Job Security in Troubled Times
A lucrative choice
Source: https://www.fastaviationdata.com/drone-degrees-are-the-latest-learning-trend/
An increasing number of colleges in the United States are now offering programs for students who hope to study the futuristic military technology of drones. Career options are changing and the job landscape is also becoming more restricted in terms of the traditional jobs that are on offer. In this kind of a scenario, flying any unmanned aerial device has become a viable career option. This is especially true since the world of surveillance and related technology is growing by leaps and bounds. Job Security in Troubled TimesEmbry-Riddle Aeronautical University located in Daytona Beach, FL, became America’s 1st university to offer a post-graduation degree in drone warfare. It has opened a new program that promises enrolled students job security as soon as they graduate from the course. Drones are the latest hot topic when discussions of terrorism in Pakistan and Afghanistan come up. They have been used very successfully in eliminating suspected terrorists in different parts of Yemen. Of course controversies regarding drones being involved in accidental civilian deaths in these countries also surfaces in the same breath. But this latest technology has found use in other applications. Police are using it to patrol international borders, environmentalists are using them to study oceanic regions and hurricanes are being observed by meteorologists, with the use of drone technology. A lucrative choiceStudents who now complete the 6 month training program at the Embry-Riddle University will graduate very soon with a master’s degree & job prospects that offer a starting-salary of $150,000/ year. It seems that students are trying to go through this program as fast as possible to get out into the real world of drones. Many other schools also offer drone training classes though they do not have any master’s program yet. On an average a drone pilot can earn in the range of $50,000- $120,000 a year. And hardly anyone is a stranger to rising college loans and jobs like these might just be the best way out. Author: Fast Aviation Data
Source: https://www.fastaviationdata.com/drone-degrees-are-the-latest-learning-trend/
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What Does It Herald For Commercial Space Tourism?On October 31st 2014, everyone who could afford the $250,000 ticket to tour space and even those who could not afford it, waited with bated breath to see how SpaceShipTwo would perform on its test flight. If the flight was successful, it meant those who had the spare cash for the ticket would be one step closer to achieving their dream of touring space. Their ride would be aboard Richard Branson’s much publicized SpaceShipTwo. Test Flight at Mojave Dessert CaliforniaAt 10.30 am, the spacecraft took off from Mojave Desert in California and soared into the sky along with its mothership, WhiteKnightTwo. However, about 40 minutes later, immediately after they separated, three was a serious anomaly and SpaceShipTwo broke up at an altitude of 45,000 feet. Test pilot Siebold parachuted out and landed safely although he was seriously injured but Michael Tyner Alsbery, the second test pilot was not so lucky. Investigators are not sure yet whether he managed to eject the parachute but died on the way down or whether he did not manage to eject at all. Commercial Space Tourism on HoldThe crash was a huge set back to Richard Branson’s commercial tourism venture with a lot of discussions going back and forth about the implications of this disaster. Does this spell the end of commercial space tourism or would it continue? Is it worth endangering more lives? Should the project be abandoned as the mere whim of a rich entrepreneur or should it be seen as a commendable attempt to break the frontiers of space? According to Mr. Branson, he would absolutely like to continue with the space tourism project but only if engineers are able to first identify what went wrong and caused the fatal accident and secondly if they are able to find a proven way to overcome the main cause of the accident. Nobody is yet sure how much it would cost or how long it would take. It all depends on what the investigation turns up. SpaceShipTwo – Raw Footage of the 3rd Powered Flight 2014Author: Fast Aviation Data
Source: https://www.fastaviationdata.com/crash-of-spaceshiptwo/ Be Objective When Choosing Your Flying SchoolFor those who love flying, there’s nothing that can beat the thrill of soaring up in the skies and disappearing into the clouds. If you dream to become a commercial or private pilot, there are thousands of flight schools that you can enroll yourself into. But before you enroll yourself, remember that choosing the right flying school could determine your path in the aviation industry. So be objective when choosing your flying school. The First QuestionsBefore you even choose the flight school, you need to decide if you want to learn to fly as a hobby or if you want to turn your passion into a career. This is crucial because your decision will determine what kind of flight school you should be looking at. You will need to decide what kind of a curriculum you want – FAA Part 141 schools are more structured in their approach while FAA Part 61 schools are less so. Only after you have decided this can you go on to choosing the right flight school. Before you start you should also look at the eligibility criteria and medical requirements and make sure that you meet all requirements with regards to age, health and all other factors. You will also need to decide what licenses and ratings you want. If you want to become a professional pilot, you could opt for schools that offer accelerated programs and very often, the airlines that are affiliated with these