VIDEO: Last moments of Delta 4819 - Who was flying?

Less than three weeks after the horrific mid-air collision at DCA (Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport), Delta Connection flight 4819 -- a Bombardier CRJ900 operated by Endeavor Air, a subsidiary of Delta Airlines -- crashed on landing at YYZ (Pearson International Airport in Toronto), overturning and winding up upside down on the runway. 

As we reported in the DCA story, there was a lot of speculation by people right up to President Trump that DEI -- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion -- was a contributing factor to the tragic accident. People said that either the air traffic controllers or the pilots of the military helicopter, or both, were (possibly) DEI hires, not competent to perform their assigned duties. 

The same conclusions were jumped to in the aftermath of the crash of 4819, with people demanding to know who the pilots were and their qualifications and experience. In this video, which has received over 2.8 million views since it was posted eight days ago, Taking Off analyst Dan Millican reveals the identities of the pilots and details their qualifications. And he offers his best guess as to which of them -- the male or the female -- had the controls as the plane crashed and burned.

Miraculously, everyone on board Delta 4819 survived. Mr Millican points out that this was by the grace of God, not the actions of the "heroic pilots", as the plane would have been uncontrollable a second or two after crashing. And his guess as to who was in control is just that, a guess. Suspicions will be confirmed... or not... once the relevant inquiries have been held and their reports released.

Still... one has to wonder about the safety of American skies when people with minimal qualifications, if any, are hired on the basis of race, gender or other politically-determined criteria. Don't be fooled, people. Wokeism can kill!

Too fat to fly!?

America is the land of the free, right? A land where you can't be discriminated against for being the wrong race, the wrong religion, the wrong gender or even... weight for it... the wrong size. Fat-shaming is not allowed in the new, woke USA. Stuff your face full of that junk food and don't be afraid  of being called names, or of having people make mooing or oinking noises behind your back.

What about losing your job? Can they fire you for being obese? Well, we're going to find out. 

Chelsia Blackmon (who is actually Blackwoman), is taking legal action against Spirit Airlines, her former employer, claiming she was wrongfully terminated for being too overweight to buckle the seat belt on the jumpseat on an Airbus 319 operated by the Florida-based airline.

She accuses Spirit of discrimination for not being offered the same treatment as a white colleague who could not "fit" in the jump seat. 

The claim filed on her behalf in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida, stipulates that when Blackmon was hired, she'd completed and passed all training and compliance protocols, including being strapped into a jump seat (not the one in the picture). 

However, when she was assigned to one of Spirit's A-319s on September 3rd, she failed to strap herself into the seat, and was not allowed to get an extension belt to accommodate her great girth. In fact, she was asked to leave the plane and was put on administrative leave.

Ten days later, according to her complaint, Ms Blackmon was asked to meet with airline managers, and prove she could buckle into a jump seat. When she tried again, on October 8th, she found the jumpseat to small for her. She was suspended from service for five days [to go on a crash diet? Ed.], and fired a month later.

Ms Blackmon accuses the airlne of discriminating against her not just because she's observably obese, but also because she's black -- your classic BBBW. Her complaint alleges that a Caucasian flight attendant -- only a BBW -- who was also in the early stages of her career at Spirit had the same problem but was given several months before she had to prove she could strap herself into a jump seat.

The complaint claims that, because of "discriminatory and illegal differential treatment based upon her race," Ms Blackmon has suffered "lost wages, compensatory damages, mental anguish and suffering." The flight attendant also says that Spirit's actions "were in willful and malicious and in reckless disregard of her civil rights." 

Ms Blackmon is seeking back pay, damages, including punitive damages (of course) and legal costs (more of course) in a trial by jury. Spirit Airlines and Ms Blackmon's attorney didn't immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.

Agent 3, our resident legal beagle, says jury selection for the upcoming trial ought to be really entertaining. He adivses Ms Blackmon to withdraw the Florida action and file a new claim in Louisiana, where whoever has the biggest alligator wins.

VIDEO: The story of the Super Guppy

Our dear sponsor has been doing a brisk business selling vintage airliner postcards, highly collectible items for people with an abiding interest in aviation. (Hello, Agent 17!) He just sold a nice card showing the Aero Spacelines B377SG Super Guppy, N1038V.

