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Kategorie: Aviation at large

Worlds busiest airports

Worlds busiest airports

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Within a little over a month I have been to the two busiest Airports (in passenger numbers) in the world:

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (KATL) had a total of 92,365,860 passengers traveling through its halls in 2011. Beijing Capital International Airport (ZBAA) had 77,403,668. Both are modern, vast and intimidating, but there are distinct differences.

PEK entered the top 30 list of the busiest airports of place 26 in the year 2002. 27,159,665 passengers walked its shiny floors that year.

Atlanta was the undisputed number 1 in all of these years and went from 76 million in 2002 to the afore mentioned 92 million in the same time it took Beijing to grow from 27 million to 77 million.

The difference in growth rate can be felt in the air of the airports. Atlanta has been hugh for 30 years. It was completely rebuilt in the 70s and designed for it’s current size.

The terminal with its individual annexes is located in the middle between two parallel runway sets. At the time, this design was groundbreaking. The ways in Atlanta are long but for the size of the complex, the traveling time within the airport is reasonable. The ways for the aircraft are efficient and it is easy for the passengers to navigate.

KATL is busy and at times crazy but it also feels like a well running machine. Nothing can bring it to a stop, everything has happened before, there is a routine in handling non routine situations, in handling large numbers of passengers and in dealing with the needs and whereabouts of travelers from all cultures and all time zones. It is one of the more cosmopolitan places in the United States.

Beijing is different. The predominant feeling is pace, development and growth. Everything is brand spanking new, almost not broken in yet.

The airport radiates national pride but there is also a clear need to demonstrate it. It is build to impress and it is a world of contrasts. Futuristic materials and sparkling surfaces that are being shined with bamboo brooms that have been used in China for a thousand years.

What would be confident routine in Atlanta is excited, almost playful pride in Beijing. Traveling through it is invigorating, a promise of am amazing future.

To be continued…

 

(originally posted on January 18, 2013 by tilbo at aloft.blog.com/worlds-busiest-airports/)

aloft

aloft

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“When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your Eyes Turned Skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.” (Leonardo da Vinci is rumored to have coined this phrase)

 

(originally posted on December 22, 2012 by tilbo at aloft.blog.com/aloft/)

Chinese Civil Aviation Museum

Chinese Civil Aviation Museum

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Visibility: almost unlimited
Temperature: 21°C
Wind: light autumn breeze
Location: The Chinese Civil Aviation Museum, Beijing, China

On a web search for chairman Mao’s aircraft (a Hawker Trident), I stumble about Brian Slaters blog about his visit to the Chinese Civil Aviation Museum in Beijing. I had not heard about this museum before – of course I have to go!

My host and I struggle to find the address online, but eventually we find the website and decide, it looks open. We plan the way. Bus line 935 should take me right there. He writes the correct stop down for me.

The next morning, my day starts with a search for the bus stop. On the street we saw on the map, there is no bus stop at all. Just as I start thinking about options, a 935 bus comes around the corner and passes me. I walk in the direction the bus came from and before long I find the nest. A bit off my map but never mind. After some discussion with the driver of the next 935 bus (involving my cheat sheet and lengthy explanations I can’t follow), I am on board.

Coupled Navigation

Once in the bus, I note the time and start counting stops. It is supposed to be 8 stops in about 40 minutes. My flight instructor would be very proud. As my stop comes up, I compare the electronic display with the characters on my paper and double check with the attendant. It all checks out, this is it. However, I find myself standing on an empty road in the middle of a construction site. I am way off my little map of the city center and I try to navigate from my memory of the computer map we looked at the night before.

5 Euro joker

I walk down the road and towards a high way I see in the distance. On the way I ask a worker who only has a blank stare for me. So eventually I pull the joker out of my pocket – the mighty iPhone. After about 5 Euros in roaming charges, I am back on track. The museum is about 3 kilometers to the east. A half hour walk along a busy street with staring Chinese pedestrians brings me to the gate.

