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Are Avgeeks Hurting the Growth of Aviation?

My brother, the healthcare IT expert, tweeted something a couple of days ago that has really got me thinking.  He said,

“I wonder how often the jargon we use prevents people that could benefit from joining our various communities.”

I am well aware of how much jargon I use when talking about aviation because the other people I work with are well versed in this jargon, and it is just easier to use it with them.  When I go out with my friends, and our spouses or non flying friends are with us, it is hard to not talk about flying because it is such a huge part of our life.  My wife has grown used to this and does a pretty good job at engaging other people so that she isn’t just as bored as they are.

I know this is an American MD-80 but that is about where my knowledge ends.

I know this is an American MD-80 but that is about where my knowledge ends.

I must admit that even I have been uncomfortable around certain groups of aviation experts because I felt that my avgeekyness was simply inadequate to be in their presence.  I am pretty good at identifying most commercial aircraft though I am far from polished when you get into all of the different variants.  I doubt I will ever know which engines are on which aircraft, and I guarantee I will never know seating configurations or other things like that.  I just don’t have the spare brain bytes for that right now, or probably ever.

If I can feel uncomfortable in that environment, then I can only imagine how someone with even less aviation knowledge would feel.  There are a lot of people putting forth a lot of effort to try to increase interest in aviation, but I can’t help but wonder if we aren’t the ones standing in our own way.

It is one thing to show awesome pictures and videos or to even share a flight together, but how often do we scare someone off because we just know too darn much?  If someone is new to aviation and you get talking about Lycoming engines, or even worse high-bypass turbofans, then it is entirely possible you could intimidate them.  Even talking about relatively simple terms like crosswind, downwind, base, and final could scare them off if they aren’t ready for it.  None of us like to admit we don’t know something.

Even a simple beauty like this Piper Cub could scare someone off if they don't know the right jargon.

Even a simple beauty like this Piper Cub could scare someone off if they don’t know the right jargon.

I’m not saying that we should insult their intelligence or oversimplify the truly complex nature of aviation, but I think it is important that we be very careful with how we respond to people who show interest in this amazing community.

Avgeeks can be some of the most inclusive and friendly people I have ever met.  I have stumbled across friends from Twitter at various airports and ended up spending the rest of the day with them enjoying the wonders of aviation together.  These are people who I had never met in person, but that I had an immediate connection with because of our love of planes.

As I previously mentioned, I have also been amongst groups that left me feeling inadequate because of their ability to rattle off all sorts of numbers and statistics.  This is likely in large part due to my own insecurities, but I can’t help but wonder if other people feel the same way, and have been scared away from aviation entirely.

Aviation jargon is an incredibly important part of aviation, maybe even more so than most industries because of the time sensitive nature of what we do and the efficiency that jargon can provide.  Let’s be honest, it is a lot of fun to sound cool when spouting off a clearance, or trying to impress a girl by knowing all the pertinent data on Boeing’s newest aircraft (if you find a girl who is impressed by that hold on to her and never let go), but it could also scare someone off that is just too timid to think they could ever be that cool.

I’m not saying we need to eliminate this jargon, or even minimize it, because if we can’t sound cool while we look cool around planes, then what is even the point?  Am I right?  What I am saying is that we need to be very cognizant of how we are using that jargon to ensure that we are using it in ways that will be inclusive rather than exclusive.  We avgeeks are the only ones that will be able to rejuvenate general aviation, and ensure that it has the booming future that it deserves, and I know that none of us would ever want to scare someone away.

When in doubt start them on the basics.

When in doubt start them on the basics.

So the next time you ask a girl if she fell out of a B-17, cause she’s the bomb (I love that movie), make sure she realizes you are talking about an amazing airplane and not the latest development in cancer research.

October 26, 2015 I Written By

I'm Dave and I am a proud Avgeek. It goes way beyond liking airplanes. It is a passion that cannot be subdued.

Planes, Planes, Planes (and Some Helicopters)…From My Wanderings

I know that my crews always think I am weird for taking pictures of every single plane we are near, but oh well.  It comes with being an avgeek.  I don’t share a lot of them because I am not really proud of my abilities at this point, but here are a few that I think are awesome.  Not because I took a great picture but because they are just cool shots and/or planes.

Just after a touch and go.

Just after a touch and go.

This is a prime example of a crosswind takeoff.

This is a prime example of a crosswind takeoff.

I recently saw an AOPA article about crosswind takeoffs and I thought these two images were a pretty dang good example of just what that is.  It was a pretty windy day when I took this, but these guys really took it to a pretty serious extreme.

Videos really do more justice to this amazing aircraft.

Videos really do more justice to this amazing aircraft.

