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Hooters Air: The Oddest Airline to Have Ever Existed

30Sep

By Salomón MarcoNo Comments

Airlines

Hooters Air: The Oddest Airline to Have Ever Existed

Hooters Air was by far one of the strangest airlines to have ever existed. The airline was well known for its strange business model and for its innuendo-filled slogans like "Fly a mile high with us!" Although it wasn't really a threat to most other airlines, whether legacy carriers or low cost carriers, it was fairly popular. At least for the first few years... (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-Formation Prior to the formation of Hooters Air, there was Hooters Inc. and Hooters of America. Originally, Hooters Inc was established as the main company behind the Hooters brand. However, in 1984, the Hooters founders sold the franchising rights to Robert Brooks and a group of Atlanta investors, forming Hooters of America. Hooters of Americ...

F-15 vs F-18: The Best McDonnell Douglas Fighter Jet?

26Sep

By Christopher HarrowNo Comments

Aircraft Compare

F-15 vs F-18: The Best McDonnell Douglas Fighter Jet?

McDonnell Douglas helped to develop both the F-15 and F/A-18. Since then, avgeeks, members of the public and generals alike have wondered which is better- the F-15 or the F-18? Although the F-15 and F/A-18 were designed in completely different eras for completely different roles, for completely different services, they often serve alongside one another in most conflicts. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); F-15 vs F-18: What is a Fighter Jet? Both the F-15 and F/A-18 are fighter jets. In recent years, the term "fighter jet" gets thrown around a lot. This is mostly due to famous aviation movies such as Top Gun having become pop culture icons. As such, the term "fighter jet" has lost much of its meaning. To many, any military aircraft that is smal...

Sukhoi Su-47 Berkut: The USSR’s Strangest Aircraft

23Sep

By Alya KulikovaNo Comments

Aircraft Digest

Sukhoi Su-47 Berkut: The USSR’s Strangest Aircraft

Throughout the Cold War, the concept of swept wings became widespread. However, nearing the end of the Cold War, the USSR developed the Sukhoi Su-47 Berkut to look at the potential of forward-swept wing designs. Sukhoi designed the Berkut to match the US's Grumman X-29 program. The design of both aircraft are eerily similar as well! However, just like the X-29, the Su-47 was a complete failure. But why was this? And what exactly did the USSR, and later the Russian Air Forces' get out of the Berkut program? (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-Berkut Prior to the X-29 and the Berkut, the concept of forward-swept wings was not a new one. Indeed, the earliest designs date back to the late 1800's and early 1900's, with early aviators trying to cr...

19Sep

By Gareth SeagullNo Comments

Executive

15 Smallest Private Jets in the World!

Since the first business jets, some manufacturers have tried to make the largest private jets, where others tried to make the smallest private jets. This got me thinking, which are the smallest? For the purposes of this article, I am only focusing on production private jets. These private jets are either currently in production, or have recently come out of production, with several on the secondary market. So these are the smallest private jets! (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 15. Learjet 45 The Learjet 45 is the "largest" small business jet. Despite this, when you compare the Learjet 45 to other business jets, it is still one of the smallest private jets on the market! In the early 1990's, the Learjet division of Bombardier was seeking ...

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...

Pacific Southwest Airlines: The World’s First Low Cost Airline

12Sep

By Christopher Harrow1 Comment

Airlines

Pacific Southwest Airlines: The World’s First Low Cost Airline

Pacific Southwest Airlines was the world's first low cost airline, paving the way for a new kind of air travel. Due to this, it was one of the most successful and largest airlines of its day. Eventually, PSA and the idea of low cost carriers grew so much that USAir, the precursor to US Airways, bought PSA. Subsequently, USAir tried to curtail PSA's powers by making it a regional airline. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-Formation Kenny Friedkin had been interested in aviation since he was eight years old, after going to an air show for the first time in 1923. As with many young boys of his era (and since 1903!), he wanted to be a pilot. At the age of 17, Friedkin financed his own pilot's lessons and gained his pilot's license a few wee...

9Sep

By Alexander PaskNo Comments

Aircraft Compare

F-14 vs F-18: The Best Navy Fighter?

The US Navy introduced the F-18 in 1983 to compliment and eventually replace the F-14. Since then, many avgeeks, members of the public and Navy higher ups have wondered which is better: F-14 or F-18? In 2006, the US Navy retired its iconic F-14 aircraft, with their remaining F-14 pilots retraining on the F-18. Many of the original F-18 variants have been retired by the US Navy, in favor of newer and more advanced F-18 variants. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); F-14 vs F-18: What is a Fighter Jet? Thanks to popular aviation movies like Top Gun, the term “fighter jet” has entered popular vernacular. With that, it’s true meaning has been mostly distorted, with many small military aircraft being dubbed “fighter jets” by both the media and the general...

Boeing X-32: The F-32 That Never Happened…

5Sep

By Alexander PaskNo Comments

Aircraft Digest

Boeing X-32: The F-32 That Never Happened…

The F-35 program has been mired in controversy since day one. However, few care to remember the Boeing X-32, the F-32 that never was. The X-32 was Boeing's answer to Lockheed Martin's X-35, now the F-35. Had the X-32 entered service, it would've entered service as the Boeing F-32. It would've also been the second Boeing aircraft to achieve STOVL (short takeoff and vertical landing), after the McDonnell Douglas-produced Harrier. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre X-32 Before the X-32, and by extension, the X-35 (now the F-35), the world was a less stealthy place. Fighter jets like the F-14, F-15, F-16, Harrier and F-18 were the most common US fighters. Despite these aircraft still being relatively new, there was no replacement for them. Th...

2Sep

By Salomón MarcoNo Comments

Executive

15 Cheapest Helicopters in the World

Helicopters are known for being a lot more expensive than private jets are. However, some helicopters are cheaper than others. So which are the cheapest helicopters on the market? I'm not here to say whether you should own your own helicopter, flight shaming will always be a thing. However, if you have the money, these are the helicopters you could buy! Recent years have seen the invention of kit helicopters, many of which cost less than $20,000. However, for the purposes of this article, I am only going to focus on production helicopters- ie. non-kit helicopters. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 15. Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil ($2.4 Million) The AS350, previously known as the H125, is the most "expensive" helicopter in this article. Despite th...

29Aug

By Christopher HarrowNo Comments

History

Ben Rich: The Father of Stealth

Ben Rich was one of the greatest aircraft designers of his generation. During the Cold War, he designed some of the world's greatest designers, succeeding the infamous Kelly Johnson as head of Lockheed's Skunk Works. Due to his contributions, mostly to stealth aircraft, he is commonly referred to as the "Father of Stealth". Without him, there would arguably be no F-117, SR-71 or even the F-22! He is arguably the most important aircraft designer that you've never heard of! (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Before Lockheed Benjamin Robert Rich was born in Manila, Philippines on June 18 1925. He was the eldest of five children born to British-born lumber mill superintendent Isidore Rich and his wife Annie. Isidore Rich had moved to Manila dur...