The museum is large, new and very nice. The building flows like a waive and definitely has an aerodynamic quality. Brian’s experience has prepared me, so I pull out my identity card at the entrance. The lady at the desk checks it thoroughly, smiles and hands it back to me with the ticket. I’m in.

Room for expansion

I start my visit with the museum building. I enter through the main door and am greeted by a clearly surprised person at the coat check. The inside of the museum is divided up in individual parts that look like trade fair booths. All of them have displays, posters, artefacts and no visitors. A tired cleaning person stares at me, at the bathroom my appearance stops the vivid chatter of two attendants.

The museum is great and I am startled that it is so deserted. Are there no aviation enthusiasts in China?

Out and about

The museum is surrounded by ample space for aircraft. The collection is obviously just starting and the number of exhibits is still small. But they are interesting and not fenced off – a big plus.

It looks like the area has been improoved since Brians visit in 2011. Two C47s and a C46 (with replacement wheels) are placed in a row with neatly trimmed grass around them.

The A310 and a Hawker Trident are sitting a bit further back. I later read about the Trident (B-2207) that it used to be a VIP transport and was open to the public at its earlier base. I would love to see the insides of this beauty. Maybe on a future visit.

Behind the building I see a weathered Iljushin IL-14. Chairman Mao received one as a gift from Stalin in 1954. Is it this one? Probably not but I will have to brush-up on my Chinese to find out.

To be continued…

 

(originally posted on October 15, 2012 by tilbo at aloft.blog.com/chinese-civil-aviation-museum/)

Bring her home!

Bring her home!

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Visibility: about 8k, scattered clouds at 2.500 feet
Temperature: 18°C
Wind: 210°, 7 knots
QNH: 1020hPa
Location: EDCE (Eggersdorf)
Equipment: D-MAKT (FlightDesign CT)

I am eying the sky with apprehension. Gray clouds and light rain, the sun is nowhere to be seen. There is an improvement in the forecast, we will see.

My flying buddy is picking up his new aircraft today, “Kilo Tango”. He has asked me to come along. I will use the occasion to get a check ride on the FlightDesign CT LS. I am excited.

The sky is still gray when we arrive at the airport but the rain has stopped. I start with ground school, he has got some more paper work to attend to. “Kilo Tango” is a very clean flying machine. The speed management is very important and needs attention. She is not as forgiving as my training ships.

Many buttons

“Kilo Tango” has an EFIS (Electronic Flight Instrument System), a so called “glass cockpit”. The flight instruments are electronically displayed on two screens. The advantages in safety and comfort are hugh. The integrated system can relate important information to raise situation awareness. But it requires a lot of training.

Ground school completed

The sun has come out and its time to fly the beauty. “Kilo Tango” climbs at a 750 feet per minute and I take her through a hole in the clouds. The sun is warming my face up here and we begin with some air work. The aircraft is fast, responsive and easy to direct. She wants to go.

After a quick set of turns and the regular routine of stall drills in various configurations, we are back in the pattern. I’m fighting to slow Kilo Tango down, just as I was told. On the last turn into final, she starts talking to me. “Five hundred” she whispers into my ears. Gotta love it!

We fly for almost two hours and conclude the training with a special kind of emergency drill. The instructor shuts the engine down completely. I have done this before, but it is a very special sensation every time. “Kilo Tango” seems to think so too. Her warning voice sounds a bit shrill, or am I imagining things?

Sun set

After the check-out, it is time to get going. The weather is still good and we are not going far tonight, but we don’t want to push our luck. And we have a quick stop-over in Strausberg planned. My buddy is flying and I am in the right seat. A very odd perspective for the approach into the home base.

The sun is low and the sky starts turning a warm orange. The clouds are beautiful today. I get ready to go home. Before I leave, he takes the second set of keys for “Kilo Tango” and hands them to me. “Keep ‘em, it’ll make it easier in the future”, he says. They are small and unspectacular. But to me they are more impressive than Porsche keys.

