The Chicken Works

Got this photo of Tanker 104 resting between sorties at the Redmond Air Tanker Base (RDM) in Oregon this past week while one of the US Forestry Service's Shorts 330 heads out with a load of smoke jumpers for a fire south of the Redmond/Bend area. The Erickson Aero Tanker MD-87s were working a fire near Lake Billy Chinook on the perimeter of the reservation of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. ⁣ ⁣ The Warm Springs tribes are one of the Columbia Plateau tribes of the Inland Northwest I work with on my day job and that's what had me in Central Oregon the past 2 weeks. That's beautiful area where the MD-87s were working the fire this particular day. Like the day prior, it was very hazy due to the wildfires. I had gone hiking earlier in the day up in the Cascades before things got really hot and hazy. ⁣ ⁣ There were also some SEATs (Single Engine Air Tankers) staging out of RDM as well. ⁣ ⁣ #Avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #RDM #Redmond #USFS #airport #planespotting⁣ #McDonnellDouglas #MD87#N294EA #Tanker104 #Erickson #EricksonAeroTanker ⁣ #Shorts #Shorts330 #smokejumper #N145Z⁣ #instagramaviation #splendid_transport #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight ⁣ #AvGeeksAero #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge #AvGeekNation #TeamAvGeek (at RDMRedmondAirport) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cg54Vvlsrtd/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

I took this one this past Sunday at the Redmond Air Tanker Base of N295EA, Tanker 105, waiting between fire taskings. There were two or three fires going on south of the Redmond/Bend area and it was very hazy with the smell of smoke in the air. You could barely make out the snow-capped peaks of the High Cascades, it was so hazy from the wildfires in southern Oregon. ⁣ ⁣ My work trip got extended a few days and it give me the opportunity to observe the comings and goings of the tankers at the Redmond base as they worked the wildfires in the area. ⁣ ⁣ Tanker 105 was originally delivered to Iberia in June 1991. It flew for a few months with SAS before it was picked up by Erickson in September 2012 for modification work into a wildfire tanker. It started flying missions for the US Forestry Service in June 2014. ⁣ ⁣ Don't forget to give my other aviation feed, @lajeteepress, a follow. Twice a day I post aviation history subject matter. ⁣ ⁣ #Avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #RDM #Redmond #USFS #airport #planespotting⁣ #McDonnellDouglas #MD87#N295EA #Tanker105 #Erickson #EricksonAeroTanker #instagramaviation #splendid_transport #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight ⁣ #AvGeeksAero #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge #AvGeekNation #TeamAvGeek (at Redmond Air Tanker Base) https://www.instagram.com/p/CgyJZiZsIi4/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Emirates 221 Heavy nears the end of its 14.5 hour flight from DXB to DFW. ⁣ ⁣ You can clearly see the complex-shaped swept blades on the fan of the massive GE90-110B1 engines. ⁣ ⁣ When the second generation of GE90 engines for the 777-300ER and 777-200LR were under development, GE looked using conventional "radial" blades like that used on the GE90-94B used on the 777-200(ER), but using advanced computational fluid modeling techniques, found that the complex-shaped swept blades were more efficient and increased the air mass flow through the engine. This translates into a thrust gain of 1000-2000 lbs *just* from the fan blade shape- that excludes the improvements made to the GE90 core. ⁣ ⁣ #Avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #DFW #dfwavgeek #airport #planespotting⁣ #Boeing #777 #A6EWI #Emirates #Airlines #instagramaviation #splendid_transport #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight ⁣ #AvGeeksAero #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge #AvGeekNation #TeamAvGeek (at DFW Airport) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cgp4gd3sgZR/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Moment of lift off for N887DN, one of Delta's 127-strong 737-900(ER)s. ⁣ ⁣ Delta's -900ER fleet is considerably larger and younger than the 70 -800s they have, with an average just over six years. By comparison, the -800s at Delta have an average age of 20.9 years. ⁣ ⁣ The first -900ER was delivered to the airline in 2013 and the youngest one in 2019. The airline also has 31 -900ERs parked, they appear to all be ex-Lion Air aircraft. ⁣ ⁣ Be sure to give @lajeteepress a follow on Instagram. I'm the one developing the social media content there on all aspects of aviation history with an emphasis on commercial