Telstar Logistics

Say Hello to the New Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental

Yesterday Boeing rolled out the first completed airframe of the 747-8 Intercontinental, a stretched and updated variant of the original jumbo jet.

AviationWeek reports:

With a “vibrant and dynamic” orange-red livery that customers in its all-important Asian markets associate with prosperity and success, Boeing rolled out the 747-8 Intercontinental passenger jet Sunday in a celebration attended by 10,000 employees and guests.

“This is a new airplane and we wanted a new livery,” Boeing Vice President and airplane production chief Pat Shanahan said as a curtain dropped revealing the 467-passenger jet. “We wanted to be seen as vibrant and dynamic.”

Although it is the third generation of what is probably the world’s most recognized jet, the 747-8 is the first time the four-engine aircraft has been stretched. It is now 250 ft. 2-in. long, – 18 ft. more than the 747 “classics” or 747-400, and carries 51 more passengers in a nominal three-class seating. Flight testing is expected to start in late March with FAA certification and first delivery in the fourth quarter.

For more than a decade, Boeing promoted various upgrades to the hugely successful 747-400 but made little headway with the business case until it could offer them with the 67,000 lb. thrust General Electric GEnx-2B67 engines, derived from engines developed for the 787. They are hung from a new 224-ft. 7 in. super-critical wing that includes new flaps, and fly-by-wire spoilers and ailerons. The aircraft also incorporates a larger empennage, new avionics and a 787-inspired interior.

That combination forms the backbone for Boeing’s claim that when it enters service early next year with Lufthansa German Airlines, the 747-8 will offer 16% better fuel economy than the -400 and a 12% advantage of seat-mile costs.

Photos: Top, Via Boeing. All other, AirlineReporter.com via Flickr.

 

Presidio Pet Cemetery: New Infrastructure Meets Eternal Rest

Doyle Drive is not a particularly famous street in San Francisco, but chances are that if you've ever been to the Golden Gate Bridge, you probably traveled on it -- Doyle Drive the multilane elevated freeway that rises above the former Presidio Army Base to shuttle motorists from the streets of the city to the foot of the bridge.

Built in the 1930s, at the same time as the Golden Gate Bridge, Doyle Drive is now a seismic hazard, so it is being completely rebuilt. But the new construction intersects with the pet cemetery used by U.S. personnel in the days when the Presidio was still a functioning military installation. To preserve the site, the cemetery has been fenced off and left scrupulously undisturbed while a whole world of construction chaos takes place all around it. Quite a spectacle.

Photos by Telstar Logistics

Video of Fabulous Model Airport Looks Just Like Video of Real Airport Designed to Look Like a Model

Let's be clear about this: The video above is NOT a work of tilt-shift gimmickry. Rather, it's a fully functioning model of a real airport, complete with aircraft, ground-service vehicles, and the ability to have airplanes taxi, take-off, and land from the model's pretend runway.

The model Flughafen is at a place called Miniatur Wunderland in Germany, and according to the video caption (translated via the Google and edited by Telstar Logistics):

Miniatur Wunderland has been tinkering for several years on a major new project.A 150m² section of the airport will expand the model. The test operation is currently in full swing. Not everything works as it should, but here you see the first pictures that have emerged in recent weeks.

Here's another video (with English subcaptions) that offers a peek at the backstage magic that makes it all work:

 

If NASA Decided to Create a Super Bowl Ad...

... the space agency could do much worse than using this one created by YouTube user damewse.

(Tip of the space visor to @bcantrill)

The SS United States is Saved from the Scrapyard (Hopefully)

The SS United States was a luxury ocean liner built during the heyday of the ocean liners, in the years just before air travel destroyed the transoceanic passenger transport industry forever. Celebrated as a modern technological marvel when it snagged the title as the world's fastest ocean liner during her maiden voyage in 1952, the United States claimed the speed record by sailing from New York to England in 3 days, 10 hours, 40 minutes at an average speed of 35.59 knots (40.96 mph).

Yet by 1969 the SS United States was unemployed, and since 1996 the ship has lay derelict in the Port of Philadelpha, facing an uncertain fate. 

Now our maritime mates at gCaptain bring the glad news that a conservancy organization has taken ownership of the United States:

In a long-anticipated milestone in the effort to save and redevelop the legendary ocean liner SS United States, the SS United States Conservancy has announced that the national nonprofit organization has aquired title to the nation’s historic “ship of state.”

“We are one big step closer to ensuring that this great symbol of American innovation is permanently preserved,” said Susan Gibbs, the Conservancy’s board president, whose grandfather, William Francis Gibbs, designed the legendary liner.  “Now that we have secured title, we will accelerate our efforts to redevelop the nation’s flagship as a multi-purpose waterfront destination with dynamic hotel, retail, educational and museum offerings.  To succeed, we will tap into the same “can-do” spirit and ingenuity that the ship has embodied since her first splash in 1952.”