schools will grant you an interview. You could get financial aid for these courses and you need to explore these options too. Only when you start to focus on what exactly you want from a flight school can you then go about choosing the right one. Factors To Look AtThere are a number of factors you need to look at while choosing your flight school. There are several schools across the country but each one will have its own special advantages. Before you pick a school, it is important that you take some time to think about your goals and what exactly you hope to achieve from your flying lessons. Once you are clear about your goals, it’s time to then go out and look for the flight school that meets that need. Take a look at the school’s record: Find out how long the school has been running and check out their reviews. You could contact past students so you get an idea of the advantages and disadvantages of each flight school. A school’s track record is very important to help you make the right choice. Check out the flying instructors: Instructors are a crucial part of your training so take your time and be thorough in your research. You definitely do not want to sign up with a flight school that has all young, inexperienced instructors. Give preference to schools that offer hand-on training: The number of aircraft the school has will determine how many hours you will be able to get hands-on training. If you are serious about learning to fly, you will need to clock quite a number of hours flying a plane and if the school offers very limited flying hours, it might not be the right school for you. Don’t compromise in your search for a flying school. The only way to make your flying dreams come true is by taking the time to look for the right flight school that offers you exactly what you are looking for. Learning to Fly — Why Learn to Fly? (Part 1 of 4)Author: Fast Aviation Data
Source: https://www.fastaviationdata.com/factors-to-consider-when-choosing-a-flight-school/ P-38 World War II American fighterThe Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft built by Lockheed. Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a single, central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament. P-38 introduced in 1939When first introduced in 1939, the Lightning was able to fly a steady course at 413 mph (665 km/h) making it the fastest production airplane in the world and it remained one of the fastest climbers’ right up to the end of the WW II. It wasn’t as fast as the Messerschmitt Me 209 which was able to attain a record 469 mph (755 km/h), but this record setting machine was built for the purposes of promoting the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and only four aircraft were built. Multipurpose AircraftP-38 was used in a number of roles, including dive bombing, level bombing, ground-attack, night fighting, photo reconnaissance missions, and extensively as a long-range escort fighter when equipped with drop tanks under its wings. The P-38 was unusually quiet for a fighter, the exhaust muffled by the turbo-superchargers. It was extremely forgiving, and could be mishandled in many ways, but the rate of roll in the early versions was too slow for it to excel as a dogfighter. The P-38 was the only American fighter aircraft in production throughout American involved in the war, from Pearl Harbor to Victory over Japan Day. What would become one of the best fighters’ in World War II was created more by happenstance than by design. The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was originally designed as a bomber-interceptor and was never intended to be a fighter. P-38 Most Successful Twin-Engine Fighter of World War II.The Weight was kept minimum and it was far more advanced and faster than its U.S. counterparts, the Bell P-39 Airacobra and Curtiss P-40 Warhawk. It caught the attention of the US Army Air Corps (USAAC) very quickly and it was in great demand. It became faster than the Zero-even on one engine. It also shot down more Japanese airplanes than any other fighter during World War II-seven of the top scoring USAAF aces in the Pacific flew the P-38. It was as versatile as the de Havilland Mosquito, but it was the only truly successful twin-engine fighter of World War II. P-38 Hand-built AirplaneIt was basically a hand-built airplane and was never meant to be mass produced. All skin sections were butt-joined using flush riveting, and all flight controls were metal covered. The total order was expected to be only fifty aircraft, so when orders started coming in by the hundreds, and Lockheed had to scramble to find room to increase production. In 1937, the USAAC sent out specification X-608 to the leading aircraft manufacturers’ for a new pursuit aircraft. Lockheed had previously completed in 1936, but lost against Bell’s XFM-1 Airacuda. Lockheed was new in the military aircraft market and by competing against Boeing and Douglas, many felt they it was overstepping its boundaries. However, this view wasn’t shared by Lockheed’s president Robert E. Gross and he gave the go ahead for his design team to proceed with a plan. Author: Fast Aviation Data