The AH-1 Cobra has always been a favorite of mine from when I was in the Marine Corps.  One of my favorite experiences was having them line up behind me while driving through Camp Pendleton.  I tried my hardest to find a great video from early in Iraq that starts out with a Samuel L. Jackson quote from Pulp Fiction as a two ship takes-off into the distance but to no avail.  Nothing special in this shot, but an amazing aircraft.

These beauties will always be my earliest memories of airplanes and airports.

These beauties will always be my earliest memories of airplanes and airports.

As much as I love the new American Airlines livery, this will probably always be my favorite.  There is just something truly iconic about it, and is there another plane that is more American Airlines?

IMG_3371How intense would it be to see all of these guys firing up?

I only had my short lens on...

I only had my short lens on…

...fortunately, he came back around.

…fortunately, he came back around.

Not many F-4s are still flying these days, and it was awesome to see this one in the pattern one day.  I still think it is the loudest plane that I have ever been around.

If you look really closely there is a VC-25 and E-4 in this picture.

If you look really closely there is a VC-25 and E-4 in this picture.

Not a great shot, but there were two government 747s in town this time.  Neither of which you get to see very often.  You just never know what you will see when you are out and about at various airports.

September 2, 2015 I Written By

I'm Dave and I am a proud Avgeek. It goes way beyond liking airplanes. It is a passion that cannot be subdued.

A Day of Spotting at Paine Field: Support Equipment

To close out my almost six-week vacation (it may sound nice to some of you, but honestly it is terrible) I have been able to spend some time in the Seattle area which is just about the best place any Avgeek can be.  It was awesome to see the SeaFair Airshow over the weekend that I will share more about later, as well as seeing all of the planes on final to SeaTac during my time downtown.

However, today was the best location of all as I got to spend most of the day at Paine Field, which is essentially Disneyland for us Avgeeks.  If you are into planes at all then you really need to get there and take in all of the aviation amazingness.  Ideally you should attend Aviation Geek Fest next spring, but really any time can be absolutely amazing.

All of these pictures were taken from the StratoDeck at Future of Flight, which is one of the best spotting locations ever.  I will share pictures of some of the amazing planes I saw later on, but in honor of my Twitter friend Jennifer, this post is all about support equipment.

It is amazing how many people and equipment it takes to run an airport, and Paine Field actually has a few things unique to their special operations.

I don't know if there is an airport fire department that stays busier than these guys.

I don’t know if there is an airport fire department that stays busier than these guys.

Every airport has a fire department on the field or close by, but few departments probably get as much work as these guys.  They are actually operated by Boeing, which makes sense with the demands they put on this group.  They come out for what seems like every single engine run, takeoff, and landing.  It is actually a good indication that engines are about to turn on a plane when you see the fire trucks roll at Paine Field.  Fortunately, the vast majority of their work is strictly precautionary, but they are incredibly important to overall safe operations.

I never once saw this guy stop working in the five hours I was at the field.

I never once saw this guy stop working in the five hours I was at the field.

Not the sexiest piece of equipment on the ramp, but still very important for safe operations.  This street sweeper was working constantly for the five hours I was there ensuring that taxiways and ramps were clean and free of debris, or FOD as it is referred to at airports.

These lifts were specifically designed to work with the Dreamlifters.

These lifts were specifically designed to work with the Dreamlifters.

As one might expect at a factory for manufacturing aircraft, there is a need for some special equipment, and these lifts are not just unique to the Boeing Factory, but to the building of a specific aircraft.  Much has been written about the production of the 787 Dreamliner, and specifically how much of it is assembled in other locations and thought brought to Everett for final assembly.

So how do you take aircraft fuselages and get them from one side of the world to the other?  You take a 747 and “put it in the microwave” so it blows up like a marshmallow so those fuselages will fit inside.  That is why Boeing uses the Dreamlifter to bring all of these pieces together.  Fun Fact: The 787-10s will all be built in Charleston where the main body sections are manufactured because they are too long to fit inside the Dreamlifter.

However, you can’t just unload sections like that with a forklift so Boeing had to build these lifts specifically for unloading the Dreamlifters.  As you can see they have quite a few of them to handle the rapid pace of production that they are currently experiencing.

You can see at least 11 sets of air stairs if you look closely.

You can see at least 11 sets of air stairs if you look closely.

No post for Jennifer would be complete without a mention of her absolute favorite piece of equipment, the air stairs.  While once again, not the sexiest piece of equipment, they do serve a valuable purpose in operations.  My apologies that I couldn’t get a more up close picture, but I made up for it in quantity.  There are probably more stairs on the ramp at Paine Field than probably most ramps in the world.  Heaven help us if she ever gets loose on that ramp.

If you are looking for a fresh and entertaining view of the aviation world, make sure that you take a look at Jennifer’s Blog, Tales From the Terminal.

August 5, 2015 I Written By

I'm Dave and I am a proud Avgeek. It goes way beyond liking airplanes. It is a passion that cannot be subdued.