow Star
Alliance member, United's massive Denver hub. All international flights arrive and
most depart at Concourse A.
Airbus A319s comprise the bulk of the fleet with a few A320s and A318s operating
as well. Frontier has an excellent inflight service with quality food to order, leather
seats, GoGo internet, DirecTV, and the famous chocolate cookie inherited from
Midwest on all of its aircraft. It began operations with 3 Boeing 737-200s in 1994. It
is well known for the animal that adorn the tails of its aircraft.
Alaska's Boeing 737-400s, despite their age, have been mostly upgraded with GoGo
inflight internet and quite comfortable leather seats with 32" pitch in economy and
36-37" in first.
Alaska's Boeing 737-800s have been upgraded with GoGo inflight internet and quite
comfortable leather seats with 32" pitch in economy and 36-37" in first. Alaska
operates 700s, 800s, 900s, and 900ERs. The 800s are used on the long-haul Hawaii
routes as well as the flight this was taken on Miami-Seattle which is the longest
domestic flight in the Continental United States.
Alaska also offers their "home grown" digEplayers complimentary in first class and
for rent in economy. Alaska Airlines is recognized by the World Airline
Entertainment Association (WAEA) as having an "historic first" in Inflight
entertainment by introducing in October 2003 the first portable, hard-drive based,
audio-video-on-demand (AVOD) players that deliver a variety of film, TV, games,
information, and audio programs. It was conceived and brought to market by an
Alaska Airlines baggage handler named Bill Boyer Jr.
Alaska offers their "home grown" IFE digEplayers complimentary in first class and
for rent in economy. Alaska Airlines is recognized by the World Airline
Entertainment Association (WAEA) as having an "historic first" in Inflight
entertainment by introducing in October 2003 the first portable, hard-drive based,
audio-video-on-demand (AVOD) players that deliver a variety of film, TV, games,
information, and audio programs. It was conceived and brought to market by an
Alaska Airlines baggage handler named Bill Boyer Jr.
Seattle
Seattle/Tacoma International Airport opened in 1947 as commercial flights
transferred from Boeing Airport. Sea-Tac has 3 parallel runways that run
North/South. It has a Central Terminal building with 4 concourses (A,B, C, and D)
and 2 satellite terminals (North and South) connected by an underground light rail.
Sea-Tac is the primary hub for Alaska Airlines, whose headquarters is located near
the airport, and its regional subsidiary Horizon Air. It is unusual for being the largest
metropolitan area in the U.S. to not having a hub or focus operation by a major or
legacy carrier. This is largely due to Alaska and Horizon's dominance of the market
which total almost 50%. Southwest, United, and Delta are distant runner-ups but
Southwest can never be counted out.
Besides international service provided by Delta and United to Asia and Alaska to
Mexico, international airlines include Air Canada, Air Canada Jazz, Air France, British
Airways, Asiana, EVA, Hainan, Icelandair, Lufthansa, and Korean all serve here.
Curiously no Japanese airlines fly to SeaTac though ANA is evaluating it. Other
airlines evaluating SeaTac include Virgin, Emirates, and V Australia.
A new control tower was constructed for Sea-Tac beginning in 2001, and brought
into service November 2004, at a cost of $26 million.The tower's overall height
including antennas is 269 ft. SeaTac's original control tower, built in the 1950s, is
now located on top of the airport's passenger terminal and used as a ground control
tower.
Seattle/Tacoma International Airport opened in 1947 as commercial flights
transferred from Boeing Airport. Sea-Tac has 3 parallel runways that run
North/South. It has a Central Terminal building with 4 concourses (A,B, C, and D)
and 2 satellite terminals (North and South) connected by an underground light rail.
Sea-Tac is the primary hub for Alaska Airlines, whose headquarters is located near
the airport, and its regional subsidiary Horizon Air. It is unusual for being the largest
metropolitan area in the U.S. to not having a hub or focus operation by a major or
legacy carrier. This is largely due to Alaska and Horizon's dominance of the market
which total almost 50%. Southwest, United, and Delta are distant runner-ups but
Southwest can never be counted out.
American, AirTran, Frontier, Hawaiian, JetBlue, Southwest, USAirways, and Virgin
Atlantic operate from Concourse A. This concourse has 14 gates.
Seattle/Tacoma International Airport opened in 1947 as commercial flights
transferred from Boeing Airport. Sea-Tac has 3 parallel runways that run
North/South. It has a Central Terminal building with 4 concourses (A,B, C, and D)
and 2 satellite terminals (North and South) connected by an underground light rail.
Sea-Tac is the primary hub for Alaska Airlines, whose headquarters is located near
the airport, and its regional subsidiary Horizon Air. It is unusual for being the largest
metropolitan area in the U.S. to not having a hub or focus operation by a major or
legacy carrier. This is largely due to Alaska and Horizon's dominance of the market
which total almost 50%. Southwest, United, and Delta are distant runner-ups but
Southwest can never be counted out.
Concourse has 13 gates occupied by Continental/United and Southwest.
Seattle/Tacoma International Airport opened in 1947 as commercial flights
transferred from Boeing Airport. Sea-Tac has 3 parallel runways that run
North/South. It has a Central Terminal building with 4 concourses (A,B, C, and D)
and 2 satellite terminals (North and South) connected by an underground light rail.
Sea-Tac is the primary hub for Alaska Airlines, whose headquarters is located near
the airport, and its regional subsidiary Horizon Air. It is unusual for being the largest
metropolitan area in the U.S. to not having a hub or focus operation by a major or
legacy carrier. This is largely due to Alaska and Horizon's dominance of the market
which total almost 50%. Southwest, United, and Delta are distant runner-ups but
Southwest can never be counted out.
Concourse C has 13 gates and 12 tarmac parking positions. It is exclusively the
provence of Seattle's hometown airlines, Alaska and Horizon. Alaska also occupied
Concourse D and the North Satellite.
Seattle/Tacoma International Airport opened in 1947 as commercial flights
transferred from Boeing Airport. Sea-Tac has 3 parallel runways that run
North/South. It has a Central Terminal building with 4 concourses (A,B, C, and D)
and 2 satellite terminals (North and South) connected by an underground light rail.
Sea-Tac is the primary hub for Alaska Airlines, whose headquarters is located near
the airport, and its regional subsidiary Horizon Air. It is unusual for being the largest
metropolitan area in the U.S. to not having a hub or focus operation by a major or
legacy carrier. This is largely due to Alaska and Horizon's dominance of the market
which total almost 50%. Southwest, United, and Delta are distant runner-ups but
Southwest can never be counted out.
Concourse D's 12 gates are exclusively used by Seattle's hometown carrier, Alaska.
Alaska also operates from Concourse C and the North Satellite.
Seattle/Tacoma International Airport opened in 1947 as commercial flights
transferred from Boeing Airport. Sea-Tac has 3 parallel runways that run
North/South. It has a Central Terminal building with 4 concourses (A,B, C, and D)
and 2 satellite terminals (North and South) connected by an underground light rail.
Sea-Tac is the primary hub for Alaska Airlines, whose headquarters is located near
the airport, and its regional subsidiary Horizon Air. It is unusual for being the largest
metropolitan area in the U.S. to not having a hub or focus operation by a major or
legacy carrier. This is largely due to Alaska and Horizon's dominance of the market
which total almost 50%. Southwest, United, and Delta are distant runner-ups but
Southwest can never be counted out.
The North Satellite is connected by a train to the Central Terminal. Air Canada, Air
Canada Jazz, United, United Express, and Alaska operate from here. This Satellite has
14 gates.
By 2010, Alaska had become a highly profitable airline serving destinations from
Hawaii to the East Coast to Mexico, with Hawaii responsible for 15% of the airline's
revenue after 3 short years since Hawaiian service began in 2007. The airline flies
an all Boeing 737-800 ETOPS fleet to 4 destinations in Hawaii from cities such as
Anchorage, Seattle, Sacramento, Oakland, Portland, and San Jose. This expansion of
service is largely a result of Aloha's bankruptcy and ceasing of service in 2010.
Alaska commemorates its Hawaiian flights with a lei wrapped around the neck of its
iconic Eskimo.
Braniff operated a sole 747 from 1970 until 1977, for its Hawaii routes. It acquired
others as European services were ramped up. Fat Albert otherwise known as "747
Braniff Place" was the pride of the fleet and stayed with Braniff until the 1982
shutdown.
The 1971 Flying Colors II and 1977 Ultra images along with other items are seen in
this 1970s demo case of DC-8s, 727s, and an Air France Concorde.
The 1977 Ultra image is seen here. This would be Braniff's final Flying Colors look
until the 1982 shutdown.
This was from the Charles Beard era just before Braniff became known to its
fashionable Flying Colors look developed by Harding Lawrence and Mary Wells. The
space helmet tips off the beginning of that era in 1965.
Artist Alexander Calder was commissioned by Braniff to design 3 aircraft though he
only designed 2: The Spirit of South America, a Douglas DC-8, a Boeing 727 (The
Bicentennial Aircraft), and a Spirit of Mexico (727) that was never produced at the
time of his death. These models have been seen at auction for prices of $150K to
$250K. I named my son, Calder, after this artist.
Lamar Muse was the colorful co-founder of Southwest and founder of Muse Air
which was later absorbed by Southwest, and called Transtar.
Airchive was on the first 2 South Florida "flightseeing trips" of the Historical Flight
Foundation's Douglas DC-7B in August, 2010. The second of which was an exclusive
affair where we flew down to Key West for dinner and back with commercial
aviation enthusiast John Travolta and we're taking you along on both.
Airchive was very excited to be onboard the first 2 flightseeing flights of the
Historical Flight Foundation's immaculately restored Douglas DC-7, the only flying
passenger example in the world. Special thanks to Carlos Gomez of Florida Air
Transport, Mark Wolff of Legenday Airlines, Roger Jarmen of Atlantic Models, and a
stream of volunteers who have spearheaded the project.
South Florida has an unmatched place in the annals of commercial aviation with
names like National, Pan Am, Eastern, and Curtis among the prominent ones. There
is a major movement underway to create an airline museum with memorabilia and
actual flying aircraft at historic Opa Locka Airport near Miami. The first showcase
aircraft is Eastern Air Lines DC-7B N836D which is very close to its first flight after
an impeccable restoration. A little about the DC-7 from their site: "The first aircraft
in our collection is a DC-7B (N836D) serial number 45345/928, originally delivered
to Eastern Airlines in January 1958. Operated by EAL and several flying clubs for
less than 10 years before being parked at the downtown Minneapolis airport. The
aircraft was purchased and ferried to Miami in 2004 by Legendary Airliners. The
aircraft first flew on July 4, 2010 and then began an air tour where it was the star of
the 2010 Oshkosh Fly In, Thunder Over Michigan, and then a series of sorties during
Airliners International over Teterboro. FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt personally
took the controls and Miracle flight Captain Sully Sullenberger joined him on the
flight deck.
On the weekend of August 28-29, 2010 the DC-7 undertook their first 2 flightseeing
flights over South Florida. The Saturday flight took volunteers and press on a 1 hour
flight which traveled from Boca Raton to Key Largo. The second exclusive Sunday
flight traveled to Key West for dinner at Kelly's (where Pan Am was founded). John
Travolta and his daughter were onboard with all of us fanatics. Both flights were
magical.
For more information on the upcoming museum, the DC-7B, how you can be
involved, and how you can fly visit: www.historicalflightfoundation.com
Airchive was very excited to be onboard the first 2 flightseeing flights of the
Historical Flight Foundation's immaculately restored Douglas DC-7, the only flying
passenger example in the world. Special thanks to Carlos Gomez of Florida Air
Transport, Mark Wolff of Legenday Airlines, Roger Jarmen of Atlantic Models, and a
stream of volunteers who have spearheaded the project.
On the flight-deck, notice with the exception of the XM Satellite Nav and Radar and
radios, it is completely original.
South Florida has an unmatched place in the annals of commercial aviation with
names like National, Pan Am, Eastern, and Curtis among the prominent ones. There
is a major movement underway to create an airline museum with memorabilia and
actual flying aircraft at historic Opa Locka Airport near Miami. The first showcase
aircraft is Eastern Air Lines DC-7B N836D which is very close to its first flight after
an impeccable restoration. A little about the DC-7 from their site: "The first aircraft
in our collection is a DC-7B (N836D) serial number 45345/928, originally delivered
to Eastern Airlines in January 1958. Operated by EAL and several flying clubs for
less than 10 years before being parked at the downtown Minneapolis airport. The
aircraft was purchased and ferried to Miami in 2004 by Legendary Airliners. The
aircraft first flew on July 4, 2010 and then began an air tour where it was the star of
the 2010 Oshkosh Fly In, Thunder Over Michigan, and then a series of sorties during
Airliners International over Teterboro. FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt personally
took the controls and Miracle flight Captain Sully Sullenberger joined him on the
flight deck.
On the weekend of August 28-29, 2010 the DC-7 undertook their first 2 flightseeing
flights over South Florida. The Saturday flight took volunteers and press on a 1 hour
flight which traveled from Boca Raton to Key Largo. The second exclusive Sunday
flight traveled to Key West for dinner at Kelly's (where Pan Am was founded). John
Travolta and his daughter were onboard with all of us fanatics. Both flights were
magical.
For more information on the upcoming museum, the DC-7B, how you can be
involved, and how you can fly visit: www.historicalflightfoundation.com
Airchive was very excited to be onboard the first 2 flightseeing flights of the
Historical Flight Foundation's immaculately restored Douglas DC-7, the only flying
passenger example in the world. Special thanks to Carlos Gomez of Florida Air
Transport, Mark Wolff of Legenday Airlines, Roger Jarmen of Atlantic Models, and a
stream of volunteers who have spearheaded the project.
The cabin was originally a 3/2 configuration. This DC-7B was a "Red Falcon" coach
flyer. The airliner could accomodate 80 passengers and the 5 passengers in the
lounge, but it has been limited to 50 passengers.
South Florida has an unmatched place in the annals of commercial aviation with
names like National, Pan Am, Eastern, and Curtis among the prominent ones. There
is a major movement underway to create an airline museum with memorabilia and
actual flying aircraft at historic Opa Locka Airport near Miami. The first showcase
aircraft is Eastern Air Lines DC-7B N836D which is very close to its first flight after
an impeccable restoration. A little about the DC-7 from their site: "The first aircraft
in our collection is a DC-7B (N836D) serial number 45345/928, originally delivered
to Eastern Airlines in January 1958. Operated by EAL and several flying clubs for
less than 10 years before being parked at the downtown Minneapolis airport. The
aircraft was purchased and ferried to Miami in 2004 by Legendary Airliners. The
aircraft first flew on July 4, 2010 and then began an air tour where it was the star of
the 2010 Oshkosh Fly In, Thunder Over Michigan, and then a series of sorties during
Airliners International over Teterboro. FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt personally
took the controls and Miracle flight Captain Sully Sullenberger joined him on the
flight deck.
On the weekend of August 28-29, 2010 the DC-7 undertook their first 2 flightseeing
flights over South Florida. The Saturday flight took volunteers and press on a 1 hour
flight which traveled from Boca Raton to Key Largo. The second exclusive Sunday
flight traveled to Key West for dinner at Kelly's (where Pan Am was founded). John
Travolta and his daughter were onboard with all of us fanatics. Both flights were
magical.
For more information on the upcoming museum, the DC-7B, how you can be
involved, and how you can fly visit: www.historicalflightfoundation.com
Boasting a full sized 747 cutaway, 2 Concordes, a Caravelle, and a rare Dassault
Mercure, the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace museum at historic Le Bourget Airport is
a favorite of Airchive and the world's oldest aviation museum. We visited in July,
2010.
The French Air and Space Museum, Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace, is located in the
south-eastern edge of Le Bourget Airport and is one of the oldest aviation museums
in the world. The museum's collection contains more than 19,595 items, including
150 aircraft, and material from as far back as the 16th Century. From a commercial
perspective, it has Air France's first 747, the first prototype Concorde and first to fly,
A production Concorde, a Dassault Mercure, A Sud Aviation Caravelle, a Douglas DC8, and a Boeing 727. This excellent museum is located at the airport where the first
Boeing 707 in commercial service landed as well as where Charles Lindbergh landed
"The Spirit of St. Louis" in the first transatlantic flight. The airport is located within
30 minutes of central Paris and is highly recommended.
Air france concorde
This Concorde, F-BTSD, first flew on June 26, 1978 and was delivered to Air France
on September 18, 1978. It last flew on June 14, 2003 after a flight from Paris CDG. It
was the last flight of a Concorde in Air France scheduled service, operating as AF001
from New York JFK to Paris CDG. It was retired with 12,974 hours on the clock. It
was the 13th production Concorde built. It is noteworthy for other reasons, not least
of which it was the first Concorde for Air France to return to service (in 2002)
following the 2000 Crash.
F-BTSD holds the world records for fastest flights around the world in both
directions:
Westbound RTW: 12-13 October 1992: 32 hours 49 minutes 03 seconds
Lisbon-Santo Domingo-Acapulco-Honolulu-Guam-Bangkok- Bahrain-Lisbon
Eastbound RTW: 15-16 August 1995: 31 hours 27 minutes 49 seconds
New York/JFK-Toulouse-Dubai-Bangkok-Guam (Andersen AFB)- HonoluluAcapulco-New York/JFK
The Eastbound (1995) record is the current GUINNESS BOOK OF RECORDS official
world record.
In April 1996 F-BTSD was painted in a Special Pespi livery when Pepsi Cola
undertook a major $500 million US re-branding project.
It is displayed in the Concorde Hall with the first French prototype Concorde, FWTSS, which was the first to fly.
Concorde proto
F-WTSS, is French built Concorde 001, the first prototype, and the first Concorde to
fly back on March 2, 1969. The British built Concorde would fly a over a month later.
On November 4, 1970 it was the first Concorde to reach Mach 2. On September 18,
1971 it completed the first transatlantic tour by Concorde. It was retired to the
museum after 397 flights on October 19, 1973. It never entered commercial service.
would be followed by 2 more pre-production Concordes before the commercial
aircraft production began.
It is preserved in the Concorde Hall with Air France F-BTSD.
Boeing 747
Air France Boeing 747-128, F-BPVJ, was delivered in October, 1972 to Air France
and flew for the Air France, Sabena, and Air Algerie until Air France donated the
Jumbo to the France Museum of Air and Space in 2000. This is a very unique 747
display in that numerous sections of the cabin, seating, and cargo deck have been
cutaway revealing the inner workings of the aircraft.
Mercure
The Dassault Mercure was a French twin-engined jet-powered airliner first flying in
1971. It was only in commercial production from 1972-75 with 10 production
airliners and 2 prototypes. French domestic airliner, Air Inter was the only operator.
It was designed to be a 150 passenger competitor to the Boeing 737 and Douglas
DC-9, though it had a 3 man cockpit which put it at a major disadvantage.The
Mercure is considered the biggest failure in terms of orders of any commercial
airliner ever sold. This lack of interest was due to poor economic conditions in the
early 1970s, late entry into the market, but mainly because of the Mercure's
operating range – suitable for domestic European operations but unable to sustain
longer routes. The last two Mercures flew on April 29, 1995. with all their 360,000
flight hours, 44 million passengers carried in 440,000 flights, there were no
accidents, and a 98% in-service reliability.
Air Provence
This Air Provence, Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle was purchased by Air Provence in
August 1991, retiring it to the Museum of Air and Space at Le Bourget in November
1995. The Caravelle entered service in 1959 was the first short/medium haul twin
jet.
Hansa
The HFB-320 Hansa Jet was an all-metal, twin-engine, 10-seat business jet
built by German aircraft manufacturer Hamburger Flugzeugbau between
1964 and 1973. The most notable feature of the aircraft is its forward-swept
wing, which is mid-mounted in the fuselage. This arrangement allows the wing
spar to pass through the fuselage behind the passenger cabin without
decreasing cabin volume. As of 2006, it remains the only civilian jet ever to
use a forward-swept wing.
Courtesy: Wikipedia
Boeing Dreamliner
This very plane - ZA002 - suffered a brief in-flight fire due to a faulty electric
panel while on approach to Laredo, Texas on Nov. 9, 2010, though it landed
safely. This picture was taken about a month before the fire which led to a
nearly 45 day suspension of the flight test program and unfortunately more
delivery delays. ZA002 was the 2nd plane in the flight test program. It was the
first to be painted in an airline scheme, that of its launch customer Japan's
ANA. Reportedly, the first 5 aircraft will not be sold to airline custo
Airchive visited The Boeing Everett Factory, the largest building in the world
by volume where 747s, 767s, 777s, and the new 787 Dreamliner are built. We
have exterior and flightline pics as cameras are forbidden inside.
When these photos were taken at Everett in October, 2010 we counted at least
12 Dreamliners representing ANA, JAL, and Royal Air Moroc.
The Boeing 747 Large Cargo Freighter (LCF), Dreamlifter, is a heavily modified
cargo aircraft and is the world's longest cargo loader. It is modified from an
existing Boeing 747-400 by a contractor in Taiwan. the Dreamlifter is used
exclusively for transporting aircraft parts to Boeing from suppliers around the
world. The 4 aircraft are opoerated by Evergreen International Airlines.
The Boeing Everett Factory is an enormous airplane assembly building owned
by Boeing. Located on the northeast corner of Paine Field, it is the largest
building in the world by volume. Reportedly when it was built it was so
massive that its own weather systems such as rains and clouds were created
inside. It is where Boeing 747s, 767s, 777s, and the new 787 Dreamliner are
built. It began operation building Boeing 747s before it was even complete. No
photography is allowed without special permission in the building.
Boeing Customer Experience Center - Renton, WA
Airchive was extremely priveledged to be given a personal tour of the Boeing
Customer Experience Center in October, 2010, which includes cabin mockups
of the 787-8 Dreamliner, 747-8 Intercontinental, and the new 737 Sky
Interior. We are very grateful to Adam Morgan, Kent D. Craver, Mike
Lombardi, Scott S. Lefeber, and Van-Rex Gallard for this very unique
experience.
Airchive was extremely priveledged to be given a personal tour of the Boeing
Customer Experience Center in October, 2010. The main purpose of this
facility, which opened in December, 2005, is to establish a business case for
customers to buy Boeing airplanes. It includes cabin mockups of the 787-8
Dreamliner, 747-8 Intercontinental, and the new 737 Sky Interior. The visit
begins with a domed skylight entrance which features lights indicating major
cities of the world on a 360 degree map. In addition to product mockups, a
state-of-the art Customer Solutions Studio shows how Boeing partners with
customers to provide business solutions throughout the product life cycle—
from acquisition to operations and maintenance, and beyond. The Customer
Experience Center is equipped to host customer meetings, events, and
handovers. It has dedicated space for research rooms and offices for visiting
customer executives. The facility is managed by Teague and Associates,
Boeing's consultant for airplane interiors, manages the site.
We are very grateful to Adam Morgan, Kent D. Craver, Mike Lombardi, Scott S.
Lefeber, and Van-Rex Gallard for this very unique experience.
The Boeing Sonic Cruiser was a concept airliner proposed by Boeing in 2001.
It was distinguished from conventional jet airliners by its delta wing-canard
configuration and a high-subsonic cruising speed of up to Mach 0.98. Boeing
ended the Sonic Cruiser project in December 2002 in favor of launching the
7E7 which became the Dreamliner 787. The Sonic Cruiser was designed for
rapid point-to-point connections for 200 to 250 passengers. The Sonic Cruiser
promised 15-20% faster speed than conventional airliner without the noise
pollution caused by the sonic boom from supersonic travel. The aircraft
designed to fly in excess of 40,000 ft at a range of 6,000 to 10,000 miles.
Boeing estimated the Sonic Cruiser's fuel efficiency to be comparable to
current wide body twin-engine airliners. Airlines however, owing to the high
price of fuel and turbulent financial conditions preferred lower operating
costs over higher speed. Much of the research from the Sonic Cruiser was
applied to the 787, including carbon fiber reinforced plastic for the fuselage
and wings, bleedless engines, cockpit and avionics design. It is for this reason
that a Sonic Cruiser model is one of the first thing visitors see when they enter
the Customer Experience Center.
We are very grateful to Adam Morgan, Kent D. Craver, Mike Lombardi, Scott S.
Lefeber, and Van-Rex Gallard for this very unique experience.
This is the sales mockup of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The Dreamliner 787-8
boasts a cabin length of a Boeing 767-300 but an enhanced width. It is
designed to replace the 757, 767, and compete with the Airbus A330.
It is designed to seat 234 passengers in a three-class setup, 240 in two-class
domestic configuration, and 296 passengers in a high-density economy
arrangement. Seat rows can be arranged in four to six abreast in first or
business, with eight or nine abreast in economy. Boeing has patented the 3-33 economy configuration which means no seat is more than 1 seat away from
an aisle or window.
Setting aside all the economic and financial benefits, The Dreamliner is
revolutionary in that it makes quantum strides forward in customer appeal,
regardless of class traveled in. In the webmasters view, this will be as
significant as leap forward as when the widebody jets entered service in the
1970.
787
This is the sales mockup of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The Dreamliner 787-8
boasts a cabin length of a Boeing 767-300 but a cabin width significantly wider
than all of its competitors, and just shy of the 777 and A350 XWB. The
Dreamliner is designed to replace the 757, 767, and ultimately the Airbus
A330s and smaller A340s.
It is designed to seat 234 passengers in a three-class setup, 240 in two-class
domestic configuration, and 296 passengers in a high-density economy
arrangement. Seat rows can be arranged in four to six abreast in first or
business, with eight or nine abreast in economy. Boeing has patented the 3-33 economy configuration which means no seat is more than 1 seat away from
an aisle or window.
Setting aside all the economic and financial benefits, The Dreamliner is
revolutionary in that it makes quantum strides forward in customer appeal,
regardless of class traveled in. In the webmaster's view, this will be as
significant as leap forward as when the widebody jets entered service in the
1970.
Due to its extensive use of composites, The 787's cabin windows are larger in
area than all other civil air transports in-service or in development and a
higher eye level so passengers can maintain a view of the horizon. 65% larger
than an Airbus A330 for example. This has been patented by Boeing. Replacing
window shades, Boeing has developed Electrochromism-based "auto-
dimming" which reduces cabin glare while maintaining transparency.
Standard for the first time on a jetliner, cabin lighting uses light-emitting
diode in three colors instead of fluorescent tubes, allowing the aircraft to be
entirely 'bulbless' and have 128 color combinations. This lighting can be
programmed to match the destination, exterior lighting, as well as different
combinations to match the progress of the flight.
Again as a result of massive use of composites in the fuselage, the internal
pressure will be increased to the equivalent of 6,000 feet altitude instead of
the 8,000 feet. This will significantly improve passenger comfort and reduce
fatigue. Also, higher humidity (15% as opposed to 4% in conventional planes)
in the passenger cabin is possible because of the use of composites, which do
not corrode as opposed. An advanced cabin air-conditioning system provides
better air quality as air is introduced through scoops in the fuselage as
opposed to the engines. This will result in reduced throat, eye, and nose
irritation. Additionally, The overhead cabin bins will be the largest in the
industry. Passengers will notice a smoother ride than ever before due to
vertical and horizontial turbulence damping technology.
Besides the LED lighting and massive windows, the architecture of vaulted
ceilings and welcoming entryways will make the biggest impression. Unlike
many fanciful mockups, The Dreamliner's is an accurate representation with
the possible exception of the 3 panel screen overhead monitor/airshow which
is still under development.
We are very grateful to Adam Morgan, Kent D. Craver, Mike Lombardi, Scott S.
Lefeber, and Van-Rex Gallard for this very unique experience.
Unlike many fanciful mockups, The Dreamliner's is an accurate
representation with the possible exception of the 3 panel screen overhead
monitor/airshow which is still under development.
These overhead bins are not only massive but in keeping with the extremely
detailed approach to the 787, a red indicator is on each latch which is plainly
visible if the bin isn´t latch closed....genius!
This image features Kent D. Cramer, Boeing Company, Regional Director
Passenger Satisfaction and Revenue, who gave us this incredible tour. Kent is
evangelical about the Dreamliner and with a background working for a major
airliner has really been a guiding force in how this plane is marketed.
Boeing 747-800
The Boeing 747-8 is mainly being ordered as a freighter with less than 40
passenger examples ordered as of January, 2011 out of the 110 on order.
The 747-8's fuselage was stretched from 232 to 251 feet over the 747-400. It
also has a totally new wing and extended upper deck. When the 747-8 enters
service, it will surpass the Airbus A340-600 as the world's longest airliner.
The airplane slots just between the Airbus A380-800 and Boeing 777-300 in
capacity.
The passenger version of the Boeing 747-8, has been named the
Intercontinental or 747-8I, which was the original name of the long-haul
stretch 707-300 series. It will be able to carry up to 467 passengers in a 3class configuration and fly more than 8,000 nmi at Mach 0.855. Orders as of
early 2011, included Lufthansa (who will be first to fly), Korean, and some
VIP's. The aircraft is longer than a 747-400.
The 747-8 had its first flight on February 8, 2010. Delays in the flight testing
program and production have delayed deliveries of the freighter to mid-2011
and the passenger version to end of 2011/early 2012.
For the 747-8, Boeing has a number of changes to the cabin. Most noticeable
will be the curved stairway to the upper deck , harkening back to the original
747 Classics, and a more spacious main passenger entrance. The 747-8's main
cabin uses an interior inspired, particularly in the lighting and overhead bind,
to that of the 787. The windows will also be of similar size to the type used on
the 777, which are 8% larger than those on the current 747-400s. The 747-8
will feature a new solid-state light-emitting diode lighting system, which can
create mood lighting ala the 787. The Upper Deck can be modified for sleeping
for VIP aircraft.
We are very grateful to Adam Morgan, Kent D. Craver, Mike Lombardi, Scott S.
Lefeber, and Van-Rex Gallard for this very unique experience.
This image features Kent D. Cramer, Boeing Company, Regional Director
Passenger Satisfaction and Revenue, who gave us this incredible tour. Kent is
evangelical about the Dreamliner and with a background working for a major
airliner has really been a guiding force in how this plane is marketed.
Standing to his right is Boeing archivist and historian guru Mike Lombardi
who developed the branding for the 747-8I "Intercontinental". Mike is the
encyclopedia of Boeing and a great guy to boot.
Sky Interior 737
The 787 Dreamliner-based Sky Interior for the Boeing 737 NextGens features
new, sculpted sidewalls and window reveals, larger stow bins, more
headroom around aisle seats, new switches and call buttons and LED lighting.
Continental-United was the first U.S. airline to take delivery of this in
December, 2010. As of 2010, Flydubai was the first of 45 airlines and leasing
companies that have ordered 1,180 airplanes with the refreshed interior. That
represents about half of Boeing's 737 backlog.
Malaysia Airlines, Jetairfly, and Norwegian Air Shuttle are additional carriers
to take delivery of a 737 with the Boeing Sky Interior. The interior is cost
prohibitive to retrofit onto already delivered aircraft.
We are very grateful to Adam Morgan, Kent D. Craver, Mike Lombardi, Scott S.
Lefeber, and Van-Rex Gallard for this very unique experience.
787
This model of the Boeing Dreamliner 787-8 is seen in the lobby of the Boeing
Dreamliner Design Gallery in Everett, WA along with others from all airlines
who have ordered the aircraft.
These models of airlines who have ordered the Boeing Dreamliner 787-8 are
seen at the Boeing Dreamliner Design Gallery in Everett, WA along. Whenever
a specific airline is visiting, that model is moved to spotlight position in front.
Dreamliner Gallery
The Dreamliner represents such a quantum step forward in commercial aviation,
that it is appropriate that Boeing created an innovative, one-of-a-kind centralized
studio for customers to configure their 787. The 54,000 square-foot facility,
designed with renewable materials, provides airline customers the ability to see,
touch and experience the 787 catalog choices in a private, comfortable environment.
Much of the design of this facility was undertaken by Disney Imagineering.
Formerly, airlines would have to travel all around the world to all the individual
vendors to customize their aircraft. To that end, Boeing has designed the Dreamliner
to be standardized with approved components which simplifies design, production,
and reportedly played a major role in the very surprisingly reasonable pricing. Prior
to this philosophy, every airline had a specific Dash Code such as "223" for American
- this designation represented airline's custom requirements. Now, with most of the
innovation left to the premium cabin, Boeing has taken this standardized approach
from non premium seats to lavs to fabric to binds, even down to coffee makers...the
list goes on and on.
We are very grateful to Adam Morgan, Kent D. Craver, Mike Lombardi, Scott S.
Lefeber, and Van-Rex Gallard for this very unique experience.
Even components like bars, lavs, coffee makers, ovens, emergency equipment, trash
compacters, galleys, surface materials and textures, and IFE's are standardized on
the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and are all able to be seen in one place at the Dreamliner
Gallery.
We are very grateful to Adam Morgan, Kent D. Craver, Mike Lombardi, Scott S.
Lefeber, and Van-Rex Gallard for this very unique experience.
The overhead bins will be the largest in the industry. They are designed around the
variety of roll-aboard bags that passengers typically carry. As a result, every
passenger will be able to place a bag in the bin above.
