B-25 Mitchell

Remember the Doolittle Raiders and their bold operation

Our new image video

Here is our brand new image video. We hope you enjoy it and wish you always blue skies!

Lufthansa receives ninth Airbus A350

Saturday, May 5th:
The sun is shining, the hot air over the taxiways is flickering - and there she comes: The ninth Airbus A350 for Lufthansa has just landed at 12:03 CEST in Munich. It comes directly from the Airbus factory in Toulouse and is not only shiny and brand new, but also is the first A350 to be delivered in Lufthansa´s new livery. The new aircraft with the registration D-AIXI was named after the city of Dortmund and is parked between her sisters, the D-AIXE ("Essen") and the D-AIXG ("Mannheim") that still show the "old" livery. On the inside plenty of space can be found as the "Premium Economy" seats still have to be installed. Once all works are finished Lufthansa will be proud to put its newest family member into service showing the world the new livery on that incredible aircraft and providing the passengers an extraordinary comfort inside of Airbus most modern passenger jet.

ILA 2018: Impressions

Here some general impression of the ILA Berlin 2018. Enjoy:

ILA 2018: Patrulla Águila

The Patrulla Águila is the demonstration team of the Spanish Air Force, it was established in 1985 and consists of seven aircraft for the display flights. With their Casa C-101 Aviojets they showed an impressive display. After a short interuption of the display by a strong rain shower the pilots returned from their holding area for the full show. The narration by one of their comrades on the ground was not less thrilling than the display itself and really showed the fire and devotion the Patrulla puts into such a demonstration. The pilots flew their display and all the different formations in a very professional and safe way that still gave the spectators goose bumps - in a positive way! Especially interesting was the outside loop of the solo pilot with plenty of negative G´s and lots of blood rushing to the head. The pilots and their narrator left an amazed crowd of spectators on the ground and clearly showed off only the best values of the Spanish Air Force.

See their official Facebook page here:  https://www.facebook.com/PatrullaAguilaOficial

We say GRACIAS!

AERO Expo 2018 is here!

Finally, AERO Expo 2018 is here!
Feel free to visit us at FOYER EAST and stop by to have some coffee or chitchat.

SAFETY: FOD - a hidden threat!

For those working in aviation or having more insight in it FOD is a steady term. It stands for Foreign Object Debris (or Damage) and includes every object that can be found on the APRON besides flat concrete. In which way does this affect you? Let´s find out:

While many talk about FOD as "Foreign Object Damage" it is more precise to use the term "Debris" instead of "Damage". As long as everyone involved does its job right, there is no use for the term "Damage" as the debris can be detected and removed prior to an accident or incident. Both, civilian and military aviation fight FOD as good as possible. In general civilian airports will have airside duty managers that will check taxiways and especially the runways while driving them down and having a close look at the surface. Checks on stands or the APRON are then performed by ground staff such as loading personnel or the turnaround coordinator prior to the arrival of an aircraft. As FOD may occur during the turnaround of an aircraft, the responsible agent for the pushback will check the ramp surface during the final walkaround of the aircraft once more to ensure that no FOD will be a threat during the pushback.

Some random examples of FOD found on the ramp of a civil airport (not all found in one check, tapeline shows centimeters)

Contrary to that, many military airports or flightdecks have the FOD check performed on a daily or scheduled basis (in addition to random FOD and runway checks as in civil aviation) but instead of one designated person performing the check all ground crew members (and sometimes aircrew members) will take place in a walkdown. This means one or more rows of personnel walking right next to each other, which makes it easier for the individual, as each one has to check only a rather small area.

FOD walkdown performed by sailors on the flightdeck of CVN 69 (source: US NAVY)

If you want to find out more about military measures and what the story behind this picture from Lakenheath AFB is, click the link below:

Intentionally placed FOD to keep ground personnel aware (source: US Air Force)

http://www.lakenheath.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/297851/fod-moves-in-mysterious-ways/

What FOD might cause can be realized in a tragic way regarding the story of the Air France flight 4590. A DC-10 lost a metal piece on the runway causing severe damage at the Concorde 34 minutes later during take off. The end of the story is known to all of us and finally resulted in the death of 113 people. Not all FOD incidents or accidents end that tragic, but still, FOD has to be taken very serious!

