Some early thoughts, as I try to justify my expense account
PARIS — Like I mentioned in my introductory post, the Paris Air Show unofficially begins Sunday night with a Lockheed media dinner, and then the show floor formally opens Monday morning. But since this...
View ArticleThings to keep an eye on at the Air Show (and did you know there are now...
PARIS — Some topics to keep an eye on as the show unfolds: *Can Airbus convince analysts and, more importantly, potential customers that its unfinished A350 is a serious competitor with Boeing’s new...
View ArticleOkay, last post for the day
PARIS — I just wanted to add that if any of you Airline Biz readers (and Terry or Suzanne, as well, for that matter) have any specific info requests or questions about any of the local companies...
View ArticleWhere's my Mercedes?
PARIS — Some observations while walking the Paris Air Show: *Many of the companies here have rented chalets (sounds classier than ‘huts’ or ‘trailers,’ I guess) along the air strip to meet with the...
View ArticleJohn Travolta in the house
PARIS — So apparently John Travolta dropped by the Paris Air Show on Thursday, but I didn’t see him strolling around the grounds. He says, though, that he’s been invited to pilot an F/A-18 fighter jet...
View ArticleStuff you don't always see in the travel guide
Paris obviously is one of the most historically rich cities in the world, but not all of that history is pretty. To get out to the Le Bourget airfield, I take a train to Le Bourget station from...
View ArticleJune 22: National Chocolate Eclair Day
PARIS — No, really. By total coincidence, I had just finished polishing off an eclair before I saw the happy news. Only appropriate, it seems, since I’m currently finishing up my travels in the country...
View ArticleTime to pack (this is going to be a long night)
PARIS — That about wraps it up for me. I actually don’t fly out until tomorrow morning, but my Internet access expires in about 30 minutes and I need to spend the rest of the evening figuring out how...
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Getting tanked
Rep. Sam Johnson meets with Vought employees Friday (SOURCE: Boeing) Who knew that mid-air refueling tankers were such a hot market? U.S. Rep. Sam Johnson, R-Plano, visited Vought Aircraft Industries...
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Osprey at Sea
SOURCE: Bell Helicopter Bell Helicopter in Fort Worth said that its V-22 tilt-rotor successfully landed on a Royal Navy aircraft carrier today, the HMS ILLUSTRIOUS. It’s the first time the Osprey has...
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Flying is for the birds
I’ve taken six commercial airline flights in the last two months, and all six were delayed by at least an hour. My most recent adventure was last week, when I flew from Love Field to St. Louis on...
View ArticleGuess what? There is something worse than having your flight delayed.
Turns out those emergency escapes actually do come in … [visit site to read more]
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Lunar lander prototype built by Mesquite-based Armadillo Aerospace crashes...
Pixel (SOURCE: Armadillo Aerospace) Armadillo Aerospace — headed by genius-level video game programmer John Carmack — suffered a setback this week when one of its model lunar landers crashed and …...
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Don't sneeze
Russian pilots really are crazy. As soon as I saw this pic, it reminded me of a few lines from DMN reporter Katie Fairbank’s coverage of the Paris Air Show in 2005: Freelance writer Jim Winchester says...
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Lightning on a plane: better or worse than snakes?
Either way, I’d want a refund on my ticket. UPDATE: As one commenter at tech blog Gizmodo wondered: In situations like this, do emergency replacement underpants drop from the … [visit site to read more]
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Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight tests delayed
Boeing Co. acknowledged today that its fancy new composite plane won’t start flight testing until November or even December. But the company says it is still on track to deliver the first 787 to...
View ArticleOn the road again
LAS VEGAS — I have to say, flying on the sixth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and a day after torrential rainstorms in the Dallas area was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I’m here in ol’ Lost...
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Well, I'm back
Airbus A320 (SOURCE: Wikipedia) I’m back in Dallas after my whirlwind tour of Las Vegas (well, of the Luxor hotel and the Mandalay Bay convention center), and while the return flight on Wednesday...
View ArticleSouthwest Airlines dumps on the Nintendo Wii
Southwest might be a few months late to the my-Wii-broke-my-plasma meme, but a worthy entry in the … [visit site to read more]
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First Bell-Boeing V-22 tiltrotor aircraft head to Iraq
V-22 Sea Trials Aboard USS Saipan in 1999 (SOURCE: Boeing) Marine Corps Times reports that the first squadron of Osprey aircraft — built partially in Fort Worth by Bell Helicopter — have left for...
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What would you like to ask Boeing about the 787?
787 Dreamliner (SOURCE: Boeing) I’ll be interviewing Scott Carson, president and chief executive of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, at an event in Dallas later this afternoon. The interview and event...
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Boeing: Full steam ahead with the 787
Scott Carson I had a chance to sit down with Scott Carson, president and chief executive officer of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, for 30 minutes yesterday at a reception at the Frontiers of Flight...