We are very grateful to Adam Morgan, Kent D. Craver, Mike Lombardi, Scott S.
Lefeber, and Van-Rex Gallard for this very unique experience.
One of the most innovative by-products of the 787's composite construction is the
weight savings that allow for much larger windows. Windows this large on a
commercial jet haven't been seen since the original DC-8s, and even those weren't
as big.
The 787’s windows are the largest on any of today’s airplanes (47 centimeters tall,
28 centimeters wide), 65 percent larger than the competition’s windows. This gives
passengers a view to the horizon from any seat on the airplane, reinforcing their
connection to the flying experience.
The window shades are dramatically different from other commercial jetliners.
Electrochromatic window shades – rather than physical shades – give passengers
the ability to dim the windows and still see the passing terrain.
We are very grateful to Adam Morgan, Kent D. Craver, Mike Lombardi, Scott S.
Lefeber, and Van-Rex Gallard for this very unique experience.
Customers can view products central to the design of their entire brand experience
– from fabrics, curtains and floor coverings to a lighting lab – to enable brand
differentiation.
We are very grateful to Adam Morgan, Kent D. Craver, Mike Lombardi, Scott S.
Lefeber, and Van-Rex Gallard for this very unique experience.
Boeing has constructed a non-functioning Dreamliner 787-8 flight deck mockup.
Though retaining Boeing's traditional flight control systems, this cockpit is anything
but traditional. Note: the new ergonomically seating, the standard heads up
displays, the new LCD flight information screens, and Boeing's new standard
Electronic Flight Bag.
We are very grateful to Adam Morgan, Kent D. Craver, Mike Lombardi, Scott S.
Lefeber, and Van-Rex Gallard for this very unique experience.
The crew rest area contain mockups of the crew rests areas for flight deck crew and
F/A crews at the aft of the aircraft.
We are very grateful to Adam Morgan, Kent D. Craver, Mike Lombardi, Scott S.
Lefeber, and Van-Rex Gallard for this very unique experience.
The Galley Gallery includes a host of galleys that airline customers can see, touch
and even operate in a fully functional kitchen equipped with the same levels of
power found on an airplane. The room includes a full-scale cross-section of the 787
so airline customers can easily position and visualize the placement of forward, mid
and aft galleys. A full-height eConfig screen enables customers to evaluate the
galleys’ ergonomics. Airlines actually prepare and serve meals here.
We are very grateful to Adam Morgan, Kent D. Craver, Mike Lombardi, Scott S.
Lefeber, and Van-Rex Gallard for this very unique experience.
The Dreamliner has a very unique lighting lab. Illuminated by arrays of energyefficient light emitting diodes (LEDs), both the brightness and the color of the skylike cabin ceiling can be controlled in flight by the crew. Flight attendants can give
passengers a sense of daylight when desired, and when they want to help
passengers rest, simulate a beautiful nighttime sky. Standard for the first time on a
jetliner, cabin lighting uses light-emitting diode in three colors instead of
fluorescent tubes, allowing the aircraft to be entirely 'bulbless' and have 128 color
combinations. This lighting can be programmed to match the destination, exterior
lighting, as well as different combinations to match the progress of the flight.
We are very grateful to Adam Morgan, Kent D. Craver, Mike Lombardi, Scott S.
Lefeber, and Van-Rex Gallard for this very unique experience.
The seats and IFE gallery features rows of pre-certified premium seats from seat
suppliers in the 787 catalog. The room enables customers to test seats, reconfigure
seats to view pitch variation and select fabric and color options as well as seating for
all classes of the cabin. These seats are all pre-approved and customers are
persuaded to order from this catalog for economy seating. Due to the competitive
and customized nature of Business and First Class seating, most of the major airlines
opt to order and design seats other than what is seen here. This Gallery is
impressive as for the first time, there's a single showroom for most seats so airline's
can compare and contrast in a one-stop location. The IFE's are located in this room
as well.
The 787 cabin is wider than other mid-sized jetliners. Where width has the greatest
impact on passenger comfort – at seated eye level – the 787 Dreamliner cabin is 38
centimeters (15 inches) wider than its competition. This creates more personal
space for each passenger.
Wide seats: The wide 787 cabin provides more width per seat than any other
commercial airplane – more than four centimeters per seat than its nearest
competitor. In an eight-abreast economy seating arrangement, the wider fuselage
provides the room for the widest economy passenger seats in the industry - 47
centimeters wide. A nine-abreast economy seating arrangement offers comfort
similar to a 747 economy-class cabin.
Wide aisles: In economy class, the 787’s aisles are typically 55 centimeters wide.
That is more than six centimeters wider than in typical twin-aisle airplanes. In
business class, the 65-centimeter aisles will allow passengers to easily move past
serving carts.
We are very grateful to Adam Morgan, Kent D. Craver, Mike Lombardi, Scott S.
Lefeber, and Van-Rex Gallard for this very unique experience.
-----Unlike the 787 Mockup at the Customer Experience which is used primarily for
sales, this is a working mockup where all the design elements at the Dreamliner
Gallery come together from the eConfig system and physical display galleries:
lighting, lavs, seating, galleys, lavatories, fabrics, textures, and more. This is one of
the final steps as airline's finalize their airline configurations.
The 787 cabin is wider than other mid-sized jetliners. Where width has the greatest
impact on passenger comfort – at seated eye level – the 787 Dreamliner cabin is 38
centimeters (15 inches) wider than its competition. This creates more personal
space for each passenger.
Wide seats: The wide 787 cabin provides more width per seat than any other
commercial airplane – more than four centimeters per seat than its nearest
competitor. In an eight-abreast economy seating arrangement, the wider fuselage
provides the room for the widest economy passenger seats in the industry - 47
centimeters wide. A nine-abreast economy seating arrangement offers comfort
similar to a 747 economy-class cabin.
Wide aisles: In economy class, the 787’s aisles are typically 55 centimeters wide.
That is more than six centimeters wider than in typical twin-aisle airplanes. In
business class, the 65-centimeter aisles will allow passengers to easily move past
serving carts.
We are very grateful to Adam Morgan, Kent D. Craver, Mike Lombardi, Scott S.
Lefeber, and Van-Rex Gallard for this very unique experience.
=====
The Museum of Flight operates a Restoration Center at Paine in Everett, Wash. The
center is home to approximately three dozen aircraft including the first Boeing 727,
a Comet 4C, and the world's only flying Boeing 247. The public is welcome, but
Airchive was given an extra special tour thanks to TC Howard and Tom Cathcart.
You can tell you've arrived by the Learjet 23 parked outside.
For more information, visit: www.museumofflight.org/restoration-center
The Museum of Flight owns, maintains, and occasionally fly the world's only Boeing
247.
----The Museum of Flight's Restoration Center at Paine Field in Everett, Washington is
home to the world's first Boeing 727. This prototype 727 was the first of 1,831 made
when production ended in 1984. Until the 737 broke its record in the early 1990s,
the 727 held the sales record for the most popular jet airliner ever built. This
particular airplane, N7011U is a Boeing 727-22 that was rolled out on November 22,
1962 and then first flew on February 9, 1963. Unlike many Boeing test aircraft, this
727-22 was delivered to United Airlines and entered commercial service, entering
service on October 7, 1963. It flew mainline routes with United until January 13,
1991 when it was donated to the museum. Prior to the handover, it was repainted in
its delivery colors. It flew 64,495 hours with 48,060 landings. Restoration began
under T.C. Terry Howard and Steve Huemoeller in 1994. United has stripped many
components off of the 727, though many were later donated back by UAL. When Fed
Ex donated a Boeing 727 in 2003, restoration activities picked up. The plan is to get
the plane to ferry flight condition within the next few years to get it down to the
Museum of Flight's main museum at Seattle's Boeing Field. Volunteers, parts, and
cash contributions are very welcomed by this passionate and motivated group.
Contact crew chief Bog Bogash at 360-638-1698 and visit his site at
http://rbogash.com/ual727tx.htm
Though the exterior and components still have a long way to go, progress is being
made, and the cabin/avionics are in very good condition.
Special thanks to Terry "T.C." Howard for spending the day with us at Airchive and
giving such a fantastic tour, not only of the 727 but of the entire facility.
----
The Boeing 247 was the first modern commercial airliner. It was sleek, all metal, and
flew nearly 50% faster than the tri-motors then in service. United and Boeing were
co-owned so Boeing monopolized the orders with 60 orders for the airplane before
it was even built. Rival major airlines such as TWA and American turned to the
Douglas DC-2 and DC-3 which within a year rendered the 247 obsolete. Only 75
Boeing 247s were made from 1933 to 1934.
This example NC13347 was first delivered to Pacific Air Transport in 1933 and was
donated to the museum in 1966. It's restoration lasted from 1979 until its first postrestoration flight in June, 1994. It is one of 4 247s left in the world and the only one
in flyable condition.
Special thanks to: Terry "TC" Howard and Tom Cathcart for the tour.
This Comet 4C Registration N888WA, was the first Comet 4C built and was originally
used for flight testing before being handed over to Mexicana in 1960 as their first jet
airliner. It carried between 80 and 120 passengers, had a range of 2,650 miles, and
was the ultimate Comet. However by the time it was built in 1959, it had been
eclipsed by the Douglas DC-8 and Boeing 707, in spite of its good safety record after
the grounding of the Comet 1 in 1953 following several tragic accidents due to metal
fatigue.
This plane was to be used by Paine Field based Richmond Air after Mexicana sold it
in 1970, though these pans never materialized. It was eventually acquired in 1977
by Everett Community College, and then eventually donated to the museum. Since
our last visit in 1999, the cabin is almost completely and very impressively restored
though the wings, engines, and exterior are years away from completion. In fact, the
vertical stabilizer (tail) is off the plane temporarily while it is partially in the hanger.
It is being restored and on display in BOAC livery (which it never flew in) at the
restoration facility of the Museum of Flight at Paine Field next to Boeing's Everett,
Washington widebody plant. It will eventually be repainted to its original Mexicana
livery and interior.
It is not being restored to flyable condition with the goal being to truck it down to
the main Museum of Flight Airpark in Seattle as a static display. Volunteers should
contact Bob Good RobtHood@aol.com to help on this remarkable restoration job,
now the only Comet in the America's.
Special thanks to: Terry "TC" Howard and Tom Cathcart for the tour.
The term Link Trainer, also known as the "Blue box" and "Pilot Trainer" is
commonly used to refer to a series of flight simulators produced between the early
1930s and early 1950s by Ed Link. Two Link Trainers are on display at the Museum
of Flight Restoration Center, Paine Field in Seattle, Washington. This one is in fully
functional condition with the adjoining instructors table.
The Museum of Flight in Seattle is custodian of a USAF Boeing B-52G bomber at the
Museum's Everett facility. This particular airplane, after flight testing, spent its
entire life in-service with SAC, until placed on long-term loan with the Museum.
Looking after elements of history and maintenance of this airplane is Bob Bogash,
retired after 30 years with Boeing, the last ten of which were as Director of Quality
Assurance in the Boeing Commercial Airplane Group. Bob was instrumental in
obtaining this historic aircraft from USAF originally, and in retirement, has become
seriously involved with the Museum and the care of this and other airplanes. The
airplane underwent major mods at Boeing, SAAMA, CAMS, OCAMA, and OK City. It's
last overhaul date was 22 Feb 1989. Demilitarization in accordance with the START
Treaty requirements was accomplished about 17 Aug 1992 while in storage with the
Museum. Research has confirmed that this airplane was one of 110 G-models which
saw combat duty during the Vietnam War as part of operation Bullet
Shot/Linebacker.
Courtesy: www.rbogash.com
This Boeing 727-100C N124FE, is an ex-Eastern and retired Federal Express
freighter (originally Eastern N8160G) being used as parts donor for N7001U - the
first Boeing 727 which is under restoration at the Museum of Flight.
Courtesy: www.rbogash.com
The Museum of Flight is a private non-profit air and space museum at King County
International Airport/Boeing Field. It has an Airpark across the street on Marginal
Way with a restoration facility at Paine Field in Everett, WA. The Museum has many
noteworthy aircraft in its 80 plus collection including the first presidential jet, VC137B SAM 970, which served in the presidential fleet from 1959 to 1996, the
prototype 737, The City of Everett: The first flight-worthy Boeing 747, and British
Airways Concorde number 214, registration G-BOAG, one of 5 Aerocars, the only
surviving Boeing 80A, An ex-Trans-Canada Air Lines Lockheed L-1049G Super
Constellation, an American Airlines Boeing 727, an SR-71, and much more. It has the
entire Boeing Red Barn historical factory located adjacent to the main glass hall. We
were lucky enough to spend the day with Boeing's Chief Archivist Mark Lombardi.
For more information on this fantastic museum, visit www.museumofflight.org/
There is also the "Red Barn", a registered historic site also known as Building No.
105. In the early 1900s it was Boeing's original manufacturing plant when aircraft
were manufactured from fabric and wood. It was donated to the museum in the
1960s at its opening.
The Boeing Model 40 was a United States mail plane that became the first aircraft
built by the Boeing company to carry 2 passengers. It was of conventional biplane
configuration. Originally designed to compete for a US Mail contract in 1925, it was
rejected in favour of the Douglas M-2. Only 80 were built. Of the 2 left in the world,
only 1 is airworthy.
The Aerocar was a "roadable" airplane certified for use as both a plane and an
automobile. The prototype was completed in 1949 but not certified by the Civil
Aeronautics Administration until 1956.
The Museum's Aerocar III began as the sixth and final Aerocar I. In the late 1960s,
Taylor bought it back after it had been damaged in a road accident. He updated and
redesigned the car section, leaving the wings essentially unchanged. Thanks to its
large Lycoming 0-320 143-horsepower airplane engine, the Aerocar was quite
sporty and by all accounts, it was also quite stable and pleasant to fly.
Of course the most remarkable feature of the Aerocar is its ability to transform from
automobile to aircraft -- a process that takes about 15 minutes. The Aerocar can
either tow its wings and tail like a trailer, or simply leave them at the airport. To get
ready for flight, the driver/pilot first connects the driveshaft (flip up the license
plate to make the connection) in the tail. Then, the wings swing around into position
and are pinned into place. The flight controls -- movable steering wheel and rudder
pedals -- slide into place automatically. The engine cannot start unless every
connection has been properly made, an ingenious safety device.
Description Courtesy of: The Museum of Flight Website
The first presidential jet plane, a specially built Boeing 707-120, is known as SAM
(Special Air Missions) 970. This aircraft, as well as any other Air Force aircraft,
carried the call sign "Air Force One" when the president was aboard. Delivered in
1959 to replace Eisenhower's Super-Constellation, the high-speed jet transport is a
flying Oval Office with a modified interior and sophisticated communication
equipment. It was modified to B "Turbofan" standard in the early 1960s. SAM 970
has carried presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon as well as VIPs
such as Nikita Khrushchev (on his tour of the U.S.) and Henry Kissinger (secret
advance trips to China).
By 1962, SAM 970 was replaced by a newer Boeing VC-137C., Sam 2600 and 2700
during the Kennedy Administration, but SAM 970 remained in the presidential fleet
ferrying VIPs and the Vice-President until June of 1996.
This aircraft is on loan from the National Museum of the United States Air Force. It
resides across the street from the museum in the Airpark.
Until the mid-1920s, American commercial airplanes were built for mail, not people.
Boeing's Model 80, along with the Ford and Fokker tri-Motors, were a new breed of
passenger aircraft. The 80 first flew in August 1928 and was working along Boeing
Air Transport's route two weeks later. The 12-passenger Model 80 and the morepowerful 18-passenger 80A (re-designated 80A-1s when the tail surfaces were
modified in 1930) stayed in service until 1933, when replaced by the all-metal
Boeing Model 247.
The Museum's Model 80A-1, equipped with three Pratt & Whitney 525-horsepower
"Hornet" engines, was retired from service with United in 1934. In 1941, it became a
cargo aircraft with a construction firm in Alaska. To carry large equipment,
including a massive 11,000-pound (4,950 kg) boiler, a cargo door was cut into the
plane's side. After the war, the 80 was stored and then discarded. It was recovered
from a dump in 1960 and eventually brought to Seattle for restoration. It is the only
surviving example of the Boeing Model 80 series.
A passenger flying in Boeing's earlier Model 40 was in for an uncomfortable trip.
The 40 was designed for mail -- people were secondary, packed like sardines into
the cold and noisy fuselage. The advent of the Model 80 brought some comfort to
travel. The 80A had room for 18, a heated cabin, and leather seats. There was
individual reading lights and the lavatory featured hot and cold running water.
Although the 80 had a luxurious interior, flying was tough by today's standards: the
cabin wasn't pressurized, engine noise made conversation difficult, and despite
heaters, the cabin was sometimes very cold.
In 1930, Miss Ellen Church, a student pilot and registered nurse, convinced Boeing
management to hire female cabin attendants for their Model 80 flights. Until then, it
had been the co-pilot's duty to pass out box lunches, serve coffee, and tend to the
passenger's needs. Church reasoned that the sight of women working aboard the
Boeing 80s would alleviate the passenger's fear of air travel. She and seven others,
all nurses, became America's first stewardesses. Serving on a trial basis, they were
very popular and became a permanent part of American commercial aviation.
Description courtesy of: Museum of Flight website
--
When first introduced into commercial service, the 727's original market forecast
was for only 250 planes. But over 1,800 of the versatile and economic "trijets" were
built between the early 1960s and 1984, and they were used by hundreds of
airlines.
The Museum has 2 Boeing 727s: the prototype under restoration at the Paine Field
Center and this 727-223 example from American Airlines. The donated 727-223,
registration N874AA, was delivered to American at Boeing Field on April 13, 1978. It
spent its entire career with American until it was donated to the Museum of Flight
on Jauary 20, 2003. It was the 1,333th 727 off the line and flew 65,011 hours with
39,038 landings. American's last scheduled 727 flight was from Miami to
Raleigh/Durham on April 30, 2002.
The Museum's 727 is equipped with three Pratt & Whitney JT8D-17 engines with
16,000 pounds of thrust each. The three-engined airliner was the first of its type in
the U.S., flying shorter routes, and able to operate from smaller airfields than
Boeing's 707 and 720 aircraft. The aft location of the 727's engines allowed for
improved ground clearance, less cabin noise on take-off, and reduced control
problems should one engine become inoperative.
Before the 737 surpassed it, the 727 was the world's highest-selling jet transport. As
of 2001, nearly 1,300 727s were still in service and the planes have flown well over
4 billion miles.
The 737 is the most popular jetliner in the Boeing airline family, and most popular
jetliner ever built. Since 1967, over 8,000 "Baby Boeings" have been built or
ordered. It has been in production longer than any other commercial airliner with
series beginning at 100 (only 20 were ordered) and up to the ultimate 900ER now.
There have been 3 major generations in the 40 plus years it has been in production
with a new re-enging or replacement likely on the way which will keep it into
production at least until 2020. This plane was considered a failure when it was first
launched with Lufthansa being the launch customer (first Boeing non US launch
customer), but as they say the rest is history.
The Museum's aircraft is the first production 737. The prototype made its first flight
with Brien Wygle and Lew Wallick at the controls on April 9, 1967. Boeing used the
737 as a flight test aircraft before it became NASA's Transport Systems Research
Vehicle in 1974. Based at the Langley Research Center in Virginia, the 737 was used
to test many technological innovations including a virtual cockpit, electronic flight
displays, and airborne wind shear detection systems.
On September 20, 1997, NASA retired the airplane and donated it to the Museum of
Flight in Seattle. It now had only a still very youthful 3297 hours total flight time. It
was flown to Moses Lake, Washington where a more benign climate would allow it
to be stored until it could be placed on permanent display at the Museum's main
facility at Boeing Field in Seattle. The airplane was maintained in "active" storage,
meaning it was kept airworthy and able to make the flight to Seattle with little
advance notice or heavy maintenance required. In 2003, the Museum decided to
move the airplane to an area on the west side of East Marginal Way, across from the
Museum, that had been donated by Boeing for large aircraft display. In August
2003, a NASA team from Langley Research Center in Virginia inspected and tested
the airplane to satisfy themselves that it was indeed airworthy. (Of course it was!)
On September 21, 2003, having received authorization from NASA, the airplane
made its final flight - 33 minutes - from Moses Lake to Boeing Field. It parked on the
Boeing flight line, across the ramp from the stall it had been parked in when it made
its first flight 36 1/2 years before. Brien Wygle, Captain on the first flight, was
aboard for the last one. On Saturday, November 22, 2003, she was towed across East
Marginal Way to join the first jet Air Force One, the 747 Prototype, Concorde, and
other historic aircraft. She is now a mere stones throw from the Thompson Site
factory, from which she rolled out in December 1966.
This aircraft, which never entered commercial service, is on loan from NASA,
Langley Research Center.
Special thanks to www.rbogash.com for some of the history taken verbatim.
The "City of Everett", N747001, the Museum of Fight's aircraft was the first 747 ever
built - serial number 001 and in fact is the world's first "Jumbo Jet". On 30
September 1968, the first 747 was rolled out of the Everett assembly building
before the world's press and representatives of the 26 airlines that had ordered the
airliner. Over the following months, preparations were made for the first flight,
which took place on February 9, 1969, with test pilots Jack Waddell and Brien Wygle
at the controls and Jess Wallick at the flight engineer's station. Despite a minor
problem with one of the flaps, the flight confirmed that the 747 handled extremely
well. The 747 was found to be largely immune to "Dutch roll", a phenomenon that
had been a major hazard to the early swept-wing jets.Later, this aircraft served as a
testbed for 747 systems improvements and new engine developments for other
Boeing commercial jets, including the state-of-the-art Boeing 777 engine program.
Its last flight was in the late 1990s. The 747, however remains likely to be remain in
production into its 5th decade with the the 3rd generation Dash 800 now coming
online as of 2011 with over 1,400 produced.
Here are the most status plans for restoration from 2003. By the looks of the aircraft
as of October, 2010, Little had been done.
"Here are our current plans for RA001:
This fall, a team of volunteers will tackle reinstallation of the engine
cowlings, which we hope to have done by next summer. This is not a
straightforward job, because the JT9D engines that were donated for the aircraft
following its last use as a 777 engine testbed lacked much of the bracketry and
attach hardware for the cowlings. We suspect that some of these parts will have to
be fabricated from scratch as they are no longer readily available.
We plan to repaint the trim colors only sometime in the next year or so.
Unfortunately, there is no paint hangar on KBFI big enough to accommodate the
aircraft, so there can be no question of a complete repainting. As far as interior
restoration, RA001 was never certified as a standard airliner and never had a
complete passenger interior. Our long-term goal is to restore the interior to a flighttest configuration. We have begun to acquire representative test racks, ballast water
barrels and other equipment to facilitate this restoration, but we've made no final
decision about
exactly which test configuration or era will be represented.
Eventually, RA001 will be housed inside the Museum's planned Commercial
Aviation Wing. At that time, the aircraft interior will be open for public tours. There
are no plans, however, to make it accessible to the public before it goes inside".
Concorde G-BOAG was the 14th Concorde built. It made it's maiden flight in 1978
and was delivered to British Airways on February 6, 1980. Concorde 214 had a less
than glamorous start to its life as G-BFKW. After it was built and with no buyer, it
was loaned to BA to cover for a 6 month period, while G-BOAC was being repaired at
Filton.
After an aborted flight to New York on 26th April 1980 the aircraft was grounded
with a water contaminated hydraulic system. The aircraft did not fly again for more
than a year, but at a cost of one million pounds re-entered into service, this time as
G-BOAG, in Feb 1981.
With a lack of parts for its Concorde fleet BA grounded and used "Alpha Golf" as it
main spares source for a period of time up until 1984 when with parts availabe from
the newly acquired G-BBDG. "G-BOAG" was returned to service and was the first to
fly the the BA "Landor" livery in 1984 in preparation for the privatization of BA. It
was the last Conorde to be repainted in the new Chathman livery which continues
on BA today. On October 24, 2003 it made its final flight from New York before
joining G-BOAE and G-BOAF on a low circuit of London and then touching down at
Heathrow together to mark the last day of Concorde commercial flights.
G-BOAG's final flight was on November 3-5, 2003 when it flew from London
Heathrow to Boeing Field via New York JFK. For the time being, it sits outside in the
elements at the Airpark across from the Museum of Flight.
The Museum of Flight's Douglas DC-3, N138D, was built in 1940 for American
Airlines. It served with various airlines and flew over 20,000 hours. It now wears
the livery of Seattle based Alaska Airlines, which operated many DC-3s and C-47s
after World War II. This aircraft replaced another DC-3 in the main hall in 1997. It is
ironic that the Boeing 247, which the DC-3 rendered obsolete, is not on display at
the main campus of the Museum of Flight.
---In 1925, Boeing built its first Model 40 when the U.S. Post Office Department was
seeking a design using the World War I-era Liberty engine. When the Chicago-San
Francisco airmail contract went for bid, Eddie Hubbard suggested that company
engineer Claire Egtvedt replace the water-cooled Liberty with the more efficient
Pratt & Whitney air-cooled Wasp engine intended for military fighters.
Company officials convinced Bill Boeing that an improved Model 40 would enable
the firm to win the transcontinental contract. That, indeed, happened. The 40A
included room for two passengers behind the mail compartment and in front of the
open cockpit. Asked how he could operate so efficiently, Bill Boeing said "we're
carrying mail over those mountains rather than water and radiators." The 40 could
carry twice the payload of its competitors. Later versions of the 40 flew with a Pratt
& Whitney Hornet and room for four passengers.
Thanks to the generosity of William E. Boeing Jr. the Museum's Model 40B
reproduction was constructed by Century Aviation of Wenatchee, Wash., and was
installed in our Great Gallery in October of 2007.
Description Courtesy of: Museum of Flight
The Harrier is one of the most extraordinary and recognizable fighter aircraft in the
world. Built to support troops on the ground and intercept and attack enemy
aircraft and helicopters over the battlefield, the single-man light fighter currently
flies with the United States Marine Corps, the British Royal Air Force, and the
Spanish and Italian navies.
The trait that makes the Harrier unique from other U.S. airplanes is that it can take
off and land vertically. The Harrier accomplishes this amazing flying feat by
directing thrust from the engine through four swiveling nozzles located on the
fighter's belly. Sometimes called a "jump jet," the Harrier can operate from short
fields, the decks of ships, or even roadways located close to the fighting.
This Harrier flew with Marine Attack Squadron 542 before it was retired and loaned
to The Museum of Flight.
This aircraft is on loan from the National Museum of Naval Aviation at Pensacola,
Florida.
Descriptions courtesy of: Museum of Flight
The "Super G" was the most successful version of the Lockheed Super Constellations
and one of the last great piston-engine airliners. Soon after the plane's introduction,
it became clear that airlines would invest in jet aircraft.
For long range operations, the Super G could be fitted with extra wingtip tanks
increasing the fuel capacity by two-thirds more than the original "Connie" models.
The first flight of the G-model Constellation was on December 7, 1954 and it was
introduced to commercial service by Northwest Airlines on July 1, 1955. The Super
G was a popular choice among the airlines with 42 being flown by domestic carriers
and 59 by foreign airlines.
This airplane was delivered to Trans-Canada Airlines in 1954. After a career flying
passenger and later cargo, the aircraft was briefly converted into a cocktail lounge
and lunch delicatessen in Toronto, Canada.
The Museum's Constellation is currently on view in the Airpark.
N213US, ex USAir Boeing 737-201's forward section is preserved at the Museum of
Flight at Boeing Field, Seattle, WA as a theater showing the feature showing the
feature program Time Flies: A Century of Flight.
Description courtesy: Museum of Flight
The MiG-17 was an improved and significantly upgraded derivative of the original
post-war MiG-15. Equipped with an afterburning turbojet engine of considerably
greater thrust than its predecessor, the MiG-17 was the first Russian aircraft capable
of near-sonic velocities in level flight. It could, in fact, fly supersonically in a shallow
dive.
Numerous versions of the MiG-17 were manufactured in Russia and several satellite
countries. The type eventually saw combat in Vietnam, the Middle East, and other
parts of the world.
The Museum's MiG-17 is an early production version, formerly active with the
Moroccan Air Force. It was brought to the U.S. through the efforts of Maj. Gen.
"Boots" Blesse, former president of the American Fighter Aces Association, and Col.
Maj. Kabbaj, Royal Moroccan Air Force. The transfer to the Champlin Museum was
approved formally by His Highness, King Hassan II, in 1983. The MiG-17 was
transported by C-130 and truck to Mesa, Arizona following disassembly in Morocco.
The MiG-17 now bears the markings of a standard-camouflaged North Vietnamese
MiG-17F.
Description courtesy: Museum of Flight
The Blackbird family of aircraft cruise at speeds of more than Mach 3 and fly over
85,000 feet (25,500 m) in altitude. Conceived nearly 50 years ago, Blackbirds
remain the fastest and highest flying air-breathing production aircraft ever built.
This M-21 is a unique variant of the A-12, the earliest Blackbird type. Built for a CIA
program code-named "Tagboard," the M-21 carried unpiloted vehicles for
intelligence gathering. These drones were intended for launch from the M-21
"mother ship" for flights over hostile territories. Design features of the M-21 include
the second seat for the Launch Control Officer and the launch pylon on which the
drone is mounted.
The Museum's M-21 was built in 1963, and is the sole surviving example of its type.
Help us preserve this historic artifact for future generations. Click here to find out
about the Museum's Adopt-A-Plane program.
This aircraft is on loan from the National Museum of the United States Air Force.
Description courtesy of: Museum of Flight
Deadhorse Airport (Prudhoe Bay), Alaska
Prudhoe Bay/Deadhorse Airport services the Prudhoe Bay oil field,
the largest in the United States. The airport, lodging, and general
store are located at Deadhorse on the North Slope of Alaska. It is the
unofficial northern terminus of the Pan-American Highway. A few
tourists, arriving by bus after a two-day ride up the Dalton Highway
from Fairbanks, come to see the tundra, the Arctic Ocean, and the
midnight sun, staying in lodgings assembled from modular buildings.
The permanent population is only around 2,000 people, but
thousands of transient workers fly in and out of here for their very
high paying jobs in this harsh environment above the Arctic Circle.
Many work 12-hour days, 2 weeks on and 2 weeks off, commuting
from as far away as the Lower 48. The airport is served with
passenger service by Alaska, Frontier Flying Service, and ERA.
Alaska’s Boeing 737-400 Combi’s are a unique feature here. Alaska
operates from a unique terminal/cargo facility (complete with lodging
for employees) that the airline constructed in 1998. Also as of note,
virtually the entire passenger load are male workers. The 6,500 foot
asphalt runway is the only paved road for hundreds of miles. Note
that it is raised 10 feet above the tundra on gravel.
Alaska “Salmon-30-Salmon" Boeing 737-490 N792AS
The "Salmon-Thirty-Salmon," sporting the glimmering image of a wild
Alaska king salmon, is among the world's most intricately painted
commercial airplanes. Complete with shiny scales, a dorsal fin and
gills, the livery on the Alaska Airlines 737-400 passenger aircraft is
the result of a dedicated team of 30 painters working nearly nonstop
for 24 days. The 737-400 aircraft has been in Alaska's fleet since
1997 and was originally scheduled to be re-painted with Alaska's
traditional Eskimo livery. It was relaunched as “Salmon-ThirtySalmon” in 2005. Salmon-30-Salmon in reference to a fluke incident
that occurred 3/30/87. After departure from Juneau, Alaska, a 737200 hit a fish dropped by a Bald Eagle. Unlike many logojets, the
“Salmon Jet” cabin features logo designs inside, in this case various
forms of edible Alaskan sea life on the overhead bins. Alaska’s 737400s feature 12 first class and 132 economy seats.These photos were
taken on a Summer 2011 flight from Anchorage to Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay and
Barrow.
Barrow Wiley Post-Will Rogers Airport
Barrow, Alaska is the largest city of the North Slope Borough in
Alaska. Roughly 1200 miles from the North Pole and 400 miles above the Arctic
Circle, It is one of the northernmost cities in the world and is the
northernmost city in the United States. Barrow’s is renowned for its 24
hours of darkness in the winter and 24 hours of daylight in the Summer.
The city is also one of the coldest communities on earth with temperatures
plunging to as much as 50 degrees below zero. Its 4,000 residents as well
as visitors are served by Wiley Post-Will Rogers International Airport. It is
so named because In 1935 the famous Oklahoman born humorist Will
Rogers and pilot Wiley Post made an unplanned stop at Walakpa Bay
15 mi, south of Barrow while enroute to Barrow. As they took off
again their plane stalled and plunged into a river, killing them both.
Situated on the Chukchi Sea at a latitude of 71.29°N, the airport is
the farthest north of any in US territory. It has one asphalt paved
runway (6/24) measuring 6,500 x 150 ft. The 6,500 foot asphalt
runway is the only paved road for hundreds of miles. Note that it is
raised 10 feet above the tundra on gravel. Passenger flights are
operated by Alaska to Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Prudhoe Bay.
Alaska operates from a unique terminal/cargo facility (complete with
lodging for employees) that the airline constructed in 1998. Their 737400s and 737-400 Combis are the largest aircraft to operate from
here. Era Alaska operates from here as well to other far flung
communities.
