Now back at Purdue where the student population is growing at an epic rate. As more freshmen were admitted than ever before things are looking much more crowded. The journey back to West Lafayette was not too bad and my schedule calls for early mornings, but not as early as back at Hanscom. The days of handling the Embraer Brasilias for Streamline are over for now. It was quite a rush using my motions to conduct engine starts and marshal the aircraft out after arranging the baggage myself. Greeting the passengers and hearing their tales about how this airline fits into their lifestyle and business needs so well is very rewarding too.
I have only one aviation course this semester-Air Transportation. So the focus will be primarily on general studies with Accounting, Physics, Economics and Applied Leadership. It looks like this fall will be a time of new and enjoyable things to embark on. I also hope to get onboard with the Aviation Technology Student Council soon. That is one of many things here to engauge in as an involved undergrad. Looking forward to the start of football season out here, despite more injuries with some of those who we had hoped would carry the team.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Summer Arrival
The sun is high in the sky and traffic is up all around the area, summertime turns all airports into very active sites. Streamline has become embedded very well at Hanscom, bringing return customers or "regulars" that have come to rely on the new service. I have started working the airport again too, and can see how many passengers disembark from the morning arrival each weekday. Commerce is continuous at this secondary airport and many moving parts come together to keep things looking good.
Meanwhile, just beyond the terminal building sits the Liberty Mutual ramp and hangar. I am very puzzled by the sight because this customer prides itself on "responsibility, what's your policy?". The insurance premiums appear to be funding a fleet of Falcon and Bombardier Global jets that are coming and going every hour or so into a ramp area with "do not enter" written around the edges and a space-age hangar that has barbed wire fences and a security gate protecting it from the public. Even the mailman must go the distance to call up the guards each day just to get them their deliveries. I would not want to do business with a company spending presumably millions of dollars annualy to keep an operation up and running for the benefit of maybe a few dozen jet setters. Just use an FBO like an honest company.
In the family my younger brother has taken up being an aviation junkie on the computer. He has been playing Airline Tycoon religiously, plotting out fleet schedules and hiring flight personnel with a budget and a mission to outperform competing airlines at bases around the world. Also two days before today, his 7th birthday, I've been told he opened up the air traffic control simulator and handled ground and local traffic at Tokyo-Haneda airport for 90 minutes simulation time like a pro and with few unanswered calls. I am impressed with his potential to be a pioneer in the sky sometime soon.
On the Purdue front, classes wrapped up with few surprises. Psychology ended up standing out as the tough reach at the end and Calculus has proven to be unattainable and will need more attention at some point in the future. Next fall's schedule of classes is dubious and will require even earlier wakeups than in the spring. I will like being back in West Lafayette as a shophomore with new adventures. Basketball star JaJuan Johnson is Boston-bound and should represent the Boilermaker style of play very well.
Meanwhile, just beyond the terminal building sits the Liberty Mutual ramp and hangar. I am very puzzled by the sight because this customer prides itself on "responsibility, what's your policy?". The insurance premiums appear to be funding a fleet of Falcon and Bombardier Global jets that are coming and going every hour or so into a ramp area with "do not enter" written around the edges and a space-age hangar that has barbed wire fences and a security gate protecting it from the public. Even the mailman must go the distance to call up the guards each day just to get them their deliveries. I would not want to do business with a company spending presumably millions of dollars annualy to keep an operation up and running for the benefit of maybe a few dozen jet setters. Just use an FBO like an honest company.
In the family my younger brother has taken up being an aviation junkie on the computer. He has been playing Airline Tycoon religiously, plotting out fleet schedules and hiring flight personnel with a budget and a mission to outperform competing airlines at bases around the world. Also two days before today, his 7th birthday, I've been told he opened up the air traffic control simulator and handled ground and local traffic at Tokyo-Haneda airport for 90 minutes simulation time like a pro and with few unanswered calls. I am impressed with his potential to be a pioneer in the sky sometime soon.