The picture here shows the major deformation of three fanblades on an IAE V2500 engine, while some more blades still show minor deformation and damage. The damage was done by a rather small bird that flew into the engine. Stones or metal parts as nuts, bolts and others even shred those blades.

What moste people do not realise is that FOD does not only pose a threat to aircraft or material but especially to people in close proximity to an aircraft. Besides being ingested by the engines or causing damage to the tires or fuselage, FOD can also become a deadly projectile once the jetblast blows it away behind the engines. Some airports do have walk boarding and pushing or taxiing airplanes may cause exactly this hazard to ground personnel as well as to passengers that have no idea of the hazard they are in. Therefore technical measures such as jetblast deflectors can be taken as well as a good coordination to keep the passengers out of the jet blast in the first place. As ground personell it might sometimes be inevitable to cross the jetblast or be in it, but even then you can turn away from the blast, protecting your eyes. From expereience it can be said that even small grains of sand are not that comfortable if they get blown in your face with the force of a jet engine!

To avoid FOD make sure neither you nor your vehicle are losing parts. If your are missing something, check the ramp surface and if you find something - no matter if you lost it yourself or not - PICK IT UP! SAFETY CONCERNS ALL OF US!

Be safe on the APRON

Pedros and what they do "That Others May Live"

If you ever happen to hear an aircraft with the callsign "Pedro" on your frequency you better clear the airspace for them because shit is about to get real. Why you ask? Find out below!

A USAF Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawk

Aircraft related to the callsign "Pedro" belong to the US Air Force Rescue Squadrons or "RQS" that perform in the critical role of CSAR or "Combat Search and Rescue". Going back in history the first CSAR operations can be found even in World War I when pilots landed behind enemy lines to pick up their downed squadronmates. Only a few decades later and with the even more versatile helicopters that have been introduced to the war theaters dedicated rescue squadrons have been established. Starting this legacy in the Korea Conflict, the Vietnam War showed the full potential with the different branches participating in CSAR. The US Army used Bell UH-1 "Huey"´s as "Dust Off" MedEvac (Medical Evacuation) helicopters while the USAF relayed on the Kaman HH-43 "Husky", Sikorky HH-3E "Jolly Green Giant" and the Sikrosky HH-53 "Super Jolly Green Giant". Their business was the rescue of downed aircrews as well as the extraction of wounded or injured soldiers and "business was good" - there was plenty of work to do.

Sikorsky HH-53C "Super Jolly Green Giant" on a rescue mission over Vietnam in 1972 (Copyright United States Air Force)

This is when the legend of the green feet was born and the USAF rescue squadrons made themselfs a name that stood for excellence and devotion to help others even in the face of death. It was the time which revealed those with hearts of gold that put the life of others over their own health and not just once payed with their lives. Stories as the one of William H. Pitsenbarger display exactly those core values that it takes to be amongst one of those Pedros - aircrew or PJ (Pararescue Jumper). Just have a look at the clip below to get a taste of what we are talking about here:

 

The Pedros today follow the footsteps of those who served before them showing the core values it takes to save others. One of those squadrons is the 56th Rescue Squadron. Constituted in 1952 they flew missions in Morocco, Vietnam and Iceland amongst others. Currently being based at RAF Lakenheath and transiting to Aviano the squadron operates the Sikorsky HH-60G "Pave Hawk" - a specialised rescue version of the Sikorsky S70 models. It is equipped with a weather radar, FLIR, a refuelling probe, defensive weapons and countermeasures and of course it is capable of nighttime operations under NVG´s (night vision goggles).

So whenever you happen to come across one of those probe equipped mustache wearing beautiful grey choppers with green feet painted to their sides show them the respect we owe those who sacrifice all "That Others May Live"!

In memory of "Jolly 22"