Memphis International Airport
Memphis International Airport is most known for being the home of Fed Ex’s
“Superhub”. It was an original hub of Southern, Republic, Northwest, and finally
Delta until the hub was downsized in March of 2011. This move was widely
expected following Delta’s 2008 merger with Northwest which made Memphis
somewhat redundant to Delta’s Atlanta hub. Unusual for a city of its size but due
to the SkyTeam Alliance which Delta commands, Memphis features a daily nonstop flight to Europe (Amsterdam). However, the future of this flight is under
question. The main terminal ticketing hall, opened in 1963, is quite striking and
reminiscent of airports in Saudi Arabia in my view. There are three terminals: A,
B (the original 1963 terminal), and C with B being the largest and home of Delta.
Terminal A with 23 gates is home to AirTran/Southwest and Delta. Terminal B
has 42 gates on 2 concourses and his home to Delta though many gates are
unused. Terminal C with 18 gates is home to the remainder of the airlines at
Memphis: Air Canada, United, American, and USAirways. Unique to Memphis
and of particular note to BBQ fans is the number of BBQ restaurants located
throughout the terminal. You can never leave MEM and feel like you’ve had an
excellent tour of Memphis’ most famous cuisine. The airport has 4 runways with
a massive amount of night operations, owing to Fed Ex.
DC-9 Series 50
Delta's DC-9 Series 50s, most dating back to the mid 1970s, are the oldest
airliners in frontline service as of 2011. Many date back to North Central,
Republic, and Northwest. They are being retired as the new 737-800s and 900s
and used MD90s from China come into the fleet with final retirement due in 2012.
The webmaster was fortunate enough to fly on one of these DC-9 Series 50s in
2011 in the twilight of their years. These tough Douglas birds are still a thrilling
and comfortable way to fly. Interestingly, Delta has outfitted these with Wi-Fi. As
of 2011, there were 29 remaining in the fleet.
ASA Delta CRJ-900
ASA operates Delta CRJ-900s with 10 First Class seats and 60
economy seats. Delta's CRJ-900s are used for Delta Connections
flights and have a range of up to 1700 miles. The CRJ900 is a
stretched 76-90 seat version of the CRJ700, which is a radical
departure from the CRJ-200 not just a stretch. It entered service for
Delta in 2007.
Alaska “Salmon-30-Salmon" Boeing 737-490 N792AS
The "Salmon-Thirty-Salmon," sporting the glimmering image of a wild
Alaska king salmon, is among the world's most intricately painted
commercial airplanes. Complete with shiny scales, a dorsal fin and
gills, the livery on the Alaska Airlines 737-400 passenger aircraft is
the result of a dedicated team of 30 painters working nearly nonstop
for 24 days. The 737-400 aircraft has been in Alaska's fleet since
1997 and was originally scheduled to be re-painted with Alaska's
traditional Eskimo livery. It was relaunched as “Salmon-ThirtySalmon” in 2005. Salmon-30-Salmon in reference to a fluke incident
that occurred 3/30/87. After departure from Juneau, Alaska, a 737200 hit a fish dropped by a Bald Eagle. Unlike many logojets, the
“Salmon Jet” cabin features logo designs inside, in this case various
forms of edible Alaskan sea life on the overhead bins. Alaska’s 737400s feature 12 first class and 132 economy seats.These photos were
taken on a Summer 2011 flight from Anchorage to Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay and
Barrow.
Alaska 737-400 Combi
Alaska’s 737-200 gravel-kit equipped “Mud Hen” Combis which dated back to
1981 were replaced in 2007 by the 737-400 Combis. They carry 72 economy
seats in the back half of the cabin. The 2 cargo igloos are up in front with a
freight loading door. They are typically utilized within Alaska and on flights to
Seattle and Portland. These photos were taken on a Summer 2011 flight from
Barrow to Anchorage.
Chicago Midway Airport
Chicago Midway is Chicago’s 2nd major airport behind O’Hare.
Midway was the principal airport for Chicago until the 1962 opening of
O’Hare. From 1962 until the late 1970s it was only sporadically used
until the arrival of Midway Airlines. Southwest began service in 1985,
becoming Midway’s #1 carrier following the 1991 shutdown of
Midway Airlines. Since then, Midway has become Southwest’s
number one station. Midway is also served by Delta, Frontier,
Southwest merger partner Air Tran, and Toronto based Porter Air.
During the early 2000s, discount carrier ATA had major operations
here until it wound down service in an arrangement with Southwest in
2007 before shutting down in 2008. In 1993, The Chicago Transit
Authority launched an orange line elevated train to downtown.
Midway has 43 gates on 3 concourse with A&B being home to the
dominant Soutwest and B being used by other airlines. In 2001, a
new ticketing and baggage hall was built on the opposite site of
Cicero Avenue from the original terminal and current concourse.
Passengers use a bridge over Cicero to get to their gates. In contrast
to O’Hare, Chicago Midway International Airport ranked third amongst
large airports in the nation for "Best On-Time Arrival Rates" in June
2007.
Chicago O’Hare Terminal 1
United, O’Hare’s number one hub carrier and Chicago hometown
airline, operates from Terminal 1. Continental moved from Terminal 2
to Terminal 1 in 2010 as part of its merger with United Airlines.
Lufthansa flights depart here from here as well. The new Terminal 1
designed by Helmut Jahn, which was built between 1985 and 1987
on the site of the old international terminal. Terminal 1 has 53 gates
spread over 2 concourses: B and midfield C which is connected by an
underground tunnel. The tunnel is the most iconic part of ORD with its
neon tubing and surreal music and neon installation “Sky’s The Limit”
designed by Michael Hayden. Even at nearly 25 years of age,
Terminal 1 is one of the most modern facilities at ORD. Its design has
held up well.
Chicago O’Hare Terminal 2
Terminal 2 houses USAirways, Air Canada, and Delta. Delta moved
from Terminal 3 to Terminal 2 in 2009 in order to align its operations
with merger partner Northwest Airlines, who once operated a hub
here. United Express operates from here as well. There are 28 gates
spread out over Concourse E and F. In the past, Terminal 2
(concourses D, E and F) served United, Ozark, Braniff, Eastern,
Northwest (former hub carrier), Continental and Piedmont. This is the
most dated of terminals at ORD with much of it dating back to 1962.
Chicago O’Hare Terminal 3
Terminal 3 houses the American Airlines hub (ORD’s #2 hub carrier),
as well as departing flights for certain oneworld alliance carriers such
as Iberia and unaffiliated domestic low-cost carriers such as Alaska,
JetBlue, Virgin America, and Spirit. Terminal 3 has 80 gates on four
concourses: G, H, K, and L. Concourse G primarily houses American
Eagle operations, while concourses H and K house American
mainline operations, and concourse L, the previous home of Delta,
now primarily houses low-cost carrier operations. It was remodeled
around 1990. In the past, Terminal 3 served former ORD major
carrier TWA and Air Canada, and Concourses H and K served
American, former hub carrier Delta and North Central.
Chicago O’Hare Terminal 5 (International Terminal)
All international arrivals at O'Hare (excluding flights from destinations
with U.S. border preclearance) are processed at Terminal 5, which
also handles most non-US carriers and certain domestic low-cost
carriers. Terminal 5 has 21 gates on one concourse: Concourse M. It
is across the airfield from Terminals 1, 2, and 3 is connected by a
tram service. Terminal 5 opened in 1993. There is no Terminal 4 at
ORD used for airline services but instead the airport’s facility for CTA
busses and ground transporation.
MIAMI Ground Tour
The 737-800 has been part of America's fleet since 1998. In 2011,
AA ordered an additional 200 737s, some with the New Engine
Option, along with 260 Airbus A320s.
American has 106 domestic and 18 internationally configured Boeing
757s. American intends to replace them with Airbus A320 &
A320neo, Boeing 737–800 & 737RE beginning in 2014 with the 757
Domestic's first to leave the fleet.
American has 47 Boeing 777-200ERs in its fleet with 7 on order. In
2009, American became the first US carrier to fly Boeing 777-300s
when it took delivery of 2 for flights initially to India. The 777s began
replacing the MD-11s in 1999.
This building was the world's largest cantilever construction. It was built in
1974 for National Airlines. It is now used by American and American Eagle.
Its ramp is used for most of AA's aircraft parking when they're not at the
gate.
The final addition to Miami's North Concourse, the exclusive home provence of
American Airlines, opened in late 2010. This section completes this massive project
which began in the early part of the decade. The North Concourse was the subject of
major cost over-runs, delays, and controversies when American Airlines initially
managed the problem. The new airport director and his team turned the troubled
project around when its construction was recaptured by Miami Dade County. It
resulted in the temporary closure of Terminal A for over 2 years, and the demolition
of Terminals B & C.
American was the exclusive user for the time being of Concourse E which is divided
between "High" and "Low" gates by a train. These terminals were built in the mid
1970s and first used by Eastern. American has since moved over to Concourse D.
Iberia operates 17 Airbus A340-600s which carry 342 passengers (42F/300Y). They
entered service in 2004. At one time, Iberia operated a mini-hub at Miami but now
flights are confined to Madrid and Barcelona.
Aserca Airlines (Aero Servicios Carabobo) is an airline based in Valencia,
Carabobo, Venezuela. It operates domestic and regional scheduled services
to destinations in the Caribbean, Central America and the USA. Its main base
is Arturo Michelena International Airport, Valencia, with a hub at Simón
Bolívar International Airport, Caracas. It operates 6 ex-AA MD-80s.
This MD-82, N248AA, flew for American from 1984 until 2009. In July, 2011
it was transferred to Aserca in Venezuela.
AmeriJet Boeing 727-231 N905AJ was delivered in 1980.
Founded in 1985, Centurion Air Cargo is a cargo airline with its headquarters
in Building at Miami International Airport. It operates all-cargo services to
Central America and South America, serving 16 scheduled destinations. It
specializes in carrying seafood, vegetables, flowers and horses to and from
Latin America. Currently, Centurion flies 4 MD-11F's.
The final addition to Miami's North Concourse, the exclusive home of
American Airlines, opened in late 2010 with the former Concourse A
and American Eagle facility at the western end of the 1.3 mile long
concourse. This section completes this massive project which began
in the early part of the decade. The North Concourse was the subject
of major cost over-runs, delays, and controversies when American
Airlines initially managed the problem. The new airport director and
his team turned the troubled project around when its construction was
recaptured by Miami Dade County. It resulted in the temporary
closure of Terminal A for over 2 years, and the demolition of
Terminals B & C.
AeroSur S.A. is the private flag carrier airline of Bolivia along with the
state-owned airline Boliviana de Aviación. It is headquartered in
Santa Cruz de la Sierra with its main base of operations at Viru Viru
International Airport, Santa Cruz. It was established in April 1992 to
take advantage of the deregulation of Bolivia's air transport, and
started flying on 24 August that year. After the bankruptcty of Lloyd
Aéreo Boliviano in 2007, AeroSur became the largest airline in Bolivia
and its main rival is currently Boliviana de Aviación. The airline
currently operates 7 domestic destinations and 10 international
destinations across The Americas and Europe. AeroSur is currently
undergoing a rapid expansion and it plans to open new international
routes by 2011.
In 2010, it replaced its old aircraft by acquiring five new ones: 3
Boeing 737-300, 1 Boeing 737-400 and 1 Boeing 767-200ER in
addition to the incorporation of one Boeing 747-400 leased from
Virgin Atlantic Airways and for 2011 it is expected the acquisition of
two Boeing 737s more. It is known for its flamboyant paint schemes
which often coincide with destinations such as this 767-200 "Sharko"
and the 747-400 "Súper Torísimo" which flies to/from Madrid.
courtesy: Wikipedia
AeroSur S.A. is the private flag carrier airline of Bolivia along with the
state-owned airline Boliviana de Aviación. It is headquartered in
Santa Cruz de la Sierra with its main base of operations at Viru Viru
International Airport, Santa Cruz. It was established in April 1992 to
take advantage of the deregulation of Bolivia's air transport, and
started flying on 24 August that year. After the bankruptcty of Lloyd
Aéreo Boliviano in 2007, AeroSur became the largest airline in Bolivia
and its main rival is currently Boliviana de Aviación. The airline
currently operates 7 domestic destinations and 10 international
destinations across The Americas and Europe. AeroSur is currently
undergoing a rapid expansion and it plans to open new international
routes by 2011.
In 2010, it replaced its old aircraft by acquiring five new ones: 3
Boeing 737-300, 1 Boeing 737-400 and 1 Boeing 767-200ER in
addition to the incorporation of one Boeing 747-400 leased from
Virgin Atlantic Airways and for 2011 it is expected the acquisition of
two Boeing 737s more. It is known for its flamboyant paint schemes
which often coincide with destinations such as this 767-200 "Sharko"
and the 747-400 "Súper Torísimo" which flies to/from Madrid.
courtesy: Wikipedia
Delta, Continental, COPA, Air France Caribbean, and Alitalia are the
major operators from Concourse H. With the exception of the
"Headhouse" gates at the end of the concourses, this is a very
modern facility which was rebuilt on the late 1990s.
Gate 17 on Concourse J is the 3 jetway gate at Miami. As of 2011,
this is the only gate being used for the Airbus A380. Lufthansa
inaugurated A380 service from this purposely designed gate on June
10, 2011. The 3rd jetway was added for the A380 upper deck. Until
the A380 replaced the Boeing 747-400, this gate had 2 jet bridges.
The $1.6 billion South Concourse J opened in August, 2007 to a successful
launch. Unlike the trouble plagued North Terminal project, this expansion
came in somewhat close to budget and opened on time. This project,
beginning construction in 2002, is the first major expansion of the Central
Terminal Building since it was built in 1959. Many airlines have relocated
from the CTB including Delta, United, USAirways, Air Canada, LAN,
Lufthansa, Air France, and other Sky Team and Star Alliance carriers. Some
of these are temporary occupants, particularly the One World carriers, until
the North Terminal is completed. The facility is beautiful but the Ticketing
Hall is darker than I expected despite the glass facade.
Korean flies all freight services to Seoul via Dallas/Ft. Worth and
Anchorage from Miami. There are no passenger flights by Asian
carriers currently at MIA. Cathay is the other Asian cargo carrier here.
One World Alliance affiliated, LAN is considered one of the most successful
and best long-haul carriers in all of Latin America. Based in Santiago, Chile,
LAN has a number of subsidiaries around Latin America. Their planes often
spend the day at Miami between their morning arrivals and late night
departures back to South America.
Lufthansa Boeing 747-430 "City of Baden" is one of the very oldest 747-400s flying.
D-ABVC was delivered in 1989. On June 10, 2011, Lufthansa replaced the 747-400
with the Airbus A380 on its Frankfurt flights to and from Miami. Airbus became the
first operator of the A380 at Miami when MIA became LH's 3rd US gateway to
receive the A380 behind New York JFK and San Francisco SFO. At Miami, LH's 747s
and A380s operate from the airport's only 3 jet bridge gate, J17.
This DC-10-30F was first delivered in 1975 to Sabena. It was converted to a
freighter for FedEx in 1992 before being sold off in 2004.
SBA, formerly Santa Barbara Airlines, is now Venezuela's number 1 airline. It began
flying in 1996. SBA operates a mixed fleet of 757s, 767s, DC-9-30s, and ATR42s from
its Caracas and Maracaibo hubs.
Until completion of the Port of Miami Tunnel in 2014, the service tunnel that travels
underneath MIA is the only tunnel open to vehicles in Miami-Dade County and 1 of
only 2 in South Florida.
Airchive took an excellent Ground Tour of MIA in May of 2011. We also were given
great shots of Air Force One and the C-117 by Miami Dade Aviation Department.
LH’s seven A380s are configured for 8 First Class, 48 Business Class, and 420
economy seats, a 59% increase over the 747. Every airline that introduces an
Airbus A380 into service thus far has used the aircraft as a platform to innovate and
one-up its competition, especially in the premium cabins: witness Emirate’s
showers and Singapore’s private First Class Suites. Lufthansa, renowned for its
efficiency, if not service and cabin innovation, used its A380 to remind the world
why it the German carrier is considered world class. The German flag carrier’s
innovative A380 features include a First Class only boarding lounge (connected via
its own jetway) in Frankfurt, the first airliner in the world with a humidified cabin of
25% which reduces the affects of jet lag and fatigue (beating the Dreamliner to the
punch), special side-wall and cabin sound insulation making it the quietest First
Class cabin in the world, Luxurious First Class lavatories twice the size of typical
lavs with washing and changing facilities separate from the washrooms, a new
concept in First Class called “Privacy On Demand” with a flexible privacy screen with
which first class passengers can determine the amount of privacy they desire, and a
new on-demand, and a new interactive IFE in all classes complete with first-toLufthansa external cameras. Even economy class boats a new slimmer seat which
increases seat pitch by an additional 0’5” feet giving them more legroom at knee
level.
Federal Express Museum at Memphis Global Hub
Federal Express Dassault Falcon 20 Freighter - N332FE
The Dassault Falcon 20, built from 1963 to 1988, is a French built
business jet but is best known in the United States as the original
backbone of Federal Express. The company started overnight
operations on April 17, 1973 with fourteen of these jets that
connected twenty-five cities in the United States. That first night, 18
packages were carried. Services included both overnight and two-day
package and envelope delivery services, as well as Courier Pak. It is
seen at the Federal Express Museum at its Memphis Airport Global
Hub. The very first Dassault Falcon 20C delivered to FedEx (N8FE) is
on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the National Air and
Space Museum at the Smithsonian Institution. These were used by
FedEx until the early 1990s.
Federal Express Hub Tour Museum
Owing to its mainly overnight operations at the Memphis World Hub,
Fed Ex tours here are at the unusual hours of 11:15PM and 1:00AM
5 nights a week when the hub is active. For info, contact call 901369-3468. No photography is permitted on the tour but there is a
mini-museum at the tour meeting location at the Greenway Building
at 3040 Independent Rd. in Memphis. There are a few displays here
and an original Dassault Falcon 20 Freighter.
MIAMI WELCOMES THE AIRBUS A380
Miami welcomed its first Airbus A380 arrival and regular service on June 10,
2011 with a big event entitled “Miami Land the A380”. This unusual event
included a fly-in by the American Airlines DC-3, the world’s oldest flying DC-3,
“The Spirit of Detroit”, the Historic Flight Foundation’s one-of-a-kind Eastern
Airlines Douglas DC-7, culminating in flight LH380 from Frankfurt to Miami. In
grand style, Miami International Airport put on a massive event and party in the
terminal complete with live salsa dancing at the gate, a double water cannon
salute, an A380 specially decorated cake, and a multi-media presentation with
live cameras covering the action. Miami was the first ICAO Class V airport to
welcome the A380. This event also inaugurated the first 3 jetbridge gate at MIA,
J17. The airport literally stopped in its tracks to welcome the SuperJumbo. I
wrote an article about this special event in the August 2011 edition of “Airways
Magazine”.
Images courtesy: Miami Dade Aviation Department
LH’s seven A380s are configured for 8 First Class, 48 Business Class, and 420
economy seats, a 59% increase over the 747. Every airline that introduces an
Airbus A380 into service thus far has used the aircraft as a platform to innovate and
one-up its competition, especially in the premium cabins: witness Emirate’s
showers and Singapore’s private First Class Suites. Lufthansa, renowned for its
efficiency, if not service and cabin innovation, used its A380 to remind the world
why it the German carrier is considered world class. The German flag carrier’s
innovative A380 features include a First Class only boarding lounge (connected via
its own jetway) in Frankfurt, the first airliner in the world with a humidified cabin of
25% which reduces the affects of jet lag and fatigue (beating the Dreamliner to the
punch), special side-wall and cabin sound insulation making it the quietest First
Class cabin in the world, Luxurious First Class lavatories twice the size of typical
lavs with washing and changing facilities separate from the washrooms, a new
concept in First Class called “Privacy On Demand” with a flexible privacy screen with
which first class passengers can determine the amount of privacy they desire, and a
new on-demand, and a new interactive IFE in all classes complete with first-toLufthansa external cameras. Even economy class boats a new slimmer seat which
increases seat pitch by an additional 0’5” feet giving them more legroom at knee
level.
Images courtesy: Miami Dade Aviation Department
Deadhorse, Alaska (Prudhoe Bay)
Deadhorse Airport serves the small town of Deadhorse, Alaska and
the adjacent oil fields and man camp of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. It is
located 400 miles above the Arctic Circle on the tundra. The 6,500
foot runway is built on a 6 foot high gravel pad to prevent it from
sinking into the tundra during the brief Summer season. At one time,
the runway was just gravel. Alaska, Era, and Frontier Flying provide
services to Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Barrow. Shared Services
Aviation, a co-venture between ConocoPhillips and BP, is based in
Anchorage and provides air travel support between Anchorage,
Fairbanks, and the North Slope for employees and contractors of
ConocoPhillips and BP in Alaska using one Twin Otter, one CASA
212, and four Boeing 737s – two Dash 200s with gravel kits and two
Dash 700s.
Shared Services Boeing 737-700
Shared Services Aviation, a co-venture between ConocoPhillips and
BP, is based in Anchorage and provides air travel support between
Anchorage, Fairbanks, and the North Slope for employees and
contractors of ConocoPhillips and BP in Alaska using one Twin Otter,
one CASA 212, and four Boeing 737s – two Dash 200s with gravel
kits and two Dash 700s.
Fairbanks International, Alaska
Fairbanks International, FAI, is the second largest airport in Alaska
behind Anchorage. FAI opened in 1951 with limited service until the
terminal was completed in 1954. There were a number of interesting
phases in FAI’s history. First, a surge in passenger and enplaned
cargo volumes and corresponding aircraft operations occurred in the
years 1974 through 1977, the time when the Trans-Alaska Pipeline
System was under construction. Second, traffic at the airport changed
in character as international air cargo flights began refueling at
Fairbanks in 1979. Japan Airlines and Korean Airlines began service
stops on cargo flights in May of that year. Fairbanks became an
attractive option because of fuel availability. Use of Boeing 747,
McDonnell Douglas DC-10, and McDonnell Douglas DC-8 all-cargo
aircraft by these carriers changed the nature of operations at the
airport. Scheduled international service was discontinued in the
spring of 1984, but regularly scheduled service resumed in
September of 1990 with the introduction of Lufthansa Cargo to the
airport. Currently German based Condor operates a summer only
service. The terminal was expanded in 1984. In May, 2008, a striking
new terminal with unusual wood floors and a local architectural feel
reminiscent of a lodge opened. It has 6 jetway equipped gates and 2
commuter gates. Alaska, Era, Everets, Wright, and Frontier Flying
Service operate year-round. In 2009, the 1970s era terminal was
demolished Delta, Frontier, and Condor operate seasonal flights from
Fairbanks to Minneapolis/St. Paul, Denver, and Frankfurt
respectively.
Pioneer Aviation Museum – Fairbanks, Alaska
The Pioneer Air Museum, housed in a large gold-domed building at Alaskaland,
chronicles the development of flight in Alaska. It is the farthest North Air Museum
in the U.S.A., the Gold Dome is filled with authentic antique aircraft and
memorabilia of Alaska's aviation heritage. The stories chronicled here in the
interpretive displays focus on solo piloting adventures, as well as the early
commercial cargo aircraft that operated in the bush. Of particular interest to
airline enthusiasts are exhibits from Wien Air Alaska. It is open Memorial to Labor
Day.
Wien Air Alaska Boeing 737-200 Model and Displays
Wien Air Alaska was formed from a merger with Northern
Consolidated Airlines and Wien Alaska Airways. It was famous for
being the first airline in Alaska, and one of the first in the United
States. It began operations in 1927 in Nome, Alaska. Wien pioneered
jet service to gravel runways and developed the B737 Combi
configuration which allowed a maximization of freight and passenger
loads on the upper deck of jet aircraft. Competitor Alaska became a
key user of the 737 Combis and still does today. Wien Air Alaska at
one time flew to more places in the world than any other airline
excluding Aeroflot. Alaska concentrated on services to Seattle,
Portland, and the Panhandle while Wien extensively covered the
entire state north of the Panhandle. By the early 1980s their route
network extended from Point Barrow and dozens of Alaskan towns all
the way down to Phoenix, Oakland, and Denver. Their main bases
were in Anchorage and Seattle. Wien, unfortunately, over-expanded
to complete with Alaska into the Lower 48, and folded in November,
1984.
Mark Air
The airline began its life as Interior Airways in the late 1940s
carrying cargo throughout the state of Alaska. In the late 1960s the
airline bought Lockheed L-382 Hercules aircraft to service
construction of the Alaska Pipeline. In the 1970s it changed its name
to Alaska International Air to reflect its international charter
business. In 1982 Alaska International Air bought a regional
passenger/cargo airline named Great Northern. In 1984 new colors
and the name MarkAir (reportedly named after a newsboy named
Mark) were brought to the airline as it inaugurated passenger/cargo
service from Anchorage to the Alaska bush communities of Barrow,
Bethel, Dillingham, Fairbanks, King Salmon, Kotzebue, Nome, and
Prudhoe Bay/Deadhorse. The airline had purchased Boeing 737-200
combination cargo/passenger aircraft to operate these services.
In the mid-1980s MarkAir and Alaska Airlines entered into a
codesharing agreement with MarkAir operating as Alaska Airlines to
the communities of Dillingham, Dutch Harbor, Barrow, Aniak, St.
Mary's and Alaska Airlines feeding MarkAir from its routes from
Seattle and other "lower 48" destinations. In the late 1980s MarkAir
bought several air taxis (airlines operating small six to nine seat
aircraft from larger communities such as Bethel to Alaska's Native
villages) and purchased several Beechcraft 1900 aircraft; and under
the name of MarkAir Express operated new service from Anchorage
to Cordova, Aniak, McGrath, Dillingham, King Salmon, Galena,
Unalakleet, Kodiak, Kenai, Homer and Valdez. By 1990 MarkAir was
the State of Alaska's largest airline.
In 1990, Alaska Airlines abruptly cancelled its codesharing agreement
with MarkAir and MarkAir inaugurated service to key Alaska Airlines
markets such as Anchorage-Seattle, Anchorage-Juneau-SitkaKetchikan-Seattle, Seattle-Los Angeles, Seattle-San Francisco and
Seattle-Portland. In 1992 the airline expanded its Lower 48 route
network to include Seattle-Chicago/Midway and Denver. However the
head-to-head competition with Alaska Airlines caused MarkAir to find
itself in bankruptcy by the end of 1992. In 1993 MarkAir restructured
itself as a "low fare" carrier and cut most routes out of Seattle with the
exception of Seattle-Anchorage and Seattle-Los Angeles. The airline
began a hub in Denver and serviced various West Coast, Midwest
and Southern cities. In 1994 city and business officials from Denver,
Colorado hoped to persuade MarkAir to move its headquarters to
Denver.
In 1995 faced with bankruptcy again, the airline cut all jet services
within the state of Alaska and concentrated on its Denver hub, the
new MarkAir headquarters. MarkAir Express continued services
within the State of Alaska taking over all of MarkAir's jet routes. In
1996 MarkAir was forced to shut down. MarkAir Express remained
until 1997 and was reorganized into the all-cargo carrier Alaska
Central Express.
MarkAir's assets were purchased in bankruptcy by the private equity
firm Wexford Capital Management, the majority owners in control of
the present day Republic Airways Holdings.
Courtesy of Wikipedia
Ted Stevens International Airport – Anchorage, Alaska
Ted Stevens International Airport opened in 1953 and is Alaska’s number one
airport in passenger and cargo operations. It was renamed after the late Senator
Ted Stevens in 2000. It is noteworthy in many respects: It is Alaska Airlines'
second-largest hub, after Seattle. It is also a major cargo hub and, as of 2008,
ranked as the fifth busiest airport in the world by cargo traffic, after Memphis,
Hong Kong, Shanghai, Seoul and Paris-Charles de Gaulle. Anchorage was a
common stopover for passengers flying to East Asia from the 1960s to the 1980s
because Chinese and Soviet airspace were off-limits and because the first
generation of jets and widebody airliners did not have the range to fly nonstop
across the Pacific Ocean. Very few passenger aircraft still stop at Anchorage on
flights between Asia and the eastern United States. It is quite unique to see this
many 747s in one-place, however, all are freighters. Another major event in the
airport’s history was was the opening of the North Slope Oil Fields at Prudhoe
Bay and Alaska Pipeline construction beginning in the 1970s and continuing
today. ANC adjoins the busiest seaplane base in the world, Lake Hood. ANC has
2 terminals: The 2006 era renovated, very attractive, and functional South
Terminal with operations on 2 concourses. It serves Air Canada, Alaska Airlines,
American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue,
Sun Country, and US Airways. The North Terminal serves Condor, and
international seasonal charter flights. Unsurprisingly, Alaska is far and away the
dominant carrier here, with ANC its number 2 hub behind Seattle. Alaska recently
opened its “Airport of the Future” check-in facility that it pioneered in Seattle. In
addition to these airlines, a few cargo airlines use the north side of the terminal
for parking. ANC is used as a stopover and hub for many cargo airlines such as
ABX, Aeroflot, Air China, Atlas, Asiana, Cathay, Carglolux, China, EVA,
Evergreen, Fed Ex, Northern Air Cargo, Polar, Southern Air, and UPS. ANC has
3 runways of 10,000 feet and longer enabling it to accept aircraft of any size.
ANC Cargo Hub
Anchorage Ted Stevens International is a major cargo hub and, as of 2008,
ranked as the fifth busiest airport in the world by cargo traffic, after Memphis,
Hong Kong, Shanghai, Seoul and Paris-Charles de Gaulle. It is used as a
stopover and hub for many cargo airlines such as ABX, Aeroflot, Air China, Atlas,
Asiana, Cathay, Carglolux, China, EVA, Evergreen, Fed Ex, Northern Air Cargo,
Polar, Southern Air, and UPS. ANC has 3 runways of 10,000 feet and longer
enabling it to accept aircraft of any size. There are more Boeing 747s freighters,
concentrated here than at any U.S. airport I can think of. The number of 747s
and MD-11s are evocative of an earlier time when the Tri and Quad-engined
Jumbo Jets ruled the transoceanic skies.
Lake Hood Seaplane Base – Anchorage, Alaska
Lake Hood is the world's busiest seaplane base, handling an average
of 190 flights per day. It is located on Lakes Hood and Spenard, next
to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, three miles from
downtown Anchorage. Lake Hood Strip has one runway designated
13/31 with a gravel surface measuring 2,200 by 75 feet (671 x 23 m).
For 12-month period ending August 1, 2005, the seaplane base had
69,400 aircraft operations, an average of 190 per day. There are
some small air taxi operations in addition to the massive number of
private pilots who operate out to the remote communities of Alaska.
Airplanes as large as Beech 1900s and King Air’s on pontoons
operate here.
de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver
The de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver is a single-engined, high-
wing, propeller-driven, STOL aircraft developed by de Havilland
Canada, primarily known as a bush plane. It is used for cargo and
passenger hauling, aerial application (crop dusting and aerial
topdressing), and has been widely adopted by armed forces as a
utility aircraft. The United States Army purchased several hundred;
nine DHC-2s are still in service with the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary (Civil
Air Patrol) for search and rescue. A Royal New Zealand Air Force
Beaver supported Sir Edmund Hillary's expedition to the South Pole.
Over 1,600 Beavers were produced until 1967 when the original line
shut down.
Courtesy: Wikipedia
Alaska Aviation Museum – Anchorage, Alaska
The Alaska Aviation Museum is located at the Lake Hood Seaplane
Base adjacent to Ted Stevens International Airport. Commercial
enthusiast will enjoy the NAC Air Cargo DC-6 and a rare Alaska
Airlines Boeing 737-200 Combi. It is open year-round. More info is at
www.alaskaairmuseum.org
Alaska 737-200 Combi N740AS
N740AS is Alaska’s last 737-200 Combi (short for combination). It was delivered
as a new Combi in 1981. It was retired in 2007 and is now displayed at the
Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum. This particular aircraft was noteworthy for its
1988 and 1989 pioneering “Friendship Flights” from Nome to the then USSR.
Alaska used eight Boeing 737-200 Combi/QCs to suit the unique needs of flying
in the state of Alaska. These aircraft were valued for their ability to be rapidly
reconfigured (hence the moniker QC or "Quick Change") to match the specific
cargo and passenger loads for any given flight. In the all-freight configuration, the
737-200 Combis carried up to 6 cargo containers, known as "igloos." The
palletized floor allowed for passenger seating to range from 26 with 5 cargo
pallets to 111 in the all-passenger configuration. The 737-200s were also gravelkitted, which allowed them to be used at airports such as Red Dog, Alaska
(RDB), which formerly featured a gravel runway. Due to their fuel inefficiency and
rising maintenance costs, Alaska decided to phase-out the 737-200s between
2005 and 2007, replacing them with six reconfigured 737-400s. Five feature a
cargo/passenger arrangement, and one is a "freighter" carrying only cargo.
Unlike the 737-200 Combi, the 737-400 Combis feature a fixed seating capacity
of 72 seats. Unlike the Dash 200s, the 400s, are not QC and can’t be converted
to all-passenger or all-cargo.