Ed. [who shares the same interest. Ed.] found this video, "The Aero Spacelines Pregnant Guppy". The introduction to the video says: As the US honed in on what it hoped would be its notable first in manned space exploration, a problem arose that required a unique solution. Surprisingly, the answer to this problem of cutting edge technology turned out to be an obsolete piece of equipment that came as the result of the vision of a daring private entrepreneur, with the help of a few two-by-fours. 

   

Hope you enjoyed that. It's a nice change from politics and religion. But don't worry. We'll come back down to the ground later today.

VIDEO: Update on the disappearance of Malaysian flight MH370

Longtime readers will remember that Walt took a deep interest in the disappearance on 8 March 2014 of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370. The Boeing 777 vanished without a trace while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Click here to see our complete file on this topic, the most recent post having been written almost 18 months ago. 

To be frank [But you're Walt! Ed.], no new information has emerged since then. But it's hard to forget entirely one of the greatest aviation mysteries of all time. We're happy to repost this calm and clear recap of the events of that fateful day, and the subsequent unsuccessful search for the wreckage.

   

The theory first advanced by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, which for some reason led the investigation, was that the most likely cause was a "hypoxia event" -- lack of oxygen resulting in the unconsciousness of the pilot and co-pilot. Investigators never reached any consensus on this theory.

Consideration was given to a number of more sinister explanations, including possible hijacking, a fire (accidental or otherwise) in the plane's cargo, and the intentional shooting down of the aircraft by a military plane based somewhere near south Asia... say at Diego Garcia. The last is my theory and I'm sticking to it!

The Malaysian Ministry of Transport's final report, published in July of 2018, was inconclusive but highlighted Malaysian air traffic controllers' failures to attempt to communicate with the aircraft shortly after its disappearance. 

Absent a definitive cause for the disappearance of MH370, air transport industry safety recommendations and regulations have been intended mostly to prevent a repetition of the circumstances. Corrective measures proposed include increased battery life on underwater locator beacons, lengthening of recording times on flight data recorders and cockpit voice recorders, and new standards for aircraft position reporting over the open ocean.

[Ed., can you come up with a snappier conclusion than "Stay tuned."? Walt.] [No. Ed.]

VIDEO: Flying the de Havilland DHC-1 Chipmunk

Agent 17 e-mailed us to say that the photo of the de Havilland DHC-1 Chipmunk (in "Take off, eh! de Havilland Canada flies again!", WWW 3/6/19) brought back happy memories. That thank-you prompted Ed. to hunt around for some video, and here's what he came up with.

Just short of 18 minutes, you'll see the narrator take his first flight at the controls of a Chipmunk, from the Canadian Historical Aircraft Association at Windsor ON. 17, this is for you!



For more information on the Canadian Historical Aircraft Association, click here! If you decide to join, or go to one of their events, or anything... tell `em Walt sent ya!

Take off, eh! de Havilland Canada flies again!

CBC News has a story today that I know will be of interest to a couple of Walt's agents. They report that Longview Aviation Capital Corp. has launched de Havilland Aircraft of Canada Ltd., following purchase of the de Havilland trademark and the complete Dash-8 aircraft programme from struggling Bombardier Inc.

The new(ish) company will build and market the latest version of the Dash-8 -- the Q400 -- from the plant in Downsview (now a part of Toronto) where it started business in Canada in the 1920s. During World War II, its DHC-1 Chipmunk became the backbone of the Commonwealth Air Forces training programme.

Longview paid C$300 million ($223 million in real money) for the rights to Bombardier's Q Series of aircraft, originally known as the Dash-8, comprising the 100, 200 and 300 series, all turboprop regional jets which seat 40 to 90 passengers. The Dash-8 is in use not only by Canadian airlines like Porter, but all over the world, and is known for its economy and reliability.

Another Longview subsidiary, Viking Air Ltd., based in British Columbia, still produces the famous de Havilland Beaver and Twin Otter aircraft, workhorses of the Canadian North and other remote areas. If you're headed for Kathmandu, for instance, you may well get there (and safely too) in a Nepal Airlines Twin Otter.

David Curtis, chairman of the Longview, said in a statement de Havilland Aircraft would take on board more than 1200 employees from Bombardier. He previously pledged to keep all manufacturing already in Canada within the country and to maintain supply chains for the Q400 series that currently stretch from China to Ireland to Mexico. Bombardier manufactured roughly 28 to 30 Q400s annually at the Downsview plant.

Time out for a word from our sponsor

This excellent piece of satire -- you did know it was a joke, right? -- appeared on The People's Cube, which Walt reads regularly.

VIDEO: Biggest damn airplane you ever saw fly - An-225 Mriya

I saw a squib (small story on a news site) reporting that the world's largest airplane had left the Ukraine carrying a load of very large mining equipment to Australia. The airplane, it said, was an Antonov-225 "Mriya" (= "dream", in Ukrainian). What, I wondered, does it look like? Ed. did a bit of searching on YouTube and came up with this beautiful video, which we send out to Agents 3 and 17 and all other aviation buffs.



Six turbofan engines. 72 wheels... I think... difficult to count when it's moving like that. The longest and heaviest plane ever built, with a wingspan twice the length of a B747, and maximum takeoff weight of 640 tonnes (1410 tons on this side of the Atlantic).

Plane Logger says this example, bearing Ukrainian registration number UA-82060, the only one ever built (line number 01-01!), was rolled out in August of 1993. How did I miss that?! It still belongs to and is operated by the Antonov Design Bureau. A second airframe was partially built, but its completion was halted because of lack of funding and interest. Hard to understand, isn't it.

Note from Ed.: We trust you weren't fooled by the still photo filling the window above. The An-225 only has six (6) engines, two less than a B-52. So whose engines are more powerful, do you think?

In the event of a water landing...

Even as I write, Agent 78 is about six miles over the Pacific Ocean, from whence she sends an invitation to consider the words of the pre-flight safety demonstration:

A "water landing"? Could there be any phrase (Agent 78 asks) more oxymoronical than "water landing"? Indeed. But, dear flyers, be reassured, there is help... right under your bum...

VIDEO: Absolutely amazing airshow stunts!

All you aviation buffs -- I know you're out there -- will surely join Walt in thanking Agent 17 for this short (4+ minutes) video of highlights from the 2014 edition of the Cameron Air Show 2014. Agent 17 said watching this array of cunning stunts was good for his bowels. Walt agrees.



The Cameron Air Show is held every year in Cameron MO [No surprises there. Ed.], hard by St. Joe. The 2015 show is just one month away -- June 27th and 28th. Here's the FB link with the lineup and other details. Air ya gonna be thar?

VIDEO: US Navy Blue Angels inside the cockpit - WILD

The Blue Angels are the precision aerobatic team of the United States Navy, often the featured attraction and always a big hit at airshows across the USA. Walt saw them for the first time, along with Agent 17, back in the 70s at Harlingen TX, at the terrific show put on by the Confederate Air Force.*

Here we have a video taken over Seattle, Lake Washington and Boeing Field. It takes training and ability to handle the extremely high emotional and physical stress levels incurred in this kind of flying. There's no room for errors or second-guessing.

In this video, you'll see the "slot man" in the diamond formation -- toughest flying due to wingtip vortices, etc. Notice the rest of the formation in the pilot's reflective goggles. When he "smiles", he is pulling some serious "G" forces. The grimace is part of tensing his body to stop blood pooling and having a grey- or blackout -- even with a G-suit!

Towards the end, the pilot holds both hands in the air. He must have had the aircraft very well trimmed, and/or be just a tad reckless. Do you really want to do this in a formation?!

This may be one of the best "in the cockpit" videos currently on YouTube. Go full screen, but you might want to turn OFF the sound.



Thanks and a thumbs up to a friend of Agent 17, and the US Navy and Blue Angels.

And... in case you missed it... here's the link to "Two minutes of aviation majesty".

* Footnote: Need I tell you that the Confederate Air Force was renamed the "Commemorative Air Force" -- another casualty of political correctness. They're still flying though! If you're a warplanes buff and want to join, you'll find a link on their website.

VIDEO: Two minutes of aviation majesty

It's been a while since we had anything for aviation buffs. Those who like to see the old (WWII) warbirds in action will surely enjoy this trailer for the July 2014 air show at The Imperial War Museum in Cambridgeshire, which we have courtesy of Agent 17, aka Sky King. Walt recommends full screen mode, and sound up, to send chills up your spine.

"Ground control to Captain Ted..."

Agent 17 sent me what purport to be "actual exchanges between pilots and control towers". The references to 727s and 747s, Pan-Am and Eastern, tell me this has been around for awhile, and I'm in some doubt as to its "actuality", but it's good for some chuckles after a trying week.

Tower: TWA 2341, for noise reduction turn right 45 degrees.
TWA 2341: Center, we are at 35,000 feet. How much noise can we make up here?
Tower: Sir, have you ever heard the noise a 747 makes when it hits a 727?

