Photos from the Oshkosh Airventure

by Grant Martin on

Festivities from the 2011 Oshkosh AirVenture are just wrapping up as we type, and as our photos come back from the dark room we’re sending them straight out to print.

As far as air shows go, one can do no better than the Oshkosh AirVenture in Wisconsin. Your typical small town air show this is not. Sure, they’ve got the warbirds and the experimental planes and the helicopters and the commercial jets — in sheer volume of hardware here there is no doubt.

Oshkosh goes well beyond the lifeless shell of steel and rivets though — this show is more about community than anything else. It’s immediately apparent as you walk down the runway where the primary show takes place. On the left side you’ll see cycles of aircraft flying in formation, in loops, around in spirals and performing for the audience.

And on the right? Legions of personal aircraft surrounded by campsites. Thousands of them. Some visitors sleep in their aircraft, others right under the wings. Scores of people make the trip up to Oskhosh each year to nestle back into the community, talk shop and catch up with old friends. It’s the annual reunion of airplane nerds.

Add to that mix a strong commercial component of airframe, technology and culture displays and you’ve got the biggest aircraft event in North America, a virtual playground for any aviation enthusiast. Take a look at the pictures from Gadling labs courtesy Erin Drewitz below.

%Gallery-129652%

easyJet plans routes from London Southend Airport

by Sean McLachlan on


London Southend Airport doesn’t look like much. Compared to major London airports such as Heathrow and Gatwick and Stansted, it isn’t much, yet starting next spring this little airport will be a new easyJet destination. EasyJet will be running 70 flights a week from there to Alicante, Barcelona, Ibiza, Malaga and Majorca, Belfast, Amsterdam, and Faro.

It’s a 50-minute train ride to Liverpool Street station, which makes it just as convenient as the Big Three airports and more convenient than Luton. City Airport also serves London but is mostly for business travelers rather than holidaymakers.

A new train station and control tower have recently been completed and Southend’s runway will be lengthened by 300 meters to accommodate bigger planes.

Being one of the smallest airports in the UK is an advantage, Southend’s managers say. They claim that check-in and security run much faster than the crowded major airports.

Have you used Southend airport? Tell us how it compares to London’s other airports in the comments section!

[Photo courtesy Terry Joyce]

Alaska volcano has airlines preparing for travel chaos

by Chris Owen on

Using satellite imagery, scientists at the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) have determined that Alaska’s Cleveland volcano may be ready to erupt and have issued a code yellow eruption advisory. Airlines that operate in the area are paying close attention because the Cleveland Volcano is located directly below the commercial airline flight path between Asia and North America.

The significant problem here is that, due to the remoteness of the Cleveland Volcano, there is no on-the-ground ongoing monitoring of activity. The volcano could erupt without warning and satellite imagery might not detect the blast immediately creating a serious potential problem for aircraft flying over the area.

“Short-lived explosions with ash clouds that could exceed 20,000 ft above sea level can occur without warning and may go undetected on satellite imagery for hours” the AVO said in a statement.

That leaves experts preparing for the volcano’s first big eruption in 10 years. A 2001 eruption brought lava flow including a hot avalanche that reached the sea and blasted volcanic ash more than five miles into the sky. Since then a series of minor eruptions have occurred with the most recent minor ash emission in September 2010.

“Airlines operating through the region are aware that an eruption could happen suddenly and without further warning, and are preparing for potential travel chaos” reports christianpost.com.
The 5,676 foot Cleveland Volcano, one of more than 90 in Alaska, is situated on the uninhabited island of Chuginadak in the Aleutian chain, 939 miles southwest of Anchorage and is one among many that lie in the Aleutian island chain. Nikolski, the town nearest to the Cleveland Volcano, is 45 miles away.

Not up on the advisory scale for volcano’s? Here’s what it all means;

Normal– Volcano is in typical background, non-eruptive state or, after a change from a higher level, volcanic activity has ceased and volcano has returned to non-eruptive background state.

Advisory- (where the Cleveland Volcano is right now) Volcano is exhibiting signs of elevated unrest above known background level or, after a change from a higher level, volcanic activity has decreased significantly but continues to be closely monitored for possible renewed increase.

Watch– Volcano is exhibiting heightened or escalating unrest with increased potential of eruption, time-frame uncertain, OR eruption is underway but poses limited hazards.

Warning– Hazardous eruption is imminent, underway, or suspected.

Photo by Alaska Volcano Observatory

Related Stories


FAA stops collecting airfare taxes — and the airlines cash in

by Grant Martin on

Recent budget woes in the legislative branch of our US government have been creating a cascade of disruptions, and the most recent hiccup involves the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Without proper agreement on a fiscal plan moving forward, the government has been forced to shut down a portion of the agency, most notably the section that collects taxes on our domestic airplane tickets.

Those taxes account for a modest percentage of each flight, roughly between 5 and 10%, and when travelers caught wind that the taxes would be discounted, they saw the silver lining of the shutdown as being a temporary sale on domestic tickets.

As planned, the FAA shutdown took place at midnight this morning, but the savings have barely matured. What happened?

Turns out, some of the airlines also realized the gap in price difference and decided to make that up by increasing their fares. So rather than passing the tax savings along to customers, they’re greedily taking the margin for themselves.

Not all airlines have reached into our wallets, however, apparently Virgin America has not only refused to increase fares but they’ve turned the event into a bit of public promotion. Last night the airline had a countdown to tax-free bookings on their sites and as promised, the fares have stayed low. Similarly, United appears to be keeping its fares in place.

On the flip side of the coin? US Airways, American and JetBlue seem to be the leaders in ripping off their consumers. AP has a bit more info if you want to become even more disappointed.

[Flickr image via Fly for Fun]

American Airlines makes largest purchase in airline history

by Grant Martin on

There was deep speculation in the airline nerdery about whether American Airlines was going to be making a purchase at the Paris Air Show, and though the event came and went without a spark of activity, a palpable sense of excitement has been humming ever since. After all, with one of the oldest fleets on the planet, there was no doubt that American needs to freshen up — it was just a matter of when.

American Airlines broke that tension that week in a big way by announcing the order of a whopping 460 new medium and narrow body aircraft, the largest order in aviation history.

Perhaps more surprising was the way in which the order was split. For the first time, American begin flying equipment from European manufacturer Airbus, causing several in the community to question the “American” value of American Airlines. But the bottom line is the bottom line in this economy, and the official Flyertalk entity of @AmericanAir probably put it best:

“..as we are operating in a global economy, this investment makes the most sense for our airline and is in the best interest of our employees and customers. We are very proud of our heritage and home in the U.S.”

If you want to learn more you can check out the official release over at American’s news page. Otherwise, AP did a great job of wrapping up the events in the below video.