Courtesy: Wikipedia
Northern Air Cargo DC-6
Northern Air Cargo, “NAC”, is an all-cargo airline based in Anchorage
with a hub at Fairbanks. It was founded in 1956. Its 13 strong DC-6
fleet was finally retired and replaced by 2 Boeing 737s and 3 Boeing
727s by 2007.
Rust’s Flying Service Cessna Caravan and deHaviland Beaver
Rust’s Flying Service is a major operator of Alaska flightseeing tours
and Alaska day tours based at Lake Hood Seaplane Base. in
Anchorage, Alaska. Family-owned and operated since 1963, Rust’s has
an excellent safety record. Its crew of Alaska bush pilots fly Cessna
Caravans, deHavilland Beavers, and Turbine Otter seaplanes to remote
locations and on sightseeing trips.
Seaplane Towing Trucks
These rather odd vehicles are a relatively common sight at Lake
Hood Seaplane Base. They are used to tow floatplanes across the
ramp. The rear of the vehicles are cut off and the trailers are mounted
at the front of the truck to facilitate towing.
Cyril E. King Airport – St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Cyril King Airport, STT, is the busiest airport in the US Virgin Islands.
It was formally known as Harry S. Truman International Airport until it
was renamed in 1984 to honor the second governor of the USVI. The
current terminal opened in 1990. It has 11 gates and a 7,000 foot
runway. Major operators here include Air Canada, American,
American Eagle, Cape Air, Continental, Delta, JetBlue, LIAT, Spirit,
Sun Country, USAirways, and WestJet.
The airport is known was notoriously known for the April 27, 1967
crash of American Airlines flight 625 which ran off the end of the
runway, killing 37 of the 88 on board the aircraft. Following the crash,
American Airlines suspended jet service to the airport, using
propliners until the runway was rebuilt to its present length.
Photos courtesy: Leslie Frye
Alaska Hawaiian Lei Logojet
Alaska has adorned many of their 737-800 and 900s with Hawaiian
lei's to advertise their status as one of the top U.S. carriers to Hawaii.
Alaska has only served Hawaii since 2007 but its Hawaiian routes
have grown massively, especially with the bankruptcy of Aloha, to
become a major contributor of growth at AS. Alaska serves Honolulu
nonstop with a 6 hour Boeing 737-800 flight.
United Airlines Boeing 777-200 New Cabin
United’s new International Premium Configuration on the Boeing 777200 had 26 out of 41 aircraft converted when these images were
taken aboard an LAX to Denver flight in October, 2011. United First
boast 8 lie-flat seats with 78” of pitch and 22” of width in a herrinbone
configuration. United Business is an unusual cabin with 40 seats 2-42 abrest that face each other. This is evocative of British Airways
Club World Business Cabin. This configuration enables a generous
pitch of 76” and width of 19”. The 218 economy seats have 34” and
31” pitch in Economy Plus and Economy Cabins respectively in a 3-33 abreast configuration. The IFE system is pretty close to Best-InClass for a U.S. airline with 9 video channels and up to 19 channels
of audio programming.
ANA 777-300ER
These photos were taken onboard ANA Boeing 777-300ER flights
between Tokyo Narita and Los Angeles in October 2011 just as the
new Inspiration of Japan cabin was being introduced. New York and
San Francisco were first with LA due to follow in January 2012. Thus,
these images are of the older Business Class configuration.
Nevertheless, the service was absolutely impeccable, among the best
the Webmaster ever experienced even if the seats were a bit firm and
dated in Business. The Inspiration of Japan product is a breathtaking
upgrade in terms of cuisine and seating. This particular aircraft has a
4 cabin configuration: 8 Flat bed seats with 77” pitch and 33” width (12-1 abreast), 63 Business Class nearly flat seats with 62” pitch and
21” width (2-3-2 abreast), 24 Premium Economy seats with 38” pitch
and 18.5” width (3-3-3 abreast), and 138 Standard Economy seats
with 31” pitch and 16.5” width (3-3-3 abreast).
Cancun International Airport
Cancun International Airport (CUN) is Mexico's second busiest
airport, after Mexico City International Airport, but it is the biggest in
Mexico and Latin America for International passengers owing to its
tourist trade. CUN has 3 terminals: Terminal 1 is closed for
remodeling but has an adjacent executive FBO.
Terminal 2 has 22 gates evenly split between a main and satellite
concourse with a very unusual gate configuration with shops and
restaurants interspersed between gates in a rotunda. It is used by
airlines such as Aeroflot, Aerolineas Argentina, Aeromexico, Air
Canada, Air Transat, AirTran (Southwest), Avianca, British Airways,
CanJet, Copa, Cubana, Edelweiss, Finnair, InterJet, JetBlue, Taca,
Monarch, Viva Aerobus, WestJet, and XL Airways. The newer, but
smaller Terminal 3 has 15 gates and is most utilized by North
American carriers such as American, Delta, Frontier, United, Spirit,
Sun Country, and Virgin America with additional service provided by
Air France, Thomas Cook, and Air Europa. CUN has 2 parallel
runways 12/30LR of 9,186 and 11,483 feet.
VivaAerobus
VivaAerobus.com is a Mexican regional and ultra-low cost airline
part-owned by the founders of Europe's biggest low-cost carrier,
Ryanair and the biggest bus company group in Mexico, IAMS. As of
November, 2011 it has a fleet of 17 second-hand Boeing 737-300s.
Viva Aerobus serves Mexico City, Monterrey, and Veracruz from
Cancun's Terminal 2.
Albuquerque International Sunport
Albuquerque International Sunport, ABQ, is the largest commercial airport, by far,
in New Mexico. Albuquerque International Sunport has a single
terminal, last updated in 1996, with 25 gates in three concourses,
including a concourse for commuter airline gates. Concourse A’s 13
gates are used exclusively by dominant carrier Southwest.
Concourse B’s 9 gates, American Airlines, American Eagle,
Continental Express, Delta, Delta Connection, Frontier, United
Airlines, United Express, and USAirways Express. Concourse E has
2 gates and is used by Great Lakes Airlines and New Mexico Airlines.
Concourse C consisted of three gates, and was mostly used by TWA,
by was closed in the early 2000s. It has mostly been converted to
office space. Concourse D was a ground-level commuter aircraft
concourse that was used by Great Plains Airlines and Rio Grande Air.
It was closed in 2004 after Great Plains Airlines liquidated due to
insolvency. The present terminal was constructed in 1965 on a site
just east of the original terminal. It has since been expanded twice,
first in the late 1980s and most recently in 1996. There are plans to
build a new terminal later in the decade, adding capacity to the
original terminal. Phoenix, Denver, and DFW are the busiest
destinations to/from ABQ. ABQ has 4 runways: 3/21 is 10,000 feet
long, 8/26 is 13,793 feet long, 17/135 is 10,000 feet long, and 12/30
is 6,000 feet long but is only rarely used. Currently, UPS A300s are
the largest airplanes in use but owing to extensive maintenance
hangers, hot and high testing, and the home base of Eclipse Aviation
the runways are made to handle aircraft of any size. The airport is
also noteworthy for its extensive collection of specially commissioned
artwork both in and around the terminal and on surrounding airport
grounds.
Images courtesy: David Zaccaria, photographer extraordinaire
ABQ is the home and final assembly planet of the Eclipse 500 is a
small six-seat business jet aircraft manufactured by Eclipse Aviation.
Eclipse 500 became the first of a new class of Very Light Jet when it
was delivered in late 2006. The aircraft is powered by two lightweight
Pratt & Whitney Canada PW610F turbofan engines in aft fuselagemounted nacelles.
Production of the Eclipse 500 was halted in mid-2008 due to lack of
funding and the company entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy on 25
November 2008. The company was then entered Chapter 7
liquidation on 24 February 2009. After lengthy Chapter 7 procedure,
Eclipse Aerospace was confirmed as the new owner of the assets of
the former Eclipse Aviation on 20 August 2009 and opened for
business on 1 September 2009. In October 2011 Eclipse Aerospace
announced that they will put a new version of the aircraft, to be called
the Eclipse 550, into production with deliveries starting in 2013.
Images courtesy: David Zaccaria, photographer extraordinaire
Description courtesy: Wikipedia
OLD ABQ Terminal
Albuquerque Municipal Airport opened in 1939 with two paved
runways and this Pueblo Style terminal building designed by Ernest
Blumenthal. It was replaced by the current terminal in 1965. The old
terminal has been restored and currently houses offices of the
Transportation Security Administration. It was added to the National
Register of Historic Places in 1988.
Images courtesy: David Zaccaria
Seattle/Tacoma International Airport opened in 1947 as commercial
flights transferred from Boeing Airport. Sea-Tac has 3 parallel
runways that run North/South. It has a Central Terminal building with
4 concourses (A,B, C, and D) and 2 satellite terminals (North and
South) connected by an underground light rail. Sea-Tac is the primary
hub for Alaska Airlines, whose headquarters is located near the
airport, and its regional subsidiary Horizon Air. It is unusual for being
the largest metropolitan area in the U.S. to not having a hub or focus
operation by a major or legacy carrier. This is largely due to Alaska
and Horizon´s dominance of the market which total almost 50%.
Southwest, United, and Delta are distant runner-ups but Southwest
can never be counted out.
Hong Kong International Airport
The striking Hong Kong International Airport, IATA code: HKG, is
colloquially known as Chek Lap Kok Airport being built on the island
of Chek Lap Kok by land reclamation, and also to distinguish it from
the overcrowded and capacity constrained former airport, Kai Tak in
Kowloon. The new HKIA took six years and US$20 billion to build.
When it opened on July 6, 1998 at 6:25 am, Cathay Pacific flight 889
was the first commercial flight to land at the airport. The architects of
the striking terminal are Foster and Partners. However, on the first
day of opening and for months afterword, the airport experienced
almost crippling difficulties particular with cargo and flight information
centers.
After that discouraging start, Hong Kong International Airport
recovered and has won eight Skytrax World Airport Awards for
customer satisfaction in eleven years. HKIA ranked second and third
in 2009 and 2010 respectively for the Skytrax World Airport Awards,
and has also won the Skytrax World Airport of the Year 2011.
Singapore and Seoul are its closest competition in Asia in terms of
being a world class connecting hub.
HKIA also operates one of the world's largest and most visually
striking passenger terminal buildings. It was the largest when it
opened in 1998. Terminal 1 of the HKIA is currently the third largest
airport passenger terminal building in the after Dubai International
Airport's Terminal 3 and Beijing Capital International Airport's
Terminal 3, a title it held until 2006. In 2007, HKG began the
construction of a two-storey North Satellite Concourse which opened
in December 2009. This concourse was designed for narrow-body
aircraft and is equipped with 10 jet bridges. There is a shuttle bus
service between the NSC and Terminal 1 every four minutes.
Due to be finished by the end of 2015, A new 'midfield concourse' is
being built between the two runways. This will include 20 aircraft
parking gates, three of these will be wide enough to serve the Airbus
A380 and serve for an additional 10 million passengers annually.
Passengers will reach the concourse through an extension of the
underground ‘automated people mover’ – a driverless train system
which serves Terminal 1 and Terminal 2.
HKIA is the primary hub and headquarters for Cathay Pacific,
Dragonair, Hong Kong Express Airways, Hong Kong Airlines and Air
Hong Kong. As of December, 2011 about 90 airlines operate flights
from the HKG to over 150 cities across the globe. It handled
50,348,960 passengers, making it the 11th busiest airport worldwide
by passenger traffic. It also surpassed Memphis International Airport
to become the world's busiest airport by cargo traffic. It has 2 parallel
runways in operation, both measuring 12,467 feet long: 7LR / 25LR.
HKIA is noteworthy for its inter-city check-in halls in Hong Kong
Central and Kowloon where passengers can check their bags before
boarding the high-speed rail link that whisks passengers to/from the
city center in under 25 minutes. Also, HKIA was the destination of the
first revenue passenger flight of the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner on
October 26, 2011.
ANA Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner and Singapore Airbus A380-800 at
Hong Kong - 2011
HKIA was the destination and departure city of the first revenue
passenger flight of the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner on October 26/27,
2011. ANA reportedly chose Hong Kong as this was ANA’s first
international destination (charter service) back in 1983. The
webmaster was aboard both flights between Tokyo Narita and Hong
Kong International. The webmaster was also onboard the inaugural
passenger flight of the Airbus A380 on October 25, 2011. This image
of a Singapore Airbus A380 and the ANA Boeing 787 Dreamliner
“meeting”, taken on October 27, 2011 at Hong Kong just before the
787s return to Tokyo Narita, took on special meaning. Though the
787 and A380 are not direct competitors, their respective
manufacturers had very different visions of the future when they
developed their next generation aircraft of the 2000s.
Dragonair
Hong Kong based Dragonair serves mainly mainland China and
regional short-haul Asian routes from Hong Kong including
Bangalore, Beijing-Capital, Busan, Changsha, Chengdu, Chongqing,
Dhaka, Fukuoka, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Hanoi, Kaohsiung,
Kathmandu, Kota Kinabalu, Kunming, Manila, Nanjing, Ningbo, Naha,
Phnom Penh, Phuket, Qingdao, Sanya, Shanghai-Hongqiao,
Shanghai-Pudong, Taipei-Taoyuan, Wuhan, and Xiamen. The
partially Cathay Pacific owned carrier flies an all Airbus fleet of
A320s, A321s, and A330s.
HAECO is a major maintenance provider at Hong Kong. It transferred
over from Kai Tak when CLK opened. Cathay's Boeing 777-300 ERs
are taking over for the Boeing 747-400 as the mainstay of the fleet.
In 2007, HKG began the construction of a two-storey North Satellite
Concourse which opened in December 2009. This concourse was
designed for narrow-body aircraft and is equipped with 10 jet bridges.
There is a shuttle bus service between the NSC and Terminal 1 every
four minutes.
Cathay Pacific
Cathay has been Hong Kong's flagship airline since its founding in
1946. It is world renowned for the quality of its service. CX flies a fleet
of Airbus A330-300s, Airbus A340s, Boeing 777-300ERs, Boeing
747-8s (Cargo), and Boeing 747-400s with a focus on long haul
worldwide and medium haul Asian routes from Hong Kong such as
Abu Dhabi, Adelaide, Amsterdam, Auckland, Bahrain, BangkokSuvarnabhumi, Beijing-Capital, Brisbane, Cairns, Cebu, Chennai,
Chicago-O'Hare, Colombo, Delhi, Denpasar/Bali, Dubai, Frankfurt,
Fukuoka, Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta-Soekarno-Hatta, Jeddah,
Johannesburg, Karachi, Kuala Lumpur, London-Heathrow, Los
Angeles, Manila, Melbourne, Milan-Malpensa, Moscow-Domodedovo,
Mumbai, Nagoya-Centrair, New York-JFK, Osaka-Kansai, ParisCharles de Gaulle, Penang, Perth, Riyadh, Rome-Fiumicino, San
Francisco, Sapporo-Chitose, Seoul-Incheon, Shanghai-Pudong,
Singapore, Surabaya, Sydney, Taipei-Taoyuan, Tokyo-Haneda,
Tokyo-Narita, Toronto-Pearson, and Vancouver. CX owns part of
Hong Kong based Dragonair.
Cathay Pacific, JetAirways, United, Dragonair, and South African
Airways are represented on this ramp shot at Hong Kong
International.
Tokyo International Narita
Tokyo Narita International Airport is 1 of 2 major airports serving
Tokyo Airport. It is the #1 international gateway to Japan, but the
competing Haneda, which is predominantly for domestic services is
the busiest airport in Japan, and in the top 10 in the world. Narita was
originally designed to takeover International long haul flights from
Haneda. It opened in 1978 as New Tokyo International Airport to a
storm of controversy. The fact that it is an hour from Central Tokyo
wasn't the central issue, but riots from farmer's whose land was
annexed to build the airport. This resulted in numerous deadly
clashes and riots, which delayed the airport's opening for years. One
farmer continues to occupy a small plot of land on airport grounds.
NRT is the home base of ANA and JAL, though there is limited
domestic service from here. Delta continues to base its Asian hub
here. Close-in Haneda and the Shinkassen Bullet trains attract more
attention from the domestic market. The limited domestic service here
is mainly for connecting passengers as the immediate population
area around the Narita Airport isn't that significant. Unlike most major
cities in Japan, the domestic services are flown by narrow bodies with
the widebodies at the closer in domestic airports. At one time, Narita
was the unofficial "747 Capital of the World", but as a metaphor for
airports across the globe, the 777 and A340s are becoming a more
familiar site. Former major 747 operators of the Boeing 747, ANA and
JAL, have discontinued the type Narita in favor of the Boeing 777300, though ANA operates a few domestically. NRT was the location
of the world’s first revenue passenger flight of the Boeing 787
Dreamliner, though Haneda will be its initial base for long-haul and
domestic flights.
NRT is under assault from a number of factors: Haneda has built an
additional runway and new Terminal to attract more long haul
international traffic; It is becoming less and less of an Asian hub as
long haul aircraft are able to overfly it to their destinations such as
Singapore and Shanghai; and Japan's emerging gateways such as
Kansai. However, cargo traffic remains strong. The airport is served
by 2 massive passenger terminals and an impressive cargo
operation. Terminal 1, the original terminal, is the domain of ANA and
most Star Alliance airlines while Terminal 2, which opened in 1992, is
now the home of JAL and most One-World Alliance carriers. They
both used to share Terminal 2 until 2007. Terminal 2 is divided into a
main building (honkan) and satellite, both of which are designed
around linear concourses. The two are connected by the Terminal 2
Shuttle System, which was designed by Japan Otis Elevator and was
the first cable-driven people mover in Japan. Terminal 1 uses a
satellite terminal design. The landside of the terminal is divided into a
North Wing, Central Building, and South Wing. Two circular satellites,
Satellites 1 and 2 are connected to the North Wing, Satellite 3 is a
linear concourse connected to the Central Building, Check-in is
processed on the fourth floor, and departures and immigration control
are on the third floor. NRT has 2 parrallel runways 16R/34L (13,123
feet long) and 16L/34R (8,202 feet).
ANA
ANA is now the number one carrier in Japan, surpassing JAL. The
Boeing 777 200ERs and 300ERs; and Boeing 767-300ER are now
the backbone of the fleet with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner joining with
40 expected. ANA was the launch customer of the 787. There are
also A320-200s and Boeing 737-700s in the fleet. The Boeing 747400s were final retired in 2010 with only a few 747-400D's remaining
in operation. ANA moved from Narita Terminal 2 to Terminal 1, along
with most fellow Star Alliance carriers in 2007.
United
United, now merged with Continental, operates an Asian hub at
Tokyo Narita with flights to Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Chicago-O'Hare,
Guam, Honolulu, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle/Tacoma,
Seoul-Incheon, Singapore, Taipei-Taoyuan, and Washington-Dulles.
United is at Terminal 1 with fellow Star Alliance member, ANA. United
operates the 747-400s and 777-200s on Trans-Pacific and IntraAsian flights and the 737-800s to Guam in support of Continental’s
former Continental Micronesia flights.
Boeing 747 Display at Tokyo Narita
At one time, Narita was the unofficial "747 Capital of the World", but
as a metaphor for airports across the globe, the 777 and A340s are
becoming a more familiar site. Former major 747 operators of the
Boeing 747, ANA and JAL, discontinued the type in 2010
internationally favor of the Boeing 777-300, though ANA operates a
few domestically. The “Whale Jet” was beloved by the Japanese
flying public. There is an interesting display honoring the Boeing 747
in the lower level of Narita Terminal 1.
Boeing 777 Moving Assembly Line
Even after over 15 years of production, the Boeing 777 continues to
be an incredible success and world-beating aircraft. Indeed, Boeing
started work on the 1000th example in November, 2011. Over the last few
years, the assembly process at the Everett Factory has undergone
massive changes to increase manufacturing output and efficiency. Boeing
first started portions of the 777 moving line in 2006, after several
years of planning. But progress toward making the entire final
assembly line ready to move was interrupted by the introduction of
the 777 Freighter in 2008. During planning and preparation, 777
managers looked at lessons learned on the 737 program, which
launched its moving line in 2002. Since the 777 program’s moving
line officially started upon Jan. 12, 2006 it has moved an average of
1.6 to 1.8 inches (4.1 to 4.6 centimeters) per minute. This has
reduced the 777 final assembly process—the time it takes between
the arrival of initial fuselage sections into systems installation to the
day the completed jetliner rolls out the factory doors—from 26 days to
17 days. The 777 line is believed to be the most extensive moving
production line used to build a commercial airplane. To make its 777
assembly line move during final assembly, Boeing uses a tug that
attaches around the front landing gear of the airplane and pulls it
forward. The tug has an optical sensor that follows a white line along
the floor. During final assembly, mechanics install items such as
seats, overhead stow bins and other items on the interior of the
airplane. In addition, functional testing is performed on the various
systems in the airplane and the engines are attached.
Boeing completed a continuous, one-bay moving assembly line for
the 777, which will include systems installation, final body join and
final assembly for the airplane in 2008. This is the most extensive
moving production line used to build a commercial airplane. In 2009,
Boeing revealed plans to increase 777 production from 5 aircraft per
month in 2010 to 7 aircraft per month by mid-2011, and 8.3 per month
by early 2013. Complete assembly of each 777-300ER requires 49
days. A new, empty 777 weighs 366,940 pounds (166,441 kilograms)
and includes about 3 million parts. Though tours are allowed at the
Everett Facility, photography is expressively prohibited. These
images were taken on a special press tour of the factory in
September, 2011 during the Boeing 787 Dreamliner Handover Event
to launch customer ANA.
Boeing 787 Final Assembly Line at Everett
These images were taken on a special press tour of the factory in
September 2011 during the Boeing 787 Dreamliner Handover Event
to launch customer ANA. Even though it was a Sunday, a crew on the
floor was busy attending to the 4 787s on the “pulsing” assembly line.
In positions 1-4 respectively were ANA’s 16th aircraft, Ethiopian’s 2nd,
United’s 1st, and an almost complete powered up Air India example.
We were frankly told that Boeing is currently producing 2
Dreamliner’s per month but that this will ramp up to 12 per month by
the end of 2013. Once the new Charleston plant comes online, up to
288 aircraft will be built per year which means it will take up to 5-6
years to complete the back ordered 800 plus Dreamliners. On the
floor, we were able to fully appreciate that Everett had become more
of a final assembly facility for the 787 as we saw individual
components from outsorced suppliers in position 1 awaiting mating:
virtually complete Section 41’s forward fuselages and flight deck
(from Boeing/Spirit in Wichita), Mid/aft bodies (from Vought/Alenia
now Boeing in Charleston), wings from Mitsubishi in Japan, tailcones
from KAL in Korea, etc. The outsourcing was a key factor in the
program delays, so much so that Boeing purchased two suppliers
787 operations: Vought and Alenia and pledged that future new
aircraft won’t be outsourced to this extent.
Everett 787 Factory Final Assembly Line – 2011
The Boeing Everett Factory is an enormous airplane assembly building owned
by Boeing. Located on the northeast corner of Paine Field, it is the largest
building in the world by volume. Reportedly when it was built it was so
massive that its own weather systems such as rains and clouds were created
inside. It is where Boeing 747s, 767s, 777s, and the new 787 Dreamliner are
built. It began operation building Boeing 747s before it was even complete.
There are numerous models on display for benefit of the public tours.
Photography is not normally allowed except for select press visits and events.
Ship 801 was the first 787 delivered to launch customer ANA on
September 27, 2011 and the first to enter passenger revenue service
a month later.
ANA's Boeing 787, JA 809A seen outside Boeing's Everett Final
Assembly Building in September, 2011 is line number 14 of the 787
program.
During approach to Laredo, Texas during flight tests in
November, 2010, this ZA002 / N787X, airplane lost primary
electrical power as a result of an onboard electrical fire. Backup
systems, including the deployment of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT),
functioned as expected and allowed the crew to complete a safe
landing. This led to a 3 month pause of the 787 Flight Testing
Program. Despite its ANA livery promoting launch customer ANA,
this is one of the 3-6 787’s that will never be sold to an airline
customer.
From a press release: Lufthansa's first Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental with
the future registration D-ABYE ("Yankee Echo") completed its first flight on
Tuesday, 26 April, 2011. The plane took off from Everett Airport on the site
of the Boeing manufacturing plant at 9.26 hours, local time. During its three
hours and 20 minutes in the air, the new jumbo jet climbed to an altitude of
8,534 metres and flew at 509 kilometres per hour on the clock. The first
flight marks the start of a five-month flight test programme, during which
Boeing will rigorously test the cabin configuration. The air-conditioning,
oxygen supplies for passengers and crew, the in-flight entertainment system
or the robustness of the cabin cladding are just a few of the points the US
aircraft manufacturer will tick off in around 300 flight hours. Manoeuvres,
that take the aircraft to the limits of its operating capacity as part of
certification, are no longer in the programme. Such tests were successfully
completed by the B747-8F freighter version and the red-painted B747-8
Intercontinental prior to the official unveiling of the new jet on 13 February
2011. After the flight tests, the "Yankee Echo" will return to the Boeing
hangar in Everett, about 50 kilometres north of Seattle to be readied for
delivery in early 2012. All four engines, the brakes and tyres as well as the
complete cabin cladding, carpeting and washrooms will be renewed.
Lufthansa was the first airline customer to opt for the passenger version of
the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental. In December 2006, the airline placed
orders for 20 of the new jumbo jets and secured options on a further 20 of
the type. The fuselage of the new jumbo has not only been lengthened by
5.6 metres, the aircraft is also equipped with newly designed wings and
state-of-the-art engines from General Electric (Type GEnx – 2B67). Fuel
consumption is well below the level of previous long-haul aircraft. Compared
with the "classical" B747-400, the new jumbo jet reduces operating costs by
30 per cent. The B747-8 International reduces CO2 emissions by 16 per cent
and is 30 per cent quieter.
JAL's first 787 route has been announced as Boston to Tokyo nonstop in
Spring, 2012.
ANA JA802A was the 2nd Boeing 787 Dreamliner delivered to launch
customer ANA. It was also the aircraft used symbolically during the Handover
Ceremony on September 26, 2011 as JA801A was undergoing final checks
prior to its delivery the next day. We were able to tour this aircraft. Those
pictures are in the 787 Handover Event Gallery. This was also the second 787
aircraft to enter ANA service, beginning with special Excursion Flights on
Friday October 28, 2011.
Many of Boeing Commercial Aircraft's Sales, Marketing, and Engineering supporting the 747, 767, 777,
and 787 programs are headquartered adjacent to the Everett Factory at Paine Field. The Division's main
offices are located at the Renton Factory where the 737 is built.
There is an annex to Las Vegas' Howard Cannon Aviation
Museum on Concourse D.
Las Vegas McCarran Airport Concourse D
Concourse D is LAS’ most modern domestic terminal. It is connected
via train to Terminal One. The first gates of Concourse D (SE and SW
wings) opened in 1998. Additional wings followed in 2005 (NE) and
2009 (NOW). Together, these 4 wings boast nearly 50 gates. This
concourse is home to Alaska, American, hub carrier Allegiant, Delta,
Frontier, JetBlue, Sun Country, and United.
Las Vegas McCarran Airport International Terminal 2
LAS Terminal 2 is used for all international as well as most charter
flights into Las Vegas. It was built between 1986 and 1987 where the
PSA and American terminals once were located. It contains eight
gates, four of which are equipped with facilities for international
flights. The dated and cramped Terminal 2 serves Aeromexico, Air
Canada, Arkefly, British Airways,Condor, Korean, Omni Air
International, Phillipine Airlines, Sunwing, Thomas Cook, Virgin
Atlantic Airways, Viva Aerobus and Volaris of Mexico, and XL
Airways France.
Upon completion of Terminal 3 in 2012, Terminal 2 will close
permanently and all international flights will move to Terminal 3.
Houston Hobby Airport
Hobby Airport, named after former Texas Governor William P. Hobby,
is Houston's oldest commercial airport and was the city's primary
airport until Intercontinental Airport, now known as George Bush
Intercontinental Airport, opened in 1969. Hobby is located fairly close
southeast of downtown while Intercontinental is located further to the
North. Hobby has a similar story to Dallas Love Field, albeit much
less controversial. When IAH opened in 1969, there was no
commercial service here until Southwest began operations in 1971
between Dallas, San Antonion, and Houston. Hobby has evolved into
the low cost carrier airport of choice for Houston. Southwest controls
over 75% of the emplanenments here, making Hobby its 7th busiest
destination after Denver and Southwest’s busiest station in Texas. As
of 2011, there were 133 Southwest departures from Hobby to 33
cities nonstop that is not gate and slot constrained in the same way
as Dallas Love. Southwest controls 19 of the 26 gates at HOU. This
will only increases as AirTran is merged into Southwest. Other
airlines here include: American Eagle, Delta, Delta Connection,
Frontier, and JetBlue who all serve their main hubs. Vision Airlines
serves Gulf-Coast gambling mecca Gulfport/Biloxi. Developments at
Hobby in the 2000s include a new Central Concourse to serve
Southwest Airlines and the upgrade of Runway 4/22. A terminal
renovation project is now in progress that will update the ticket
counters, lobby area, and baggage claim.
In a survey among travelers in the United States by J.D. Power and
Associates for an Aviation Week traveler satisfaction report,
passengers have selected William P. Hobby Airport as the number
one airport in the country for customer satisfaction in 2006 and again
in 2007. Hobby ranked #2 in 2008.
Photography courtesy: David Zaccaria.
Corpus Christi International Airport
Corpus Christi International Airport, CRP, serves its namesake city
and the nearby resort area of North Padre Island. The small, but
attractive terminal, The Hayden W. Head Terminal opened on
November 3, 2002, with a theme of "When the Sun Meets the Sea"
replacing a very old and compact facility. Even though it is titled as an
“International Airport” has no international scheduled flights. It is
served by American Eagle to Dallas/Ft. Worth, Southwest to Houston
Hobby, and United Express to Houston Intercontinental from 6 gates.
Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) at
LAX
The Tom Bradley International Terminal serves the bulk of
international airlines, with a few operating from Terminals 2 and 5.
The current TBIT has 12 gates, including six on the north concourse
and six on the south concourse. In addition, there are nine satellite
gates for international flights located on the west side of LAX.
Passengers travel to these remote stand by bus.
TBIT is the newest built from the ground up terminal at LAX. It
opened in time for the 1984 Summer Olympic Games and is named
in honor of Tom Bradley, the first African-American and longest
serving mayor of Los Angeles. It is located at the west end of the
passenger terminal area between Terminals 3 and 4. As of 2011,
there were 34 airlines serving the Tom Bradley International
Terminal. It is also the only terminal at LAX capable of handling the
Airbus A380. Qantas and Singapore currently provide the A380
service. LAX has been under extreme pressure from San Francisco,
particularly in the Trans-Asian markets especially following the 2000
opening of the striking international terminal. LAX has responded with
numerous programs to combat this competition.
First, On September 18, 2006 LAX started a $503 million facelift of
the Tom Bradley International main Terminal’s Ticketing Hall.
Improvements include installing new paging, air conditioning and
electrical systems, along with new elevators, escalators, baggage
carousels, and a digital sign that will automatically update flight
information. Also a large explosives-detection machine was
incorporated into the terminal's underground baggage system. In
2010, modernization efforts resulted in additional space for inline
baggage screening, three large alliance-aligned lounges plus one
unaligned lounge (to replace the multiple airline specific lounges) and
fully face-lifted departures and arrivals areas. The eventual plan is to
construct a much larger Departures Hall and Ticketing Area in place
of the parking lot across the road. Next, attention turned to the airside
area when on November 17, 2008, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
unveiled design concepts for LAX's Bradley West and Midfield
Concourse projects. On February 22, 2010, construction began on
the $1.5 billion Bradley West project. The project will add over
1,250,000 square feet of shops, restaurants, and passenger lounges,
as well as new security screening, customs and immigration, and
baggage claim facilities. The terminal's existing two concourses will
be demolished and replaced with a larger pair with 18 gates, nine of
which will be able to accommodate super jumbo aircraft. The timeline
for the project includes phased openings beginning in early 2012,
with the full Bradley West extension completed in early 2014. There
are additional plans afoot to build a parallel Bradley West Concourse
which will be connected via a bridge with 2 Airbus A380s able to pass
under it.
United Terminals 7 and 8 at LAX
Terminal 7, opened in 1962, at the dawn of LAX as a jetport. It, along
with Terminal 8 and part of Terminal 6 (formerly Continental) is home
to LAX’s #1 airline, United Airlines. Terminal 7 is connected on the
airside to Terminals 6 and 8. Though it looks dated particularly in the
departures and ticketing hall, the interior of the terminal was
renovated between January 1998 and June 1999 at a cost of $200
million. Added were new gate podiums, increased size of gate areas,
relocated concessions, expanded restrooms, new flooring and new
signage. Also, the roof of the terminal was raised and new, brighter
light fixtures were added in order to provide more overall lighting.