On the Purdue front, classes wrapped up with few surprises. Psychology ended up standing out as the tough reach at the end and Calculus has proven to be unattainable and will need more attention at some point in the future. Next fall's schedule of classes is dubious and will require even earlier wakeups than in the spring. I will like being back in West Lafayette as a shophomore with new adventures. Basketball star JaJuan Johnson is Boston-bound and should represent the Boilermaker style of play very well.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Anywhere and Everywhere
A tremendous amount of things have been evolving and unfolding over the past few weeks. Hanscom once again has an organized flight schedule despite having on-demand jet charters account for one sixth of the overall traffic. Logan Airport is flipping around all sorts of configurations as Continental's United will be moving to Terminal A and freeing up space for jetBlue after very thorough renovations are completed. Going home for spring break I flew US Airways for the first time in a while and my Republic E-175 flight actually topped my A320 leg out of O'Hare. The Embraers are outfitted to all economy, so services are equally distributed for everyone onboard those shorter flights. On the other hand, returining nonstop on United's Shuttle America the six first class passengers in "ExPlus" were the only ones offered food of any sort on this 2 hour 38 minute flight. Upon further communication with the ones in power to make decisions the economy cabins will likely be getting mainline-style service for longer routes such as BOS-ORD to open up a new revenue stream with buy-on-board; a smart move.
I am now searching for how to get from the east coast of Florida to Boston in the May off-peak travel time. As incentives go, I find that one way fares are no higher than each portion of a round trip, however the early morning departures are at a fraction of what afternoon flights are costing. I may be using this opportunity to try out Melbourne Airport on Delta, but Palm Beach and Ft. Lauderdale are low balling me. It appears this graduation trip will be the only flying I do all summer, and I will be observing most activity in the air from the ground, with the exception of some possible comped Streamline flights for examination of the new Trenton operation. Also I want to throw out there that the Embraer 120 registers a decibel readout of 81, which is the equivilent of a Cessna 182 on final.
I requested a very nice brithday gift last month and I think I will be using it today since grand prix has been monsooned thus far. It's a World Air Routes DVD of Canada's WestJet containing about 3 hour's worth of footage. It is one of the only modern North American airlines to sanction having the inside perspective while conducting their flights and I think I will get a good glimpse at many airports in Canada I know little about. All in all WestJet is a mix between Southwest and jetBlue and boasts being the second largest carrier in that country right now with such high LCC demand. However they don't accept reservations going from a US city through a Canadian hub to a US destination; so I doubt I will have the chance to fly them anytime soon.
Finals are fast approaching and I am trying to do my studying and chilling outside whenever I can. The harsh wind can ruin a nice looking day, but there have been a few recent days with conditions that have kept me away from the keyboard. I have a market-research project to present in my English course and a review of Pratt & Whitney turboprop engines to work on for my Powerplant course, so there are fun activities and not-so fun activities in the academic arena to tackle as the final days apprach fast. I also look forward to plotting out my extended routing on the highways to get home with the delicate fuel managemnt mapping of where are the best areas to approach fuel starvation on my long haul with each state's policies making the prices at the pump so incredibly variable.
I am now searching for how to get from the east coast of Florida to Boston in the May off-peak travel time. As incentives go, I find that one way fares are no higher than each portion of a round trip, however the early morning departures are at a fraction of what afternoon flights are costing. I may be using this opportunity to try out Melbourne Airport on Delta, but Palm Beach and Ft. Lauderdale are low balling me. It appears this graduation trip will be the only flying I do all summer, and I will be observing most activity in the air from the ground, with the exception of some possible comped Streamline flights for examination of the new Trenton operation. Also I want to throw out there that the Embraer 120 registers a decibel readout of 81, which is the equivilent of a Cessna 182 on final.
I requested a very nice brithday gift last month and I think I will be using it today since grand prix has been monsooned thus far. It's a World Air Routes DVD of Canada's WestJet containing about 3 hour's worth of footage. It is one of the only modern North American airlines to sanction having the inside perspective while conducting their flights and I think I will get a good glimpse at many airports in Canada I know little about. All in all WestJet is a mix between Southwest and jetBlue and boasts being the second largest carrier in that country right now with such high LCC demand. However they don't accept reservations going from a US city through a Canadian hub to a US destination; so I doubt I will have the chance to fly them anytime soon.
