This frustrated flyboy built a full-metal fleet of 1000 model airplanes – ABS

model airplanes date back to 200 BC, when a six-inch artifact with wings and what appears to be a fuselage was unearthed in Saqqara, an ancient burial ground in Egypt. Since then, models were built to fuel the imagination and build the impossible, their portable scale and detailed design serving a uniquely tangible perspective to aircraft engineers.

FILDAC member Ian Carl San Gabriel’s 1/400 model of PAL’s last B747- 400 to fly.

Today, they’re toys for collectors like Mark Lester Hao, who has been a hobbyist for more than 20 years. His quest: to recreate Philippine aviation history in miniature models. Hao has collected nearly 1,000 models, focusing on the country’s commercial airlines, with aircraft from Philippine Airlines (PAL) dominating his office shelves.

“I’ve always been nationalistic. I love the flag carrier and I see to it that I fly local over foreign carriers as much as possible,” he reveals. “And I’ve always admired our Filipino pilots—they perform the best landings.”

The tail fin number and markings match the full scale.

Hao has collected everyday stuff since he was a kid—coins, bottle caps, old batteries. He got into model planes when he turned 17, turning dashed hopes of becoming a pilot into what would turn out to be an enduring hobby.

 

More impressive collections:

 

Unable to pursue aviation because of safety concerns, Hao instead took

Article source: https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/spotlight/03/24/19/this-frustrated-flyboy-built-a-full-metal-fleet-of-1000-model-airplanes

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Airlines suspend use of Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes after Ethiopian air crash

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No Way To Die: During World War II, It Wasn’t Just the Enemy That Could Kill You

It was Christmas Day, 1944. A U.S. Navy C-47 Skytrain with five men aboard was en route from Naval Air Station, Olathe, Kansas, to Columbus, Ohio. It was a routine training flight. The pilot was beginning his landing approach into the Indianapolis municipal airport but a heavy fog shrouded the runway.

Realizing that he had overshot the runway, the pilot attempted to pull up but slammed into a tree. Everyone on board was killed.

A freak accident? Yes. A rare occurrence? No.

Tragically, there were far too many such accidents that took the lives of thousands of U.S. Army Air Forces, Navy, and Marine personnel during World War II. Their story, however, has gone largely unknown, their sacrifices unrecognized.

As everyone knows, flight involves risk. Heavier-than-air flying machines, operated by young, inexperienced pilots (and even seasoned veterans), are subject to mechanical failure, unfavorable weather conditions, and human error—even before they arrive in an overseas combat zone, where the dangers quickly multiply.

Planes (and gliders, too) have crashed ever since they were first invented. But with the tremendous buildup of aviation forces during the war—with rushed training and a punishing manufacturing schedule to churn out planes (the aircraft plant operated by Ford Motor Company at its huge Willow Run, Michigan, facility built a complete B-24 every hour; see WWII Quarterly, Spring 2017), things were bound to go wrong.

Accidents happened even before the start of the war. Boeing bet the company’s future on its design

Article source: https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/no-way-die-during-world-war-ii-it-wasnt-just-enemy-could-kill-you-48542

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Southwest Airlines Is Now Parking Boeing 737 MAX Aircraft In The Desert

Southwest Airlines is preparing for a long-term grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX. So much so, that the airline is beginning to send the aircraft to the Mojave Desert for storage. With the global grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft still in effect, a team from Southwest will be joining other US airlines in visiting the manufacturer soon to preview the aircraft updates.

Southwest sent a few of its Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft to the Mojave Desert for storage. Photo: Southwest.

737 MAX 8 fleet takes a trip to Victorville

On Saturday, Southwest Airlines began to migrate some Boeing 737 MAX 8 fleet to its long-term storage facility. Located at the Southern California Logistics Airport facility in Victorville, this is in the heart of the Mojave Desert. A total of six of the aircraft made the journey so far, which could be followed by others if the model continues to be banned.

Aircraft from around the US were ordered to be sent here by the airline. Two of the planes came from Nashville, and other individual aircraft came from St. Louis, Dallas-Love, Phoenix, and Indianapolis. The Southwest fleet includes a total of 34 Boeing 737 MAX 8. The remainder of the aircraft continue to be grounded in various locations around the US, awaiting further notice about the situation.