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Indian man sells tickets for grounded airplane
(SOURCE: Gizmodo) Retired Indian Airlines engineer Bahadur Chand Gupta has come up with a brilliant business plan: he bought a junky old Airbus A300, parked it, and charges a couple bucks for people...
View ArticleLeave your laptop in the bag at airport security
One company thinks it has the answer. Check it out on our Tech … [visit site to read more]
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V-22 Osprey: Is it safe?
(SOURCE: Time.com) As the V-22 Osprey heads toward its first combat deployment, debate over the safety and combat-readiness of the tiltrotor craft is picking up. The latest salvo was fired in a recent...
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Dallas-based Armadillo Aerospace crashs, burns at Lunar Lander challenge
Armadillo Aerospace’s entry in the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge, the MOD, burst into flames shortly after engine ignition during its third and final attempt. (SOURCE: Space.com) The space...
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JetBlue to test in-flight e-mail starting next week
We’ve got the full skinny over at our Tech Blog, but, in a nutshell, JetBlue will become the first U.S. airline to offer in-flight e-mail and instant messaging with a flight next Tuesday from New York...
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Virgin Galactic unveils final design of sub-orbital space planes
Full details on our tech blog, but it looks like this stairway to heaven might actually get … [visit site to read more]
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F-35 does first mid-air refueling over North Texas
(Click for high-res version. Photo: Lockheed Martin) Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in Forth Worth said today that its new F-35 Lighting II fighter jet successfully completed its first ever mid-air...
View ArticleVideo tour of Lockheed Martin's F-35 plant in Fort Worth
Here’s a video I shot this week at Lockheed Martin’s Aeronautics division in Fort Worth, showing their assembly line for the F-35 Lightning II fighter jet. You can also check out my … [visit site to...
View ArticleNew research suggests starvation might minimize jet lag
This sounds like a case where the cure might be worse than the disease, but Harvard researchers say that there is evidence to suggest that skipping meals before you fly could reduce jet lag: “A period...
View ArticleNew bags will let laptops go through airport security x-ray
At least one thing about commercial airline travel is going to get more convenient: the TSA has approved a new design for carry-on luggage that will let you leave your laptop inside when going through...
View ArticleHow to: Keep from losing your laptop at the airport (or anywhere else)
I recently wrote on our technology blog about a survey commissioned by Dell that found that more than 12,000 laptop computers are lost in U.S. airports every week. In response, local tech consultant...
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Bacon in luggage reportedly sets off security alarms at Austrian airport
(Not actually the passenger’s suitcase.) Some stories are too good to verify, and some are impossible to verify, but either way, I’m hungry for a BLT. Anyway, according to a visit site to read more]
View ArticleStarting today, TSA will let you leave your laptop in certain bags when going...
If you have the right kind of bag — basically one that you can open wallet-style so that the laptop is clearly visible — starting today you can go through airport security without having to remove your...
View ArticleVideo: Remind me never to fly to the island of St. Maarten
Because if I was on this plane, I’d need either some horse tranquilizers or a blindfold. visit site to read more]
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Tell Southwest CEO Gary Kelly what he should wear for Halloween this year
In 2004, Gary Kelly dressed up for Halloween as Gene Simmons of KISS. (photo: Southwest) Southwest chief executive officer Gary Kelly wants YOU… to tell him what he should wear for Halloween this...
View ArticleMore crazy - and dangerous - island landings
A few days ago, I posted a video of the insane landings on the island of St. Maarten, where you can practically read the brand names on the tires as the planes land on the runway right next to the...
View ArticleMesquite-based Armadillo Aerospace building the engines for the new Rocket...
Yes, the Rocket Racing League is exactly what it sounds like: a bunch of maniacs chasing each other around the sky in rocket-powered planes. And the engines for these beasts are built by Armadillo...
View ArticleComputer simulation of 24 hours of global flights
Really cool video/computer simulation (I recommend clicking here to go to youtube.com and watching the “high quality” version for an even more dramatic effect): visit site to read more]
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World's scariest runways - photo slideshow
Happy flying! And if that isn’t enough to churn your stomach as you plan your next vacation, here’s a list of visit site to read more]
View ArticleVideo: When bad things happen to good airplane engines
Thank you, Gizmodo, for making me hate flying even more than I already do. First video: a fan blade pops loose during this test and mulches the engine: visit site to read more]
View ArticleGoogle Map of the area where Air France flight 447 is believed to have crashed
Terry noted in an earlier post that searchers have found wreckage about 400 miles northeast of the Fernando de Noronha archipelago off the coast of Brazil. Here’s the region we’re talking about: visit...
View ArticleThe opposite of an airline safety video
I nearly wet my pants just watching this. The guy standing on the runway gets my undying respect. … [visit site to read more]
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Satellite photo of this week's Dubai Air Show
Can you name all the aircraft? Larger version of the photo available … [visit site to read more]
View Article'Up in the Air' is a great movie, the thinking man's 'Planes, Trains, and...
I’m not a real hard core traveler, but I did get to see ‘Up in the Air’ this … [visit site to read more]
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