In July 2010, the Conservancy announced a pledge of $5.8 million by Philadelphia philanthropist H. F. “Gerry” Lenfest to purchase and maintain the vessel for 20 months.  Owners Norwegian Cruise Line/Genting Hong Kong entered an exclusive purchase option with the Conservancy last year, graciously declining a bid twice as high from a vessel scrapper, in order to support the Conservancy’s efforts.  The Conservancy is deeply grateful to both Gerry Lenfest and Norwegian/Genting for their support.

Lenfest underscored the importance of the ship by stating, “She is worth keeping.  This ship is an iconic part of American maritime history and if there’s any chance at all that she can be saved, we should take that chance.”  Lenfest is a retired Navy Reserve captain and major maritime enthusiast whose father, a naval architect, designed components of the SS United States.  He has been a visionary in his support for the ship.

“This is the first time in the history of the SS United States that a group concerned primarily with the vessel’s historical significance and preservation has owned her,” said Dan McSweeney, the Conservancy’s executive director.  “We can’t truly say she’s saved yet – that will happen when we establish a successful partnership to redevelop the ship – but we can say that we’re generating the right momentum to be able to achieve that goal.

PHOTOS: From top, Aaron Bovier, camera obscura [busy], and historic photo of SS United States in 1956.

 

Still More Haunting Photos of USAir Flight 1549

Just when we thought there were no more amazing photos of USAir Flight 1549 - "The Miracle on the Hudson" - left to be found, we were today directed toward a collection of still more amazing photos that we were glad to find.

Photographer Stephen Mallon followed the hulk of Flight 1549 as the plane was recovered from the water and moved to New Jersey for the subsequent accident investigation, and the photos he captured are haunting and beautiful. View the whole gallery.

Photos: Stephen Mallon 

Hat tip: Fred Sharples

An Accelerated Cockpit View of a Beautiful Twilight Landing at LAX

Give a commercial pilot a videocamera, a clear night in Los Angeles, and a copy of iMovie, and what happens? You get a video like the one above, which attempts to capture "what it would look like if you you were riding on the back of a cruise missile." 

The pilot writes:

Thanks for all the positive comments. It was an amazing night and the combination of the Sadde Six approach, the sunset, the visibility, and ATC allowing us to drop down to 2,000 feet all worked together. I'll probably never get that chance again.

The video is sped up to somewhere between Mach 1 and Mach 2 (depending on actual airspeed about 8X). The original idea was to a) compress a 30 minute approach into three minutes; and b) to see what it would look like if you you were riding on the back of a cruise missile. There will also some minor timing issues to get it to "fit" with the song.

The camera was a Canon S95 which is a great pocket low light camera. This video simply wouldn't have been possible with any other pocket camera. If you want a great travel camera, be sure to check it out. $369 on Amazon.

The video was shot in 720p at 24 FPS. I'm not sure why YouTube dumbed it down but I'll see if I can correct that. It's stunning in HD (see latest updates at top of notes).

The camera was mounted via a small tripod with velcro out of our way and line of site. Ultrapod I think it's called. Nothing fancy.

I realize a lot of you think the song sucks and that I'm a douche bag but I'm not posting the video in real time with the ATC track. Not gonna happen. That's not fair to the other pilots and controllers on the frequency.

To keep the video from being totally dull I added a music soundtrack. Again, I realize it's not for everyone but that's just the way it is.

That said, there's so much interest from the flight simulator crowd I might republish the approach in real time and no sound. Check back later.

Again, my main purpose for making this video was for the benefit of my airline friends who have kids. They have an attention span of three minutes and want to see exactly what it is Daddy or Mommy does. It's just meant to be fun and somewhat educational.

Plus I thought it looked kind of cool.

Mission accomplished!

via Metafilter via Ted Weinstein

Meet the M-ATV, The Pentagon's New Mine-Resistant Offroad Truck

Humvees are vulnerable to attack. MRAPs work well in Iraq, but they're so top-heavy that they tip over easily in Afghanistan, where the hills are steep and roads are often primitive. What's the solution? Check out the new M-ATV, the US military's new go-to vehicle for mounted patrols, reconnaissance, security, convoy protection, communications, command and control and combat service support. It'll do much of the same work as the Humvee, but as you can see, it's a very different vehicle:

From Defense Industry Daily:

Oshkosh Defense’s M-ATV candidate secured a long-denied MRAP win, and the firm continues to remain ahead of production targets. The initial plan expected to spend up to $3.3 billion to order 5,244 M-ATVs for the US Army (2,598), Marine Corps (1,565), Special Operations Command (643), US Air Force (280) and the Navy (65), plus 93 test vehicles. FY 2010 budgets and purchases have pushed this total even higher, and orders now stand at over 8,000.

Watch it in action: