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Remembering Hughes Aircraft Company: How Howard Hughes Became an Aviation Pioneer!

10Jul

By Alexander Pask2 Comments

History

Remembering Hughes Aircraft Company: How Howard Hughes Became an Aviation Pioneer!

Howard Hughes was one of the most important aviation pioneers of the 20th century. Not only did he run two airlines (TWA and Hughes Airwest), but he also ran the Hughes Aircraft Company - known for being one of the largest aircraft manufacturers of its time! Despite that, the death of Howard Hughes in 1976 profoundly impacted the company, with it being dismantled and sold on within 20 years of his death, with only portions of the business surviving to this day... (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-Hughes Aircraft Company: Howard Hughes Known as an eccentric even back then, Howard Hughes had inherited his father's drill bit manufacturer, Hughes Tool Company, in 1924 at the age of 18. Not really interested in spending the rest of his life mak...

Gulfstream G200: Gulfstream’s Best Jet Yet?

7Jul

By Christopher HarrowNo Comments

Executive

Gulfstream G200: Gulfstream’s Best Jet Yet?

Today, Gulfstream Aerospace is best known for producing some of the highest end business jets on the market. Yet, arguably one of their best jets, the Gulfstream G200, was designed specifically to be a middle-of-the-market jet... Despite having not been designed by Gulfstream (instead by IAI) the G200 soon became one of Gulfstream's bestselling jets of the late 1990's and early 2000's, being produced a total of 250 times over a 24-year period (1997-2011)! (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-Gulfstream G200 In the early 1960's, Aero Commander developed what they called the Jet Commander from their incredibly successful Commander 500 line of piston and turboprop-powered corporate aircraft. Having its first flight in 1963, the Jet Commander en...

AgustaWestland AW169: Leonardo’s Best Helicopter Yet?

3Jul

By Alya KulikovaNo Comments

Helicopters

AgustaWestland AW169: Leonardo’s Best Helicopter Yet?

Designed by AgustaWestland and built by its successor company, Leonardo, the AW169 has proven to be one of the most versatile helicopters on the planet (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-AgustaWestland AW169 Development Operational History VIP Transport Air Ambulance Photo courtesy of Alan Wilson via Flickr. Search And Rescue Police Military Photo courtesy of Pete Webber via Flickr. Specifications SpecificationsAW169Length14.65 m (48 ft 1 in)Width2.53 m (8 ft 4 in)Height4.5 m (15 ft)Crew1 - 2Passengers8 - 12Max Speed306 km/h (190 mph; 165 kn)Range820 km (510 mi; 440 nmi)Service Ceiling15,000 ft (4572 m)MTOW4,800 kg (10,582 lb) ...

Remembering de Havilland: The Rise And Fall of a British Aviation Powerhouse!

30Jun

By Alexander Pask5 Comments

History

Remembering de Havilland: The Rise And Fall of a British Aviation Powerhouse!

Today, at least in Britain, the name "de Havilland" is synonymous with aviation. Indeed, throughout its existence, the de Havilland Aircraft Company was one of the most prestigious British aircraft manufacturers, behind only its parent company: Hawker Siddeley. Despite having once been one of the largest aircraft manufacturers of its time, the company hasn't existed for almost 60 years, with very few people outside the avgeek community even remembering their name... (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Before The de Havilland Aircraft Company In 1907, Geoffrey de Havilland borrowed £1,000 (£125,000 adjusted for inflation) from his maternal grandfather as an advance on his inheritance. Using this money, and the next two years of his life, Geoffrey bu...

Robinson R44: The Best Selling Civilian Helicopter Yet!

26Jun

By Salomón MarcoNo Comments

Helicopters

Robinson R44: The Best Selling Civilian Helicopter Yet!

Today, Robinson Helicopter Company are famous for producing some of the most popular helicopters ever. Whilst all three of company's helicopters produced to date have been incredibly successful, the Robinson R44 is by far the most popular. Having been produced since 1990, Robinson have produced over 6,500 R44s to date, making it the most popular purpose-built civilian helicopter to date, and sixth most produced helicopter ever! (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-Robinson R44 Before R44, helicopters were nothing new. Indeed, famed Russian-American engineer, Igor Sikorsky, had flown the first helicopter - his VS-300 design - in May 1940. Following this, several helicopters would be developed by Sikorsky and other engineers for the war effort ...