Finals are fast approaching and I am trying to do my studying and chilling outside whenever I can. The harsh wind can ruin a nice looking day, but there have been a few recent days with conditions that have kept me away from the keyboard. I have a market-research project to present in my English course and a review of Pratt & Whitney turboprop engines to work on for my Powerplant course, so there are fun activities and not-so fun activities in the academic arena to tackle as the final days apprach fast. I also look forward to plotting out my extended routing on the highways to get home with the delicate fuel managemnt mapping of where are the best areas to approach fuel starvation on my long haul with each state's policies making the prices at the pump so incredibly variable.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Who's Republic?
I am sure many thousands of passengers board airplanes this year after booking the lowest price online and not seeming to care about the operation. The fact of the matter is, people should focus on the operations of Republic Airways Holdings, because they stand out above the other regionals and are well worth paying a few bucks more on your next trip. Upon futher research of this airline and you'll find that they are not as simple as meets the eye; in fact they are tasked with running one of the most complex airline operations in the country right now. From a recent 3-way merger, the new Frontier-Midwest combination outfitted as Frontier Airlines resides within the holding company alongside Republic Airlines, Chautauqua and Shuttle America. The flights operated on scheduled service are under American Connection (with only 15 aircraft), Continental Express, Delta Connection/Delta Shuttle, Frontier, United Express and US Airways Express. Their consolidated headquarters just down the road in Carmel, IN houses all of the operating oversight for each brand with employees absorbed from Denver, Milwaukee, Hartford and elsewhere.
The thing that makes Republic Airlines and Shuttle America stand out among other regionals is the brand new Embraer fleet. Supplementing Frontier's DirecTV equpped Airbusses is what has replaced Midwest's aging operation in the form of Embrer 170's and 190's with no middle seats and a cabin experience to carry comfortable passengers an impressive range. The grey area between regional and mainline has been blended by these outstanding aircraft and I continue to hear nothing but good things about them (Shuttle America also operates the Embraer 170 on former Delta Shuttle routes). The other operation under the company is Chautauqua, which flies the smaller Embraer 135 and 145 which are only accepted as suitable for flights under an hour or so to smaller markets. These low-end aircraft fly as American Connection, US Airways Express, Continental Express, United Express, Delta Connection and Frontier. All but American contract the 170 family for the more stretegic routes to go over 70 seats. As those last two paragraphs entailed, this company is no simple operation and they somehow emerege victorious as they were ATW's regional airline of the year in 2008 and customers remain delighted with this splended operation that rivals jetBlue in overall size and scope.
Now is where I come in, I flew on Frontier to and from Mexico twice in recent memory and have flown on the present-day Shuttle America as Delta twice in the last two years. The product is outstanding from a customer perspective and knowing their internal workings, mastering that effect is very difficult. On the cheap customer's end they among the most affordable itineraries on Expedia and somehow remain profitable and impeccable in safety and employee well being. Frontier was also an "Undercover Boss" company last fall in which the crazy world inside america's airlines was examined in detail with their CEO going down to the bottom of the ladder for a week in the midst of the Midwest merger and acquisition. I am extremely impressed with this Indiana company and have been contacted by an old friend to get back inside the private sector on the operations side just down I-65. From my conversations so far and my encounters at headquarters, it looks like I may be able to work the Boston gate in the summer or at headquarters in the coming fall. I know whatever possible opportunity with Republic Airways Holdings would be outstanding and really propell me as a management major.
