Charles Yongzheng | International Aviation HQ

All Different Types of Helicopters You Need to Know About!

3Feb

By Charles YongzhengNo Comments

Aircraft Digest

All Different Types of Helicopters You Need to Know About!

Helicopter designs have come a long way since Igor Sikorsky developed the first helicopter. In part, this has seen a number of different types of helicopters be produced, many of which would likely blow Sikorsky's mind! Last year, we covered the different types of aircraft. That article mostly covered the various different types of fixed-wing aircraft, only briefly touching on rotary wing aircraft, such as helicopters. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Military The overwhelming majority of helicopters produced in the last 80 years have been produced for the world's militaries. As such, there are a number of different types of helicopters for various different military roles. Stealth Helicopter In recent years, the concept of stealth aircraf...

Sopwith Pup: Britain’s Best WWI Fighter?

23Jan

By Charles YongzhengNo Comments

Aircraft Digest

Sopwith Pup: Britain’s Best WWI Fighter?

The introduction of the Sopwith Pup into service in 1916 was an immediate game changer. Even today, over 100 years later, most historians generally consider the Pup to be one of the most important aircraft of WWI. Arguably, the Pup is one of the most important aircraft ever built! The tactics that the Pup was built around was copied by Britain's allies and enemies alike during the war. These tactics would then be used in WWII, and even partly in the Cold War and today! (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-Sopwith Pup On June 28 1914, Gavrilo Princip shot and killed the Archduke of Austria and his wife. This would set off a chain reaction that would lead to the largest war in modern human history (at the time). What was then-called the G...

Tower Air: The US’s Largest Charter Airline

13Jan

By Charles Yongzheng1 Comment

Airlines

Tower Air: The US’s Largest Charter Airline

At one point in time, Tower Air and World Airways were the two largest charter airlines in the world. For the most part, World Airways was immortalized in popular culture, whilst Tower Air was forgotten! During its prime, Tower Air had a fleet of 17 aircraft, some were configured for passengers, whilst others were configured for cargo. On top of a series of passenger and cargo contracts, the airline also had military contracts too. However, in 2000, their empire would crumble and they'd cease operations. So what went so wrong? (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-Tower Air In 1951, Morris K. Nachtomi joined Israeli flag carrier, El Al. Over the next 30 years, Nachtomi worked in several different divisions of El Al, including: finance, operat...

Dassault Falcon 900: Dassault’s Best Private Jet Yet!

2Jan

By Charles YongzhengNo Comments

Executive

Dassault Falcon 900: Dassault’s Best Private Jet Yet!

Today, Dassault is known for making some of the best business jets currently for sale. For the longest time, the Dassault Falcon 900 has been among these jets, often leading them from the front! Dassault were among the first aircraft manufacturers to produce business jets, producing the Dassault Mystère 20. The Mystère 20, otherwise known as the Falcon 20, is often cited as one of the best and first business jets! (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Development Since the 1960's, Dassault had developed some of the leading business jets of its day, starting with the immensely successful Dassault Falcon 20. In the 1970's, it had released the Dassault Falcon 50, which sold even better than the Falcon 20! However, the late 1970's had yielded a number ...

12Dec

By Charles YongzhengNo Comments

History

What was the First Aircraft Carrier?

There are several contenders for the title of first aircraft carrier. Several navies claim to have had the first as a part of their navy, many ship builders also claim to have made the first as well. When it comes to military aviation, naval aviation is often overlooked, carrier-based aviation even more so! Aircraft carriers are at the front of naval aviation but what was the first aircraft carrier? (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-Wright Brothers Aircraft Carriers Before 1903, before the Wright Brothers' first flight of their Wright Flyer, there were ships that launched airborne weapons, similarly to how modern aircraft carriers launch. Balloon Carriers Balloon carriers were the first modern iteration of an aircraft carrier. As the nam...