aviation. ⁣ ⁣ #avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #ATL #Atlanta #Georgia #HartsfieldJackson #airport #planespotting #instaplane⁣ ⁣ #Boeing #737 #Delta #AirLines #N887DN⁣ #instagramaviation #splendid_transport #instaaviation #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight⁣ ⁣ #AvGeeksAero #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge #AvGeekNation (at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cgm7LjyuiOy/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Some American Airlines action at New York La Guardia. ⁣ ⁣ American is one of the iconic airlines at La Guardia thanks to the long relationship American has with the airport- going back to the late 1930s when New York mayor Fiorello La Guardia convinced C.R. Smith to move American Airlines' headquarters from Chicago to an empty hangar at a nascent airport in Flushing, Queens, that would one day bear the mayor's name. ⁣ ⁣ In those days, the main airport for the New York City area was Newark, and it was a point of contention with Mayor La Guardia that passenger air traffic and air mail bound for NYC arrived in New Jersey! ⁣ ⁣ American trialed passenger flights to Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn but Newark was simply closer to business centers in Manhattan. American then worked with New York City on expanding the North Beach Airport on the Queens waterfront to take advantage of the new Queens-Midtown Tunnel to Manhattan. Because American had worked closely with the city of New York, the airline was given prime space at the new airport. In fact, the first Admiral's Club opened in 1939 at LGA. ⁣ ⁣ When the paperwork to serve liquor there was drawn up, a judge refused to approve it as "Admirals Club" made it sound like a Navy facility. So it was temporarily called the "Flagship Club" until the necessary legal hurdles were settled. ⁣ ⁣ The other major airlines soon followed American's lead in setting up operations at the new airport that formally opened in October 1939. ⁣ ⁣ #avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #LGA #LaGuardia #NewYork #NYC #airport #planespotting #instaplane ⁣ #Boeing #737 #Airbus #A319 #American #Airlines #N843NN #N839NN #N177XF⁣ ⁣ #instagramaviation #splendid_transport #instaaviation #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight ⁣ #AvGeeksAero #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge #AvGeekNation (at La Guardia (LGA) - New York City) https://www.instagram.com/p/CgV0lbWuzYP/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Saw the American Eagle E170 retrojet for the first time last month heading out on a work trip, it was parked at a remote stand at Terminal D. Not my best photo but it will do for now for me until I catch it in a better situation than through an A319 window smeared with someone's face schumtz.⁣ ⁣ I love heritage liveries and retrojets, N760MQ is no exception wearing these colors that once adorned the American Eagle fleet. Never really thought of it as Envoy and a lot of Eagle long timers I know never liked the Envoy name when it was unveiled in 2014- for a lot of them, the Envoy name marks a time when Eagle was no longer the exclusive regional for American Airlines, something that was once a source of pride for them. ⁣ ⁣ Envoy's headquarters aren't even part of the main American Airlines HQ complex at Skyview. When American had its old HQ complex at DFW Centerport, the Eagle HQ was there as well. ⁣ ⁣ Guess it's just a sign of the times but I admit to being a bit biased as I know many people in the regional airline industry who bust their asses and never get a fair shake by the mainline. My hat's off to those folks. My old day job in private practice got to know a lot of American Eagle folks who were my patients. This heritage livery reminds of those heady days when there was just one American Eagle and it reminds of those folks who saw me regularly at my old practice. ⁣ ⁣ #Avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #DFW #dfwavgeek #airport #planespotting⁣ ⁣ #Embraer #E170 #N760MQ #AmericanEagle #Envoy #American #Airlines #instagramaviation #splendid_transport #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight ⁣ ⁣ #AvGeeksAero #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge #AvGeekNation #TeamAvGeek (at DFW Airport) https://www.instagram.com/p/CgVzIgMuaZ8/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