Mojave Desert is an airplane graveyard

Southwest frequently uses the desert to store planes being discontinued from its fleet. Most recently, it terminated the Boeing 737-300, all of which were sent to Victorville

Article source: https://simpleflying.com/southwest-airlines-is-now-parking-boeing-737-max-aircraft-in-the-desert/

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Boeing 737 Max crashes: everything you need to know

The crashes of Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 have rocked the aviation industry, sparked numerous investigations, and resulted in the grounding of hundreds of Boeing 737 Max jets worldwide.

As this important story continues to unfold, The Verge will update this page with all the latest news and analysis. Our hope is to answer all your questions about these tragic events, as well as provide a real-time feed of news about the ensuing investigations.

Table of contents:

What happened?

Lion Air Flight 610 took off from Jakarta, Indonesia on Monday, October 29th, 2018, at 6:20AM local time. Its destination was Pangkal Pinang, the largest city of Indonesia’s Bangka Belitung Islands. Twelve minutes after takeoff, the plane crashed into the Java Sea, killing all 189 passengers and crew.

Nearly five months later, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 took off from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Sunday, March 10th, 2019, at 8:38AM local time. Its destination was Nairobi, Kenya. Six minutes after takeoff, the plane crashed near the town of Bishoftu, Ethiopia, killing all 157 people aboard.

Both crashed jets were Boeing 737 Max 8s, a variant of the best-selling aircraft in history. When Airbus announced in 2010 it would make a new fuel-efficient and cost-effective plane, Boeing rushed to get out its own version. That version was the 737 Max airplanes. The Air Current has a great (if slightly insider-y) retelling of the Max jets’ origins.

Article source: https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/22/18275736/boeing-737-max-plane-crashes-grounded-problems-info-details-explained-reasons

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Stanley Durbin – Champaign/Urbana News

RANTOUL — Stanley R. Durbin, 78, of Rantoul passed away Friday (March 22, 2019) at Accolade Healthcare of Paxton.

A gathering of friends and family will be from 5 to 6 p.m. Monday, April 1, at Lux Memorial Chapel, 1551 E. Grove Ave., Rantoul.

He was born Aug. 4, 1940, in Bloomington, a son of Berniece Coone. He married Ruth Ann Plum in 1998 in Paxton. She survives.

He is also survived by several nieces and nephews.

Stanley worked as a maintenance man at the Rantoul JR Inn and dishwasher at both The Century and Billy G’s Restaurant in Rantoul. He enjoyed antique cars, model airplanes and music from the 1950s.

Memorials may be made to the family.

Article source: http://www.news-gazette.com/obituaries/2019-03-24/stanley-durbin.html

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Fascination with radio jets draws many at Florida Jets 2019

LAKELAND — “There are no amateurs here at all — none,” said Frank Tiano, developer and promoter of the Florida Jets annual “Jet Together” event held this week at Paradise RC Field at the Sun ‘n Fun campus in Lakeland.

The radio-control jet show drew thousands of spectators and featured a couple hundred jet entries, pilots and non-pilots, who came from all across the world for the event.

Truly, these are not simply “model airplanes.”

On Saturday, Tiano watched as another round of jets took off, flying a special pattern so as to avoid colliding with each other and respecting their neighbor’s air space. Everything is just like it would be with a full size jet, he said. “They are built exactly like jet airliners.” Twirling, diving, zooming in formation, some even hovering, a feat unusual to see.

“The questions most people ask are how high they go, how fast they go, and how expensive are they to fly,” said Tiano.

As for “how high,” there are regulations, he said. Although the jets can go quite high, they are restricted to flying below 1,000 feet and to speeds of 200 miles per hour or less, even if they are capable of more. Just like full size jets, they roar as they warm up, and both take off and land into the wind. They weigh anywhere from 20 pounds upward to 70 pounds.

The average cost of these jets, he said, can run from $12,000 to $25,000, “and up.”

Each jet requires four large electric

Article source: https://www.theledger.com/news/20190323/fascination-with-radio-jets-draws-many-at-florida-jets-2019

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