Boeing 747 vs 777: The Quest For Boeing’s Largest Jet…

18Nov

By Charles YongzhengNo Comments

Aircraft Compare

Boeing 747 vs 777: The Quest For Boeing’s Largest Jet…

The 747 is well over 50 years old. As such, many airlines are retiring it and replacing it with Boeing's other large airliner, the 777. As such, many have begun to wonder which is truly better, the 747 or 777? Both aircraft have also had very successful careers as cargo aircraft, mostly due to their size. Many former passenger 747s and 777s have been converted into freighters and have continued their service life as such. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Boeing 747 vs 777: Boeing's Largest Aircraft Boeing has a vary long and detailed history of creating some of the world's largest aircraft. Of the largest aircraft currently flying today, four of them were produced by Boeing. This list includes the Boeing 377-derived Guppy line of freighters,...

Learjet 60: Learjet’s Long Range Luxury…

11Nov

By Charles YongzhengNo Comments

Executive

Learjet 60: Learjet’s Long Range Luxury…

For 21 years, between 1991 and 2012 the Learjet 60 was Learjet division of Bombardier's longest range business jet. However, in 2012, after twenty years of production, Learjet pulled the plug on the Learjet 60. Nevertheless, almost a decade later, most of the original four hundred Learjets are still flying. For most of them, they are in the hands of the people who originally bought them, although many are on the secondary market. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Development In 1981, Learjet released their latest business jet, the Learjet 55, itself being derived from the first ever business jet, the Learjet 23. This aircraft originally sold very well, but by the end of the 1990's, sales began to slow. Learjet attempted to create new variant...

Alberto Santos-Dumont: The Forgotten Aviation Pioneer

16Sep

By Charles YongzhengNo Comments

History

Alberto Santos-Dumont: The Forgotten Aviation Pioneer

When you think of people who significantly contributed to aviation, you probably don't think of Alberto Santos-Dumont. Instead, you probably think of someone like Orville or Wilbur Wright, or maybe even Charles Lindburgh. Despite this, Santos-Dumont is arguably as instrumental as them, if not more so! Where the Wright Brothers made a completely new form of travel, Santos-Dumont expanded upon it, not to mention his works on airships. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Before Aviation Alberto Santos-Dumont was born on July 20 1873 in Palmira in the then-Empire of Brazil. He was the youngest of seven children born to Franco-Brazilian coffee plantation magnate Henrique Dumont. His mother, Francisca de Paula Santos came from a wealthy, land-owning...

22Aug

By Charles YongzhengNo Comments

Aircraft Compare

F-15 vs F-16: The Best US Fighter Jet?

Both the F-15 and F-16 are some of the best and most produced fighter jets in the world. Despite this, F-15s and F-16s have never fought one another directly, leading many avgeeks, generals to wonder: F-15 or F-16? The F-15 and F-16 are both fighter jets, serving in several different roles for several different militaries. Both F-15s and F-16s often serve alongside one another in different conflicts, often playing to their own strengths. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); F-15 vs F-16: What is a Fighter Jet? I know. I know. But before we can really compare the F-15 and F-16, we need to truly understand what a fighter jet is. A fighter jet is a jet powered aircraft (unlike other fighters like the P-51 Mustang or Spitfire). It is specifically de...

What is the Federal Air Marshal Service? A History of the Federal Air Marshal Service

25Jul

By Charles YongzhengNo Comments

History

What is the Federal Air Marshal Service? A History of the Federal Air Marshal Service

The Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS) has become immortalized in popular culture, through films like Non-Stop. But few actually know what they do and how they have evolved over their history? Recent years have proven to have brought the FAMS to the breaking point. Post-9/11, the role of the FAMS and their inability to prevent 9/11 has cast them in a poor light, with this often happening in the public eye. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); What Does the Federal Air Marshal Service do? The Federal Air Marshal Service, commonly abbreviated to the acronym FAMS, is the US's federal law enforcement agency involved with protecting US domestic and international flights. This means that any high-risk flight that originates or terminates anywhere in t...