Overnight Open Thread - 12/05/2024
[Roger Ball]

Greetings HORDUS MAXIMUS! I know, I know. Where the hell is WeirdDave?
He’ll return in due time. Until then, buckle up!

The picture is of the Airbus A350 instrument panel. I know some A350 pilots and they say it is a great airplane to operate. (Note, I did not say “fly”. That’s a subject for another thread.). Airbus has done an amazing job of producing their jets since the A320 launched in 1984 and completed its first flight in 1987.

In the summer of 1977, a new European program called "JET" (Joint European Transport) was set up, including British Aerospace, Aerospatiale, Dornier, and Fokker. Based at a former Vickers Aircraft site in Surrey, England, the plane makers began designing what would later become the Airbus A320. Powered by two CFM56 engines, that plane would be faster than the Boeing 737.

Prior to the A320, Airbus had produced the A300 and the A310 which were fair attempts but still not innovative or industry leading. They were competing against the Boeing juggernaut which had just produce the first “third generation” jet airliners, B757 and B767. (1st gen: B707, DC-8 etc. 2nd gen: Widebody, B747, DC-10, L-1011, A300, A310). Now, Airbus leads the pack, and Boeing has some work to do to catch up. Maybe there’s hope.

Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg grounded much of the company's fleet of private jets and is now directing executives to fly economy on scheduled commercial flights, Bloomberg reported.

Well, it’s a start anyway. That doesn’t help the troops cut metal or buck rivets, though.

A big fan of “the old Boeing”, Juan Tripp was one of the pioneers who forged our air transport system out of almost nothing. The airplanes and engines were shaky and there was no infrastructure. It was a bit risky and extremely expensive. They used to call them “airfields” because even the big airports were literally just big open fields. If they were nice airfields, they would have a concrete or asphalt parking apron, so you at least didn’t have to trapse through the mud getting to and from the airplane.

Pan Am lives on through one of the great Pan Am museums. The following podcast was produced by the museum in Garden City, New York and recounts the first trans-Atlantic flight of a Boeing Clipper in June 1939. It’s a little dry but you can skim through it. The coolest thing is hearing the actual radio broadcast from the airplane as it flew across the Atlantic. You could compare it to us watching the Christmas broadcast of Apollo 8, just 39 years later.
Episode 51: Crossing the Atlantic in 1939 and Making History Once More

On March 29, 1939, the Yankee Clipper made history and took off from Baltimore to Europe under the command of Captain Harold Gray. On this inspection flight, the clipper traveled to the Azores, Lisbon, Marseilles, Southampton, and Foynes and back.

On June 17, 1939, Pan American arranged for a special flight for 16 members of the press departing from Port Washington on the Atlantic Clipper; a brilliant marketing and public relations strategy for the airline. This press flight is historically and culturally significant because the radio reporters on board reported live at an altitude of 10,000 feet over the Atlantic Ocean to listeners all over the country tuned into their radio sets with great interest.

The cost for a one-way ticket to Europe was $375 (that’s about $8,500 in 2024 money adjusted for inflation) or $675 roundtrip (which is over $15,000 today).

What did you get for your hard earned $15000 dollars? Only the finest, of course! Can you imagine an airliner cabin looking like this?

Oh…well…I guess there are exceptions these days.

That’s a Singapore A380 “First/Suite” and it will only set you back $11,000 or so! What a deal!

Lest we forget…well, I did forget, yesterday the Commemorative Air Base Georgia posted this:

In 2022, our Corsair starred in the movie DEVOTION about Jesse Brown and Thomas Hudner and the incredible and tragic events surrounding Brown's crash and subsequent death in Korea. December 4, 1950, was the day those events played out in real life. At 22, Jesse Leroy Brown became the first African American to complete U.S. Navy flight training. At 24, he was already a section leader flying the F4U-4 Corsair with VF-32 aboard USS Leyte (CV-32) during the Korean War. On December 4, 1950, Brown crash-landed near the Chosin Reservoir after reporting oil pressure loss. Trapped in the wreckage, he was found by his wingman, Lt. (j.g.) Thomas Hudner, who crash-landed nearby to try to free him. Despite his best efforts, Brown succumbed to his injuries, asking Hudner to tell his wife he loved her. Brown received the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, and Purple Heart posthumously. Hudner was awarded the Medal of Honor for his attempted rescue. Both men were later honored with U.S. Navy ships bearing their names, ensuring their legacy endures.

The movie was fair, mostly accurate and one heck of a story.

There's a Hall of Honor display for these intrepid aviators at the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola.

This has nothing to do with aviation, but it caught me by surprise, as did the all the battle ground states. Not only did the Amish turn out to vote for Trump, but they also can belt out some Blue Grass! Who knew?

You know the Brandenberger family has to be a thing if they have their own YouTube channel, eh? And, as Buck would note, they have a stand-up bass.

Details about the flattop, which currently has various commercial-style rather than military markings and is unlike any other established Chinese Navy vessel class, are still scant. There remains a possibility that this could be a first-of-its-kind ostensibly civilian research ship.

Here's a better post:The War Zone.

Jeez, where’s General Milley when you need him? I’m sure he could just call his good buddy, General Li Zuocheng of the PLA, and get the straight scoop, yea? I hope we find out what the mission before “stuff “ starts coming over the horizon.

Go to sea, they said. It will be fun, they said.

A true small boy sailor commented-

@rpshipley
As a Retired US Navy Sailor, who has served on Frigates, Destroyers and Cruisers, I can say that was a calm day for the Small Boys. Best sleep I got at sea was when we were pitching and rolling like that. And watching this video, I have to admit, I miss it.

Good on ya, shipmate. Me…not so much. I’ll take the big boat.

Hey, are any of the HORDE suddenly getting all these wacky camping shorts? I don’t really feel like camping now that it’s 20 freekin’ degrees, but I might make an exception for her.

Come back, WeirdDave, come back!

Keep the blue side up!
Roger, out.

posted by Open Blogger at 10:00 PM

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