Source: https://www.fastaviationdata.com/lockheed-p-38-lightning/ Shortage of aerial fuel tankerDuring the Air War of Libya, one of the issues that were highlighted by the multi-state coalition was that the European partners lacked the number of aerial fuel tankers to support air offensive. The fact that aerial refueling has become an extremely important and an almost essential need during any military aerial campaign, a quick resolution was urgently needed to resolve this issue. First Aerial aircraft to refuel an allianceTake for example, in May 2011 the Boeing KC-767A, was the first aerial fuel tanker used to refuel an Italian aircraft in midair during the Coalition War with Libya. And thou the Boeing KC-767A had orders to refuel the Italian aircraft, there was a limitation, and they could only refuel the aircraft in midair using the central fuel hose because the pooling and sharing was still not certified at that time and moment. Italy initiated the aerial refueling certificationOne of the countries to take the first step to resolving the shortage of the European midair refueling tanker was Italy, who organized a “collective” aerial refueling certification activity. The aerial refueling certification which was initiated by Italy to collectively increases the operational capacity of aerial refueling. This project was achieved with the help of the European Defense Agency (EDA) and the Movement Co-ordination Centre Europe (MCCE) and classified as ‘pooling and sharing’. Building a collectively strong air defense systemSo why would so many countries pool in their resources collectively? It was a rather unusual alliance, especially considering that most countries are tightening their defense budgets. First of all, sharing of assets leads to optimization of resources, making it quicker to respond when an adverse situation arises. Secondly, pooling and sharing collective resources is an appropriate move for any countries shrinking their defense budget. Only by helping each other, out can these countries build a collectively strong air defense system. Mission accomplishedThanks to the initiative taken by Italy to introduce the Collective Aerial Refueling Certification, the Boeing KC-767A has now taken a larger role to refuel coalition aircraft in midair. Since then, more receivers have been certified and equipped with both the three hose and drogue stations and the sixth generation flying boom. Author: Fast Aviation Data
Source: https://www.fastaviationdata.com/collective-aerial-refueling-certification-by-italys-k767-tanker/ One very interesting aviation fad from the 1950s – 1960s were the “flying platform” & a related “flying jeep”. These were very small rotorcraft, largely based on special ducted props. These flying platforms carried one soldier and they also seemed ideal for scout missions. On the other hand, the much larger flying jeep seemed potentially useful for various applications.While these flying platforms & jeeps had some distinct advantages, they did not really catch on at all. Very recently, some work has been carried out on UAV’s and there have been some flying platform innovations that have come to the fore- mostly for recreational and civil use- but these too have proved to be duds. The Natural Course of EvolutionThe yesteryear flying platforms grew out of some research that was conducted by the United States- National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics or NACA, in the early 1950s. The idea was that these 1-man flying platforms will be used in combat. The tests that had been carried out then, involved pilots “flying” these tethered platforms, at 1st lifted by compressed air, & later by rotors. These platforms were steered by what was referred to as “kinesthetic control” and the pilot had to simply shift his/her weight to change direction. Hiller, de Lackner and Bensen were the 3 companies that released prototypes. Some accidents and safety concerns later, the idea of these Helivectors / Aerocycles were scrapped. Today, the one and only prototype of this fascinating experiment is ensconced in an aviation museum. But the concept was definitely a stepping stone for theaircraft technology that evolved. Author: Fast Aviation Data
Source: https://www.fastaviationdata.com/yesteryears-flying-platforms-and-jeeps/ Come 2015 and there might just be a massive boom in interest by various employers for fresh college grads who now have the knowledge of operating drones. Today, there is constant talk about the skill-gap in IT areas such as big data and cloud. Very soon, the work is going to be hounding professionals who have gained education and training in drone technology. One primary factor is the enormous growth of many new business opportunities for commercial uses of drones. Innumerable ApplicationsToday, the use of this technology and applications for drones is no doubt embroiled in legal battles and the FAA is also trying its best to work on regulations that will be relevant in the current scenario. But the future is bright and this technology will be extensively used in various fields. Today, apart from pizza delivery and Amazon products as well as aerial photography and filmmaking, drones are being used in farming, real-estate and in pipeline maintenance. What’s on the Horizon?But now meteorologists are interested in drones and so are journalists and so is the Pentagon. Hinging on approval from the FAA, within the next 3 years, 70,000 new jobs could be created in various fields that demand drone technology. Academic programs related to drones are now mushrooming in numerous educational institutions across the U.S. Some market watchers are also predicting that drone technology is positioned to turn into an $80B business opportunity by the year 2025. More power to the drones and to those who innovate and educate! Author: Fast Aviation Data