The new Terminal B at New York La Guardia offers some great vantage points for photographing the action on the ramp. Here a Southwest 737 gets ready to pass under one of the passenger skyways that connect the landside terminal with the gate areas. ⁣ ⁣ There’s an old saying about the prior “Big Three” American large airframe manufacturers from years ago- Lockheed was into systems, Douglas was into structures, and Boeing was into aerodynamics. ⁣ ⁣ If there’s one thing that proves Boeing’s abilities in aerodynamics, it would have to be the wing of the 737NG- in fact, I’d argue that the 737NG’s wing is one of the most unheralded aerodynamic marvels of modern transport, not because of what it can do but how it transformed what was a slow, small, short-haul jet in the 737-100/200 to the performer that the NG line is today, capable of transcontinental and transoceanic flight.⁣ ⁣ Contrary to common belief, compared to the Classics, the NG’s wing is all new with a supercritical airfoil derived from the same work that led to the 777’s wing. It’s deeper in chord, longer span with lower wing loading. The inspar wing box is larger as well which allows more fuel. ⁣ ⁣ Over the 737-300, the 737-700 gains 4000 feet in service ceiling and depending upon where you look and the flight profile, 800 miles more range and all for a higher speed and less drag. When the 737NG was developed, it was stuck with a handicapped engine- the short landing gear meant that the new CFM56 versions for the NG couldn’t be as efficient as possible from larger fans like the CFM56s on the A320 family. ⁣ ⁣ This handicap I’d argue was offset handily by the 737NG wing design.⁣ ⁣ #avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #LGA #LaGuardia #NewYork #NYC #airport #planespotting #instaplane ⁣ #Boeing #737 #Southwest #Airlines #SWApic⁣ ⁣ #instagramaviation #splendid_transport #instaaviation #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight ⁣ #AvGeeksAero #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge #AvGeekNation (at La Guardia (LGA) - New York City) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cf-mVZbMCTu/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Here's a real avgeek treat, only one of two Martin AM-1 Mauler attack aircraft on display in the world- this is the Mauler at the Erickson Aircraft Collection in Oregon, the other one is only display at the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola. ⁣ ⁣ Only 154 Maulers were built and served on a limited operational basis 1948-1953. ⁣ ⁣ Powered by a massive Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major radial engine, the Mauler was developed as a back up to the more complex Curtiss BTC-2 which was the planned successor to the problematic Curtiss SB2C Helldiver. Originally designated the BTM-1, 750 were ordered for the upcoming invasion of the Japanese Home Islands but with the surrender in August 1945, the order was reduced to just 99 examples. ⁣ ⁣ In April 1946, the Navy had consolidated the scout bomber (SB), torpedo bomber (TB) and bomber torpedo (BT) roles into a single “A for Attack” designation. The Mauler's designation changed from BTM-1 to AM-1 and found itself in the shadow of a far more reliable and well-liked piston attack design- the Douglas AD Skyraider. ⁣ ⁣ One of the interesting features of the AM-1 Mauler was its combination landing flaps/dive brakes- the upper and lower dive brakes had intermeshing fingers that formed a solid flap when closed. As opposed to perforated dive brakes which had the many holes to reduce buffeting in a steep dive, the Mauler's dive brakes did the same thing but with the fingers exposed when the upper and lower dive brakes opened. ⁣ ⁣ I'll be posting a bit more about the AM-1 Mauler on our La Jetee Press feed as it's a fascinating story of aircraft not meant to compete with the Skyraider, but in the post-WW2 drawdown, found itself constantly compared with the Skyraider. ⁣ ⁣ #Avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #MDJ #Madras #Oregon #airport #planespotting ⁣ #EricksonAircraftCollection #Martin #AM1 #Mauler #instagramaviation ⁣ #mil_aviation_originals #instaaviation #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight⁣ #AvGeekNation #AvGeekSchoolofKnowledge (at Erickson Aircraft Collection) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cf2E1rEuZz7/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

