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How The Tupolev Tu-104 Became The Jet That Nearly Defeated The West

18Sep

By Salomón Marco1 Comment

Aircraft Digest

How The Tupolev Tu-104 Became The Jet That Nearly Defeated The West

Designed to bring the Soviet Union into the jet era, the story of the Tupolev Tu-104 is a story of what could've been. A story of how the Soviet Union could've proven the virtues of communism over capitalism, all whilst embarrassing the West on the international stage! Although it was the only operational jet airliner between 1956 and 1958, it was only the second jet airliner to enter service, after Britain's de Havilland Comet, which entered service in 1952 (and was later grounded between 1956 and 1958 due to structural defects). (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Background During WWII, the Soviet Union (as with every other major power in the war) had been trying to create a working jet engine, and with it, a working fighter jet. Though they...

An in-Depth History of Southwest Airlines

15Sep

By Salomón Marco7 Comments

Airlines

An in-Depth History of Southwest Airlines

Whilst it's by far the youngest of the "Big Four" US airlines, the history of Southwest Airlines is no less interesting than that of United, or Delta or American Airlines. At least to a certain extent, it's actually more intriguing! Now the largest low-cost carrier in the world, Southwest has had to fight for almost everything it has today - be it actually getting off the ground in the beginning, operating outside of Texas or internationally - often having to sacrifice other parts of their business to do this. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-Foundation The story of Southwest Airlines starts with two men: Herb Kelleher and Rollin King, who both had a dream to revolutionize air travel. Herb Kelleher Born into a poor, working-class ...

Gulfstream G150: Gulfstream’s Strangest Jet

11Sep

By Alya KulikovaNo Comments

Executive

Gulfstream G150: Gulfstream’s Strangest Jet

A descendant of IAI's famed Astra family of mid-sized private jets, the Gulfstream G150 was Gulfstream's first improvement on the Astra family that has since led to its more famous G200 and G280 jets, both of which have dwarfed the G150 in terms of sales! The single most successful variant of the Astra/G100/G150 family, the G150 sold 120 times. By comparison, the other four variants of the Astra/G100 family sold a combined 145 times - only 25 less than the G150... (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-Gulfstream G150 In the late 1950's, Oklahoma-based aircraft manufacturer Aero Commander developed the jet-powered Model 1121 Jet Commander from their incredibly successful prop-powered Aero Commander 500 series. First flown on January 27 1963, ...

8Sep

By Gareth SeagullNo Comments

Executive

Dassault Falcon 7X: A First of Firsts

Designed to rejuvenate Dassault's ageing fleet of private jets, the Dassault Falcon 7X was given all the latest toys, making it the first private jet to have several now-common features, including a digital flight control system (DFCS). The largest jet Dassault offered when it was unveiled to the world at the 2005 Paris Air Show, the Falcon 7X is currently the second-largest jet built by the company, only being smaller than the Falcon 8X which the company introduced in October 2016. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-Dassault Falcon 7X Ever since there have been aircraft used to transport people, there have been ultra-wealthy individuals looking to own an entire aircraft for themselves. One solely for their use. Happening mostly on a sma...

Remembering North American Aviation: An Aviation Pioneer… Until it Wasn’t…

4Sep

By Charles YongzhengNo Comments

History

Remembering North American Aviation: An Aviation Pioneer… Until it Wasn’t…

Famous for being the company behind the P-51 Mustang, North American Aviation was one of the largest and most respected aircraft manufacturers in the world at its height. Yet a minor blunder by one of its subsidiaries brought everything down. Aside from its famous aircraft - the P-51, F-86, X-15 - North American Aviation also designed the Saturn V rocket, the Space Shuttle orbiter and the command and service module (CSM) for the Apollo Project. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Background In 1916, Canadian-born university lecturer-turned-investment advisor, Clement Melville Keys, was asked by Glenn Curtiss (a friend of one of his former students) to help restructure his financially troubled company. Duly helping to restructure the Curtiss Ae...