Bombardier CRJ200: The Regional Jet we Love to Hate!

23Jun

By Alexander PaskNo Comments

Aircraft Digest

Bombardier CRJ200: The Regional Jet we Love to Hate!

Today, the Bombardier CRJ200 is the bestselling member of the CRJ family of jets, being loved by airlines the world over. Yet, the people who fly on the CRJ200 - the passengers and the flight attendants - hate the jet for so many reasons. Built between 1996 and 2006, Bombardier would produce a total of 709 CRJ200s, becoming a favorite of literally hundreds of operators in hundreds of countries, with the jet still being used today! (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-Bombardier CRJ200 In 1986, Canadian manufacturing conglomerate, Bombardier, would acquire Canadair - Canada's national aircraft manufacturer which was then being privatized by the Canadian government, for a total of $200 million (Canadian). Beyond acquiring the internationally re...

Gulfstream G280: The Oddest Gulfstream of Them All

19Jun

By Gareth Seagull1 Comment

Executive

Gulfstream G280: The Oddest Gulfstream of Them All

Today, Gulfstream jets follow a certain pattern - increasing by the number "50" each time - yet there's one Gulfstream-made jet that stands out from that pattern: the Gulfstream G280. Beyond being a rather jet in terms of its designation, the G280 is also among the best private jets in the world, being loved by operators and pilots alike, having sold well over 200 times to date! (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-Gulfstream G280 In the late 1970's, Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI) would develop what they called the IAI Astra from their famed IAI Westwind. Eventually proving to be quite successful, several more variants of the Astra would be designed and built. Proving to be quite successful, IAI would enter a joint venture with the Hyatt...

Herb Kelleher: The King of American Low-Cost Airlines

16Jun

By Salomón MarcoNo Comments

History

Herb Kelleher: The King of American Low-Cost Airlines

Today, Southwest Airlines is the undisputed king of American low-cost aviation. Yet without Herb Kelleher, Southwest as we know it today would've never been born. Imagine that! Having founded Southwest Airlines (then called Air Southwest Co) in 1967, Herb would be the driving force in getting the airline off the ground (no pun intended) and growing it into one of the "Big Four" airlines. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Early Life Herbert David "Herb" Kelleher would be born on March 12 1931 as the youngest of four children to Irish-American soup factory foreman, Harry Kelleher, and his wife, Ruth. Born in the township of Haddon Heights, just outside Camden, New Jersey, the Kelleher family would soon move to the neighboring Audubon, due to Ha...

Saab 2000: The Worst Turboprop Airliner Ever?

12Jun

By Alexander PaskNo Comments

Aircraft Digest

Saab 2000: The Worst Turboprop Airliner Ever?

When Saab began working on what they called the Saab 2000 in 1988, it was intended to be the best turboprop on the market. However, a little over a decade later, Saab would production of the aircraft having built only 63 copies... Despite being superior from a technical standpoint than many of its turboprop-powered contemporaries (and indeed some of its jet-powered ones too!) it would prove to be one of the least popular mass-produced regional airliners in history! (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-Saab 2000 Prior to the introduction of the Saab 2000, the concept of regional airliners was not a new one. Indeed, the first regional airliners (such as the DC-1 and DC-2) had entered service in the 1930's and 1940's. However, it wouldn't be un...

Bombardier Challenger 350: Bombardier’s Best Challenger Yet?

9Jun

By Gareth Seagull1 Comment

Executive

Bombardier Challenger 350: Bombardier’s Best Challenger Yet?

Ask anyone who regularly flies on different private jets what the best private jet they've ever flown on is, and they'll probably say the Bombardier Challenger 350. Indeed, it's loved by passengers, operators and pilots alike! Having been produced since 2013, over 350 Challenger 350s have been produced to date, with many more currently on order. Coupled with the 450 Challenger 300s built, makes the Challenger 300/350 family the bestselling in its class by far... (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-Bombardier Challenger 350 Over the late 1980's and early 1990's, Bombardier acquired several aircraft manufacturers. In 1986, the company would acquire Canadair. Through this purchase, Bombardier acquired not only Canadair's many commercial aircraf...