The first American operator of the British Aerospace 146 was Air Wisconsin. ⁣ ⁣ The Fox Cities of NE Wisconsin were communities along the Fox River where it flows north from Lake Winnebago to Green Bay, the biggest of these cities is Appleton and Oskhosh. The combined area is the third largest metro area in the state after Milwaukee and Madison. In 1963, investors led by Karl Baldwin, a member of a prominent ranching and farming family, raised $110,000 to start Fox Cities Airlines. ⁣ ⁣ In 1965, a 23-year veteran of Piedmont Airlines, Preston Wilbourne was brought on as manager and the airline's name was changed to Air Wisconsin and began operations that year between Appleton and Chicago O'Hare with a single De Havilland Dove aircraft with nine seats. The Dove flew four round trips on weekdays and two round trips on weekends. ⁣ ⁣ Wilbourne would run Air Wisconsin until 1990, expanding it to 32 aircraft airline covering 29 cities in 11 states, becoming one of the premier regional airlines of the day. It would become one of the pioneering airlines that partnered with larger airlines (United Airlines in Air Wisconsin's case) in a business set up common in today's airline industry. ⁣ ⁣ I'd like to invite all of you to follow La Jetée Press on both Instagram and Facebook as I will be presenting interesting stories in commercial aviation and beyond. I will still have The AvGeek School of Knowledge on my feeds but will be sharing that with our aviation publishing business as well, La Jetée Press. ⁣You’ll see the rest of the Air Wisconsin story on those feeds. ⁣ Image credit: Airline Timetable Images⁣ ⁣ #avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #LaJeteePress⁣ ⁣ #DeHavilland #Dove #BAe146 #AirWisconsin⁣ ⁣ #instaaviation #aviationlovers #flight ⁣ ⁣ #AvGeekSchoolofKnowledge #AvGeekNation #TeamAvGeek https://www.instagram.com/p/CfwT29EORWf/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Before we move on in our survey of geared turbofans that will bring us to the Lycoming ALF 502 of the BAe-146 and the new PW1000G, let’s take a side trip from the Turbomeca Aubsique engine to another Turbomeca geared turbofan that did not reach production, the Astafan. ⁣ ⁣ I previously posted that the canceled Aerospatiale A.904 STOL airliner was to use a variable pitch geared turbofan called the M45SD that was based on the M45 engine used on the VFW614 airliner. A variable pitch front fan is exceedingly rare in jet engine technology- the M45SD was bench tested but never flew. ⁣ ⁣ But the Astafan did fly. On two different aircraft. ⁣ ⁣ The Astafan was based on the Astazou turboprop which was used on many aircraft of the 1960s and 1970s but most notably on the early versions of the Handley Page (later BAe) Jetstream. The Astazou first flew in 1957 and was used in both turboprop and turboshaft applications.⁣ ⁣ It was easy to fit a gearbox to the Astazou core sized for the variable pitch front fan to create the Astafan. On the lower schematic, I’ve highlighted the location of the Astafan’s gearbox. ⁣ ⁣ Turbomeca tested the engine on two Rockwell Twin Commanders that had the piston engines removed but fairings for the main landing gears. The Astafan engines were slung underwing from pylons. ⁣ ⁣ Compared to turbojets of similar size, the Astafan was quieter and more fuel efficient. It first ran in 1969 but never reached production. The machinery for both the front fan gearbox and the variable pitch fan made the engine heavier than comparable designs and there were concerns about the complexity of maintenance. ⁣ ⁣ The only other aircraft to fly with the Astafan was the Fouga 90 which was planned as a modern successor to the Magister jet trainer. First flying in 1978, the Alpha Jet was selected instead of the Fouga 90 for the Armee de l’Air’s jet training requirements. Only a single Fouga 90 was built. ⁣ ⁣ (Jetstream photo: Richard Silagi)⁣ ⁣ #avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #LaJeteePress⁣ #Turbomeca #Astafan #Astazou #turboprop #Jetstream #Aerospatiale #Fouga #Safran⁣ ⁣ #instaaviation #aviationlovers #flight ⁣ ⁣ #AvGeekSchoolofKnowledge #AvGeekNation #TeamAvGeek https://www.instagram.com/p/Cfre_oiuOyP/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Before I can talk more about the Lycoming ALF 502 geared turbofan used on the BAe-146 and the challenges in the development of the Pratt & Whitney PW1000G engine, we gotta go all the way back to the early 1960s to the very first production geared turbofan, the Turbomeca Aubisque engine. ⁣ ⁣ The Aubisque engine only had one application, it was the initial engine used on the Saab 105 trainer/light attack aircraft and was designated as the RM9 in Swedish service. Developing only 1600 lbs of thrust, the Aubisque was developed from the Turbomeca Bastan turboprop that was used on the Nord 262 commuter airliner. ⁣ ⁣ A turboprop engine is in a lot of ways like a geared turbofan only unducted- the propeller has to spin at a slower speed that turbine in the core. As propeller speeds are much lower than the fan speed of turbofan engines, gearbox technology for turboprop engines was relatively mature. In developing the Aubisque, Turbomeca used a smaller gearbox to turn the fan, creating the world's first geared turbofan. ⁣ ⁣ The Aubisque engine first ran in 1961 and the Saab 105 prototype made its first flight in 1963. ⁣ ⁣ The later export and light attack versions of the Saab 105 used the GE J85 engine. By 1993, the Aubisque engines were getting difficult to maintain and those Saab 105s with the Aubisque were re-engined with the Williams FJ44 engine, the first FJ44-powered Saab 105s flying in 1996.