As much of the aviation industry fights to survive the coronavirus pandemic, some economists and engineers see the crisis as an opportunity to use stimulus funds to propel air travel to a carbon-neutral future.
Photo illustration: George Downs
Category Archives: Aviation
Podcast: Howard Hughes & Early Aviation History
Howard Hughes was a lot of things: one of America’s first billionaires, a film producer and an entrepreneur in industries from media to oil to property.
But Hughes was also a keen aviator and owner of the airline TWA, who broke round-the-world records and paved the way for competition in international air travel.
Aviation Video: Inside A $4 Million All-Electric Plane
Eviation’s Alice is the world’s first full-size, all-electric passenger plane. The nine-seater plane can fly regional routes emissions free.
Aviation Industry: ‘How Boeing Suppliers Plan To Survive Crisis’ (WSJ Video)
Boeing’s production cuts have sent shockwaves through the aviation industry, forcing suppliers to lay off thousands of employees. Tool Gauge reconfigured its operations just after opening a new facility in Tacoma, Wash., designed to manufacture Boeing parts.
Photo: Joel Winter for The Wall Street Journal
Podcast Profiles: ‘Amelia Earhart’ (1897 – 1937)
In this new series we profile some of the fearless record-breaking aviators who flew to dizzying heights and were pioneers in their field. We begin with the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic, Amelia Earhart, who paved the way for women in aviation.
Travel Economics: “How Airlines Can Survive The Pandemic” (WSJ Video)
After an unprecedented drop in air travel due to the coronavirus, passenger airlines are being forced to make long-term, make-or-break decisions at a time of great uncertainty and minimal cash flow. So how are they planning to survive? WSJ finds out.
Composite: George Downs/The Wall Street Journal
Air Travel History: Pan Am Celebrates 50 Years Since First 747 Flight (Jan 1970)
On January 15, 1970, First Lady of the United States Pat Nixon christened Pan Am’s first 747, at Dulles International Airport (later Washington Dulles International Airport) in the presence of Pan Am chairman Najeeb Halaby. Instead of champagne, red, white, and blue water was sprayed on the aircraft.
The 747 entered service on January 22, 1970, on Pan Am’s New York–London route; the flight had been planned for the evening of January 21, but engineoverheating made the original aircraft unusable. Finding a substitute delayed the flight by more than six hours to the following day when Clipper Victor was used.
From Wikipedia
1940’s History: “The Terrifying Physics Of WWII Dive Bombing” (Video)
The act of dive bombing during World War II was a death defying trial of skill and nerve. You aimed your plane down, four miles above the ocean, and plummeted at speeds of up to 275 miles per hour.
Boomers Daily 