United also occupies Terminal which has 9 gates. This terminal was
added for smaller jets and turboprops in 1988 and formerly served
Shuttle by United flights. In 2002, United moved all non-Express
flights to Terminals 6 and 7. However, Terminal 8 is now used once
again for mainline United flights.
Terminal 6 at LAX
Terminal 6 was built initially in 1961 at the dawn of the new LAX. It
was remodeled in 1979 but many parts look remarkably similar to its
opening in 50 years ago. T6 has been used by many airlines over the
years, especially former LA based hub carrier Continental before its
1982 move to Houston. United, Spirit, Copa, and Frontier also
operate from here. The terminal is now being remodeled for Alaska
who is moving from T3 as it further enhances its LAX operations. All
existing airlines including United/Continental will be departing T6.
Korean Airlines Airbus A380 Cutaway Model at LAX
With just 407 seats on its A380s, Korean Air's version of the superjumbo jet is
configured with fewer seats than any other passenger airline currently flying it. Of
those 407 seats, there are 12 in Kosmo First Class suites and 301 Economy
Class seats on the first level. The second level is home to Korean's Prestige
seating section, which includes 94 lie-flat sleepers spaced six feet apart. The
airline says seats in Kosmo Suites section are spaced almost seven feet apart,
while the lie-flat seats in the all-business-class upstairs section offer more than
six feet between seats.
Alitalia's Boeing 777-243ER is seen on take-off from LAX's Runway 6R/24L
destined for Rom's Leonardo da Vinci Intl (Fiumicino Intl). I-DISB was built in
2002 and was the 426th 777 off the line.
Lufthansa operates a single daily rotation to Frankfurt each day using a Boeing
747-400. To the north, San Francisco receives the Airbus A380-800.
The airline was founded in April 1992 by the late Pakistani American aerospace
enthusiast Michael Chowdry, to specialise in the long-term contract outsourcing
of its Boeing 747 aircraft. It started operations in 1993 with one Boeing 747 and
contracted by China Airlines. In 1995 Atlas began trading publicly on the
NASDAQ, and in 1997 appeared on the New York Stock Exchange. An initial
public offering of 4 million shares was made in August 1998. In 2001 the airline
introduced a new program of leasing and services, based on the Aircraft, Crew,
Maintenance and Insurance(ACMI) model. Under this new program, Atlas Air
cargo planes would be available to other airlines for operations such as charter
flights. In July 2004 Atlas Air completed its restructuring plan and emerged from
Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Recently, AAWWH announced that DHL has
bought long term rights to carry some of its cargo on Polar's aircraft.
Both Atlas Air and Polar Air Cargo carry freight worldwide, including destinations
throughout Europe for example Frankfurt, Asia, Africa, Australia and the Pacific,
as well as Latin America. Specific destinations vary due to changing customer's
needs and seasonal air cargo trends.
Atlas Air operates 4 Boeing 747-200F's.
Courtesy: Wikipedia
British Airways operates a double daily service from London Heathrow to LAX
using its fleet of Boeing 747-400s. BA is due to begin receiving Airbus A380s
which, with the Boeing 777-300ERs gradually replace of the 747-400s.
China Airlines Cargo is the China Airlines (Taiwan) freight division, operating in
Asia, Europe and North America. It operates a fleet of 19 Boeing 747-400F's to
38 destinations around the world, in addition to utilising the cargo space on its
passenger aircraft. China Airlines operates one of the world's largest fleet of
Boeing 747-400Fs. China serves Tapei from LAX with passenger and cargo
service.
Hawaiian Airlines operates 2 Boeing A330-200 flights between LAX and Honolulu
each day. Hawaiian operates 5 Airbus A330-200s with 16 on order. Their A330s
seat 18 in first and 278 in economy for a total of 294 seats. "Hōkūle‘a" is the
name given to Hawaiian Air's N381HA (msn 1114), their second A330-243. It has
2x RR Trent 772B-60 and was delivered in May, 2010. The A330s are gradually
taking over for the 767-300 fleet which replaced DC-10s and before that the L1011s. Hawaiian has also ordered the Airbus A350-800s for delivery in 20172020.
Qantas operates to Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane from LAX. As their aircraft
tend to arrive in the morning and depart at night, they spend the day at a location
on the southwest part of LAX. As of October, 2011, Qantas operates a fleet of 20
Boeing 747-400s, 6 Boeing 747-40ER's (QF was the launch customer), and 12
Airbus A380-800s with 8 on order.
Singapore Airlines was the launch customer and first airline to operate the Airbus
A380-800 back in October, 2007. LAX was Singapore's first A380 destination in
America and has since been joined by San Francisco and New York JFK. SQ
operates its A380s daily to Singapore Changi via Tokyo Narita as the A380-800
does not have the range to make the nonstop from LAX to SIN. The nonstop
flights are handled by Airbus A340-500 "Leaderships".
This is 9V-SKG, an Airbus A380-841 which was delivered on June 4, 2009. It is
powered by 4 Rolls Royce Trent 970s. Like all SQ A380s, it has 471 seats: (First:
12/Business: 60/Economy: 399).
United operates Boeing 747-400s to Sydney from LAX. The Tokyo routes are
now operated by Boeing 777-200s. N128UA was delivered to United in 2000. As
of December, 2011 United has 24 747-400s in the fleet. They are scheduled to
be retired between 2016 and 2019 and will be replaced by Airbus A350-900.
United, the launch customer of the Boeing 777-200 back in 1995, operates 19
Dash 200s and 55 Dash 200ERs, 22 of these were acquired in merger with
Continental. This example is seen in the new United/Continental merger colors.
USAirways operates 59 Airbus A321-200s with 24 on order. Their A321s have 16
first class and 167 economy class seats. Spirit is the only other U.S. operator of
the A321 though American has ordered them. USAirways operates from LAX
Terminal 1 to their hubs at Charlotte, Philadelphia, and Phoenix. N187US was
delivered to USAirways in 2002.
Virgin America's serves Boston, Cancún, Chicago-O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth,
Fort Lauderdale, New York-JFK, Orlando, San Francisco, Seattle/Tacoma, and
Washington-Dulles from LAX. LAX is Virgin America's number two city behind
San Francisco. As of October, 2011 Virgin America has 10 A319-100s and 34
A320-200s in the fleet, with 26 on order. They also have 30 Airbus A320neo's on
order. Virgin America began service to LAX in August, 2007 when it launched.
They operate from Terminal 3.
Aero California was a low-cost airline with its headquarters in La Paz, Baja
California Sur, Mexico, operating a network of domestic passenger flights with its
hub at the city's Manuel Márquez de León International Airport. On 3 April 2006
all operations of Aero California were suspended by the Mexican federal
Secretariat of Communications and Transport, after the civil aviation authorities
had found that the airline was not complying with its safety standards. It was
given 90 days to correct the problems and was able to resume services on 11
August of that year 2006. On 23 July 2008 (at a time when the route network
consisted 17 domestic destinations), the airline was again suspended, this time
due to an alleged debt with the Mexican Air Traffic Control (SENEAM), which
prompted a a labor strike of the employees on 5 August, which technically
continues to present day. Aero California never operated any flights again, even
though its license remains valid. It had a fleet of 22 Douglas DC-9 Series 30s
when it closed.
This 737 was one of the last Dash 200s off the line, being delivered to Lufthansa
in 1985. It passed to Aloha in 1996, who switched back to Dash 200s after an
early 1990s experiment with 400s. Aloha painted this aircraft in its 1969 Funbird
"Flower Power" colors. Sadly, when Aloha went into liquidation in March, 2008, it
was flown to Mojave where it has sat ever since. Ex-Aloha jets have high cycles
and hours, and coupled with their age, are less attractive to the second hand
market so N823AL's fleet is probably sealed.
Aloha retired many of its 737-200s to the desert following the March, 2008
liquidation. This example was one of the last 200s built. N808AL served with
China Southern and then China Southwestern, before joining Aloha in 1994. ExAloha jets have high cycles and hours, and coupled with their age, are less
attractive to the second hand market so N808AL finds itself in the boneyard in
the midst of being parted out.
All Nippon Airways (ANA) retired its final Boeing 747SR-100 in March of 2006. It
was the first aircraft to carry over 500 passengers.
The aircraft's final flight (NH 624) flew from to Haneda Airport after arriving from
the southern city of Kagoshima. The 747SR-100, dubbed "Super Jumbo",
entered into service with ANA in 1979, when it was configured in a world first alleconomy 500 seats. To mark the event, ANA ground crew and cabin attendants
wore 1970s uniforms and passengers were given 1970s-style boarding cards in
addition to magnetic stripe cards. Passengers were invited to write sayonara, or
adieu, messages on the airframe as they alighted in Tokyo.
At its peak in 1989, ANA's 747SR-100 fleet comprised 23 aircraft. The carrier
now operates 747-400s configured with high-density cabins as “-400 Domestics”
for the airline’s Japanese routes only. The long-range 747-400s were retired in
February, 2011, replaced by Boeing 777-300ER's as the flagship.
This Continental MD-82, N16807, was delivered in 1984. It last flew in 2007.
NASA's former Landing Systems Research Aircraft (LSRA) Convair 990
N810NA sits adjacent to the entrance to the airport on November 11, 2007.
Its Convair airframe number is 30-10-29. It was delivered to American
Airlines in May 1962 as N5617. Modern Air Transport purchased it in 1968.
NASA acquired it for use at Ames Research Center in May 1975 and
registered it as N713NA. NASA later re-registered it as N710NA. It was used
at the Ames Research Center until 1983 when it was withdrawn from use. It
was stored at Marana, Arizona until it was refurbished in 1989 for use at the
Dryden FRC, where it was registered as N810NA. After serving as the
Landing Systems Research Aircraft in 1993 and 1994, it was retired to
Mojave. It is 1 of 2 relatively intact 990s remaining at Mojave. (thanks to
Goleta Air and Space Museum for this info).
Mexicana, one of the world's oldest airlines, ceased operations in September,
2010. This is one of the younger A320s to be retired as it was delivered in
1992. It was the first A320 in Mexicana's last livery.
N616NW and N620NW's, 2 ex-Northwest DC-9-30 were first delivered in
1968 to Alitalia. They joined the Northwest fleet late in their career in 1997.
N621NW, an ex-Northwest DC-9-30 was first delivered in 1968 to Alitalia. It
joined the Northwest fleet late in its career in 1997.
This Southern Air Transport Boeing 747-243BF, N795SA, was delivered to
Alitalia in 1980. It was converted to freighter status in 2004 for Volga-Dnepr
Airlines. it was then transferred to Southern Air Transport in 2010 and has
been stored ever since.
Convair 880 N815AJ, ship 35, a TWA machine all its life, was spared by the
wrecker himself, Mike Potter, who was ironically the youngest TWA 880
captain. It was retired to Mojave in 1973-74 where it has remained ever
since. As of April, 2009 it was the last 880 intact at Mojave. The balance of
the fleet was scrapped around 2000. It is now owned by Doug Scroggins.
787 Handover
The following is an excerpt from my "Airways Magazine" article on the Boeing
787 Handover to Launch Customer, ANA from the November 2011 issue. The
full article can be read online at:
http://airwaysmag.com/channels.html?article_id=238&channel_id=36
‘Delivery Day: Here at Last’ blared a headline in the September 25, 2011
issue of The Seattle Times. Indeed, nearly eight years after the original
December 16, 2003, ATO (authority to offer) announcement, over four years
since the rollout on July 8, 2007 (Airways, October 2007), and almost two
years since the December 15, 2009, first flight (Airways, March 2010), this
day had finally arrived. At approximately 0800PST, Boeing contractually
completed its first hand-over of a 787 Dreamliner—the world’s first allcomposite airliner—to launch customer ANA (All Nippon Airways) of
Japan.
Putting behind it the 787’s troubled history of production
delays, delivery postponements, and cost blow-outs, for the Boeing company
September 25 and 26, 2011, were days not for looking back but celebrating
the present and looking with hope toward what lies ahead for this groundbreaking marker in the time-line of commercial aviation. Mike Sinnett, VP
and chief project engineer of the 787, echoed the thoughts of many within
Boeing when he said: “This is the most significant product in Boeing’s history
since the launch of the Boeing 707 over fifty years ago, and as giant a leap in
technology as (were) the first jets.”
On Sunday September 25, over 150
invited members of the press—including Airways—gathered at Boeing’s
Everett plant north of Seattle, Washington, for a full day’s briefing from
Boeing, Rolls-Royce, and launch customer ANA. The agenda encompassed a
rare factory floor tour, a tour of the second 787 to be delivered to ANA, a
lavish dinner to mark the occasion, the handover ceremony in the presence
of media, 10,000 employees, and ANA executives, and—finally—the early
Tuesday morning fly-away. Scott Fancher, VP/GM of the 787 program, kicked off the briefing at
0900 by announcing that the title of Boeing 787 no 8 (ZA101/JA801A) had
been officially transferred from Boeing Commercial Airplanes to ANA. Fancher
then proceeded to show a video of Boeing employees on a recent six-hour
test flight of a 787—the first with a full load of pax—during which participants
were instructed to overwhelm the various onboard functions such as the inflight entertainment system (IFE), lighting, electrical system, etc. A
memorable quote from the footage, from a Boeing employee, was: “I’ve tried
to break it and it’s not breaking.”
Next came a briefing on the airplane’s
interior by Kent Craver, Boeing’s regional director passenger satisfaction and
revenue; Suzanne Fletcher of the Washington Tourism Alliance; and Blake
Emery, director of differentiation strategy at Boeing. Emery said, “It’s not so
much about the individual features: the high-arched ceilings, massive
stowage bins, LED [light-emitting diode] lighting, lower cabin 6,000 feet
[1,800m] pressurization, humidified cabin, ride smoothing technology, or the
picture frame windows 65% larger than an Airbus, that will make this the
’plane of choice; it’s the entire package. We are working toward articulated
needs—such as size of overhead bins and width of seats—that airlines and
passengers ask for, and the unarticulated needs—cabin pressurization and
larger windows—that come directly from deep research. People will feel
better on this aircraft, even if they don’t know why.” Emery also
revealed that at first, Boeing engineers and marketing didn’t know about
everything composites could do when they decided upon this mode of
construction for the 787. Eventually, however, the composites, originally
chosen for weight, fuel efficiency, and maintenance cost savings, began
driving development of new features. Even more surprising was Emery’s
disclosure that Boeing’s new passenger experience strategy, as introduced
during design and development of the Dreamliner, wasn’t immediately
embraced by all involved in the program. He credited legendary Boeing
engineer Walt Gillette for his belief that differentiating the experience of the
passenger was worth doing. “This was not an easy climb. But in the end,
Boeing recognized that this is one of the things that makes the airplane
special,” said Emery.
ANA’s Senior Vice President Satoru Fujiki was
next on stage. Although he and his company were affected by the three-plus
years of delays, the upbeat Fujiki-san showed none of that frustration on this
day. The proud and jovial ANA exec pointed out that his airline was the
second largest airline in Asia (in terms of revenue), and the 787 was the key
toward ANA’s continuing rise to the top tier of world class airlines. He pointed
out that the 787-8 is unique in being able to perform multiple missions
profitably; for example, long-haul from New York to Tokyo as well as shorthaul domestic sectors. He added that a key to the airline’s decision to acquire
the 787-8 [in preference to the canceled short-range 787-3] was that when
optimized for service from Tokyo-Haneda, particularly on ANA’s new
international services, the type promised 20% greater fuel efficiency, and
maintenance costs reduced by 30%. Apart from the first 12 deliveries
by April 2012, another eight will enter ANA service over the following 12
months. Deftly deflecting questions from the press about delivery penalties
and any compensation from Boeing, Fujiki-san said that he was proud that
ANA would be ‘First to Fly’ an aircraft ‘Made with Japan’, as Fuji and
Mitsubishi are major partners in the 787’s design and construction.
Bill Boyd of Rolls-Royce, with the designation of civil aerospace VP,
Boeing programs, spoke next. Discussing the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000, which
was designed solely for the Dreamliner, Boyd revealed that the powerplant’s
efficiency has improved 15% since it was first launched 20 years ago. He
said that the airplane’s unique electrical architecture plays a major rôle in
improving efficiency by as much as 3-4% by focusing the engines’ power
output purely on propulsion, not bleed air functions such as pressurization,
engine starts, and cabin air conditioning. On a related note, it was stated
that the much ballyhooed engine swap between manufacturers had not yet
been attempted.
The day’s final briefing came from ‘The Three Mikes’:
Mike Sinnett, vice president and chief project engineer, 787 program; Mike
Carriker, chief pilot of the 787; and Mike Fleming, VP 787 services and
support. Carriker described the Dreamliner’s improved ride through
turbulence. “Even Boeing can’t arrange turbulence,” he jested with more
than a hint of irony, “though we’ve had a lot of it.” In more serious vein, he
explained: “We process the computing power of 18 million source lines of
code which address different types of motion, load, and gust alleviation
systems. One is lateral mode. It senses pressures before actual motion
begins. It also adjusts for vertical gusts, (and) that is a substantial
improvement. We don’t necessarily smooth out the high-frequency little
bumps, but (with) the big bumps you can absolutely feel a difference. When
you play back the video and data, you can actually see the flight control
surfaces all counteracting this phenomenon.”
When asked about performing
a barrel roll in the Dreamliner, Carriker drew more laughs when he said, “I
need to keep my job so I don’t roll it though it can do better than the 707”—
an allusion to Tex Johnston’s now-legendary barrel roll of the 367-80 (‘Dash
80’) prototype of the KC-135 and 707 family of aircraft. Discussing the
787’s wiring and data transmission, Mike Sinnett bluntly pointed out, halfjoking/half-serious, that “wiring is a bad thing on airplanes. The less of it
there is, the better, which leads to reductions in errors and quality problems.
This is a result of a date-driven design”. To put this into perspective, the 747
has 150mi (240km) of wiring, the 777 has 110mi (180km), and the A380
328mi (530km); whereas the total length of wiring on the 787 is 50-60mi
(80-100km).
==============
The following is an excerpt from my "Airways Magazine" article on the Boeing
787 Handover to Launch Customer, ANA from the November 2011 issue. The
full article can be read online at:
http://airwaysmag.com/channels.html?article_id=238&channel_id=36
The climax of Day 1 of the Press Event for the
Delivery of the Boeing 787 to Launch Customer ANA
was a tour of airplane L/N 24 (ZA103/JA802A), the
second 787 for delivery to ANA. This Dreamliner is a
two-class domestic/Asian regional aircraft with a 22-2 business configuration and roomy 2-4-2
economy cabin. Unusually for a domestic 787, ANA
had opted for an extra roomy eight-abreast economy
configuration instead of the more usual nine-across
arrangement. Much has already been made of the
787’s cabin, but only when you step inside can you
appreciate the cavernous space (which seems to
exceed even that of the wider 777), massive
windows with their electrically tinting feature that
contribute to a noticeably brighter cabin, the calming
LED lighting, the IFE which was functioning, and of
course the ‘loo with a view’ (lavatory with window).
ANA has even plumped for the economy bar and
gorgeous back-lit dome entry, giving further signs
that the airline intends to do the Dreamliner proud.
There was a briefing on the airplane’s interior by
Kent Craver, Boeing’s regional director passenger
satisfaction and revenue; Suzanne Fletcher of the
Washington Tourism Alliance; and Blake Emery,
director of differentiation strategy at Boeing. Emery
said, “It’s not so much about the individual features:
the high-arched ceilings, massive stowage bins, LED
[light-emitting diode] lighting, lower cabin 6,000 feet
[1,800m] pressurization, humidified cabin, ride
smoothing technology, or the picture frame windows
65% larger than an Airbus, that will make this the
’plane of choice; it’s the entire package. We are
working toward articulated needs—such as size of
overhead bins and width of seats—that airlines and
passengers ask for, and the unarticulated needs—
cabin pressurization and larger windows—that come
directly from deep research. People will feel better
on this aircraft, even if they don’t know why.” Emery also revealed that at first, Boeing engineers
and marketing didn’t know about everything
composites could do when they decided upon this
mode of construction for the 787. Eventually,
however, the composites, originally chosen for
weight, fuel efficiency, and maintenance cost
savings, began driving development of new features.
Even more surprising was Emery’s disclosure that
Boeing’s new passenger experience strategy, as
introduced during design and development of the
Dreamliner, wasn’t immediately embraced by all
involved in the program. He credited legendary
Boeing engineer Walt Gillette for his belief that
differentiating the experience of the passenger was
worth doing. “This was not an easy climb. But in the
end, Boeing recognized that this is one of the things
that makes the airplane special,” said Emery.
Boeing 787 flight deck
The 787 flight deck features LCD multi-function displays, all of which
will use an industry standard GUI widget toolkit (Cockpit Display
System Interfaces to User Systems / ARINC 661). The 787 flight deck
includes two head-up displays (HUDs) as a standard feature. Like
other Boeing airliners, the 787 will use a yoke instead of a side-stick.
The future integration of forward looking infrared into the HUD system
for thermal sensing so the pilots can "see" through the clouds is
under consideration. The Lockheed Martin Orion spacecraft will use a
glass cockpit derived from Honeywell International's 787 flight deck
systems.
On the 787, Honeywell and Rockwell Collins provide flight control,
guidance, and other avionics systems, including standard dual head
up guidance systems, while Thales supplies the integrated standby
flight display and electrical power conversion system. A version of
Ethernet (Avionics Full-Duplex Switched Ethernet (AFDX) / ARINC
664) will be used to transmit data between the flight deck and aircraft
systems. The airplane's control, navigation, and communication
systems are networked with the passenger cabin's in-flight internet
systems. In January 2008, Boeing responded to reports about FAA
concerns regarding the protection of the 787's computer networks
from possible intentional or unintentional passenger access by stating
that various hardware and software solutions are employed to protect
the airplane systems. These included air gaps for the physical
separation of the networks, and firewalls for their software separation.
These measures prevent data transfer from the passenger internet
system to the maintenance or navigation systems. The 787 flight
deck features LCD multi-function displays, all of which will use an
industry standard GUI widget toolkit (Cockpit Display System
Interfaces to User Systems / ARINC 661). The 787 flight deck
includes two head-up displays (HUDs) as a standard feature. Like
other Boeing airliners, the 787 will use a yoke instead of a side-stick.
The future integration of forward looking infrared into the HUD system
for thermal sensing so the pilots can "see" through the clouds is
under consideration. The Lockheed Martin Orion spacecraft will use a
glass cockpit derived from Honeywell International's 787 flight deck
systems. On the 787, Honeywell and Rockwell Collins provide flight
control, guidance, and other avionics systems, including standard
dual head up guidance systems,[4] while Thales supplies the
integrated standby flight display and electrical power conversion
system. A version of Ethernet (Avionics Full-Duplex Switched
Ethernet (AFDX) / ARINC 664) will be used to transmit data between
the flight deck and aircraft systems. The airplane's control, navigation,
and communication systems are networked with the passenger
cabin's in-flight internet systems. In January 2008, Boeing responded
to reports about FAA concerns regarding the protection of the 787's
computer networks from possible intentional or unintentional
passenger access by stating that various hardware and software
solutions are employed to protect the airplane systems. These
included air gaps for the physical separation of the networks, and
firewalls for their software separation. These measures prevent data
transfer from the passenger internet system to the maintenance or
navigation systems.
From: Wikipedia entry on Boeing 787
ANA Boeing 787 Dreamliner Handover Event Party at Dreamliner Gallery
The following is an excerpt from my "Airways Magazine" article on the Boeing
787 Handover to Launch Customer, ANA from the November 2011 issue. The full
article can be read online at:
http://airwaysmag.com/channels.html?article_id=238&channel_id=36
On Day 1 of the Handover Event, Boeing, ANA, and Rolls-Royce teamed up to
host an elegant press party at the Dreamliner Gallery (Airways, July 2011),
where tours, cocktails, and carving stations were available to the press. Owing to
the sizable ANA presence, the cuisine and alcohol (Suntory whiskey, anyone?)
were decidedly east meets west.
ANA Boeing 787 Dreamliner Handover Event Ceremony at Boeing Everett
Factory – September 26, 2011
The following is an excerpt from my "Airways Magazine" article on the Boeing
787 Handover to Launch Customer, ANA from the November 2011 issue. The full
article can be read online at:
http://airwaysmag.com/channels.html?article_id=238&channel_id=36
Day 2, Monday September 26, 2011, was a day more typical of Seattle: rainy and
windy. The weather was not conducive to an outdoors hand-over ceremony, but
even that could not dampen the festive mood of the over 10,000 people in
attendance. On the center stage were the CEO of Boeing, W James (Jim)
McNerney, Jr; Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO James (Jim) Albaugh; Scott
Fancher; Pat Shanahan, Boeing Commercial Airplanes vice president and
general manager, airplane programs; and ANA President and CEO Shinichiro Ito.
Although individual speeches recognized ANA and the Boeing Dream Team,
there was no ignoring the elephant in the room: the long delay to get to this date.
First projected to enter service in May 2008, development costs and overruns
have been estimated by some at well in excess of $30 billion, pushing breakeven
into the 2020s well after the first 1,000 airplanes have been delivered. Whether
this is an accurate assessment, only time and balance sheet spin will tell. Pat
Shanahan drew loud laughs when he said, “Breakthroughs are rarely smooth, but
I have been waiting for this time for a long time; longer than I would’ve liked.” On
a more serious note he compared this moment of the 787 journey to what it must
have felt like when Sir Edmund Hillary reached the summit of Mount Everest in
May 1953. The celebration’s high point came when Jim Albaugh signed
symbolic documents transferring the 787 from Boeing to ANA, before presenting
Ito-san with a ceremonial key to the airplane. “It’s not often that we have the
chance to make history, do something big and bold that will change the world in
untold ways, and endure long after we are gone,” Albaugh said. “That’s what the
787 Dreamliner is and what ANA and Boeing have done together—build what
truly is the first new airplane of the 21st century.”
Responding in both English
and Japanese, Ito-san declared: “We are delighted to be taking delivery finally of
our first 787. ANA is extremely proud to be the launch customer for the
Dreamliner and to have helped Boeing so closely in the development of this
aircraft.” The Dreamliner will enable us to offer unrivaled standards of service
and comfort to our passengers and will play a key part in ANA’s plans for
international expansion.”
Befitting the occasion, there was all the usual and
even not-so-usual flair. To the right of the main stage was N787EX (ZA002), the
second 787 off the line and first in ANA colors. This airplane not only served as a
reminder of the program but was also a very useful shelter from the torrential
rains. Employees were able to have their faces digitally photographed, then
projected onto huge screens around the venue. The climactic moment came
when a mob of 500 Boeing and ANA employees led Dreamliner no 24—the same
airplane we had toured the day before—adorned in special ‘ANA 787’ livery, over
to where the ceremony was being staged. ANA staff distributed to all in
attendance very cool ‘First Flight’ scarves, which doubled as umbrellas and
hoodies. Toward the end of the event, Fancher pointed out that there was a
photographer on the roof and asked people grouped by departments to raise
their scarves in the air and cheer one by one, then everyone was asked to raise
them all at once. At this point, the ceremony took on the feel of an NFL playoff
game. The events wrapped up in little over an hour, and though the skies didn’t
poetically clear, the downpour turned into a drizzle. Perhaps this was a good
omen?
On Tuesday, September 27, JA801A took off at 0719PST from Everett as
ANA9397 for a 9hr 29min nonstop flight to Haneda, with ANA staff onboard. As
the thousands in attendance waved goodbye to the first Boeing 787 Dreamliner
delivered to a customer, the exuberance of the previous three days immediately
began to be replaced with focus on the tasks ahead as attention turned to the
first revenue flights scheduled to begin in exactly a month’s time. Equally
significantly, there are the challenges associated with boosting production and
dealing with, and fixing, the inevitable teething problems arising from an EIS
(entry into service). But the people of Boeing, ANA, and even jaded press
personnel couldn’t help feel a certain pride and lump in their collective throats as,
after almost ten arduous years, Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner lifted away and finally
became a commercial reality.
ANA Boeing 787 Cabin
This is an excerpt from the webmaster, Chris Sloan’s article on the
Inaugural Passenger Revenue Flight of the Boeing 787 in the February,
2012 issue of “Airways” Magazine. These images were taken on the
October 27, 2011 flight from Hong Kong back to Tokyo Narita. Images from
the inaugural flight are on the ANA Dreamliner Inaugural Gallery on
Airchive.com
This Dreamliner, JA801A, is configured in a 2-2-2
configuration with 2 rows of seats. This aircraft, along with
JA802, are configured in the temporary domestic
arrangement of 12-business class and 252 economy class
seats. The business cabin seats feature a 62” pitch and 21”
width. The economy seats, arranged in a very generous 2-42 configuration (with 3-3-3 considered standard) each have a
pitch of 31” and width of 17”. ANA decided to specify
individual armrests for the middle seats resulting in 2”
between those seats. This space, along with the very high
ceilings contributed to the initial impressions of
spaciousness, even with the mass of passengers milling
about, their luggage, and the press’ camera equipment
creating congestion. The massive overhead bins, as
advertised, easily swallowed all the carry-on articles up. Of
note, once the first two 787s switch from domestic to the
regional Asian configuration, additional rows of business
class seats will be added in place of economy seating. The
international long-haul configurations will feature ANA’s
outstanding staggered long-haul business class “Inspiration
of Japan” product with 158 seats spread over two classes.
Another immediate impression upon boarding was the large
amount of natural light allowed in by the big windows, some
thirty percent larger than a Boeing 777.
I for one, felt like a kid in a candy store, and it was time to
get down to business and sample all the wizardry. In talking
to fellow passengers, the windows were clearly the
immediate hit! I could easily see outside the enormous 19”
X 11” windows, placed just a little above waist level, on the
opposite side of the eighteen-foot wide cabin. I can confirm
in-flight that the windows provide a panoramic view,
creating a connection with the sky outside, reducing
claustrophobia as well as the need to crane one’s neck to
look outside of them regardless of where one sits. The
electrical window tinting performed flawlessly dimming from
100% transparent to nearly the opaque position in thirty
seconds. The cabin lighting was set between shades of
calming blue and orange with the transition very subtle.
Few passengers desire turbulence, but in this case many
were hoping for a little less “perfect” day to test out the
turbulence-dampening, gust suppression systems where
accelerometers in the plane's nose will register a sudden
drop and send a signal through fiber-optic cables to the
wings. What would have been a 9-foot drop is supposedly
cut to 3. On descent and the return flight, we did register
some chop from winds and cloud and the Dreamliner did
seem to react with a smoother ride, similar as if we were
driving down a cobble street. I was watching the control
surfaces on the beautiful raked wing adjust in the chop that was a real treat! The wings were the best in-flight
entertainment I could ask for, but the Panasonic in-flight
entertainment system (IFE) cried out to be demoed.
Beyond the typical on-demand music and video offerings,
this IFE offered seat-to-seat chatting and email, and very
high-resolution multi-functional air maps, inspired by
Google maps. The passenger can select multiple views and
levels of detail. The USB port did seem to be charging my
iPOD, but I was not able to playback its music or photos on
the system screen. The economy seats were firm, but
comfortable but instead of reclining the bottom cushion
moves back and forth which creates the same affect but
doesn’t impede the space for the passenger sitting behind.
Gino allowed me to sample his business class “throne”
which reclined to a near flat position. These business class
seats were not the lie-flat long-haul product. Behind the
scenes Boeing 787 VP/GM, Scott Faucher explained that
the 787 was collecting flight data and transmitting it back to
Seattle via satellite every 15 minutes.
The technological marvels even extended to the seven
lavatories with features I wasn’t aware of prior to the flight.
Upon entering the lavs, the door pivots inward to avoid
blocking aisles or the interior of the bathroom; the dark blue
lavatory lighting transforms to a brighter daylight hue.
Instead of flushing the toilet with a handle, one runs their
hand over a sensor that triggers the toilet seat to
mechanically close before flushing. As Thomas Lee
explained to me, whose company designed the system, this
creates a vacuum that attenuates the flushing sound
considerably, but also cuts water consumption in half –
another Dreamliner weight saving innovation! One of the
lavatories dubbed “Loo with a view”, designed to
accommodate handicapped passengers, even has a
window and unique to the Dreamliner – the sole
conventional window shade. The big question most
everyone had on their minds was would we notice more
comfortable conditions with the lower pressurization and
higher humidity levels, unique to the composite built
Dreamliner. Most concluded they didn’t feel any difference
or it was too subtle. The prevailing opinion was that this
would make more of a difference on a long-haul flight than
a 4-½ sector. Many did remark how much fresher and
cleaner the air smelled and felt which is not surprising with
the air conditioning packs being driven electrically than
through engine bleed. “Ahhhh, there’s nothing like a new
plane smell”, said Gino Bertuccio. The quiet cabin during
cruise was very noticeable as well.
ANA has a world-class reputation for exquisite service, and
the Dreamliner inaugural was the perfect opportunity to
showcase it. Even in economy, we were served sumptuous
meals and drinks. The Japanese menu consisted of an
appetizer of fried gristles of squid, dried baby shrimp and
cabbage salad, a hot entrée of a hot entrée’ of pork belly
ragout in Soy-based sauce, grilled salmon sushi, and
custard for desert. The western meal started with an
appetizer of marinated salmon and baby shrimp
accompanied by beef and pork pastrami and was then
followed by a fresh garden salad, a seafood gratin main
course, and custard for desert. Both meals were topped off
with a commemorative “We Fly First” ANA 787 Inaugural
cookie. I personally couldn’t eat mine as I tried to preserve it
unsuccessfully as a souvenir. The standup bar between
business and economy became the social hub of the flight
and was put to good use with an array of snacks and
beverages. As wonderful as the food and beverage service
were, the hospitality of the crews left even an bigger
impression. They were incredibly gracious and attentive in
exceeding service expectations while navigating all the
passengers in the aisles, myself included.
The dynamic LED “mood lighting” system, which normally
mimics the natural progression of daylight, presented the
flight’s crescendo: within seconds, the cabin was
transformed from a subtle, pink hue into a psychedelic
“Disco Inferno” composed of the full color spectrum of light.
The entire flight burst into an appreciative applause at this
surreal, “seventies” sight.
Boeing Dreamliner 787 Inaugural Passenger Revenue
Flight – 2001
This is an excerpt from the webmaster, Chris Sloan’s article on the Inaugural
Passenger Revenue Flight of the Boeing 787 in the February, 2012 issue of
“Airways” Magazine. These images were taken on the October 27, 2011 flight
from Hong Kong back to Tokyo Narita. Images from the inaugural flight are on
the ANA Dreamliner Inaugural Gallery on Airchive.com.
Commercial aviation changed forever on October 26, 1958
when Pan Am inaugurated the first continuous jet airliner
service with a Boeing 707 flight from New York’s JFK Airport
(then known as Idyllwild) bound for Paris Orly. Fifty-three
years later on Wednesday October 26, 2011, commercial
aviation was destined to change again as Japan’s ANA (All
Nippon Airlines) inaugurated the world’s first commercial
service of the world’s first majority-composite construction
airliner, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. In the author’s view, this
is the biggest leap forward in commercial aviation since the
707 launched. Though not processing the epic speed
statement of Concorde (which in the end was a niche airliner
with limited effect on the industry), nor the massive presence
of the Boeing 747 “Jumbo Jet” or “Super Jumbo” Airbus
A380 (again, somewhat of a niche aircraft), the Boeing 787
Dreamliner is destined to have an even more profound affect
on the future of the airline industry than even its Boeing
designers and airline customers can predict now. With
bleeding edge technology, decentralized shared global
production, a massively reduced environmental footprint,
pioneering customer appeal features, significantly reduced
maintenance costs, and most important vastly improved fuel
efficiency, all new airliners hence will stand on the shoulders
of the bold, courageous design of the Boeing 787, changing
the path of commercial air transport forever. Unlike niche
aircraft such as the Airbus A380, the Dreamliner with 800
orders already on the books, is destined to be a game
changer on a scale of critical mass. As fuel prices only
escalate and markets only fragment further over the likely
fifty-year service lifespan of this design, the hyperbole
surrounding Boeing 787 is pretty easily supported as fact.
7 ½ years after its formal launch, 3 ½years behind entry-intoservice (EIS) schedule and billions of dollars over-budget,
the 787 was finally ready to enter service with a special ANA
charter flight from Tokyo Narita to Hong Kong International
Airport on October 26, 2011. At the Handover Ceremony in
September 2011 and as the October EIS date loomed large,
the anticipation and “will it live up to its hype” expectations
reached a fever pitch. I knew I had to be on this flight. My
grandparents, after all, had been on the Pan Am Boeing 707
inaugural so I had a legacy to uphold.
Check-in for NH7871 at Tokyo Narita Terminal 1, was a
relatively low-key affair with nary commemorative
decorations in site. Seat assignments were drawn
democratically from an envelope. I drew economy bulkhead
seat 6C, an aisle seat next to the window. Oddly, “B” seats
don’t exist on ANA’s eight-abreast 787. Lucky for me, my
seatmate was the informative and quite funny journalist
Guy Norris of “Aviation Week”, who authored the definitive
book on the Dreamliner. As we made our way to Tokyo
Narita Gate 59A, it then started becoming very obvious that
something special was afoot. There was a mob of
passengers, press, executives, and the merely curious
swarming around the gate area. Festivities began with a
Kagami-wari ceremony where ANA's Mr. Ito and other
business executives donned Japanese "Hapi" coats, light
waist-length coats usually worn during festivals, as they
raised wooden boxes filled with sake to celebrate at the
gate prior to takeoff. Ceremonial wooden sake boxes were
handed out to all in attendance along with generous
servings of this traditional libation. Boarding began promptly
at 11:40AM for a 12:20pm departure with “USA Today”
travel reporter Ben Mutzabaugh being the first-ever 787
passenger to have his ticket swiped to board. I say this
“technically” as we were actually bussed out to the first two
787s delivered, both looking resplendent in a special oneoff 787 livery: JA801 and JA802. JA 801, MSN#8, a
domestically configured 787-881 and the first delivered
exactly a month before, would be our conveyance of choice
on the inaugural flight.
L1011 Tristar Cutaway Model at ANA Sky Center – Tokyo,
Narita
ANA purchased its first widebody aircraft, six Lockheed L-1011s, in
November 1971, following a lengthy sales effort by Lockheed which
had involved negotiations between US president Richard Nixon,
Japanese premier Kakuei Tanaka and UK premier Edward Heath
(lobbying in favor of engine maker Rolls-Royce). Tanaka also
pressed Japanese regulators to permit ANA to operate on Asia
routes as part of the package. The aircraft entered service on the
Tokyo-Okinawa route in 1974. The carrier had initially ordered
McDonnell Douglas DC-10s, but cancelled the order at the last
minute and switched to Lockheed. It was later revealed that
Lockheed had indirectly bribed Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka to
force this switch: the ensuing scandal led to the arrest of Tanaka
and several managers from ANA and Lockheed sales agent
Marubeni for corruption. ANA operated the Tristars effectively until
the mid 1990s.
Description from: Wikipedia
ANA Boeing 787 Inaugural Passenger Revenue Flight Onboard
This is an excerpt from the webmaster, Chris Sloan’s article on the Inaugural
Passenger Revenue Flight of the Boeing 787 in the February, 2012 issue of
“Airways” Magazine. These images were taken on the October 27, 2011 flight
from Hong Kong back to Tokyo Narita. Images from the inaugural flight are on
the ANA Dreamliner Inaugural Gallery on Airchive.com.
Though the Dreamliner was 3 ½ years late entering service,
ANA wasn’t about to accept anything less than an on-time
inaugural departure time. Passengers were allowed brief
photo opportunities in front of the Dreamliner and a
commemorative banner before being ushered up the stairs.
With commemorative boarding passes around our necks
(and cameras), we boarded through the number one door
forward of the business cabin galley, instead of through the
number two door which is Boeing’s recommended entry
door where the bar is located. We entered through the
business cabin arranged in a 2-2-2 configuration with 2
rows of seats. This aircraft, along with JA802, are
configured in the temporary domestic arrangement of 12business class and 252 economy class seats. The business
cabin seats feature a 62” pitch and 21” width. The economy
seats, arranged in a very generous 2-4-2 configuration (with
3-3-3 considered standard) each have a pitch of 31” and
width of 17”. ANA decided to specify individual armrests for
the middle seats resulting in 2” between those seats. This
space, along with the very high ceilings contributed to the
initial impressions of spaciousness, even with the mass of
passengers milling about, their luggage, and the press’
camera equipment creating congestion. The massive
overhead bins, as advertised, easily swallowed all the
carry-on articles up. Of note, once the first two 787s switch
from domestic to the regional Asian configuration,
additional rows of business class seats will be added in
place of economy seating. The international long-haul
configurations will feature ANA’s outstanding staggered
long-haul business class “Inspiration of Japan” product with
158 seats spread over two classes. Another immediate
impression upon boarding was the large amount of natural
light allowed in by the big windows, some thirty percent
larger than a Boeing 777. The gracious cabin crew, of
which there were ten on duty as opposed to the normal
compliment of six, politely asked everyone to be seated in
hopes of an on-time departure. The aircraft ended up
pushing back three minutes late at 12:23pm, which was
miraculous given all the activity. The traditional water
cannon salute followed just after engine startup. At
12:41pm, NH 7871 piloted by Yuichi Marui, ANA director of
787 operations and Masami Tsukamoto, who was the first
ANA pilot to fly the 787, began its roll down Tokyo Narita’s
runway 34L. The take-off seemed to be de-rated on the pair
of Rolls Royce Trent 1000A’s, perhaps to further
accentuate their quiet noise footprint. In place of the roar of
the Rolls’, we heard a somewhat soothing, low background
drone of the 787’s electrical systems. The Dreamliner
employs new electric technology to power many systems
reducing the bleed air requirements on the engines. Once
we lifted off after a leisurely take-off roll, the airplane did
become very noisy, not from the engines but from the
cacophony of clicking of camera shutters and loud round of
applause. Three minutes into flight, the throttles were pulled
back to climb power as we made our way to 37,975 feet
and a cruising speed of 431 kt (798 km/h, 496 mph). It was
an absolute picture-perfect day for flying with very light
winds and no weather en-route. Our four-hour, eight-minute
flight plan took us southwest over Honshu, the main island
of Japan; then over the Japanese Islands of Shikoku and
Kyūshū, the East China Sea, Taiwan, and into Check Lap
Kok and Lantau Islands where Hong Kong International
Airport is located.
On the way up to cruise, Captain Marui addressed the P/A
reminding everyone this was the world’s first passenger
flight of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and how happy they
were that this moment had arrived. With the air silky
smooth, the seatbelt signs then came off and the
celebratory atmosphere / press spectacle really kicked in.
The very gracious and patient, specially selected ANA
cabin crew somehow managed to serve drinks during this
melee of passengers and press. Some remarked that it
wasn’t quite the party atmosphere of previous inaugurals
but this might’ve been because the business cabin was
closed off, and many of the Japanese passengers were
more subdued than the boisterous western passengers.
I for one, felt like a kid in a candy store, and it was time to
get down to business and sample all the wizardry. In talking
to fellow passengers, the windows were clearly the
immediate hit! I could easily see outside the enormous 19”
X 11” windows, placed just a little above waist level, on the
opposite side of the eighteen-foot wide cabin. I can confirm
in-flight that the windows provide a panoramic view,
creating a connection with the sky outside, reducing
claustrophobia as well as the need to crane one’s neck to
look outside of them regardless of where one sits. The
electrical window tinting performed flawlessly dimming from
100% transparent to nearly the opaque position in thirty
seconds. The cabin lighting was set between shades of
calming blue and orange with the transition very subtle.
Few passengers desire turbulence, but in this case many
were hoping for a little less “perfect” day to test out the
turbulence-dampening, gust suppression systems where
accelerometers in the plane's nose will register a sudden
drop and send a signal through fiber-optic cables to the
wings. What would have been a 9-foot drop is supposedly
cut to 3. On descent and the return flight, we did register
some chop from winds and cloud and the Dreamliner did
seem to react with a smoother ride, similar as if we were
driving down a cobble street. I was watching the control
surfaces on the beautiful raked wing adjust in the chop that was a real treat! The wings were the best in-flight
entertainment I could ask for, but the Panasonic in-flight
entertainment system (IFE) cried out to be demoed.
Beyond the typical on-demand music and video offerings,
this IFE offered seat-to-seat chatting and email, and very
high-resolution multi-functional air maps, inspired by
Google maps. The passenger can select multiple views and
levels of detail. The USB port did seem to be charging my
iPOD, but I was not able to playback its music or photos on
the system screen. The economy seats were firm, but
comfortable but instead of reclining the bottom cushion
moves back and forth which creates the same affect but
doesn’t impede the space for the passenger sitting behind.
Gino allowed me to sample his business class “throne”
which reclined to a near flat position. These business class
seats were not the lie-flat long-haul product. Behind the
scenes Boeing 787 VP/GM explained that the 787 was
collecting flight data and transmitting it back to Seattle via
satellite every 15 minutes.
The technological marvels even extended to the seven
lavatories with features I wasn’t aware of prior to the flight.
Upon entering the lavs, the door pivots inward to avoid
blocking aisles or the interior of the bathroom; the dark blue
lavatory lighting transforms to a brighter daylight hue.
Instead of flushing the toilet with a handle, one runs their
hand over a sensor that triggers the toilet seat to
mechanically close before flushing. As Thomas Lee
explained to me, whose company designed the system, this
creates a vacuum that attenuates the flushing sound
considerably, but also cuts water consumption in half –
another Dreamliner weight saving innovation! One of the
lavatories dubbed “Loo with a view”, designed to
accommodate handicapped passengers, even has a
window and unique to the Dreamliner – the sole
conventional window shade. The big question most
everyone had on their minds was would we notice more
comfortable conditions with the lower pressurization and
higher humidity levels, unique to the composite built
Dreamliner. Most concluded they didn’t feel any difference
or it was too subtle. The prevailing opinion was that this
would make more of a difference on a long-haul flight than
a 4-½ sector. Many did remark how much fresher and
cleaner the air smelled and felt which is not surprising with
the air conditioning packs being driven electrically than
through engine bleed. “Ahhhh, there’s nothing like a new
plane smell”, said Gino Bertuccio. The quiet cabin during
cruise was very noticeable as well.
ANA has a world-class reputation for exquisite service, and
the Dreamliner inaugural was the perfect opportunity to
showcase it. Even in economy, we were served sumptuous
meals and drinks. The Japanese menu consisted of an
appetizer of fried gristles of squid, dried baby shrimp and
cabbage salad, a hot entrée of a hot entrée’ of pork belly
ragout in Soy-based sauce, grilled salmon sushi, and
custard for desert. The western meal started with an
appetizer of marinated salmon and baby shrimp
accompanied by beef and pork pastrami and was then
followed by a fresh garden salad, a seafood gratin main
course, and custard for desert. Both meals were topped off
with a commemorative “We Fly First” ANA 787 Inaugural
cookie. I personally couldn’t eat mine as I tried to preserve
it unsuccessfully as a souvenir. The standup bar between
business and economy became the social hub of the flight
and was put to good use with an array of snacks and
beverages. As wonderful as the food and beverage service
were, the hospitality of the crews left even an bigger
impression. They were incredibly gracious and attentive in
exceeding service expectations while navigating all the
passengers in the aisles, myself included. A rather
delightful touch was when ANA President and CEO
Shinichiro Ito, spent nearly the entire flight personally
talking to every passenger he could.
What is an inaugural flight without the requisite souvenir
swag? Well, of course, everything not nailed down from
menus to safety cards to even headphones automatically
became a souvenir, but ANA’s hospitality extended to the
gift envelopes which in true egalitarian style were the same
for both classes. The airline marked the occasion with such
items as a clever 787 wooden book mark, laminated first
flight commemorative boarding passes coupled with a 787
lanyard, the same 787 scarves handed out at the delivery
ceremony in Everett, and even a Dreamliner USB thumb
drive. Additionally, elaborate books of 787 stamps were
available for purchase from Duty Free.
At 3:20pm Hong Kong time, the pilots eased back on the
throttles of the Trents signaling our initial descent into Hong
Kong International Airport. With a definite sense of
showmanship, the flight attendants foreshadowed
something special was about to happen by remotely
dimming all the electrically shaded windows to their darkest
position. The dynamic LED “mood lighting” system, which
normally mimics the natural progression of daylight,
presented the flight’s crescendo: within seconds, the cabin
was transformed from a subtle, pink hue into a psychedelic
“Disco Inferno” composed of the full color spectrum of light.
The entire flight burst into an appreciative applause at this
surreal, “seventies” sight. After this unexpected treat, the
cabin lighting transformed to the bright take-off level then
the seat belt signs turned on as we descended through
mid-level clouds and light chop on our approach into Hong
Kong. The IFE actually showed a detailed aerial map of the
airport as we flew low over the South China Sea on finals.
At 3:52pm local time, 4 hrs, 8 min. after departing Tokyo,
the world’s maiden passenger voyage of a Boeing 787
Dreamliner “greased” onto runway 7L with a textbook
landing; thunderous applause once again echoed around
the cabin.
Immediately after turning off 7L, ANA flight 7871 was
greeted in style with a two water cannon salute. This was to
be expected, but the ceremonial Wutan lion dance,
pounding drums, and the swarm of people greeting us on
the tarmac left a major impression on everyone. As we
descended the stairs, even the most jaded among us could
not help but be impressed and moved by this display. ANA
Captains Maurui and Tsukamoto, who had not left the cabin
the entire flight and almost seemed to sneak down the
stairs to avoid attention, were given a spontaenous massive
round of applause as they departed the flight deck for the
press conference. The duo seemed slightly embarrassed
and caught off guard at this outpouring.
ANA Boeing 787 Return Flight to Tokyo
This is an excerpt from the webmaster, Chris Sloan’s article on the Inaugural
Passenger Revenue Flight of the Boeing 787 in the February, 2012 issue of
“Airways” Magazine. These images were taken on the October 27, 2011 flight
from Hong Kong back to Tokyo Narita. Images from the inaugural flight are on
the ANA Dreamliner Inaugural Gallery on Airchive.com.
The next day, Thursday October 27th, the Dreamliner
returned to Tokyo as flight NH7872. By comparison to the
previous day, this was a far more subdued affair with just a
few ramp personnel seeing us off, no applause on take-off
or landing, yet still the ANA trademark exceptional service.
This quiet flight gave us all the opportunity to get to know
the Dreamliner on a more intimate basis on what felt like a
typical operation. We landed in the dark on time at 8:50pm
in Tokyo and taxied up to the stand next to sister-ship
JA802. After some final pictures and farewells, the
inaugural event was over but for the Dreamliner and ANA
the real mission was just beginning. The following day, both
airplanes performed numerous hour-long excursion flights
over Tokyo. On November 1st, scheduled domestic service
began between Tokyo Haneda and Okayama and Tokyo
Haneda and Hiroshima, two of Japan’s longest domestic
routes. International regional service was slated to begin
with Haneda to Beijing in December. The flight many
eagerly await as the next true test of the Dreamliner’s
efficiency and passenger appeal is the first long haul flight
from Tokyo Haneda to Frankfurt, Germany at approximately
12 hours, 15 minutes, is scheduled to begin on 21 January
2012.
ANA President and CEO Ito admitted, “We (Boeing and
ANA) had been through hard times in the development of
the 787, but we are thrilled to be first airline to fly the
airplane”. Other game changing aircraft such as the Boeing
707 and especially the 747 had difficult births, but with the
hindsight afforded by time, few remember those challenges.
What is remembered is how they changed the way the
world travelled and changed an industry, which the Boeing
787 Dreamliner almost certainly will too.
BOEING ARCHIVES
Even though most people associate Everett (Paine Field) and Renton
(where 737′s are made) with Boeing in the Seattle area, the archives
are housed in a Boeing complex in Bellevue, WA, which is located
just east of Seattle. The archive in Bellevue is the main corporate
archive and preserves the history of Boeing and the aviation history
of North American/Rockwell. The archives are for current commercial
business as well as Boeing corporate.
In the Vault: these classic Boeing ashtrays, which were very popular with Boeing
engineers back in the day.
Over the years, the archive has grown to include other locations
across the nation. There are the Douglas archives in Cypress, CA
(near Long Beach), where the history of Douglas is preserved as well.
It also houses Boeing’s current space and electronics related
businesses that are in southern California. Boeing’s archive in St
Louis takes care of the history of McDonnell Douglas and Hughes
helicopters and supports their current military aircraft and defense
business.
I was quite fascinated with the multiple levels of security attached to
the Bellevue archive. First, guests must check-in at a public building
to get their “Escort Required” badge. Then, it is through a security
gate where guests have to show said badge with their escort (who,
for me, was the very helpful Bernard Choi with Boeing
Communications). After the second security check, there are various
doors one must go through that require a code before they reach the
basement archives.
How cool would it be to have a few weeks to sit down and read all these?
Most of Boeing’s history is housed in an earthquake resistant
basement, where computer chips used to be made. There are long
rows of boxes with models (which I will talk about in Part 2), posters,
films and trinkets almost everywhere. I was surprised. I was
expecting just to see rows and rows of boring brown boxes, but there
was a lot of great eye candy.
Inside another door to the side of the archives is a long room that is
constantly air conditioned. In this room, one can find thousands of
Boeing videos of pretty much everything Boeing has done since video
was created. They are mostly on old school film. They have
information on 16 and 35mm motion picture film, 35mm microfilm,
VHS, 1″ tape, 1/2 tape, 2″ tape, Betamax, DAT, CD, DVD and Laser
Disc. That isn’t even all the formats. Boeing is in the process of
converting many of these items into digital formats.
The Boeing Archives needs to keep a lot of classic viewing machines around.
What a job it would be to watch the videos to convert them over?! I
did hint to Bernard what a GREAT TweetUp it would make to show a
few of these old videos (Boeing 707 test videos anyone) to the
general public. Not only does Boeing keep all the old formats, but
they also must hold on to all sorts of format players. From 8-tracks to
Laser discs, they have a vast collection of media players that could
serve as its own mini-museum.
After checking out the videos, I got to check out the vault. Another
locked room in a series of locked rooms. I would love to tell you what
was in the vault but I can’t, but let me tell you, it was amazing.
Ok, I am joking, I can tell you what was in the vault—pretty much all
the prized possessions of Boeing’s past. Some of the items include
gifts given to them by world leaders and items gathered by previous
Boeing leadership. Also found in the vault are the meeting minutes
dictating all the decisions ever made by Boeing and very valuable
Boeing memorabilia. It was at this point I made the joke about how
much all this stuff would sell for on Ebay. Heh, Mike didn’t find it
funny (ok maybe a little bit). Mike has a heart for all things that are
Boeing and he hates seeing important trinkets being sold on Ebay for
money. Many families of Boeing employees who pass away will
happily donate their loved ones Boeing items to be preserved in
history. Mike told me he often gets emails from people trying to sell
Boeing items, thinking they have deep pockets, but Boeing is not in
the business of buying memorabilia.
The Boeing Archive lobby had quite a few models, but that was nothing
compared to what was inside the archives.
The archives are not just there to keep a hold of history. They are
also there to help the future. Boeing engineers will often come to the
archives so they don’t need to reinvent the wheel. If a Boeing
engineer created a solution to a problem 30 years ago, current
engineers can take a look at the old research and save time and
money building off previous work.
So how does the general aviation nerd get access to the archives?
Well the quick answer is that you can’t. They allow visits by nonBoeing guest on an extremely limited case-by-case basis. It is limited
to academic researchers, the media, Boeing customers, museum
staff, and established authors. However, enthusiasts can access
Boeing archival information through the Boeing Images website. With
Boeing making more of their archives digital and making more of an
effort to connect with fans, we can hope that more of the fun stuff will
be made public.
Even though I got to spend over an hour in the archives, I could
have easily spent years without getting bored. Tomorrow, in Part 2, I
will be posting about all the amazing models that are housed in the
archives. In part 3, I will post an interview with Mike about his job
and his thoughts on Boeing’s past, present and future. Stay tuned!
Cheyenne Regional Airport / Jerry Olson Field
Cheyenne Regional Airport, CYS, is also known as Jerry Olson
Field. It is currently served by Great Lakes Airlines who is also
headquatered here. Great Lakes flies the world’s largest fleet of
Beechcraft 1900, and serves Denver from CYS. Beginning on July
15th, 2010 American Eagle started nonstop service to Dallas/Fort
Worth, Texas using ERJ’s but this service is questionable following
AMR’s bankruptcy. In addition to the scheduled service, occasional
charter flights to Laughlin or Wendover, Nevada are offered. United
Airlines heavily uses this airport for diversions of its Denver
International Airport bound flights due to its close-to-Denver location
and 9,270 foot long runway. The current terminal was built in 1961
and is relatively unremodeled. United has a long and illustrious
history here. Cheyenne was home to United’s stewardesses training
center where the first stewardess was trained. This training occurred
through 1961 when the facility was moved back to United’s headquarters
in Chicago, IL. Cheyenne was also a stop on United’s mainline
transcontinental flights going back to the days of the Boeing 247.
Cyril E. King Airport – St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Cyril King Airport, STT, is the busiest airport in the US Virgin Islands.
It was formally known as Harry S. Truman International Airport until it
was renamed in 1984 to honor the second governor of the USVI. The
current terminal opened in 1990. It has 11 gates and a 7,000 foot
runway. Major operators here include Air Canada, American,
American Eagle, Cape Air, Continental, Delta, JetBlue, LIAT, Spirit,
Sun Country, USAirways, and WestJet.
The airport is known was notoriously known for the April 27, 1976
crash of American Airlines flight 625 which ran off the end of the
runway, killing 37 of the 88 on board the aircraft. Following the crash,
American Airlines suspended jet service to the airport, using
propliners until the runway was rebuilt to its present length.
Cyril E. King Curbside - St Thomas USVI – 2012
American is the #1 U.S. airline in the Caribbean and #1 at St. Thomas. AA flies
Boeing 737-800s and 757-200s into STT from New York, Miami, and Boston
(seasonal service). American Eagle operates ATR-72 serve to the nearby San
Juan hub.
The airport is known was notoriously known for the April 27, 1976 crash of
American Airlines flight 625 which ran off the end of the runway, killing 37 of the
88 on board the aircraft. Following the crash, American Airlines suspended jet
service to the airport, using propliners until the runway was rebuilt to its present
length.
JetBlue Airbus A320 at St Thomas Cyril King Airport, USVI – 2012
JetBlue operates Airbus A320s and Embraer ERJ-190s nonstop to San Juan with
continuing service to Boston, Newark, and West Palm Beach. These flights,
lasting between 17 and 28 minutes, depending on winds and arrival/departure
headings are the shortest of JetBlue’s regular routes.
United Airlines Boeing 737-800 at St Thomas Cyril King Airport, USVI –
2012
United operates St Thomas services non-stop to its hubs at ChicagoO'Hare, Houston, Newark, and Washington-Dulles. UA typically flies Boeing
737-800s into STT.
Alaska Horizon Bombardier Q400 Cabin and Flight Deck Images – 2012
The Q400 is a 74 or 76 seat, high-wing turboprop. Alaska/Horzon
operates 49 Bombardier Q400s as of 2012. All Horizon Air aircraft are
operated in a single class configuration. Each row has two seats on
either side of the aisle. There are no middle seats on Horizon, only
window or aisle. The Q400 is a stretched and improved 70–78
passenger version of the Dash 8-300 that entered service in 2000. Its
360 knot cruise speed is 60-90 knots higher than its
competitors/predecessors. The maximum operating altitude is 25,000
ft (7,600 m) for the standard version. The Q400 has a cruising speed
close to that of most regional jets, and its mature engines and
systems require less frequent maintenance, reducing its
disadvantage. It also has a full glass cockpit which is a favor of
crews.
Horizon Air features all leather seating. In 2010-11, As Horizon
transitioned to Alaska branding, it phased out its CRJ-200s replacing
them with an all Q400 fleet. Horizon is known for its in-flight service
that in many cases surpasses that of its parent, Alaska: Since 1991,
Starbucks coffee is served in-flight on all Horizon Air flights. It also
offers free Northwest beer and wine in addition to free water and
carbonated beverages. Horizon also offers a limited buy on board
meal service. Unlike Alaska Airlines, there are currently no plans to
install in flight wireless internet on board Horizon Air planes.
Salt Lake City International Airport Delta Connection Concourse
B - 2012
SLC is an efficient, attractive, and user-friendly airport located in Salt Lake
City, Utah. It is Delta's #2 hub. Delta acquired the SLC hub when it merged
with Western in 1987. Unlike Delta's main hub at Altanta, SLC has been
ranked #1 by the DOT for on-time arrivals and departures. Delta dominates
the scene but all U.S. carriers are represented here. There are no
international carriers here, but Delta and Frontier both fly to Mexico. In
summer 2008, Delta began non-stop service to Paris CDG. As of 2012, plans
have been announced to build a completely new terminal, replacing the
entire SLC facility including this temporary commuter SkyWest concourse.
Photos courtesy: David Zaccaria
Vancouver International Airport
Vancouver International Airport, YVR, is the second busiest airport in
Canada following Toronto Pearson International Airport. Though
offering extensive services to Europe and North America, Vancouver
International is Canada’s gateway to the Pacific Rim, owing to
Vancouver’s strong Asian (particularly Chinese) population. YVR
airport has won several notable international best airport awards; it
won the Skytrax Best North American Airport award in 2010, the
second time it has received the honor with the first being in 2007. It is
a hub for Air Canada, Air Canada Express and Air Transat as well as
a focus city for WestJet. Vancouver is divided into three terminals:
Domestic (renovated from the 1968 design) and the inter-connected
International Terminal. The South Terminal serves regional airlines
which fly mostly within British Columbia. The terminals boast a
stunning Northwest British Columbian look with an extensive
collection of Pacific Northwest Coast Native art. The most famous
sculpture is "The Spirit of Haida Gwaii, The Jade Canoe", which is
displayed in the international departures area. YVR completed a
$1.4-billion, multi-year capital development plan, which included a
four-gate expansion to the International Terminal Wing in June 2007.
This international terminal addition has several examples of the
stunning visual landscape of British Columbia, including a stream in a
pathway and fish and jellyfish tanks.
Also recently completed was a five-gate and food and retail
expansion in the Domestic Terminal's C-Pier, completed in 2009, and
the Canada Line rapid transit link between YVR, Richmond and
downtown Vancouver, which opened in August 2009.
YVR is located on Sea Island in Richmond, British Columbia,
Canada, about 7.5 miles south of Downtown Vancouver. It boasts 3
main runways: 8L/26R, 8R/26L and 12/30 at 9,940, 11,500, and
7,300 feet respectively.
Image courtesy: David Zaccaria
Air Canada ERJ-190s are seen on the domestic ramp at Vancouver
International Airport. Air Canada operates 45 E-Jets, as of 2012, in a
F/9 and Y/84 configuration.
Calgary based LCC Westjet serves Canadian destinations at
Vancouver to/from Calgary, Edmonton, Kelowna, Montréal, Ottawa,
Prince George, Regina, Saskatoon, Toronto-Pearson and Winnipeg.
It’s international routes include Cancún, Chicago-O'Hare, Honolulu,
Kahului, Kona, Las Vegas, Lihue, Los Angeles, Orange County,
Puerto Vallarta, San José del Cabo, Mazatlán, Palm Springs,
Phoenix, and San Francisco. This employee owned, non-unionized
airline is known for its excellent service.
New Tom Bradley West Terminal Aerials Under Construction 2012
Located in the middle of the Central Terminal "horseshoe" between T3 and T4,
The Tom Bradley International Airport, TBIT, was opened just in time for the
1984 Olympics. After 25 years, it is undergoing major renovation due to be
completed in 2014. This is intended to make LAX more competitive with San
Francisco whose 2001 era International Terminal has been threatening LAX's
lead as the US' gateway to Asia.
On February 22, 2010, construction began on the $1.5 billion Bradley West
project. The terminal's existing two concourses will be demolished and replaced
with a larger pair with 18 gates, nine of which will be able to accommodate the
A380. The terminal is expected to open in by early 2014. There are also future
plans for a parallel concourse further west connected by a bridge, reportedly able
to accommodate two A-380s underneath, but questions surround if it is
seismically stable to be constructed this way. Eventual plans also call for a new
ticketing hall where the current central west parking garage is located.
Images courtesy: Duncan Stewart, LAWA
Javier Torralba’s Personal Collection – Guatemala
Javier Torralba, formerly of KLM and TACA, and based in Guatemala is
an airline enthusiast extraordinaire. He was kind enough to send
pictures of his incredible collection that includes nearly 3,000 models
and countless pieces of memorabilia as well as some images from his
many airport visits.
McAllen-Miller International Airport, Texas USA
McAllen-Miller International Airport is the second busiest of the three
airports in the deep South Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Valley
International Airport in Harlingen (40 miles away) is number one and
Brownsville/South Padre Island (63 miles away) is number three.
Considering the relatively small population and size catchment area,
the Rio Grande Valley is unusual in having three airports with
commercial service.
McAllen-Miller ,MFE, has 2 runways and one terminal with 5 gates.
According to the updated 20-year Master Plan for MFE, runway 13/31
(now 7,120 feet in length) will be extended to 10,000 ft. In addition, a
parallel runway will be added. There are also plans for terminal
extensions even in spite of recent airline pullouts in the last few years
such as Delta/ Delta Connection (Atlanta/Memphis/Los Angeles) and
Allegiant (Las V) due to disappointing traffic loads. The terminal is a
very user friendly, uncrowded, and quite attractive facility At one time,
Continental actually had a nonstop flight to Mexico City from MFE,
but this was discontinued in 2007. Remaining service at MFE
incluses American Airlines mainline and Eagle servicing Dallas/Ft
Worth and United/United Express serving Houston George Bush
Intercontinental.
Special Thanks for photos to: Carlos Salcines
Phoenix Sky Harbor Terminal 4
Phoenix based USAirways and major player Southwest operate from
the largest and newest terminal at Phoenix, Terminal 4. It originally
opened in 1990 and expanded in 1994 and 2002. T4 has 88 gates
and is also home to international carriers Air Canada, AeroMexico,
British Airways, and LCC Frontier. T4, also known as the Barry
Goldwater Terminal is far and away the largest terminal here. On the
south side of the terminal, construction began in 2002 on this eightgate S2 concourse for Southwest Airlines. This project was
completed in 2004 and features a different architectural design from
the other six concourses.
Images courtesy: David Zaccaria
Phoenix Sky Harbor Terminal 2
Phoenix Terminal 2 has 9 gates. Designed by the Phoenix
architectural firm, Weaver & Drover, it opened in 1962 and is the
oldest terminal still in use at PHX. Terminal 2 is used by Alaska,
Great Lakes, United, and United Express.
Images courtesy: David Zaccaria
Phoenix Sky Harbor Terminal 3
Phoenix Terminal 3 opened in 1979 and has 17 gates, separated into
two concourses by a central building outside of security. It was the
largest terminal at PHX until the Goldwater Terminal 4 opened in
1990. Terminal 3 is served by American, American Eagle, Delta,
Delta Connection, Frontier, Hawaiian, JetBlue, and seasonally by Sun
Country Airlines.
Images courtesy: David Zaccaria
Airchive contributor David Zaccaria completed a walk-around of PHX
T2, T3, and T4 recently and also shot some amazing aerials.
San Francisco Airport Terminal 3
San Francisco Airport Terminal 3 was formerly known as the North
Terminal. Terminal 3 has Boarding Areas E & F that opened in the
early 1980s and late 1970s respectively with a total of 30 gates. This
terminal is now used only by SFO’s number one airline and hub
carrier United Airlines. Boarding Area E is presently closed for
refurbishment. Once SFO will move the other North American Star
Alliance carriers, Air Canada and US Airways to Terminal 3. The
refurbishment of F is quite stunning with numerous examples of
public art, with each gate having unique examples on display.
Images courtesy: David Zaccaria
Airchive contributor David Zaccaria completed a walk-around of
SFO’s refurbished United Terminal 3, Boaring Area F.
United was the launch customer for the Boeing 777. This example is
seen in the 2004 livery which is quickly being replaced by the new
2012 "Continental/United Hybrid" globe look. United operates a
combined 74 777-200s and 777-200ERs with 22 acquired in the
merger with Continental.
United operates a total of 55 Airbus A319-100s carrying 120
passengers and 97 Airbus A320-200s carrying 138 and 144
passengers. Until the merger with Continental when the 737-800s
and 900s arrived, the Airbus A320 was the backbone of the
short/medium-haul fleet. The A320s first joined UA in 1993-94.
Image courtesy: David Zaccaria
VINTAGE MIAMI
Eastern 757-200 - May 1989 at Miami
An Eastern 757-200 seen in Miami in May 1989, less than 2 years before shutdown
Special Thanks to: Jose Lauzardo
Pan Am Airbus A310-300 in Miami Maintenance Hanger – May 1989
Pan Am "Open House" Airbus A310-300 In cantelever hanger for exihibition, taken in October,
1989. Pan Am shutdown 2 years later on December 4, 1991.
Special Thanks to: Jose Lauzardo
British Airways Boeing 747-200 at Miami - 1990
These British Airways 747-200s in the 1984 Landor “Speedbird” livery are Pratt&Whitney
Powered, unusually as BA was generally a Rolls-Royce customer. These images were taken in
1990.
Special Thanks to: Jose Lauzardo
British Airways Concorde at Miami - November 1990
BA operated the Concorde at Miami from the 1984 to 1991 with a 3 times per week service to
London via Washington Dulles. As some of this route was over the water, that part of the flight
operated supersonically thus making it likely the only U.S. domestic supersonic flight.
Special Thanks to: Jose Lauzardo
Iberia Douglas DC-10-30 at Miami – November 1990
This Iberia Douglas DC-10-30 boards for a flight to Madrid at Miami in November 1990. During
this time, Iberia operated a Latin American hub at Miami.
Special Thanks to: Jose Lauzardo
United Airlines Boeing 757-200 N532UA is seen at LAX in the 2004 final "Tulip"
livery. This aircraft, delivered in 1991, was photographed on United/Continental
merger day on March 1, 2012.
N750AN American Airlines Boeing 777-223(ER) was delivered to American in
March, 2001. It is one of 46 in the fleet with 7 on order, including 2 300ER's. AA
operates the 777s from LAX to London, Tokyo, and Miami.
American operates 15 Boeing 767-200ERs in 182 passenger 3-class capacity mainly
on the transcon routes.
Korean Air Lines Airbus A380-861 HL7614 at LAX - March, 2012
Korean Air currently operates 5 Airbus A380s with 5 on order as of April, 2012.
Korean boasts that it's 380s are the world's roomiest with only 12 seats in First, 94
seats in business, and 301 seats in Economy for a total of 407. The lower deck is
comprised of First Class, Economy, and a unique Duty Free Showcase, while the
upper deck is all Business Class and 2 Business Class lounges. It is seen on short
finals and landing on runway 24L. Korean operates these whales nonstop to/from
Seoul. HL-7614, with 4 GP7270 engines was delivered on September 7, 2011.
The old American Airlines Hanger at LAX, once known for the iconic neon AA eagle
is being readied for demolished to make way for the TBIT Bradley West project,
scheduled to open in 2014.
Qantas Airbus A380-800 at LAX – April, 2012
Qantas operates to Sydney, Auckland, Melbourne, and Brisbane from LAX. Airbus
A380s have begun to replace the Boeing 747-400s, though following the November,
2010 engine explosion incident of the Airbus A380s, the 747-400s returned
somewhat. Qantas flights tend to arrive in the morning and depart in the evening
with off-gate storage on the Southwest part of the airfield. Most Qantas flights
depart from Tom Bradley, but a few depart from American's Terminal 4. The
Longreach badge commemorates the Queensland town where Qantas was founded.
Qantas operates 12 A380s with 8 on order in a 450 passenger configuration. They
are replacing the Boeing 747–400 and −400ER. Next two to be delivered in 2013;
last six deferred until retirement of 747-400ERs starting in 2018. As of April, 2012
QF still operated 26 747-400/400 ER's.
Spirit Airlines Airbus A319-100 at LAX - March, 2012
Ultra low-cost carrier Spirit operates A319s and A320s at LAX to/from ChicagoO'Hare, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, and Las Vegas from Terminal 3.
As of April, 2012 Spirit currently has 26 A319s in a high-density 145 passenger
capacity, and 12 A320s in a high density 178 seat capacity. The 2 A321-200s are
expected to leave the fleet shortly. They have 45 A320 NEO's on order.
Miami International Airport Concourse G - 2012
Concourse G, originally Concourse 4, is the only one of the original
1959 concourses that has largely remained in its original form,
besides modifications the airport received in the 1960s when jet
bridges were added, along with a 2nd story. It is the only concourse at
the airport not capable of handling international arrivals, though it is
frequently used for departing international charters. United (formerly
Continental), Bahamasiair, and Viva Aerobus operate from this 15
gate concourse. AirTran and Alaska operated from here as well until
June, 2012. At one time, Air Canada, Dominicana, Northwest, Varig,
and Paradise operated from here.
Miami International Airport Concourse F Ramp - 2012
Concourse F dates back to 1959 when the present terminal opened
and was originally known as Concourse 3. Like Concourses D and E,
it received minor renovations in the 1960s to add a 2nd floor and
jetway. It was largely rebuilt in the 1980s when the gates at the far
end of the pier were demolished and replaced by new widebody
Gates, all of which were capable of processing international arrivals.
The south side of the concourse was used by Northeast Airlines until
its 1972 merger with Delta Air Lines. Likewise, National Airlines flew
out of the north side of Concourse F until its 1980 merger with Pan
Am, which continued to use the concourse until its 1991 shutdown.
When United Airlines acquired Pan Am's Latin American operations,
the airline carried on operating a focus city out of Concourse F until
completely dismantling it by 2004. From 1993 to 2004, Concourse F
was also used by Iberia Airlines for its Miami focus city operation,
which linked Central American capitals to Madrid using MIA as the
connecting point. At various times, Aeroflot, Aerolineas Argentinas,
Avianca, Carnival, Lan Chole, LTU, Vasp, and Viasa have operated
out of F’s 23 gates. Currently, F is serverd by many non-Star and
One-World aligned carriers such as Aeromexico, Arkefly, Avior,
Corsair, Insel Air, SBA, Sky King (Cuban flights), Transaero, and
Virgin Atlantic.
Asheville Regional, North Carolina - 2012
Asheveille Regional, AVL, is a small airport with a sole 8,000 foot runway locard
9 miles south of the artist community of Asheville, North Carolina. It is served, as
of 2012, by Allegiant, American Eagle, Delta Conneciton, United Express, and
USAirways Express. Allegiant’s MD-80s to Sanford (Orlando), Florida are the
largest planes at AVL where Regional Jet’s, ATR’s, and Dash 8’s dominate.
There are 2 jet bridge equipped gates out of a total of 7.
Images Courtesy: David Zaccaria
Concourse and Gates at Asheville Regional - 2012
Boeing Everett Factory Final Assembly Flight Line – May 1, 2012
The Boeing Everett Factory is an enormous airplane assembly building owned
by Boeing. Located on the northeast corner of Paine Field, it is the largest
building in the world by volume. Reportedly when it was built it was so
massive that its own weather systems such as rains and clouds were created
inside. It is where Boeing 747s, 767s, 777s, and the new 787 Dreamliner are
built. It began operation building Boeing 747s before it was even complete.
There are numerous models on display for benefit of the public tours.
Photography is not normally allowed except for select press visits and events.
Space Shuttle Discovery at Udvar-Hazy – April 24, 2012
These images of the Space Shuttle Discovery were taken days after
the Orbiter arrived at the Smithsonian’s Udvar-Hazy Museum on April
17, 2012. It replaced the Enterprise which was flown to New York to
it’s new home on the U.S.S. Intrepid.
Space Shuttle Discovery (Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-103) is
one of the retired orbiters of the Space Shuttle program of NASA, the
space agency of the United States, and was operational from its
maiden flight, STS-41-D on August 30, 1984, until its final landing
during STS-133 on March 9, 2011. Discovery has flown more than
any other spacecraft having completed 39 successful missions in
over 27 years of service.
In 1984, Discovery became the third operational orbiter following
Columbia and Challenger, and made its final touchdown at Kennedy
Space Center on March 9, 2011 at 10:57:17 CST, having spent a
cumulative total of one full year (365 days) in space. Discovery has
performed both research and International Space Station (ISS)
assembly missions. Discovery also flew the Hubble Space Telescope
into orbit. Discovery was the first operational shuttle to be retired,
followed by Endeavour and Atlantis.
Discovery was delivered to the Udvar-Hazy Center of the
Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum in Chantilly,
Virginia, near Washington, D.C. On April 17, 2012, Discovery was
flown atop a 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft escorted by a NASA T-38
Talon chase aircraft in a final farewell flight. The 747 and Discovery
flew over Washington, D.C. and the metropolitan area around 10 am
and arrived at Dulles around 11 am. The flyover and landing were
widely covered on national news media.
Courtesy: Wikipedia.org
Midfield Concourse A/B at Washington Dulles International –
2012
Midfield Concourse A and B Ramp at Washington DC Dulles are
home to all airlines except United and American. This modern and
airy concourse opened in 1998. The A Concourse consists of a
permanent ground level set of gates designed for small planes such
as regional jets and some former B concourse gates. The B
Concourse is the first of the permanent elevated midfield concourses.
Originally constructed in 1998, the B concourse contained 20 gates.
In 2003, 4 additional gates were added to concourse B, followed by a
15-gate expansion in 2008.It is connected to the main terminal by an
underground walkway in addition to the AeroTrain as part of the D-2
expansion. JetBlue is the #1 carrier (and Dulles’ #2 overall) on the
B/C concourse. For a short-time, the A concourse was home of
locally based Indepence Air.
Midfield Concourse C/D at Washington Dulles International –
2012
The C and D midfield concourses were the first new gates to open at
IAD since its 1962 opening. Up to this point, most airliners were
parked at stands with passengers transported to/from the main
terminal using the iconic Mobile Lounges.
The C and D concourses, completed in 1983, were originally
designed as a temporary base for United Airlines, which began hub
operations here in 1985. American Airlines also created a focus city
operation at IAD for principally its longer-haul transon routes at C and
D as well. The aging concourse was given a face lift in 2006 which
included light fixture upgrades, new paint finishes, new ceiling grids
and tiles, heating and air conditioning replacement, and complete
restroom renovations. Nevertheless, compared to A/B and the Eero
Saarinen terminal, Concourse C/D is an embarrassment and
extremely outdated. It will likely be 35 years old before this
“temporary” concourse is replaced. This terminal also has a
dedicated Federal Inspection Station ("FIS") for arriving United as up
until the acquisition of Continental, IAD was United’s main hub on the
East Coast, particular for International Service. In fact, it is from this
concorse that the first Boeing 777 entered service back in 1995
between London Heathrow and Dulles. The antiquated Mobile
Lounges still connect this far afield mid-field concourse with the main
Eero Saarinen designed main terminal.
A new and permanent C/D terminal (has been long planned as part of
the D2 Dulles Development Project. It is to include a three-level
structure with 44 airline gates and similar amenities to Concourse A/B
which was completed in 1998. Like Concourse A/B, the new C/D
would be connected to the main terminal via underground trains,
finally relinquishing the role of the Mobile Lounges to near zero.
Washington DC Dulles Airport Eero Saarinen terminal Airside 2012
The 1962 era Eero Saarinen terminal at Washington Dulles was
expanded in 1995 on both sides. Mobile lounges now depart to the
midfield terminals rather than to airliners on remote stands as it was
originally designed.
Space Shuttle Enterprise on top of Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier –
Washington Dulles April 24, 2012
Space Shuttle Enterprise (NASA Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV101) was the first Space Shuttle orbiter. It was built for NASA as part
of the Space Shuttle program to perform test flights in the
atmosphere.[2] It was constructed without engines or a functional
heat shield, and was therefore not capable of spaceflight.
Enterprise was stored at the Smithsonian's hangar at Washington
Dulles International Airport before it was restored and moved to the
newly built Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum's Steven
F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles International Airport, where it was the
centerpiece of the space collection. On April 12, 2011, NASA
announced that Space Shuttle Discovery, the most traveled orbiter in
the fleet, would be added to the collection once the Shuttle fleet was
retired. On April 17, 2012, Discovery was transported by Shuttle
Carrier Aircraft to Dulles from Kennedy Space Center, where it made
several passes over the Washington D.C. metro area.
Courtesy: Wikipedia.org
Future of Flight Museum at Paine Field – Mukilteo, Washington
2012
The Future of Flight Museum is located on the Northwest Corner of
Paine Field just across the runway from Boeing’s Everett,
Washington Factory where 747s, 767s, 777s, and 787s, are built. It is
a 29,000 square facility which is a unique partnership between
Boeing, the County, and Museum, foundation.
In fact, it is often used to stage delivery events for new Boeing
Aircraft to airlines, at least until the new Delivery Center is complete.
The Gallery is closed at times for these events so it is best to checkin before heading out.
The museum has a number of artifacts, but only a few full-sized
aircraft. However, it’s Stratodeck on the roof affords incredible views
of the Boeing Everett Plant and flight operations of these aircraft. The
Future of Flight is also the location of the excellent Boeing Everett
Tour, though photography isn’t allowed. There is an incredible Boeing
Store located on-site, which in itself almost qualifies as a museum.
Unique artifacts include: a 707 and 787 fuselage comparison, an
actual Beechcraft Starship hanging from the roof, a 727 cockpit
where visitors can sit and interact with, the tail of a 747, GE Turbofan
engines, and very in-depth displays on both Boeing and Airbus
airliners.
For more information on this excellent facility, visit
www.futureofflight.org
Udvar-Hazy Museum
The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is the Smithsonian National Air
and Space Museum (NASM)'s annex at Washington Dulles
International Airport in the Chantilly area of Fairfax County, Virginia,
United States.
The 760,000 square feet facility was made possible by a US$65
million gift in October 1999 to the Smithsonian Institution by Steven F.
Udvar-Hazy, an immigrant from Hungary and co-founder of the
International Lease Finance Corporation, an aircraft leasing
corporation. It opened in December, 2003.
NASM has always had more artifacts than could be displayed at the
main museum on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Most of the
collection had been stored, unavailable to visitors, at the Paul E.
Garber Preservation, Restoration, and Storage Facility in Silver Hill,
Prince George's County, Maryland. Key artifacts include a Concorde,
the Enola Gay B-17, the Boeing Dash 80, an SR-71, and recently the
Space Shuttle Discovery.
A substantial addition to the center encompasing restoration,
conservation and collection storage facilities is expected to be
complete in late 2011; once complete, restoration facilities and
museum archives will be moved from their current location at the
Garber facility to the Udvar-Hazy Center. A taxiway connects Dulles
Airport to the museum.
For more information on this excellent facility, visit
http://airandspace.si.edu/udvarhazy/
Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747-400 Premium Economy Class Dinner
Virgin’s onboard cuisine is now served on real china in Premium
Economy Class. It is upgraded from the Economy offering. Unlike a
traditional business class, the entire meal of starters and main entree
are served on a single-plating with aperetifs and deserts served after.
There is a choice of two-meals at all major meal times however, and
sometimes at snacktime. The wonderfully iconic and playful airplane
salt and pepper shakers still are inscribed “Stolen from Virgin Atlantic”
on their feet. The only negative I can find is that a tacky and cheap
cardboard box is used on the trolly during the service that seems
bizzarely out of place. Overall quality of cuisine is quite good and
Virgin does seem to go the extra mile, especially with children who
are offered ice cream and candy – sometimes much to the chagrin of
their parents. These images were taken in June, 2012 on flights
between Miami and London Heathrow.
Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747-400 Premium Economy Class Lunch
Virgin’s onboard cuisine is now served on real china in Premium
Economy Class. It is upgraded from the Economy offering. Unlike a
traditional business class, the entire meal of starters and main entree
are served on a single-plating with aperetifs and deserts served after.
There is a choice of two-meals at all major meal times however, and
sometimes at snacktime. The wonderfully iconic and playful airplane
salt and pepper shakers still are inscribed “Stolen from Virgin Atlantic”
on their feet. The only negative I can find is that a tacky and cheap
cardboard box is used on the trolly during the service that seems
bizzarely out of place. Overall quality of cuisine is quite good and
Virgin does seem to go the extra mile, especially with children who
are offered ice cream and candy – sometimes much to the chagrin of
their parents. These images were taken in June, 2012 on flights
between Miami and London Heathrow.
Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747-400 Premium Economy Class Snack
Virgin’s onboard cuisine is now served on real china in Premium
Economy Class. It is upgraded from the Economy offering. Unlike a
traditional business class, the entire meal of starters and main entree
are served on a single-plating with aperetifs and deserts served after.
There is a choice of two-meals at all major meal times however, and
sometimes at snacktime. The wonderfully iconic and playful airplane
salt and pepper shakers still are inscribed “Stolen from Virgin Atlantic”
on their feet. The only negative I can find is that a tacky and cheap
cardboard box is used on the trolly during the service that seems
bizzarely out of place. Overall quality of cuisine is quite good and
Virgin does seem to go the extra mile, especially with children who
are offered ice cream and candy – sometimes much to the chagrin of
their parents. These images were taken in June, 2012 on flights
between Miami and London Heathrow.
Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747-400 Upper Class Stand-Up Bar - 2012
Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747-400 Upper Class Cabin on LowerDeck - 2012
Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747-400 Upper Class Cabin on UpperDeck - 2012
Virgin Atlantic has always been renowned for their innovative service
since their founding in 1984 with a single Boeing 747-100 serving
Newark to London Gatwick. They were the first airline to introduce a
Premium Economy Class, a ‘tween First Class/Business Class
product called “Upper Class”, and personal TV’s at every seat going
back to 1989. Virgin also pioneered the unique “Clubhouse” and
chauffer driven limousine features for Upper Class passengers. In the
last few years, the industry has become much more competitive for
premium passengers and Virgin has been prompted to up its game or
risk falling behind.
Upper Class is the equivalent of business class on all Virgin Atlantic
Airways’ flights. Virgin does not offer a traditional First Class cabin
service. Introduced in 2004, This Upper Class seat is claimed by the
Virgin to be the biggest fully flat bed of any airline’s business class
service. It has a seat pitch of 72 inches and a width of 22 inches. The
seat offers in-seat laptop power and power leads for iPods, and
Upper Class passengers have access to a chauffeur, drive-through
check-in and private security channel at some airports. The famed
Virgin Atlantic Clubhouses, a larger menu than that of Premium
Economy and Economy passengers and the iconic in-flight bar top off
the picture. The on-board massuse was discontinued a number of
years ago, however. The seats in the Upper Class cabin are arranged
in a Herringbone seating design in the 3 Upper Class Cabins: a 4
abreast and 2 abreast configuration on the lower-deck and a 2
abreast configuration on the upper-deck. Most A330-300 aircraft are
not fitted with Upper Class but new A330s introduced in April, 2012
will include Virgin Atlantic's new 'Upper Class Dream Suite' seats and
cabin, which began service on April 21 and will be rolled out through
the rest of the Virgin Atlantic fleet by 2015, especially as the A380s
and Boeing 787 Dreamliners come online. These images were taken
in June, 2012 on flights between Miami and London Heathrow.
Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747-400 Premium Economy Class Cabin 2012
Virgin Atlantic has always been renowned for their innovative service
since their founding in 1984 with a single Boeing 747-100 serving
Newark to London Gatwick. They were the first airline to introduce a
Premium Economy Class, a ‘tween First Class/Business Class
product called “Upper Class”, and personal TV’s at every seat going
back to 1989. Virgin also pioneered the unique “Clubhouse” and
chauffer driven limousine features for Upper Class passengers. In the
last few years, the industry has become much more competitive for
premium passengers and Virgin has been prompted to up its game or
risk falling behind.
Premium Economy has a separate check-in area, priority boarding
ahead of Economy passengers, a wider seat at 38 inches and with
more legroom at 21 inches than Economy. This handily beats the BA
Premium Economy product that offers slightly more seat pitch as
opposed to upgraded services and seats. Virgin’s Premium Economy
offers additional cabin services such as a preflight drink, newspapers
and dedicated cabin crew. The Boeing 747’s are in an 8 abreast
seating 2-4-2 configuration. An updated Premium Economy service
was recently introduced with meals served on china & glass with
metal cutlery. These images are of the “Purple Seat” design that was
launched in November 2006. As of May 2010 all Airbus A340s,
A330s, and London Heathrow Boeing 747s had the new product. The
Gatwick fleet of Boeing 747's, as of April 2012 are being re-fitted with
the new Premium Economy product. The Premium Economy cabin
on the new A330-300s consists of 59 seats at the front of the aircraft.
These images were taken in June, 2012 on flights between Miami
and London Heathrow.
Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747-400 Economy Class Cabin - 2012
Virgin Atlantic has always been renowned for their innovative service
since their founding in 1984 with a single Boeing 747-100 serving
Newark to London Gatwick. They were the first airline to introduce a
Premium Economy Class, a ‘tween First Class/Business Class
product called “Upper Class”, and personal TV’s at every seat going
back to 1989. Virgin also pioneered the unique “Clubhouse” and
chauffer driven limousine features for Upper Class passengers. In the
last few years, the industry has become much more competitive for
premium passengers and Virgin has been prompted to up its game or
risk falling behind.
Economy is the standard basic class of Virgin Atlantic. Amenities
include free meals, drinks, headsets and amenity kits for all
passengers. Seats have a minimum seat pitch of 31 inch and 17.5
inches wide with 10 abreast on a 747 that is very tight. In addition,
updated economy seats have adjustable lumbar support, by October
2012, the entire fleet will feature updated economy seats. Virgin has
introduced an extended legroom economy seating dubbed “A lot
more for a little more” which extends pitch in bulkhead seats at an
extra cost. On the 747-400s, there are 2 Economy Class cabins on
the lower deck and 1 cabin on the Upper Deck in 6 abreast, which is
shared with Upper Class. These images were taken in June, 2012 on
flights between Miami and London Heathrow.
Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747-400 V-Port In-flight Entertainment
System IFE – 2012
Virgin Atlantic has always been renowned for their innovative service
since its founding in 1984 with a single Boeing 747-100 serving
Newark to London Gatwick. They were the first airline to introduce a
Premium Economy Class, a ‘tween First Class/Business Class
product called “Upper Class”, and personal TV’s at every seat going
back to 1989. Virgin also pioneered the unique “Clubhouse” and
chauffer driven limousine features for Upper Class passengers. In the
last few years, the industry has become much more competitive for
premium passengers and Virgin has been prompted to up its game or
risk falling behind.
All cabin classes on all Virgin Atlantic aircraft offer personal seat-back
televisions. Most aircraft (some 747-400s, one A340-300 and all
A340-600s) have an Audio/Video on Demand (AVOD) system called
V:Port which is seen here. V-Port has an abundance of movie, TV
series, music, games, destination channels, an interactive moving
map display and even live chat between seats, plus dedicated Kids
channels, though In-flight Internet still isn’t available as of 2012. The
new A330-300 aircraft, and upcoming A380s and 787 Dreamliners
have a new touch screen AVOD system called JAM. The older
"Odyssey" and "Super Nova" IFE systems can be found on the
leisure Gatwick/Manchester fleet: they both have smaller screens and
display audio and video on a loop rather than broadcasting on
demand. However, these older systems will be replaced as part of
Virgin's investment in the Gatwick/Manchester fleet with the JAM
AVOD system, scheduled for between April and October 2012. These
images were taken in June, 2012 on flights between Miami and
London Heathrow.
Lufthansa Boeing 747-400 First Class Cabin – 2012
Lufthansa introduced the current First Class Cabin in 2010 with the
launch of the Airbus A380-800. This ultra-exclusive cabin offers only
8 seats. The current First Class product is understated but quite
elegant. Unlike Singapore and Emirates, Lufthansa embraces an
open cabin architecture, not enclosed suite approach. On the 747400, the 8-16 seats are located in the Upper-Deck. These seats boast
a 90-92” pitch, 21” width, and 79.1” length flat bed. Each seat has a
rose, 32” plasma screen, plush douvet, and cool electronically
controlled window shades in the Lufthansa Junkers inspired ribbed
shade. On the upper-deck, they are in a 1-1 configuration. On the
747-8 Intercontinental, the First Class cabin is relocated to the front of
the lower-deck which translates to an incredibly quiet cabin with extra
sound insulation. Food and beverage service, owing to Lufthansa’s
ownership of SkyChef’s, is in the elite of airline offerings. These
images were taken on a May, 2012 flight from Miami to Frankfurt.
An added bonus is Lufthansa’s First Class Terminal, the only one of
its kind in the world: a dedicated building, more like an executive jet
FBO (fixed-based-operator) than a commercial airline terminal, which
is worthy of a story of its own. A personal escort for First Class
passengers, forty-year old scotch on offer at the bar, a 4 high-end
dining room, a private cigar lounge, and a fleet of Porsche’s and
Mercedes to whisk passengers directly to the plane should provide a
clue as to the exclusivity of this operation.
Lufthansa Boeing 747-400 “Previous Generation” Business
Class Cabin – 2012
Lufthansa’s older generation Business Cabin (2006) is located on the
lower-deck of the Boeing 747-400s. It is in a 2-2 and 2-3-2
configuration. When it launched, it was Lufthansa’s first Business
Class bed concept, but this has been improved to a flat bed concept
in 2012’s new “Flying V” Business Class introduced on the Boeing
747-8 Intercontinental and being rolled out across the long-haul fleet.
The seats boars a 57”-60” pitch, 19.7” width and 165 decree recline.
An added bonus is the massage function, which actually is missing
from the new “Flying V”. Food and beverage service, owing to
Lufthansa’s ownership of SkyChef’s, is in the elite of airline offerings.
These images were taken in May, 2012 on a flight between Miami
and Frankfurt.
Lufthansa Boeing 747-400 Economy Class Cabin – 2012
Lufthansa surprisingly doesn’t offer Premium Economy at this point,
but the Recaro designed and manufactured 10-abreast Economy
Seats with their firm seating were relatively comfortable as well,
though seat pitch is unchanged from before. They are thinner than
older Economy Seats but with the magazine pocket relocated nearly
to the top of the seat in front of the cabin, they give the feeling of
more pitch. The seat-pan moves forward as the seat reclines making
it more comfortable than other seats in this class. Also, LH added
power to their new Boeing 747-800I economy cabin. That said, this is
economy and you still get what you pay for. The IFE is scaled back,
no wi-fi satellite internet is offered, and seat pitch is a 10 abreast, 31”
pitch which is standard in 747 economy class.
Lufthansa Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental First Class Cabin – 2012
Lufthansa introduced the current First Class Cabin in 2010 with the
launch of the Airbus A380-800. This ultra-exclusive cabin offers only
8 seats. The current First Class product is understated but quite
elegant. Unlike Singapore and Emirates, Lufthansa embraces an
open cabin architecture, not enclosed suite approach. On the 747-8
Intercontinental, the First Class cabin is relocated to the front of the
lower-deck which translates to an incredibly quiet cabin with extra
sound insulation. These seats boast a 90-92” pitch, 21” width, and
79.1” length flat bed. Each seat has a rose, 32” plasma screen, plush
douvet, and cool electronically controlled window shades in the
Lufthansa Junkers inspired ribbed shade. On the upper-deck, they
are in a 1-1 configuration. Food and beverage service, owing to
Lufthansa’s ownership of SkyChef’s, is in the elite of airline offerings.
These images were taken in during the Lufthansa Boeing 747-8
Intercontinental Delivery Event and Inaugural Flight.
An added bonus is Lufthansa’s First Class Terminal, the only one of
its kind in the world: a dedicated building, more like an executive jet
FBO (fixed-based-operator) than a commercial airline terminal, which
is worthy of a story of its own. A personal escort for First Class
passengers, forty-year old scotch on offer at the bar, a 4 high-end
dining room, a private cigar lounge, and a fleet of Porsche’s and
Mercedes to whisk passengers directly to the plane should provide a
clue as to the exclusivity of this operation.
Lufthansa Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental New “Flying V”
Business Class Cabin – 2012
The new Lufthansa Business Class cabin with the B/E Aerospace
manufactured and PearsonLloyd designed lie-flat seats and found it
very comfortable with plenty of ergonomic touches and ample
storage. The new textures and finishes are a major improvement over
the previous configuration, transitioning from blue/yellow to Lufthansa
grey/yellow. The seats are covered in virgin wool fabric with a leather
armrest, and are constructed of lightweight titanium, aluminum, and
carbon fiber. At first glance, the seats appear narrow and not private,
but they really shine in sleep mode when they extend to a fully flat 6
feet. The previous Business Cabin seats were narrower and featured
the much-derided angled bed, so there was significant improvement
here. A fixed ottoman built into the front console can be used as a
footrest or part of the bed when it’s flat. The “Flying V” layout creates
a very airy, social feel as the seats face in to each other at slight
angle. The passengers have more space between them in the headshoulder areas. As most business travelers travel alone, you would
think this would detract from their expected privacy but this wasn’t the
case in practice. The IFE screens increased to 15” from 10.4”.
However, the previous Business Class seats did have a massage
function that I missed. Lufthansa has 7,000 business class seats in
their inventory, which renders LH the largest provider of International
Business Class seating in the world. The airline views Business Class
the most important part of its passenger business, and its introduction
into service is nearly as crucial as is the 747-8I. Not leaving anything
to chance, Lufthansa trialed the new seats on a 747-400 tested by
1,340 flyers on LH flights 400 and 401 FRA-JFK for 8 weeks in 2010
to gain user feedback. These images were taken during the launch
event and delivery of the Boeing 747-8.
The overall airy atmosphere was due in no small part to the 787
inspired LED lighting. The lighting program opted by Lufthansa is not
a disco full spectrum performance ala the Dreamliner, but is set
according to different scenarios and times of day so that extreme
contrast between bright and dark are avoided. As this was a day
flight, it was very subtle. During boarding, the cabin is lit relatively
bright in a warm, slightly yellowish tone though it will be slightly
different between day and night boarding. During take-off and
landing, lighting is slightly modified again. During night flights, it is
dimmed to a dark blue cool temperature that is the minimal light to
allow for maneuvering without disturbing passengers. If, during the
night, the toilets are opened in the darkened cabin, the lights inside
only shine at full strength after door is pulled inside. Lighting is
adjusted for meal service as well. Rather than abrupt on/off and
light/dark switches, the cabin illumination has subtle transition modes.
Lufthansa Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental First Class Cabin – 2012
Lufthansa introduced the current First Class Cabin in 2010 with the
launch of the Airbus A380-800. This ultra-exclusive cabin offers only
8 seats. The current First Class product is understated but quite
elegant. Unlike Singapore and Emirates, Lufthansa embraces an
open cabin architecture, not enclosed suite approach. On the 747400, the 8-16 seats are located in the Upper-Deck. These seats boast
a 90-92” pitch, 21” width, and 79.1” length flat bed. Each seat has a
rose, 32” plasma screen, plush douvet, and cool electronically
controlled window shades in the Lufthansa Junkers inspired ribbed
shade. On the 747-8 Intercontinental, the First Class cabin is
relocated to the front of the lower-deck which translates to an
incredibly quiet cabin with extra sound insulation. Food and beverage
service, owing to Lufthansa’s ownership of SkyChef’s, is in the elite of
airline offerings.