From an unknown aircraft waiting in a very long takeoff queue: I'm fucking bored!
Ground Traffic Control: Last aircraft transmitting, identify yourself immediately!
Unknown aircraft: I said I was fucking bored, not fucking stupid!


A DC-10 had come in a little hot and thus had an exceedingly long rollout after touching down.
San Jose Tower: American 751, make a hard right turn at the end of the runway, if you are able. If you are not able, take the Guadalupe exit off Highway 101, make a right at the lights and return to the airport.


O'Hare Approach Control to a 747: United 329 heavy, your traffic is a Fokker, one o'clock, three miles, eastbound.
United 329: Approach, I've always wanted to say this... I've got the little Fokker in sight!

A Pan-Am 727 flight, waiting for start clearance in Munich, overheard the following.
Lufthansa (in German): Ground, what is our start clearance time?
Ground (in English): If you want an answer you must speak in English.
Lufthansa (in English): I am a German, flying a German airplane, in Germany. Why must I speak English?
Unknown voice from another plane (with a British accent): Because you lost the bloody war!

Tower: Eastern 702, cleared for takeoff, contact Departure on frequency 124.7.
Eastern 702: Tower, Eastern 702 switching to Departure. By the way, after we lifted off we saw some kind of dead animal on the far end of the runway.
Tower: Continental 635, cleared for takeoff behind Eastern 702, contact Departure on frequency 124.7. Did you copy that report from Eastern 702?
Continental 635: Continental 635, cleared for takeoff, roger; and yes, we copied Eastern. We've already notified our caterers.

The German air controllers at Frankfurt Airport are renowned for being a short-tempered lot. They not only expect one to know one's gate parking location, but how to get there without any assistance from them. So it was with some amusement that we (a Pan-Am 747) listened to the following exchange between Frankfurt ground control and a BA 747, callsign Speedbird 206.
Speedbird 206: Frankfurt, Speedbird 206 clear of active runway.
Ground: Speedbird 206, taxi to gate Alpha One-Seven.
The BA 747 pulled onto the main taxiway and slowed to a stop.
Ground: Speedbird, do you not know where you are going?
Speedbird 206: Stand by, Ground. I'm looking up our gate location now.
Ground (impatient and arrogant): Speedbird 206, have you not been to Frankfurt before?
Speedbird 206 (coolly): Yes, twice in 1944, but it was dark. And I didn't land.

Reflections of an old pilot

Ed. here. Today we turn the blog over to Agent 17's old buddy, Terry. Terry is 80 years old and flew the Meteor, Vampire, Canberra, Argonaut, VC10, 747 and 777 -- amongst others! He was a BOAC/BA training captain, and later flew for Virgin and SIA. He writes...

An Old Pilot's Reflections - (Only pilots can truly relate to these.)

· Pilots are people who drive airplanes for other people who can't.

· Passengers are people who say they fly, but really just ride.

· Fighter pilots are steely eyed, weapons systems managers who kill bad people and break things. However, they can also be very charming and personable. The average fighter pilot, despite sometimes having a swaggering exterior, is very much capable of such feelings as love, affection, intimacy and caring. (However, these feelings don't involve anyone else.)

· Flying is a hard way to earn an easy living.

· Both optimists and pessimists contribute to society. The optimist invents the airplane; the pessimist, the parachute.

· Death is just nature's way of telling you to watch your airspeed.

· As a pilot only two bad things can happen to you (and one of them will):
a. One day you will walk out to the aircraft, knowing it is your last flight.
b. One day you will walk out to the aircraft, not knowing it is your last flight.

· There are rules and there are laws:
The rules are made by men who think that they know how to fly your airplane better than you.
The laws (of physics) were ordained by God.
You can and sometimes should suspend the rules, but you can never suspend the laws.

· About Rules:
a. The rules are a good place to hide if you don't have a better idea and the talent to execute it.
b. If you deviate from a rule, it must be a flawless performance (e.g., if you fly under a bridge, don't hit the bridge.)

· Before each flight, make sure that your bladder is empty and your fuel tanks are full.

· He who demands everything that his aircraft can give him is a pilot; he who demands one iota more is a fool.

· There are certain aircraft sounds that can only be heard at night and over the ocean. Most of them are scary.

· The aircraft limits are only there in case there is another flight by that particular aircraft. If subsequent flights do not appear likely, there are no limits.