⁣ ⁣ Unmodernized Aubisque powered Saab 105s have since been retired from service. ⁣ ⁣ #avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #LaJeteePress⁣ #Turbomeca #Aubisque #Bastan #turboprop #Nord262 #Saab #Saab105 #Flygvapnet⁣ ⁣ #instaaviation #aviationlovers #flight ⁣ ⁣(Nord 262 photo: Jay Selman) #AvGeekSchoolofKnowledge #AvGeekNation #TeamAvGeek https://www.instagram.com/p/CfqCQj_sC2W/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

N903NK, one of Spirit's A320neo aircraft, taxis in after arriving at ATL. ⁣ ⁣ In most commercial turbofans, the low pressure compressor in the engine's core also turns the front fan. There is a practical speed that the LP compressor can rotate, any higher and the tips of the front fan can approach the speed of sound and this robs the front fan of efficiency as well as creating noise. ⁣ ⁣ To compensate, more compressor stages have to be added to the engine core to provide the proper compression before the combustion chambers, but this adds weight to the engine. ⁣ ⁣ In a geared turbofan, a gearbox between the LP compressor and the front fan allows both to spin at their optimum speeds. In the PW1000G used on this Spirit A320neo, it's a 3:1 reduction between the LP compressor and the front fan. As a result, the front fan can turn slower, which makes it quieter. The fan blades can also be made lighter since the tensile stress on a slower turning fan blade is less. ⁣ ⁣ The core is also lighter as the compressor stages can spin faster and achieve the proper compression without additional stages. ⁣ ⁣ Jet engines and propulsion is the cutting edge tech now in commercial aviation. While there have been other geared turbofans in the past, the PW1000G is the largest and most powerful and designed for the rigors of airline operations. The next several posts following this one I'll talk about more about geared turbofans and how that technology was integral to the BAe-146. ⁣ ⁣ This is the advantage of this format, I can expand upon themes covered in Brian Wiklem's epic book "Fighting to be Heard" that offer broader context to the Lycoming ALF 502 geared turbofan used on the BAe-146. ⁣ ⁣ Follow along! Bring your friends! Buy our book! ⁣ ⁣ #avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #ATL #Atlanta #Georgia #HartsfieldJackson #airport #planespotting #instaplane⁣ ⁣ #Airbus #A320 #A320neo #Spirit #Airlines #N903NK⁣ #instagramaviation #splendid_transport #instaaviation #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight⁣ ⁣ #AvGeeksAero #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge #AvGeekNation (at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport) https://www.instagram.com/p/CfpNMdwO2fv/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

I’ve posted plenty about La Jetée Press’s inaugural book release, “Fighting to be Heard: How the British Aerospace 146 Started the Regional Jet Revolution” by Brian Wiklem. And I’m going to keep posting plenty because this is a project I passionately believe in as we are out to change the paradigm of what the highest standards in aviation books look like, from content to presentation. ⁣ ⁣ I cannot even begin to fully describe the efforts of everyone that have helped bring this book to market. ⁣ ⁣ I’m sure you want to know. What am I getting for the price? This is 500 pages weighing in over 10 lbs, this is a BIG ASS book full of history, information, and many never published photographs. I want you to feel comfortable with ponying up your hard earned cash to get this book. I truly believe this is one of the few books out there in any genre, not just commercial aviation, not just aviation, that is worth what you pay and more. ⁣ ⁣ Let’s look at the Table of Contents to give you an idea of the scope of this book. ⁣ ⁣ We’re talking TWENTY chapters in this book. Look at the page numbering, you’ll see that these are substantial chapters full of content on the BAe-146 story. ⁣ ⁣ We’ve all been on regional jets and we’ve all for damn sure seen regional jets. Where did that story start? The BAe-146 plays a large part in that market shift that I would argue is the single biggest shift in commercial aviation since the switch from props to pure jets in the 1950s and 1960s.⁣ ⁣ I love a good story on how an aircraft came to be and the first chapter of “Fighting to be Heard” is my favorite part of this book. Countless times the BAe-146 could have ended up on the chopping block as another paper design we’d be talking about from drawings and blueprints and nothing else.⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ #avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #LaJeteePress⁣ #BritishAerospace #BAe #BAe146⁣ ⁣ #instaaviation #aviationlovers #flight ⁣ ⁣ #AvGeekSchoolofKnowledge #AvGeekNation #TeamAvGeek https://www.instagram.com/p/CfWspJFOpBv/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