To be continued…

 

(originally posted on September 30, 2012 by tilbo at aloft.blog.com/bring-her-home/)

Buying an airplane

Buying an airplane

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Visibility: almost unlimited
Temperature: 19°C
Wind: 330, 18 knots
QNH: 1017hPa
Location: EDCE (Eggersdorf)
Equipment: “Kilo Tango” (Flight Design CT LS, a new bird in town!)

I know the airport in Eggersdorf well. It is about 10 minutes by air from Strausberg and a good part of my sports pilots training has happened on the long grass strip over here. Today is only the second time ever I visit Eggersdorf from the ground. I’m here with my flying buddy and he is here to buy an aircraft.

Eggersdorf is the East German base of the Flight Design company, makers of the CT line of light sports aircraft. My friend is buying a used CT LS. He has seen the aircraft here before, has negotiated with the owner by phone, has paid a deposit and is inspecting it today.

When we arrive at the Flight Design facility, “Kilo Tango” is waiting for us on the apron already. She is three years old, has about 400 flight hours and is very well equipped. Dynon glass cockpit, Garmin GPS, 100 horse powers Rotax engine, even leather upholstery – a fun ride!

We are greeted by the manager. He walks us around the aircraft, then lets us explore her some more on our own. We do a thorough check. “Kilo Tango” is in very good shape. She looks almost new and in fact, 400 hours is not much for an aircraft. After a bit, the manager is back and we taxi the plane over to a shop hangar for a technical inspection. We take off the engine cover, check the fluids and do a visual inspection of the engine.

Lunch break and check ride

After a lunch break with stew and aviators stories, it is time to fly. I will stay on the ground today, my buddy gets the check ride for the CT. Him and the manager are gone for almost one hour. The day is clear but a nasty cross wind makes for difficult training conditions. The CT is a very nice flying machine and it is fast for its class. The pilot needs to pay a lot of attention to the correct speeds and it is easy to come in too fast.

Paperwork

When they are back, my buddy is happy but also a bit overwhelmed. I guess it will take a few days for him to wrap his head around the fact that he is buying this high-tech beauty.

We go through the paper work of the aircraft. There are two big binders of documentation plus a number of thick hand books, probably exceeding the useful load of “Kilo Tango”.

On the way back to the big city, we stop by a pizza place. We sit in the sun and it is difficult to stop smiling. What an amazing day.

To be continued…

 

(originally posted on September 23, 2012 by tilbo at aloft.blog.com/buying-an-airplane/)

IL-62

IL-62

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Visibility: limited only by the imagination
Temperature: 28°C
Location: EDOR (Stölln)
Equipment: DDR-SEG, Iljuschin Il-62 “Lady Agnes”

The Village of Stölln, north of the big city, has the oldest air filed in the world. Did you know that? I did not!

The German glider pioneer Otto Lilienthal came here on a fairly regular basis for training. And it is here that he managed to take-off, fly a controlled turn and land at the same point he started. And by the definition of the good people of Stölln, this makes the site the first air field of all time. Hard to argue with this!

The other great thing about Stölln is the “Lady Agnes”. She is an Iljusihin IL-62 jet liner. She was operated by the east German airline Interflug and ferried to Stölln as a museum piece after she was retired in 1989. The most significant thing about this is, that she was landed on the local sail plane strip – 900 meters of grass. There is quite a spectacular video of the landing available on YouTube.

Today, Lady Agnes is a quiet sight. But one that will make the aviators heart go warm.

To be continued…

 

(originally posted on September 6, 2012 by tilbo at aloft.blog.com/il-62/)

Flying Katana

Flying Katana

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Visibility: good
Temperature: 16°C
QNH: 1008hPa
Location: Drewitz
Equipment: DA20 Katana

As part of my training, I have to fly two different kinds of aircraft. My flight school has a deal with a flight school in Drewitz. They train on a DA20 Katana, an Austrian built light trainer.

Today is a great flying day. In the morning I had the second part of my theory test. In the afternoon I go flying.