The overall atmosphere was due in no small part to the 787 inspired
LED lighting. The lighting program opted by Lufthansa is not a disco
full spectrum performance ala the Dreamliner, but is set according to
different scenarios and times of day so that extreme contrast between
bright and dark are avoided. As this was a day flight, it was very
subtle. During boarding, the cabin is lit relatively bright in a warm,
slightly yellowish tone though it will be slightly different between day
and night boarding. During take-off and landing, lighting is slightly
modified again. During night flights, it is dimmed to a dark blue cool
temperature that is the minimal light to allow for maneuvering without
disturbing passengers. If, during the night, the toilets are opened in
the darkened cabin, the lights inside only shine at full strength after
door is pulled inside. Lighting is adjusted for meal service as well.
Rather than abrupt on/off and light/dark switches, the cabin
illumination has subtle transition modes.
An added bonus is Lufthansa’s First Class Terminal, the only one of
its kind in the world: a dedicated building, more like an executive jet
FBO (fixed-based-operator) than a commercial airline terminal, which
is worthy of a story of its own. A personal escort for First Class
passengers, forty-year old scotch on offer at the bar, a 4 high-end
dining room, a private cigar lounge, and a fleet of Porsche’s and
Mercedes to whisk passengers directly to the plane should provide a
clue as to the exclusivity of this operation.
Lufthansa Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental Economy Class Cabin –
2012
Lufthansa surprisingly doesn’t offer Premium Economy at this point,
but the Recaro designed and manufactured 10-abreast Economy
Seats with their firm seating were relatively comfortable as well,
though seat pitch is unchanged from before. They are thinner than
older Economy Seats but with the magazine pocket relocated nearly
to the top of the seat in front of the cabin, they give the feeling of
more pitch. The seat-pan moves forward as the seat reclines making
it more comfortable than other seats in this class. Also, LH added
power to their new Boeing 747-800I economy cabin. That said, this is
economy and you still get what you pay for. The IFE is scaled back,
no wi-fi satellite internet is offered, and seat pitch is a 10 abreast, 31”
pitch which is standard in 747 economy class.
Lufthansa Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental First Class Cabin
Lavatory “Loo with a View” – 2012
Among the most elegant lavs in the sky, Lufthansa’s First Class
lavatory did boast the famous “loo with a view” window like the 787
and is trimmed in very tasteful textures and surfaces.
Lufthansa Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental Mediaworld IFE In-flight
entertainment system Panasonic X2 - Business Class
First and Business Class passengers enjoy a comprehensive entertainment
programme with the expanded Lufthansa Media World. The five categories:
WatchEnjoy, ListenRelax, StudyPlay, KidsFun and FlyLufthansa can be
individually downloaded onto the screen at each seat: 65 video options with 30
cinema films in up to eight languages, 25 TV programmes and 10 music
magazines from all over the world, 222 CDs and audio books on demand, 30
radio programmes with numerous international channels, an extensive children’s
programme for our youngest passengers, games of skill, action games and board
and strategy games as well as language courses are readily available. In
Business and First Class every passenger also receives the monthly Lufthansa
Media World programme listing. Passengerscan put together their own inflight entertainment from an even greater selection of programmes: 50 films in up
to eight language versions, 75 TV and music programmes, 30 Lufthansa radio
channels, 222 CDs on demand and games, as well as service information about
Lufthansa and a Moving Map (with 3D function). On the 747-8 Intercontinentals,
Lufthansa has added 2 cameras called “Niceview”: one facing forward and one
facing below which provide stunning views. Many of the 747-400s offers again
one of the first trans-oceanic satellite internet service, called FlyNet, after
pioneering the use of the now abandoned Connexion by Boeing back in 2006. It
is a joint venture with Deutsche Telekom and Boingo with quite reasonable
pricing. I ran speed tests and was able to get up to 3 meg down and 1 meg up
which was impressive, and I never lost service. This wi-fi is only offered in the
Premium Cabins. The 747-8 Intercontinentals will add the service beginning in
2013. The IFE is somewhat scaled back in Economy Class, however.
London Heathrow Airport Terminal 1 – 2012
Terminal 1 opened in 1968 and was formally inaugurated by Queen
Elizabeth II in May 1969. Before Terminal 5 opened, Terminal 1 was
the base for British Airways' domestic network from Heathrow and for
a few of its long haul routes. With BMI’s merging into BA, Terminal 1
has once become a major terminal for British Airways for the time
being.
In 2005, substantial redesign and redevelopment of the terminal saw
the opening of the new Eastern Extension, doubling the size of the
departure lounge and creating additional seating as well as retail
space. This modern terminal is home to Heathrow's second largest
carrier, BMI which is becoming British Airways followed by the sale to
Lufthansa, Aer Lingus, and several other Star Alliance airlines such
as Aegean, Air New Zealand, Asiana, Austrian, Brussells, Croation,
Cyrpus, El Al, LAP, TAM Brazil, Thai, and United. Some of the newer
boarding gates used by airlines present in Terminal 1 are numbered
in Terminal 2. Those recently built gates will be retained as part of the
new Terminal 2 after Terminal 2 officially opens. A temporary
connector is in place between the older Terminal 1 and these recently
built gates.
Terminal 1 will be closed and then demolished around 2013–14, in
preparation for construction of the 2nd phase of Terminal 2,
scheduled for completion in 2019. There are no plans to re-use the
Terminal 1 name.
London Heathrow Airport Terminal 2 – 2012
Terminal 2 is a new airport terminal under construction in London
Heathrow Airport. The airport's previous Terminal 2, which was the
oldest terminal at the airport and dated from 1955, closed in 2009.
Formerly named as Heathrow East Terminal, the new terminal will
replace the existing Terminal 1, as well as the former Terminal 2.
The terminal is designed by Vidal y Asociados arquitectos and Foster
and Partners who also designed the Hong Kong International Airport
and Beijing Capital International Airport. When opened it will become
home to Star Alliance who will move over from Terminal 1 as part of
BAA's plan to maximise the efficiency of the airport by reducing
transfer times and improving the passenger experience. The new
terminal will have capacity for 30 million passengers each year.
Like Terminal 5, much of the building is being constructed off-site,
helping to overcome many of the logistical constraints of building in
the world's busiest international airport.
One half of the core terminal building, to be known as Terminal 2A,
will be built as phase one and the second half as phase two. There
will also be two satellite buildings named Terminal 2B and Terminal
2C. Once Phase 1 is complete, Terminal 1 will be demolished and
Terminal 2A will be doubled in size. A second satellite building,
Terminal 2C, will be constructed to the east of Terminal 2B.
Once Phase 2 is complete, the entire project will have a footprint and
operational capacity very similar to that of Terminal 5. Phase 1 was
expected to be completed in 2012, in time for the 2012 Summer
Olympic Games but, following problems with the opening of Terminal
5, it is now expected to open between Autumn 2013 and Spring 2014
followed by a second phase to replace Terminal 1, which will open in
2019.
As of February 2012, Terminal 2A has been declared weather tight
and the internal fit out of the building is well under way. Terminal 2B
has been under construction since 2008. The first phase of the
building was completed in November 2009 and its six gates have
been operational since early 2010. Passengers currently access it via
a temporary bridge from Terminal 1. The second phase has been
under construction since October 2010. When completed, this will
provide ten additional aircraft stands. It will be connected to the main
terminal building by an underground link.
When completed, the entire project will have a capacity of 30 million
passengers a year and will cost £1–1.5bn. The new Terminal 2 will
produce 40 per cent less carbon dioxide than the buildings it
replaces. Large north-facing windows in the roof will flood the building
with natural light, reducing the need for artificial lighting without
generating uncomfortable levels of heat in the building. Solar-panels
on the roof will further reduce dependency on energy supplies. A new
energy centre, partially fuelled by renewable resources, will provide
its heating and cooling.
Courtesy: Wikkipedia
London Heathrow Airport Terminal 3 – 2012
Terminal 3 opened as The Oceanic Terminal on 13 November 1961
to handle flight departures for long-haul routes. At this time the airport
had a direct helicopter service to Central London from the gardens on
the roof of the terminal building. Renamed Terminal 3 in 1968, it was
expanded in 1970 with the addition of an arrivals building. Other
facilities added included the UK's first moving walkways. In 2006, the
new 6 was completed to accommodate the Airbus A380 superjumbo;
Singapore Airlines, Emirates and Qantas now operate regular flights
from Terminal 3 using the Airbus A380. Redevelopment of Terminal
3's curbside through the addition of a new four lane drop-off area and
a large pedestrianised plaza, complete with canopy to the front of the
terminal building, was completed in 2007. These improvements were
intended to improve passengers' experiences, reduce traffic
congestion and improve security. As part of this project, Virgin
Atlantic was assigned its own dedicated check-in area, known as
'Zone A', which features a large sculpture and atrium. BAA also has
plans for a £1bn upgrade of the rest of the terminal over the next ten
years which will include the renovation of aircraft piers and the
arrivals forecourt. The concourses are incredibly narrow, depressing,
and claustrophobic and are in desperate need of renvation. A new
baggage system connecting to Terminal 5 (for British Airways
connections) is currently under construction. In addition to the
baggage system, the baggage claim hall is also set to undergo
changes with dedicated A380 belts and an improved design and
layout.
Terminal 3 is home to many One World carriers and others including
Air Canada, Air China, America, ANA, some Brisith Airways flights,
Cathay Pacific, Egyptair, Emirates, Ethiopian, Eva Air, Finnair, Iran
Air, JAL, Oman, Pakistan, Qantas, Singapore, Turkish, and Vueling.
Courtesy: Wikkipedia
Boeing 377 Stratocruiser Cutaway Model from Atlantic Models 2012
From Richard Jarman, President of Atlantic Models in Miami, Florida “This
Boeing 377 Stratocruiser cutaway model is going to a Collector in Mexico.
He always loved Pan Am, and has wanted this for a long time. He left it up
to us for which scheme to use, and he choose “Clipper America”. It is a 1/36
scale.
From start to finish it took about 1 year. The first 8 months was a part time
effort, and the last 4 months were pretty intense, full time. We built the
patterns, then the molds, then the parts. The Cockpit layout/beds/and
luggage have no molds, they were scratch built. The fuselage and wings are
fiberglass. The seats/luggage/beds/partitions are resin, and styrene.
In the future, more items can be added based on what you would like to
see. Some of the items would be the use of chrome, landing gear,
windshield wipers, metal props, all antennas, static wicks on the trailing
edge of the wings, and even motorized engines. We can spend as much of
your money as you would like. This model sold for over $20,000.00.
Now that the tooling is done, we can make up simpler versions without
interiors for those who would simply like a nice big model of this classic.”
Douglas DC-8 cutaway model airplane
This Douglas DC-8 cutaway, owned by Phil
Montejano, is about as good as they get: the
illumination, passengers, seats, and crew are all
highly detailed. Judging by the "water wagon"
engines, this is circa the early 1960s. In fact, United
repainted the model when the livery changed in 1974.
Phil may part with this incredible example. He can be
emailed at: montejano1011@yahoo.com
Phil Montejano’s Cutaway Airliner Model
Collection
Phil Montejano is a passionate collector and builder of
cutaway airline models including a United Douglas
DC-8, Eastern Lockheed L1011 Tri-Star, and the
latest – an American Airlines Boeing 747.
Frankfurt am Main Airport
Frankfurt am Main Airport Terminal 1 Curbside and Departures –
2012
Frankfurt am Main Airport Terminal 1 Ticketing Hall and
Departures – 2012
Frankfurt am Main Airport Terminal 1 Airfield and Ramp Tour –
2012
Frankfurt am Main Airport Terminal 1 Baggage Claim, Baggage
System, and Arrivals – 2012
Frankfurt am Main Airport Terminal 1 Gates and Concourses –
2012
Frankfurt am Main Airport Terminal 1 Airfield and Ramp Shots –
2012
Frankfurt am Main Airport, which opened in 1936, was all but closed
to international service during and after the WWII years from 1939 to
1951. Over sixty years later, Frankfurt is a global success story and is
the third busiest passenger airport in Europe behind Paris Charles De
Gualle and London Heathrow. It is globally known for its efficiency
and has contributed strongly to Lufthansa’s success as LH’s main
hub. FRA is the busiest cargo airport in Europe and the busiest
airport in Germany. As of 2011, it was the 9th busiest airport in the
world. FRA was the home of Rhein-Main U.S. Air Force base until
2005. This area is now being redeveloped by Fraport, the owner of
Frankfurt Airport, for Terminal 3. Frankfurt Airport owes much of its
strength due to its location in Germany’s 2nd largest metropolitan
area, and superb rail/highway connections including 2 integrated train
stations. Beyond this, it has connected office buildings and hotels
making it very business and user-friendly. Though not the most
aesthetically pleasing facility, FRA works very well, and there are
constant upgrades ongoing.
The airport features 2 terminals with a third under construction.
Terminals 1 and 2 are connected via a People Mover train service.
Terminal 1, the largest and oldest terminal at FRA is home to
Lufthansa and Star Alliance carriers, while Terminal 2 built in 1994, is
the home to other airlines. FRA boasts 4 runways, 3 of which are
longer than 13,000 feet long including a new one that opened in
2011. The main maintenance facility for its parent company,
Lufthansa Technik is located here. Frankfurt Airport is the main hub
of Lufthansa, LH’s Airbus A380 fleet and Condor Airlines. Due to
capacity limits and a recently added night curfew, Lufthansa has been
forced to add a second hub at Munich. Frankfurt is known for being
an extremely friendly airport to planespotters with an observation
deck in Terminal 2 and an airfield and ramp tour.
Terminal 1, originally called Terminal Mitte (Central Terminal), is
divided into three concourses (A, B, C, and Z) with 56 gates, opened
on March 14, 1972. It was one of the world’s first airports with an
electronic baggage service which is an unsung hero even today in
FRA’s very smooth and efficient hub operatins for Lufthansa.
Terminal 1 is dominated by Lufthansa, Condor, and the Star Alliance
carriers. This terminal, the largest at FRA, is undergoing major
renovation and the addition of a new pier called A-Plus that is
currently under construction and scheduled to open in 2012. The pier
will operate flights to non-Schengen destinations and will be used
exclusively by Lufthansa. It will be compatible with Airbus A380
operations and should increase the passenger capacity by six million.
Special Thanks to: Robert Payne and Roy Watson of Fraport for their
airfield tour and superb hospitality.
Frankfurt am Main Airport Terminal 2 Curbside and Departures –
2012
Frankfurt am Main Airport Terminal 2 Ticketing Hall and
Departures – 2012
Frankfurt am Main Airport Terminal 2 Baggage Claim and
Arrivals – 2012
Frankfurt am Main Airport Terminal 2 Observation Deck and
Shopping Mezzanine – 2012
Frankfurt am Main Airport Terminal 2 Concourse and Gates –
2012
Frankfurt am Main Airport, which opened in 1936, was all but closed
to international service during and after the WWII years from 1939 to
1951. Over sixty years later, Frankfurt is a global success story and is
the third busiest passenger airport in Europe behind Paris Charles De
Gualle and London Heathrow. It is globally known for its efficiency
and has contributed strongly to Lufthansa’s success as LH’s main
hub. FRA is the busiest cargo airport in Europe and the busiest
airport in Germany. As of 2011, it was the 9th busiest airport in the
world. FRA was the home of Rhein-Main U.S. Air Force base until
2005. This area is now being redeveloped by Fraport, the owner of
Frankfurt Airport, for Terminal 3. Frankfurt Airport owes much of its
strength due to its location in Germany’s 2nd largest metropolitan
area, and superb rail/highway connections including 2 integrated train
stations. Beyond this, it has connected office buildings and hotels
making it very business and user-friendly. Though not the most
aesthetically pleasing facility, FRA works very well, and there are
constant upgrades ongoing.
The airport features 2 terminals with a third under construction.
Terminals 1 and 2 are connected via a People Mover train service.
Terminal 1, the largest and oldest terminal at FRA is home to
Lufthansa and Star Alliance carriers, while Terminal 2 built in 1994, is
the home to other airlines. FRA boasts 4 runways, 3 of which are
longer than 13,000 feet long including a new one that opened in
2011. The main maintenance facility for its parent company,
Lufthansa Technik is located here. Frankfurt Airport is the main hub
of Lufthansa, LH’s Airbus A380 fleet and Condor Airlines. Due to
capacity limits and a recently added night curfew, Lufthansa has been
forced to add a second hub at Munich. Frankfurt is known for being
an extremely friendly airport to planespotters with an observation
deck in Terminal 2 and an airfield and ramp tour.
Terminal 2, which opened in 1994, is the home of non-Lufthansa, and
non-Star Alliance carriers. It is divided into 2 concourses D and E,
and was built in the east of the existing terminal where once the
Empfangsanlage Ost (the 1958 Terminal) had been. Terminal 2 is the
smaller, but more modern of the 2 current terminals at Frankfurt
Airport. With the opening in 1994 Frankfurt Airport had pushed up its
terminal capacity to 54 million passengers per year. Along with the
terminal opening, a people mover system called Sky Line was
established to provide a fast connection between Terminal 2 and
Terminal 1. The famed observation deck is located on Terminal 2.
Special Thanks to: Robert Payne and Roy Watson of Fraport for their
airfield tour and superb hospitality.
Lufthansa First Class Terminal Frankfurt Airport -
2012
Lufthansa has a separate First Class Terminal Building at Frankfurt
Airport for the use of its first class passengers. It is the first of its kind
in the world and can only be described as lavish, even more so than
most private aviation executive FBO’s. The terminal can only be used
by passengers flying Lufthansa First Class or Lufthansa's Miles &
More HON Circle members. They also must be departing on a flight
operated by Lufthansa Group owned carriers: Air Dolomiti, Austrian
Airlines Group, Lufthansa, Lufthansa Regional or SWISS. This very
exclusive terminal has 200 staff and is used by about 300 passengers
daily. It provides individualised security screening and customs
facilities, valet parking, a white-linen restaurant, a cigar room, a fullystocked bar with vintage spirits, and even bubble baths. Passengers
clear exit immigration controls in the terminal and then are driven
from the terminal directly to their aircraft by a chaffeured MercedesBenz S-Class or Porsche Panamera. The commercial success of the
First Class Terminal at Frankfurt has led Lufthansa to plan the
opening of a similar facility at Munich Airport.
Frankfurt am Main Airport Terminal 3 Construction Site - 2012
Excavation for T3 began in 2012 on the site of the former Rhein-Main U.S.
Air Force Base. This new terminal is south of the existing terminals and
should be able to house up to 25 million passengers and will feature
75 new aircraft positions. An extension of the people mover system
SkyLine is planned to transport people to Terminal 1, the airport train
stations and Terminal 2.
The Squaire
In 2011 a large office building called The Squaire (a portmanteau of
square and air) opened at Frankfurt Airport. It was built on top of the
Airport long-distance station and is considered the largest office
building in Germany. The main tenants are KPMG and two Hilton
Hotels.
Frankfurt au Main Airport Cargo Ramp - 2012
Frankfurt am Main Airport, which opened in 1936, was all but closed
to international service during and after the WWII years from 1939 to
1951. Over sixty years later, Frankfurt is a global success story and is
the third busiest passenger airport in Europe behind Paris Charles De
Gualle and London Heathrow. It is globally known for its efficiency
and has contributed strongly to Lufthansa’s success as LH’s main
hub. FRA is the busiest cargo airport in Europe and the busiest
airport in Germany. As of 2011, it was the 9th busiest airport in the
world. The Lufthansa Cargo hub is noteworthy for its home of the
world’s largest operating fleet of the McDonnell Douglas MD-11.
Lufthansa Technik Hangers and Cargo Ramp at Frankfurt Airport
- 2012
Lufthansa Technik is the leading manufacturer-independent
provider of maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services for
aircraft, engines and components. The Lufthansa Technik Group
consists of 32 companies with more than 25,500 employees. It is a
100% subsidiary of Lufthansa Group. They perform maintenance
work for many other airlines.
The most important product of Lufthansa Technik for maintenance
and overhaul of aircraft is Total Technical Support TTS. This product
integrates all services of Lufthansa Technik. LHT has its major
operations in Frankfurt and Hamburg, Germany and other locations
around the world.
Lufthansa Cargo operates McDonnell Douglas MD-11 Freighters and
Boeing 777-200 freighters from 2013. Frankfurt is the busiest cargo
hub in Europe.
Airchive was given the VIP treatment thanks to the wonderful Fraport
team going on the Frankfurt Airport ramps, airfields, through the
terminals, and behind-the-scenes in May, 2012 as we flew in for the
Lufthansa Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental Inaugural Flight.
Lufthansa is steadily replacing its 30 Boeing 747-400s with the new
747-8 Intercontinental, of which it has 8 on order, as of 2012. The
Dash 400s are due to leave the fleet by 2015.
Lufthansa operates a fleet of 60 Airbus A321s, the largest such fleet
in the world. This example is painted in the early 1960s retro scheme.
United operates to Washington Dulles, Newark, Chicago O'Hare,
Houston, and San Francisco Dulles from Frankfurt using 747-400s,
767-300s, and 777-200s.
Frankfurt Airport am Main Terminal 1 Singapore Airlines Airbus A380
– 2012
Singapore Airlines flies Airbus A380s from Frankfurt to Singapore and
New York JFK
Lufthansa operates the largest fleet of McDonnel Douglas MD-11
Freighters in the world with 18 examples. These are beginning to be
relocated by Boeing 777-200 Freighters beginning in 2013.
Air Canada serves Calgary, Montréal-Trudeau, Ottawa, TorontoPearson from Frankfurt
Highlights of a unique book documenting the legend that was Pan Am
by 75 writers who were there at the important and news-making
events that shaped the airline’s life.
To order “Pan Am: Aviation History Through the Words of its People”,
contact Jeff Kriendler at jkriendler@aol.com or (305) 866-2115
Airchive webmaster Chris Sloan at Frankfurt am Main Airport with
Condor Airbus A330 – 2012
ANA launched the world's first long-haul services using the Boeing
787 Dreamliner. The services commenced in January, 2012 between
Frankfurt and Tokyo Na
China Southern Airlines Airbus A330-300 – 2012
China Southern Airlines Airbus A330-300 First Class Suites –
2012
China Southern Airlines Airbus A330-300 Business Class Cabin
– 2012
China Southern Airlines Airbus A330-300 Economy Class Cabin
– 2012
China Southern Airlines Airbus A330-300 IFE Inflight
Entertainment System – 2012
China Southern Airlines Airbus A330-300 Business Class Lunch
– 2012
China Southern Airlines is the world’s sixth-largest airline based on
passengers carried, and Asia’s largest in both passengers carried
and fleet size. It is based at Guangzhou, but also operates a hub at
Beijing Capital International. It was dounded on July 1, 1988 as an
outgrowth of CAAC. It’s main competitors are China’s other “Big
Three” airlines Air China and China Eastern. China Southern is a
member of SkyTeam Alliance. CZ operates a massive fleet
approaching 450 aircraft from A319s to A380s (which are also
operated domestically).
China Southern operates 8 Airbus A330-300s with 6 on order and 15
of the smaller A330-200s with 1 on order. This particular example is
an Airbus A330-300 which features 4 lie-flat seats in 1 row of First, 48
seats in a 2-2-2 config in Business Class, and 208 economy seats in
a 2-4-2 configuration for a total of 284 seats. These photos were
taken on the quick 2 ½ hour flight 3908 from Shanghai’s domestic
airport, Hongqiao to Beijing Capital Airport in July, 2012. The roomy
First Class Suites feature a seat pitch of 78”/26” width, Business
Class are generous at 74” pitch/20” width and also lie-flat, Premium
Economy has 37” pitch/17.2” width and Regular Economy is also
generous at 35”/17.2” width of pitch. Interestingly personal TV IFE’s
are only in First and Business on the Airbus A330s. Economy shares
overhead monitors. Regardless, the selection of video and music
titles on domestic flights at least, are very limited particularly to
Western tastes. There are high-quality destination videos and duty
free shopping on the IFE’s. The quality of food, menu selections, and
very accommodating service are world class. Interestingly though on
our 12:00pm flight, the only alcohol offered was beer. The short flight
aboard was very nice with the only issues being the IFE system
resetting and the non-functioning moving map.
Bus to Beijing! Airchive flew China Southern flight 3908, an Airbus
A330-300 from Shanghai Hongqiao, SHA, to Beijing Captial, PEK in
July 2012 in Business Class. We photographed the entire, wellappointed cabin.
Shanghai Surprise
Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport – Shanghai, China
Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport Terminal 1 Curbside –
Shanghai, China
Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport Terminal 1 Departures
and Ticketing – Shanghai, China
Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport Terminal 1 Arrivals and
Baggage Claim – Shanghai, China
Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport Terminal 2 Curbside –
Shanghai, China
Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport Terminal 2 Departures
and Ticketing – Shanghai, China
Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport Terminal 2 Arrivals and
Baggage Claim – Shanghai, China
Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport Terminal 2 Concourses
and Gates – Shanghai, China
Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport China Southern
Airlines Lounge – Shanghai, China
Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport Terminal 2 Ramp and
Tarmacs – Shanghai, China
Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, SHA, is now Shanghai’s
number 2 airport since the opening of Pudong, but it is far from a
ghost down. In fact, since Pudong’s 1999 opening, SHA has only
become busier and larger. It is the 4th busiest airport in China and 41st
in the world. Hongqiao Airport is the hub for China Eastern Airlines,
Shanghai Airlines, Juneyao Airlines and Spring Airlines. The airport is
principally used for domestic flights and international “city-to-city”
flights to similar airports such as Seoul Gimp and Tokyo Haneda.
SHA is located much closer in to Central Shanghai than Pudong. It is
amazing to thing that less than 15 years ago, Terminal 1 of Hongqiao
Airport was the only airport serving Shanghai, China’s business hub
and second largest city.
After re-opening in 1964, the original Terminal was expanded and
renovated in 1984 and then from 1988-1991. The dated but often
renovated T1 is home to the international flights of Air China, Air
Macau, ANA, Asiana, China Airlines, China Eastern, Dragonair, EVA
Air, JAL, Korean, and Shanghai Airlines; as well as Spring Air’s
domestic flights. In preparation for the Shanghai Expo, on March 16,
2010 Hongqiao Airport added 11,000 foot second runway and the
new Terminal 2, boosting Hongqiao's capacity to 40 million
passengers a year which is four times the size of the original
Terminal 1 and now houses 90 percent of all airlines at the airport. It
is massive and one of the newest terminals in China. T2 is home to
domestic flights of Air China, China Eastern, China Southern, Hainan
Airlines, Hebei Airlines, Juneyao Airlines, Shandong, Shanghai,
Shenzen, and Xiamen Airlines.
Shanghai Surprise!
Airchive flew out of Shanghai’s original and now number two airport,
Hongqiao, in July 2012. Expecting a second tier domestic only facility,
we were quite impressed by the scale and design of the new
Terminal 2. SHA also has limited International flights, along the lines
of Seoul Gimpo but not to the extent of Tokyo Haneda.
China Southern Airlines – 2012
China Southern Airlines is the world’s sixth-largest airline based on
passengers carried, and Asia’s largest in both passengers carried
and fleet size. It is based at Guangzhou with its major hub, but also
operates a smaller hub at Beijing Capital International. CZ flies to 65
international destinations, mostly from the Guangzhou hub as Air
China controls Beijing and China Eastern controls Shanghai. It was
founded on July 1, 1988 as an outgrowth of CAAC. Its main
competitors are China’s other “Big Three” airlines Air China and
China Eastern. China Southern is a member of SkyTeam Alliance.
CZ operates a massive fleet approaching 450 aircraft from A319s to
A380s, which are the only A380s operated domestically as well as
internationally. The A380s operate domestically from Beijing and
Shanghai to Guanhzhou. CZ is well known for its service and is the
largest airline in the world to hold a 4-star SkyTrax rating. China
Southern owns 60% of Xiamen Airlines.
China Eastern Airlines - 2012
Founded in 1987 as an outgrowth of CAAC, China Eastern Airlines is
based here at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport. It has hubs at
Hongqiao (domestic and Asian city-to-city international) and at
Shanghai Pudong (international long-haul and regional Asian). China
Eastern also has hubs at Kunming Wujiaba International Airport and
Xi'an Xianyang International Airport. China Eastern Airlines is China's
second-largest carrier by passenger numbers, after China Southern,
and the world’s third-biggest carriers by market value. China Eastern
Airlines has a strong presence on routes in Asia, North America and
Australia. They are expanding into Europe with service to London and
Stockholm, with other cities such as Rome on the drawing board. The
airline is also expanding domestically from its Shanghai hub to other
Chinese cities. On 16 April 2010, China Eastern Airlines announced
an initial agreement to join SkyTeam unusually alongside competitor
China Southern. Also in 2010, China Eastern acquired Shanghai
Airlines, but both airlines will retain their own identities and brands.
China Eastern is predominantly an Airbus customer flying all versions
from the A300 to the A340 with the exception of the A380. They fly 81
Boeing 737s as of 2012 and hav 20 Boeing 777-300 ERs on order.
There is a smattering of CRJ-200s and ERJ-145s operating the shorthaul/thin routes. The fleet totals 300 plus aircraft with over 100 on
order.
Xiamen Airlines
Xiamen Airlines was the first privately owned airline in China, back in 1984. It is
based in the Northwestern Chinese industrial city Xiamen Gaoqi International
Airport and, to a lesser extent, Fuzhou Changle International Airport. Xiamen
operates a predominantly Boeing fleet including 737-700s, 800s, 757-200s, and
has 6 orders for the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners and 6 Comac ARJ21-700s. Under
the aegis of parent China Southern, Xiamen is a member of SkyTeam Alliance.
Shenzhen Airlines
Shenzhen Airlines is a domestic and international airline
headquartered in Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport in Bao'an
District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
With a fleet of over 100 Narrowbody aircraft (a mix of A320 series
aircraft and various 737 types), Shenzhen Airlines is the fourth largest
domestic carrier (after China Southern Airlines, China Eastern and Air
China) with around 7% of seat capacity and flights.
The carrier operates a total of 137 domestic airport-pairs involving 58
Chinese airports, plus nine international routes. In 2010, the airline
carried 16.5 million passengers, up 9% on the previous year.
On 6 July 2011, Shenzhen Airlines was formally accepted as a future
member of Star Alliance. Joining in late 2012 the airline will become
the alliance's second member in China following the departure of
Shanghai Airlines in 2010.
Courtesy: Wikipedia
This timetable is from just a couple of months before the September 23, 1983
bankruptcy filing of Continental. In 1981 Texas Air Corporation controlled by the
notorious Frank Lorenzo, acquired Continental after a contentious battle with
Continental's management and labor unions also fiercely resisted, fearing what
they termed as, "Lorenzo's deregulation tactics,". In the end, Texas Air Corp.
prevailed. Frank Lorenzo became Continental's new Chairman and CEO. On
October 31, 1982 Continental merged with Texas International (the merged
carrier retained the Continental name, brand, and identity; the TI brand and
identity disappeared), offering service to four continents (North and South
America, Asia and Australia) with a fleet of 112 aircraft. The "new Continental"
relocated its headquarters to Texas Air's base in Houston, Texas from Los
Angeles. The merger resulted in a large expansion of Continental's hub at
Houston Intercontinental Airport and extensive new routes to Mexico and the
south central U.S. The Airline unions fought Lorenzo and Continental at every
step. After unsuccessfully attempting to negotiate a lower pay rate with labor
unions, Frank Lorenzo took Continental into Chapter 11 bankruptcy on
September 23, 19 This saved the company from liquidation, but required
substantial reorganization: Continental was freed of its contractual obligations
and imposed a series of new labor agreements on its union workers, sharply
reducing the airline's labor costs at the cost of employee morale and horrible
service. However, Continental became vastly more competitive and the end of
1984, Continental recorded a $50 million profit. On June 30, 1986, Continental
emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Pilots went on strike in 1983, but were
unsuccessful due to Continental pilots and new hires who crossed the picket line.
Continental began its rebound, as signaled by the inauguration of its first
scheduled service to Europe with flights from Newark and Houston to London.
Soon thereafter, services to Paris, Frankfurt, Madrid and Munich were added.
However, the airline was still facing significant challenges with consistently low
reliability rankings and a high level of customer complaints compared with its
competitors. Continental would eventually go on to purchase People Express,
Eastern, and New York Air. Frank Lorenzo, always controversial and loathed by
his employees, would take too big a risk when he purchased Eastern which
would trigger his leaving the company and Continental’s 2nd trip into bankruptcy
court in 1990. Continental began its recovery with Gordon Bethune as CEO in
1994. Continental would become very profitable and continuously a leader in
customer service and employee morale. United and Continental would merge in
a so-called “merger of equals” with Continental’s CEO at the helm and their globe
“meatball logo” from 1991 adopted for the newly combined United-Continental
Holdings. The Continental name, however, would disappear in 1991.