This Hawker Siddeley advertisement ran in the November 22, 1973, issue of Flight magazine. The dates on this ad for a projected first flight in December 1975 and an in-service date of 1977 would have happened had it not been for the 1973 Arab Oil Embargo that sent fuel prices in the West skyrocketing. That massive spike in fuel prices and resulting economic downturn led to the STOL airline designs I've been posting about to get shelved- the Boeing/Aeritalia 751, the BAC QSTOL, and the Aerospatiale A.904. That would have been a fate shared by the Hawker Siddeley HS.146 as well. With oil prices shooting up 400%, the Hawker board was considering terminating the program. A very public battle erupted to save the HS.146 program. Workers staged a "work-in"- refusing to stop development work on the jet. Employees went as far as to hide engineering drawings and tooling to prevent the Hawker board from terminating the program. It wasn't until after the nationalization of the British aircraft industry with the merger of Hawker and BAC to form British Aerospace that the jet was given the green light to proceed in 1978 as the BAe-146. The first chapter of "Fighting to be Heard" is an very riveting account of the heated debate that went on with the Hawker board, the British government, the taxpayers and the employees working on the 146 all engaged in. I think we'd be hard pressed to find another commercial airliner program that was born out such intense political and managerial strife. There were so many points that the 146 could have been canceled for good and it would have joined the other canceled STOL airliners I've posted about the last several days. But that 1978 go ahead from the British government was only the first of many hurdles the BAe-146 had to overcome to enter service. Get your copy at www.lajeteepress.com! Two editions to choose from, either are handsome additions to your aviation library. #avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #LaJeteePress #BritishAerospace #BAe #BAe146 #instaaviation #aviationlovers #flight #AvGeekSchoolofKnowledge #AvGeekNation #TeamAvGeek https://www.instagram.com/p/CfLC92MrREa/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Not all STOL airliner projects of the late 1960s and early 1970s were jets. In the late 1950s, Charles #Breguet worked on a four engine transport that not only utilized the propwash to "blow" the wing surface and its flaps, but had turboprop engines that were cross linked by a drive shaft to minimize impacts from engine failure. The ultimate development over a series of prototypes resulted in the #Breguet941.⁣ ⁣ The increase in air travel in the 1960s meant that STOL airliners were one way of increasing airport capacity. Some airports even had STOL runways (LGA and DFW, for example). City center "STOLport" facilities were envisaged as helping offload airport traffic.⁣ ⁣ McDonnell Aircraft obtained a license to market and build the aircraft for the US market as the McDonnell 188. Both #American #Airlines and #Eastern Air Lines tested the concept on a very limited basis particularly in the US Northeast corridor. ⁣ ⁣ The #McDonnell188 had four abreast seating with accommodation for 57 passengers using less than 1000 feet of runway to fly 500 miles. The fuselage was square section, so it was not pressurized. McDonnell did have plans for a pressurized version, the McDonnell 188E. ⁣ ⁣ The 188 was much smaller than the previous STOL airliner concepts I've posted, seating only 1/3 to 1/2 as many passengers as the previous designs I talked about. But it would have been ready for production before its jet STOL competitors. ⁣ ⁣ Passenger appeal wasn't great and the innovative cross shaft system added weight and maintenance complexity which in turn raised seat-mile costs. No orders resulted and the aircraft ended up with the French Air Force which withdrew them from use in 1974 due to the aircraft being maintenance intensive.⁣ ⁣ Now I've got one more jet design and one more turboprop design to discuss, but keep in mind that these concepts were the focus of considerable effort by many companies at the same time the #BAe146 began development as the Hawker Siddeley HS.146. ⁣ ⁣ #avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #instaplane ⁣ ⁣ #McDonnellDouglas⁣ ⁣ #instagramaviation #splendid_transport #instaaviation #aviationlovers #flight⁣ #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge #AvGeekNation https://www.instagram.com/p/CfIijbmLRZ-/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