The plan for the day is to take the trusted Cessna over to Drewitz. There we will fly the Katana for about an hour before we go back to Strausberg. The weather conditions are easy and we will not file a flight plan for the half hour trip over to Drewitz. But we plan the flight on the map and talk about the Fürstenwalde VOR which is about half way on our route and will be our guide.

Cottbus-Drewitz Airport (EDCD)

Like many airports in the region, Drewitz is a relic of the cold war. The runway is the right size for an airliner and the hangars are reinforced concrete, overgrown with grass. On approach I’m having a hard time. The runway is so much wider than the one in Strausberg that it is hard to estimate the altitude correctly. There is a new, beautiful terminal building that my flight instructor is making fun of. There are no commercial flights in or out of Drewitz.

The Katana D-ELPN (“Papa November”) is waiting for us already. We park the Cessna next to it on the apron and change planes.

DA 20 Katana

The DA20 is a very popular trainer. It is about the same size as the Cessna but that about sums up their similarities. The Katana is a low wing composite aircraft. That means the fuselage is mounted on top of the wings. It is made primarily from composite materials, not from sheet metal.

The aircraft is powered by a Rotax engine, much like the ones powering many Ultra Lights. It is very efficient and quiet. Last but not least, this Katana has a constant speed prop. The pitch of the prop is adjustable. This allows the engine to run at it’s most efficient RPMs. The constant speed prop is new to me and the settings are a challenge.

Up, up and away

We go through the check list and the flight instructor takes his time to explain “Papa November” to me. We start the engine and go. The Katana has a free moving front wheel. The steering works by breaking the main wheels individually. It takes me a long time to get used to that and I’m sure the controller on the tower has fun watching us meander down the taxi way.

We take off and the air flow through the small windows is cooling us down. We were starting to steam under the large glass canopy. Once airborne, I feel at home in the DA20 instantly. She reminds me of the Ultra Light aircraft I fly but is a bit more stable. The visibility, without the wings above us, is stunning.

Traffic

We climb above the pattern altitude to do some air work. While we are doing our “lazy eights”, we hear a formation of military C-160 Transall transporters announce their intention to perform some short landing maneuvers in Drewitz. They are very close to the ground and we decide to stay out of their way and watch the spectacle from above. They are coming in low and slow, touch down on the outmost edge of the concrete of the runway and break violently. Watching the large turboprops from up here is a treat!

After the two big guys are gone, we have the pattern to ourselves again. We do two or three touch-and-go’s before we call it a day. The Katana was clearly a great experience but I am also happy to be back in “Lima X-Ray” for the way home. The trusted Cessna and I have become friends.

To be continued…

 

(originally posted on May 11, 2012 by tilbo at aloft.blog.com/flying-katana/)

2 out of 3 – or almost only counts in horse shoes, hand granades and thermo nuclear warfare

2 out of 3 – or almost only counts in horse shoes, hand granades and thermo nuclear warfare

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Visibility: good
Temperature: 16°C
QNH: 1008hPa
Location: local aviation administration
Equipment: Computer in the testing center

I am at the local aviation administration for the second part of my theory exam today. I know the drill already. Sign in, find a computer in the examination room and go.

When I sign in, I tell the examiner that I will have to come back for a third appointment after this. I had a busy time at work. He informs me that I can only take two appointments and that there is no third unless I fail one of the parts.

Stupid of me not to confirm the test centers policies. On the other hand I could not have made more time available for studying anyway. So I will see how far today gets me. I am going to try tree subjects without preparation today – “Meteorology”, “Aerodynamics” and “Flight Rules and Air Law”.

After about three hours I’m done. The test goes well. I have studied a lot for “Navigation” and one part of the exam is the very example trip that I practiced last night. I answer the questions half from memory and get 100%. Not bad for the subject I was most insecure about. But it also means I spent too much time preparing for it.

“Flight Rules and Air Law” is one subject I did not prepare. I know many answers and some are simply guessing. I have a bad feeling in “Meteorology” and am fairly confident in “Aerodynamics”.

