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Western Airlines: How California Ruled The Sky

22Jul

By Alya KulikovaNo Comments

Airlines

Western Airlines: How California Ruled The Sky

Before the rise of low-cost airlines, there were eight major airlines in the US, Western Airlines being one of them. At its height, Western regularly traded places for being the largest airline in the US. However, this did not last. Eventually, Western was bought out by Delta and became one of their many acquisitions. But what was Western Airlines like to fly on? How safe was Western to fly on? (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-Formation Following the Wright Brothers' first flight in 1903, and the beginning of the mass production of aircraft, saw the beginning of air mail airlines. Many of the oldest airlines in the world started out transporting mail from place to place. In 1925, the US Government and the United States Postal Service (USP...

Boeing 777 vs 787: The Future of Long Haul Travel?

18Jul

By Alya KulikovaNo Comments

Aircraft Compare

Boeing 777 vs 787: The Future of Long Haul Travel?

Both the 777 and 787 were designed to replace the ageing 747, 757 and 767s. For some routes, different airlines employ either the 777 or the 787, tearing the avgeek community apart. Since the 777's introduction, and later the 787's introduction, many in the aviation community have began to wonder, which is better- the 777 or the 787? (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Boeing 777 vs 787: The Basics Before we can compare the 777 and the 787, we first need to know some background for both the 777 and 787. 777 In the 1970's, the jet age was in full swing. The 1970's also saw the beginning of the widebody jet age. The 747 was introduced in 1969, followed by the DC-10 and L-1011 TriStar. Boeing wanted a widebody jet that could compete on the me...

15Jul

By Alexander PaskNo Comments

Aircraft Digest

15 Fastest Helicopters in the World

We recently covered the fastest aircraft, but there were no helicopters in that article. This got me thinking what are the fastest helicopters in the world? When people compare conventional airplanes and helicopters, they tend to mention speed. Whilst this is mostly due to engineering, it doesn't mean that there aren't fast helicopters! (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 15. Boeing AH-64 Apache The Apache is the slowest helicopter on this list, however, it is still one of the fastest helicopters in the world. The Apache became famous in Afghanistan- Taliban soldiers were more frightened of the Apache than a tank! Part of this was down to all of the technology on board the Apache. Part of it was also down to the speed of the Apache- no matter how...

11Jul

By Gareth SeagullNo Comments

Executive

15 Best Private Jets in The World!

Since the introduction of the first private jets, some have been better than others. This begs the question, which are the best private jets on the market today? There are two main ways we can measure how good these private jets are: the amount built or the amount of hours flown by air charter companies each year. Just because it's one, doesn't always mean it's the other... (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 15. Gulfstream G650 Following on from the popularity of the G600, Gulfstream introduced the lengthened G650. The G650 was meant to capitalize on the longer range and more luxurious market that the G600 didn't fully tap into. The G650 is a re-engineered and lengthened G600. The G650 has new engines which allows the G650 to travel both furthe...

Song Airlines: How Delta Tried to Beat Southwest… and Lost

8Jul

By Alya KulikovaNo Comments

Airlines

Song Airlines: How Delta Tried to Beat Southwest… and Lost

The rise of low-cost airlines has been devastating to legacy carriers like Delta. However, Delta tried to beat them at their own game, through Song Airlines. However, Song Airlines was a major flop, and after only a few years of operation, was forced to stop operating. But why did that happen? (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Before Southwest Before Southwest was founded, Delta was one of the most profitable airlines in the US, not to mention the world. Delta, as with most other airlines of the era, operated flights to be at the height of luxury all the time. Prior to WWII, Delta had operated mainly air mail flights, transporting mail to and from major cities along the East Coast before eventually moving in to transcontinental air mail. A...

4Jul

By Christopher HarrowNo Comments

History

What was the First Helicopter?

Many helicopter manufacturers claim to have built the first helicopter. Some have been for corporate use, similar to business jets, others have been for military use. But which has truly been the first? When it comes to aviation, many overlook the importance of helicopters. For some, helicopters have been around for a few decades, for others, helicopters have been around for centuries! (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Ancient Experimental Designs The idea of a flying machine has been around for centuries. The Wright Brothers were able to make the first flight in 1903, but a "flying machine" was far from built. Ancient China The first helicopter "designs" date back to 400 BC. These designs come from the book Baopuzi written by Chi...

1Jul

By Gareth SeagullNo Comments

Aircraft Compare

DC-10 vs MD-11: Father vs Son

The DC-10 was developed into the MD-11 by McDonnell Douglas (and later Boeing) as an alternative to the 747. Since then, many airlines have been torn between the DC-10 and MD-11, but which is truly the better aircraft? The DC-10 was the first challenger to the 747SP, much before the 747 was challenged by the 787 or A350 or the A380, or even L-1011! (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); DC-10 vs MD-11: The Basics Before we can decide which aircraft is better between the DC-10 and MD-11, we first need to know a little bit of background. DC-10 Just as with the 747, the DC-10 has its origins with the U.S. Air Force's CX-HLS (Heavy Logistics System). In 1965, Douglas Aircraft submitted their proposal to the USAF, however, Lockheed's CX-X (later C-5 ...

27Jun

By Alexander PaskNo Comments

Aircraft Digest

17 Fastest Aircraft in the World

Since the invention of the first airplane, engineers have tried to push the limits of speed. What were the fastest aircraft two decades ago, look like snails compared to the aircraft of today. But which are the fastest? When the jet engine was invented during WWII, fighter jets and later commercial airliners became far faster than they ever had been. As jet engine technology progressed, so did top speeds, up until today and beyond! (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 17. Concorde (Mach 2.04) The Concorde was one of the biggest achievements of the Cold War. In the West, the Concorde is known for being the fastest successful commercial aircraft to have ever flown. Both BAC and Aerospatiale marketed the Concorde base solely on its speed. You could ...

17 Most Expensive Private Jets in The World!

24Jun

By Christopher HarrowNo Comments

Executive

17 Most Expensive Private Jets in The World!

Since the beginning of business jets, some have been more expensive than others. But today we want to know which are the most expensive private jets that you can buy today! A while ago, we covered the cheapest business jets. This got me thinking, if I were a multibillionaire or a multibillion dollar corporation who wanted to impress people, which are the business jets that would do that? (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 17. Gulfstream G550 - $42.8 Million The Gulfstream G550 is the cheapest private jet on this list- not that $42.8 million isn't a lot, it's just less than the other jets in this article. However, that does not mean that the G550 is any less luxurious. The G550 is a lengthened version of the G500 and a shorter (and older) versio...

20Jun

By Salomón MarcoNo Comments

Airlines

15 Oldest Airlines in the World

With Delta recently celebrating it 95th birthday, this got me thinking, what are the oldest airlines in the world? Some of these airlines are quite shocking- you'd never have guessed that they're so old. Others are controversial- years of mergers, acquisitions, privatizations and deregulations have led to several "birth" dates. And others are just common knowledge! (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 15. LOT LOT is the flag carrier of Poland, it is one of the oldest airlines in the world, and the oldest in Poland. Legally, it is incorporated as Polskie Linie Lotnicze LOT, however, it is more commonly known as LOT. LOT was formed in December 1928 after the Polish government nationalized several pre-existing airlines in Poland. Their fir...