Source: https://www.fastaviationdata.com/droning-about-a-revolution/ KC-46 facing transformationThe Department of Defense (DOD) announced on the 24th of February 2011 that the winner of the C-X tanker competition to replace the KC-135 Stratotankers was the Boeing KC- 46. The KC-46 was given the name KC- 46 “Pegasus”. 179 new KC- 46 military aerial tankers will be built for the Air Force from the Boeing 767 jet airliner at an estimated cost of 35 to 51.7 Billion dollars. Multipurpose tanker KC-46 PegasusThe Updated KC-46 will be fitted with the latest Boeing 787 Dreamliner and other heavy service military transport aircraft technologies. Turning this tanker into a multipurpose aircraft capable of not only being a flight refuelling tanker, but will also be taking part in cargo transportation, troop evacuation and medevac flights. This magnificent monster should be completed between 2018 and 2020, ready to render its service to the United States Armed Forces, United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. Pegasus in Greek mythologyIn Greek mythology, Pegasus was a winged horse and good flyer. In aviation, Pegasus resembles the usual Boeing design which has its streamlined fuselage swept with wing surfaces. Wings are low-mounted onto the fuselage. KC-46 caters 15 operational personnel which includes the two pilots and the Aerial Refuelling Operator (ARO). There are two main landing gear legs for the undercarriage and these legs are found near the wing roots and under the cockpit where the nose landing gear is to be found. There are three rectangular access doors for both the passengers and crew along the fuselage sides. The Boeing KC-46 maximum takeoff weight is 416,000 lbs (188,240 kg) has a fuel capacity of 212,299 lb (96,297 kg) and a maximum transfer fuel load of 207,672 lb (94,198 kg). A Saviour lurks in the skiesWhat makes this aircraft viable is the internal design that can be reconstructed to include cargo space for up to 18 pallets and enough room to prepare medical space, to include beds and operation tables and seating for up to 58 personnel. I am sure it will one day be dearly loved by many of our troops who will maybe, make use of it, for good purposes. It is always great to know that there will always be a monster tanker called the KC-46 Pegasus. Watching over us ready to evacuate troops on the ground, refuel fighter jet and help the injured get back home safely. KC 46 Tanker and 767 programThough we may not see them all that often, unusual looking aircraft have been around for decades and even recently many strange-looking airliners have been spotted. On the 18th of February 2014, the world’s first fuel-saving Split Scimitar Winglets were fitted onto a United Airlines Boeing 737-800 commercial aircraft. It is pretty common these days to see commercial aircrafts fitted with regular blended winglets. They greatly improve the aerodynamics of the aircraft and resultantly the fuel consumption is also reduced. However, the latest Split Scimitar Winglets are a notch above these. Unlike the marginal reduction in fuel consumption, these winglets help in reducing the total fuel consumption by as much as 2%, which adds up to a significant amount. Now United Airline is planning on equipping all its 737, 757 & 767 aircraft with these new winglets. The projection is that the company will save over 65M gallons of fuel on an annual basis. This equals over 645,000 metric tons of CO2 & 200M / year just in jet fuel costs. Apart from United Airline, Southwest Airline has also announced that they have begun using the Split Scimitar Winglets on their 737-800’s. Southwestern Airline have completed fitting these incredible winglets on 52 existing planes and had previously installed them on 33 new airplanes. The Search ContinuesTo fit these winglets into the existing blended winglets, requires additional strengthening of spars, adding a huge ventral stake and aerodynamic “scimitar tips”. Now that they have proved to be so effective, many other airliners have placed orders for these winglets. So technological advancements will take place and aircrafts will fly faster and more fuel efficiently. But the search for more innovative fixtures will continue and aviation enthusiasts across the world can expect to be treated to more wondrous looking aircrafts in the near future. Author: Fast Aviation Data
Source: https://www.fastaviationdata.com/airlines-winging-on-split-scimitar-winglets/ Defeating Electronic TargetsAdvancement in warfare is growing at such a rapid rate that it is getting to be very difficult to keep up with. What is today classified as complete fiction can become a reality in the near future. And with the recent missile that was tested out by Boeing, technology could soon be at a stage where humans will not be required to take part in warfares. The missile, commonly known as CHAMP (Counter-electronics High-powered Advanced Missile Project) has been designed so that it specifically targets electronic gadget. Meaning that the missile will only aim to destroy a particular electronic gadget, without any collateral damage. This invention is a huge step towards saving hundreds of human lives during times of war. Testing of CHAMPThe Counter-electronics High-powered Advanced Missile Project was first tested by Boeing Phantom along with members of the AFRL. CHAMP targeted a row of personal computers that had been set-up and switched on for testing inside the second floor of a building. After approaching the building, CHAMP successfully managed to switch off all the electrical systems in that building. In fact, it was so accurate that even cameras that had been set up in the testing unit for recording the results had been turned off. On seeing the dark computer screens, the entire team of electronic engineers that were monitoring the experiment from a conference room erupted in cheers. How will this technology help?CHAMP will prove to be very useful for military personnel engaged in shutting down the enemy electronic system. Not only will it give the military a great advantage over the enemy, but by being able to shut down the electrical system of the aggressors in this world could be a little safer. And the sooner that this product is introduced into the market, the sooner this world will be able to engage in non-lethal warfare. Boeing Champ Missile DemoAuthor: Fast Aviation Data
Source: https://www.fastaviationdata.com/micro-missile-that-defeats-electronic-targets/ |
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