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RenoAir: The Airline That (Sort of) Put Nevada on The Map!

4Nov

By Christopher HarrowNo Comments

Airlines

RenoAir: The Airline That (Sort of) Put Nevada on The Map!

RenoAir, otherwise styled as Reno Air, may not have been the largest airline in the world. It may not have even been the largest airline in the state, but it left an impact on the industry that few can forget! Throughout its history, RenoAir competed with some of the world's largest and most successful airlines, including Southwest Airlines and Morris Air, among others. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-Formation The 1970's, 1980's and 1990's were marked by an almost unrivalled growth in air travel, both during and after what is now known as the Golden Age of Aviation. De-regulation of the industry had led to thousands of new airlines being created. For the most part, this has been good on the airline industry today, however, often led to p...

F-15 vs F-22: The USAF’s Most Advanced Fighter?

31Oct

By Salomón MarcoNo Comments

Aircraft Compare

F-15 vs F-22: The USAF’s Most Advanced Fighter?

For almost fifty years, the F-15 has served as the USAF's primary fighter jet, alongside the F-16. Recently, the USAF has introduced the F-22 and F-35 to take that place, prompting many people to wonder which is better: the F-15 or F-22? Both the F-15 and F-22 were designed in completely different eras, with completely different philosophies backing their design. However, they serve alongside one another quite often and never in direct combat, so which is truly superior? (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); F-15 vs F-22: What is a Fighter? In recent years, aviation movies like Top Gun have began the cult of the fighter jet. Whilst not inherently wrong, the modern day roles of fighter jets have been misinterpreted by the general public as a whole. ...

28Oct

By Alexander PaskNo Comments

Aircraft Digest

Boeing 747SP: The Shortest 747 Variant

For the most part, nobody ever talks about the Boeing 747SP, the shortest variant of the famous Boeing 747. The aircraft only sold 45 copies, making it the rarest 747 ever built, but was it a failure? The introduction of the 747SP was inspired by Douglas' (and later McDonnel Douglas') DC-10 and MD-11, and later Lockheed's famed commercial failure, the Lockheed L-1011 TriStar. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-747SP Boeing had released their 747-100 aircraft in January 1970. At the time, the aircraft was the largest airliner ever built, and drew crowds no matter what the route, and netted the airlines profits like they'd never seen before! Within a couple of years, Boeing had delivered over 200 copies of the aircraft. In the hopes of making ...

Learjet 45: Learjet’s Most Famous Private Jet Yet

24Oct

By Gareth SeagullNo Comments

Executive

Learjet 45: Learjet’s Most Famous Private Jet Yet

When it was introduced, the Learjet 45 was among the most successful private jets of its time. To this day, the Learjet 45 is Learjet's second best selling private jet, behind the Learjet 35. Although the aircraft is over 20 years old (which is quite old for a business jet) there are still well over 500 Learjet 45s in service all around the world. In total, there have been 642 Model 45s sold. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Development Prior to the Learjet 45, Learjet had been in the business jet industry since the beginning, having produced the first business jet (in the form of the Learjet 23, in 1964). All of Learjet's previous aircraft had been derived from the Learjet 23. Usually these aircraft were a lengthened/shortened variant of it w...

Burt Rutan: Aviation’s Most Diverse Designer

21Oct

By Alexander PaskNo Comments

History

Burt Rutan: Aviation’s Most Diverse Designer

At almost 80 years old, Burt Rutan has shown that you really can have it all. In his career spanning 55 years, Burt Rutan has designed hundreds of aircraft for differing purposes, and has even designed spaceships! Originally designing aircraft kits, he soon moved on to designing some of the strangest aircraft that have ever flown! Part way through this, Rutan also designed and built several privately-funded spaceships... all through his own companies. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Early Life Elbert Leander Rutan, more commonly known as Burt Rutan, was born on June 17 1943 in Estacada, Oregon. He was the youngest of three children, with is older brother Dick going to become a famous aviator in his own right. He was born to George and I...