N946AT heads out for departure at Dallas Love Field for Atlanta. In the background is one of Lynden Air Cargo's Lockheed L-100s. ⁣ ⁣ This particular 717 *cough* MD-95 *cough* DC-9 Series 95 *cough cough* DC-9neo was once the Baltimore Ravens liveried jet for AirTran. ⁣ ⁣ There’s a misconception that the fuselage of the Boeing 717/MD-95 is the same length as the DC-9 Series 30- it’s not, it’s its own unique length. ⁣ ⁣ Compared to the Series 30, the MD-95/717 fuselage is three frames longer but one frame shorter than the DC-9 Series 40. But compared to the Series 40, the proportions of the MD-95 are different- the extra frames of the Series 40 are split between ahead and behind the wing but because the MD-95’s engines are heavier than the JT8D engines of the legacy DC-9s, the MD-95’s extra frames are all ahead of the wings to keep balance.⁣ ⁣ The fuselage ahead of the wing on the 717/MD-95 is about 57 inches/1.4 meters longer than that of the DC-9 Series 30. The Rolls-Royce BR715 engines on the 717/MD-95 are each about 1200 lbs heavier than the Pratt & Whitney JT8D engines of the first generation DC-9s (Series 10 through 50). ⁣ ⁣ Even the wings aren't exactly the wings from a Series 30. They're more like the wings of the higher gross weight Series 34 with some of the aerodynamic improvements from the MD-80- primarily in the wing root-body fairing and the flap hinge fairings. ⁣ ⁣ And of course, the "screwdriver" tail cone is from the MD-80 family. ⁣ ⁣ #Avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #DAL #LoveField #dfwavgeek #airport #planespotting⁣ ⁣ #Boeing #717 #N7946AT #Delta #AirLines #instagramaviation #splendid_transport #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight ⁣ #Lockheed #L100 #C130 #Hercules #LyndenAirCargo⁣ ⁣ #AvGeeksAero #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge #AvGeekNation #TeamAvGeek (at Dallas Love Field) https://www.instagram.com/p/CfHBZIUroWa/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

More from my aviation multiverse where the BAe-146 was used by more airlines than what happened on our timeline. This time, it's Ozark. GO GETTERS GO OZARK! ⁣ ⁣ In March 1972, St. Louis-based Ozark Air Lines began to use De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otters on passenger services between Springfield, Illinois, and Chicago's lakefront Meigs Field in competition to a similar service started by the commuter airline Air Illinois. Ozark's services only lasted one year due to financial losses primarily due to high crew salaries- Ozark's pilot contract did not have provisions for proportionally lower wages for flying smaller aircraft.⁣ ⁣ It was one of several attempts by local service carriers to fly smaller aircraft to smaller markets (it was also tried by West Coast/Air West, Frontier, and Texas International as well.⁣ ⁣ Suppose Chicago Meigs Field became something like today's London City Airport instead of getting bulldozed in the middle of the night? Suppose Ozark's original Meigs Field services stayed viable and by the 1980s, Ozark used the quiet STOL capabilities of the BAe-146 to fly into Meigs Field? In our alternate history, Ozark would have a fleet of BAe-146s to support services direct into close-in Meigs Field from points throughout Ozark's network. Imagine that sort of Chicago- with commercial air service from O'Hare, Midway *and* Meigs! ⁣ ⁣ Imagine the -200s operating denser routes like STL-CGX, DCA-CGX, LGA-CGX or DTW-CGX with the smaller -100 operating thinner routes like DSM-CGX, IND-CGX, or MCI-CGX. ⁣ ⁣ This illustration depicts both the BAe-146-100 and BAe-146-200 as they might have looked in 1985 in Ozark's final colors before their acquisition by TWA in 1986. ⁣ ⁣ Learn about real world BAe-146s! ⁣ www.lajeteepress.com⁣ "Fighting to be Heard: How the British Aerospace 146 Started the Regional Jet Revolution" by Brian Wiklem! ⁣ GET UP AND GO! GO GETTERS GO BUY THIS BOOK!⁣ ⁣ #avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #thechickenworks (follow this tag to see more of my artwork) ⁣ #BritishAerospace #BAe #BAe146 #Ozark #Airlines #aviationlovers #flight ⁣ #Adobe #Illustrator #aviationart #aviationillustration #IllustratorCC ⁣ #Avgeekschoolofknowledge #AvGeekNation https://www.instagram.com/p/CfF5lH2LUhP/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=