· "If the Wright brothers were alive today, Wilbur would have to fire Orville to reduce costs." (President, DELTA Airlines.)

· In the Alaskan bush, I'd rather have a two-hour bladder and three hours of gas than vice versa.

· An old pilot is one who can remember when flying was dangerous and sex was safe.

· Airlines have really changed; now a flight attendant can get a pilot pregnant.

· I've flown in both pilot seats. Can someone tell me why the other one is always occupied by an idiot?

· And my favourite: You have to make up your mind about growing up and becoming a pilot. You can't do both.

This one's taking off! Are you in?

Walt has a longstanding interest in commercial aviation. The first "big airplane" I flew in was a BOAC Super Constellation, which really dates me. Since then I've flown in some excellent aircraft, including the the DC-8 ("Old Smoky") and the Lockheed L-1011, beloved of those who flew them but not by the beancounters flying desks at the world's airlines.

Here's a new passenger jetliner, coming soon to an airline and/or airport near you.

She's the Bombardier CS100, which took to the skies at YMX yesterday morning, after nearly 9 months of delays to make sure everything was just right for the maiden flight. And so it was.

The CSeries is the first larg(ish) jetliner to be manufactured by Bombardier, heretofore known for executive and regional jets as well as smooth and quiet turboprops. [Don't forget about the Skidoos! Ed.] The CS100 is a bigger plane, capable of taking 110 to 145 pax clear across the continent with no stops.

With the new "big airplane", Bombardier will be competing with the smaller ends of the Airbus and Boeing product lines, but yesterday's flight suggests the CSeries has a Unique Selling Proposition. (A doff of the adman's hat to the late Rosser Reeves.) The new plane is super-quiet, roughly 15 decibels quieter than a B737, or only roughly as loud as Bombardier’s Q400s turboprops.

That should silence the NIMBY types who want to keep jets out of smaller downtown airports like YTZ and the new airport which London Mayor Boris Johnson proposes to locate in the middle of the Thames. Bombardier already has orders for 177 of the aircraft, but is on track to sell 300 by the time it enters service, in about 12 months.

Bombardier has said it aims to capture half of the 6,900 deliveries expected in the 100-to-149-seat segment of the commercial aircraft market over the next two decades. With the airline industry making a slow but steady recovery, I think the CSeries could be very profitable for Bombardier. The company's shares are trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange at around $5. I'm in!

New weapons in Canada's fight for freedom, democracy and all that

Following up "Canada to send out for Chinks?", Agent 17 has managed to obtain for us video of the two fighter aircraft now being considered by the Royal Canadian Air Force as potential replacements for its aging fleet of CF-18 Hornets.



"They may not be exactly state-of-the-art," said Air Vice-Marshal Ace "Ace" McCool, "but they'll be a damned sight cheaper than those Lockheed F-35s we tried to slip by the Minister of Finance. The minister [of defence, Pete MacHackey] figures he can get `em for not a penny more than $9 billion... and that's for the pair!"

For those not into the World of Warbirds, you're looking at an American P-51 Mustang and a British Supermarine Spitfire -- one of the most aerodynamically beautiful planes of WWII. Both planes were powered by the powerful Rolls Royce Merlin engine, which emitted that wonderful sound that became known to many as 'The Sound of Freedom' during the 1940s.

The P-51 pilot does a great job staying in position as he has more power and is faster than the Spitfire. They must have done more than a little practising!

The two fighters are privately owned by the Old Flying Machine Company at Duxford airfield in England. Duxford also houses the USAAF Museum in Britain and the air assets of the Imperial War Museum. The video was shot at the Duxford autumn show in 2009.

Aviation buffs! Incredible WORKING miniature airport

Here, thanks to the keen eye of Agent 1, is a 16+ minute video of "Flughafen Knuffingen", a tiny perfect airport. It's fully functioning -- an amazing demonstration of what can be done when time and money are no object.

Watch at least long enough to see a take-off and landing. The best ones are towards the end, from about 12:30.



Perhaps Agent 17 can enlighten us as to the aircraft type -- prop job -- which takes off around 14:20?

Thought for the day: This shows what German engineers can do when they are motivated. Didn't the Luftwaffe start with the Hitler youth playing with gliders?!

Your number's not up until it's up

Thanks to Agent 46 for forwarding this incredible airshow video.

Agent 17, do you think you could have done this, back in the day?