Aloha Airlines: Hawaii’s First Profitable Airline

17Oct

By Alya KulikovaNo Comments

Airlines

Aloha Airlines: Hawaii’s First Profitable Airline

Prior to Aloha Airlines' bankruptcy, it was one of only two airlines based in Hawaii. Of these two airlines, Aloha was the first to become profitable, having done so in 1952. Throughout its 62 year long history, it was among the most beloved airlines in the world, which reflected the airline's original slogan of "The people's airline". (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-Aloha Airlines Hawaii, as with many places in the world, had very strict segregation laws. Blacks and whites, as well as Chinese and Japanese-Americans were all segregated in all aspects of life, including air travel. For most airlines at the time, the concept of allowing a non-white, even a house servant, to fly with them was absolutely absurd! Even wealthy Black, Chinese ...

Hurricane vs Spitfire: Britain’s Best WWII Fighter?

14Oct

By Gareth SeagullNo Comments

Aircraft Compare

Hurricane vs Spitfire: Britain’s Best WWII Fighter?

Both the Supermarine Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane served with the RAF prior, during and after WWII. During this time, both aircraft served alongside one another in combat, with people often wondering which was better. We recently compared the P-51 Mustang and Spitfire, where we were inundated with requests for a Hurricane-Spitfire comparison. Today, most people view both the Hurricane and Spitfire as some of the best WWII-era fighter aircraft ever made. This is alongside the Japanese Zero, Soviet Yak-3, North American P-51, German Bf.109 and the French Caudron C.714. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Hurricane vs Spitfire: What is a Fighter? The role of WWII fighter aircraft differ greatly from modern fighter aircraft. On top of this, mod...

Boeing C-40 Clipper: The Best Military Skytrain?

10Oct

By Alya KulikovaNo Comments

Aircraft Digest

Boeing C-40 Clipper: The Best Military Skytrain?

Throughout the years, Boeing has made some of the best military transport aircraft in history. Among them is the Boeing C-40 Clipper, currently used by the USAF, USN and even the USMC! To date, 28 Boeing C-40s have been built (with only the US Navy C-40s being referred to as "Clippers") and all have been used for over a year by their respective militaries. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-Boeing C-40 Throughout the Cold War, Boeing and McDonnell Douglas had consistently made "flying offices" for the US military. This was usually done through a militarized variant of one of their civilian airliners. For the US Navy, McDonnell Douglas had used their DC-9 short-haul airliner. This aircraft was designated as the McDonnel Douglas C-9 Skytrain ...

Learjet 35: Learjet’s Most Successful Jet Yet

7Oct

By Christopher HarrowNo Comments

Executive

Learjet 35: Learjet’s Most Successful Jet Yet

In the 1970's, Gates Learjet was known for making some of the best aircraft of its time. In 1973, they released their most popular aircraft, the Learjet 35. Even today, no Learjet aircraft has sold as much as the Gates Learjet 35. Despite being almost 50 years old, there are still well over 500 Learjet 35s in service around the world. The vast majority of these are corporate/private jets, however, a few are also in military use too. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Development In 1967, the newly merged Gates Learjet had just released the Learjet 25, itself a lengthened variant of the Learjet 24 (itself a variant of the Learjet 23, the first private jet in history). Up until this point, the Learjet 24 had been the most successful Learjet aircr...

What is a Warbird? A Brief History of Warbirds

3Oct

By Alexander PaskNo Comments

History

What is a Warbird? A Brief History of Warbirds

Warbirds are some of the most favored airshow acts. Their ability to combine the aircraft of the past and the technology of the present attracts thousands of spectators from all around the world! Aircraft such as the Hawker Hurricane, Supermarine Spitfire, Grumman F8F Bearcat, North American P-51 Mustang and Yakovlev Yak-3 are also considered to be warbirds. But what exactly makes a warbird so special? And why are they so prized (and expensive)? (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); What Are Warbirds? Warbirds are any type of former military aircraft that are now in the hands of private individuals. They are commonly used as airshow display as well as airworthy museum displays. The term originates in the 1950's when WWII-era aircraft had be...