After I have finished the test, I go out and tell the examiner to not hold anything back from me. I failed “Flight Rules and Air Law” by one point. I would have needed 75% and I only got 73%.

The friendly examiner says how sorry he was. I smile at him and tell him that the overall result was better than I had expected.

To be continued…

 

(originally posted on April 30, 2012 by tilbo at aloft.blog.com/2-out-of-3/)

1 out of 2 (or 3)

1 out of 2 (or 3)

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Visibility: good
Temperature: 12°C
QNH: 1018hPa
Location: local aviation administration
Equipment: Computer in the testing center

I am at the testing center of the “Joined Aviation Administration” of two states. It is located in an old office building with a friendly atmosphere at the international airport.

I am taking the first part of the theory exam today. Seven subjects are being tested. The exam can be taken in up to three individual appointments in any combination of subjects. A very friendly way to test the hundreds of questions from the text book.

The exam itself is a computerized multiple choice test. My original plan was to break it up into two appointments. However, reality caught up with me and I only managed to prepare two of the subjects as thoroughly as I wanted. I would have loved to do four today.

At the testing center I am still on the fence if I should try the other two subjects anyway. But in the end I decide it would be better to be back for a third appointment voluntarily than involuntarily after failing “Aircraft Performance” or “Flight Rules and Air Law”.

I pass “Special Procedures” and “Human Limitations” with 92 percent and 96 percent respectively. Somehow fitting :-)

Now it is back to ground school for the next round!

To be continued…

 

(originally posted on March 31, 2012 by tilbo at aloft.blog.com/1-out-of-2-or-3/)

Flight Radiotelephone Operator’s Certificate

Flight Radiotelephone Operator’s Certificate

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Visibility: special VFR
Temperature: 9°C
Location: deep in the woods behind the airport

I am at the Federal Network Agency for Electricity, Gas, Telecommunications, Post and Railway today (this is the actual title, I looked it up!). The building is in the woods on the far side behind the cities’ airport. There is a lake here, a few military installations and the “FNAEGTPR”.

Today I am being tested for my radio license. We are a group of seven in the waiting room. One person is from my flight school as well. We catch up while we are waiting.

The test starts with theory. 100 multiple choice questions in 60 minutes. I get 95 points, everybody in the group is above 90.

For the practical test, we have an air traffic controller here. Everybody gets a map of a different airport. We can choose our own call sign and our destination. I am getting the international version of the radio certificate. So I do the departure in English. Everybody else sticks with German.

I have been training for today both at my flight school and online. I feel well prepared but I have also heard a lot of stories about traps build into the test by the controllers.

Either this is all exaggerated or I have a darling of a controller. He speaks slowly and clearly, the departure routes are demanding but not cruel. He asks questions to see if we are up to speed but no traps.

For the approach we get new airports. We have a minute to find approach routes and frequencies and then we go on. All goes well, we are all routed into the approach pattern of our respective airports when my neighbor loses his orientation.

His virtual Cessna is approaching Runway 25, so the runway heading is 250 degrees. He is on the base leg, one 90 degree left turn away from the runway. So his heading right now is 340 degrees.

The controller asks for his current heading and he says 160 which would be the opposite heading. He is turned around in his head and because of the stress of the exam, he does not manage to snap out of it.

The controller asks him again and then a third time. Then he asks him to perform a go-around maneuver and fly the approach again. The poor pilot checks his map, repeats the calculation of headings on his scrap paper and sticks with 160 degrees. He will have to be back in two weeks time and try again.

After landing we get our licenses and the others go home. I have to stick around a bit longer for the language proficiency test. It is part of the international license in order to make sure that I can say more than just the standard phrases in English. I listen to different tapes and answer questions. Then the controller interviews me – more of a chat, really.

On my way back to civilization through the woods I hear the deep rumble of a starting airliner behind the trees. I am one step closer to the private pilots license.

To be continued…

 

(originally posted on March 2, 2012 by tilbo at aloft.blog.com/radio-license/)