Remembering McDonnell Douglas: The Last Great American Aerospace Giant

1Sep

By Charles YongzhengNo Comments

History

Remembering McDonnell Douglas: The Last Great American Aerospace Giant

Today, Boeing is an aviation giant with almost no competition. Yet before their 1997 merger, Boeing's main competitor was the famed McDonnell Douglas, with the two companies often embroiled in a game of cat and mouse to produce the best aircraft possible. Indeed, even after their merger, Boeing had so much respect for the aircraft their former rivals built, that many of the pre-merger aircraft - both civil and military alike - kept their McDonnel Douglas designations, only with newer variants holding Boeing ones. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-McDonnell Douglas: Douglas Aircraft Having been interested in aviation since he was a teenager, Don Douglas chose to pursue a career in aviation, eventually becoming the chief engineer at the Glenn ...

28Aug

By Salomón MarcoNo Comments

Aircraft Digest

How WWII Created The Bristol Britannia, A Truly British Airliner…

Known as the "Whispering Giant" due to its immense size and quiet exterior noise (for the time anyway), the Bristol Britannia should've become the most popular British aircraft of the postwar era. Yet, production delays and the introduction of jet airliners meant it was a huge failure and arguably began the tragic downward spiral of the British aircraft manufacturing industry... or at least contributed to it. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-Bristol Britannia The idea for the Bristol Britannia originated in 1942, when then-Prime Minister Winston Churchill flew to the USSR to attend the Moscow Conference between the leaders of the "Big Three" - Stalin, Churchill and FDR. Flying in an American-made Consolidated B-24 Liberator modified to a...

How The Gulfstream G550 Became The Most Popular Business Jet of the 21st Century!

25Aug

By Alya KulikovaNo Comments

Executive

How The Gulfstream G550 Became The Most Popular Business Jet of the 21st Century!

Over the last 60 years, Gulfstream have produced some rather popular aircraft. Their first aircraft of the 21st century, the Gulfstream G550 has proven not only the most popular Gulfstream jet of the new millennium, but the most popular business jet exclusively of the 21st Century! Produced continually between 2003 and 2021, Gulfstream have built well over 600 G550s. The only exclusively 21st century jet to come close is the Embraer Phenom 300 (built 2009 onwards) currently hovering at the 600 mark. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-Gulfstream G550 In 1966, the private jet division of Grumman Aerospace (later known as "Gulfstream") released the Grumman Gulfstream G-II, a jet-powered corporate transport designed to replace the company's agei...

How The Vickers Viscount Became The Most Popular Aircraft of Its Time

21Aug

By Salomón Marco4 Comments

Aircraft Digest

How The Vickers Viscount Became The Most Popular Aircraft of Its Time

Though many have since forgotten its name, the Vickers Viscount was the most popular British commercial airliner of the postwar era and the first turboprop airliner ever built. Produced between 1948 and 1963, Vickers built 445 Viscounts in total, which were used by airlines all over the world and became one of the first modern airliners to be used on all six inhabited continents! (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-Vickers Viscount When Britain entered WWII in September 1939, a decision was made to focus the country's entire aircraft industry on building military aircraft for the war effort. Much like Britain's male population, the country's airliners were conscripted into military service, often being converted into bombers. Three years lat...

18Aug

By Gareth Seagull1 Comment

Airlines

A Detailed History of United Airlines

Currently one of the largest airlines in the world and a member of the "Big Four" US airlines, the history of United Airlines is both long and interesting, with much of it playing a large role in how the airline operates today. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-Foundation In 1916, wealthy lumber industrialist William E. Boeing partnered with his close friend US Navy engineer Lt. George Conrad Westervelt, to build a seaplane that was better than anything then on the market. Known as the B&W Seaplane (and later, the Boeing Model 1), it proved better than most of its contemporaries. Seeing this, Boeing formally incorporated the Pacific Aero Products Co. before changing its name to the Boeing Airplane Company in 1917. Though only two...