Outside of that whole situation, I went through the application and recruitment process for Purdue's own Aviation Technology Student Council at the first chance it was offered. I made the first cut of resume and essay applications and was selected for an interview in February. I was at an advantage being an aviation management major since the ATSC is oversaturated with pilots, and they wanted to even things out. However I was still placed at a disadvantage as a freshman and was told after my interview that I would have another chance in the fall after their older members have graduated. I enjoyed the opportunity to network within our aviation technology department and hope to talk with some of our professors more about arranging Republic internships for myself and others. Classes are going as expected and things are moving along steadily into the spring and conclusion of semester two. It has been a fairly busy couple of months and that has kept me on top of my game and enjoying the ride.
The thing that makes Republic Airlines and Shuttle America stand out among other regionals is the brand new Embraer fleet. Supplementing Frontier's DirecTV equpped Airbusses is what has replaced Midwest's aging operation in the form of Embrer 170's and 190's with no middle seats and a cabin experience to carry comfortable passengers an impressive range. The grey area between regional and mainline has been blended by these outstanding aircraft and I continue to hear nothing but good things about them (Shuttle America also operates the Embraer 170 on former Delta Shuttle routes). The other operation under the company is Chautauqua, which flies the smaller Embraer 135 and 145 which are only accepted as suitable for flights under an hour or so to smaller markets. These low-end aircraft fly as American Connection, US Airways Express, Continental Express, United Express, Delta Connection and Frontier. All but American contract the 170 family for the more stretegic routes to go over 70 seats. As those last two paragraphs entailed, this company is no simple operation and they somehow emerege victorious as they were ATW's regional airline of the year in 2008 and customers remain delighted with this splended operation that rivals jetBlue in overall size and scope.
Now is where I come in, I flew on Frontier to and from Mexico twice in recent memory and have flown on the present-day Shuttle America as Delta twice in the last two years. The product is outstanding from a customer perspective and knowing their internal workings, mastering that effect is very difficult. On the cheap customer's end they among the most affordable itineraries on Expedia and somehow remain profitable and impeccable in safety and employee well being. Frontier was also an "Undercover Boss" company last fall in which the crazy world inside america's airlines was examined in detail with their CEO going down to the bottom of the ladder for a week in the midst of the Midwest merger and acquisition. I am extremely impressed with this Indiana company and have been contacted by an old friend to get back inside the private sector on the operations side just down I-65. From my conversations so far and my encounters at headquarters, it looks like I may be able to work the Boston gate in the summer or at headquarters in the coming fall. I know whatever possible opportunity with Republic Airways Holdings would be outstanding and really propell me as a management major.
Outside of that whole situation, I went through the application and recruitment process for Purdue's own Aviation Technology Student Council at the first chance it was offered. I made the first cut of resume and essay applications and was selected for an interview in February. I was at an advantage being an aviation management major since the ATSC is oversaturated with pilots, and they wanted to even things out. However I was still placed at a disadvantage as a freshman and was told after my interview that I would have another chance in the fall after their older members have graduated. I enjoyed the opportunity to network within our aviation technology department and hope to talk with some of our professors more about arranging Republic internships for myself and others. Classes are going as expected and things are moving along steadily into the spring and conclusion of semester two. It has been a fairly busy couple of months and that has kept me on top of my game and enjoying the ride.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Start to Semester Two
I am now back situated at Purdue for the Spring 2011 semester. There have been a few changes to my academic experience. I am now spending 8 hours a week at the airport up from 3 last fall. My two aviation classes are AT187 aircraft propulsion and operating systems and AT144 which is a changing curriculum known as fundamentals of flight or private pilot lectures and is a "ground school" of sorts. The AT187 class with Professor Jay Hedden is almost exclusively management majors this semester with about 50 of us and Hedden has worked as a mechanic for United. AT144 will take us through FAA manuals and get us familiar with things such as METARs and safety protocols with instructor Brian Dillman who came through the AvTech program himself in the 90's.
My other courses are Calculus 3 times a week with a perminant instructor yet to be announced, English Composition 4 times a week and Elementary Psychology 2 times per week with me and 450 of my closest friends. That leaves me at only 5 courses down from 6 last semester but at 18 credit hours, up from 16. The Aviation Technology Student Council is opening their doors this coming Wednesday so I will finally have a chance to get involved pending their approval. I am eager to represent air traffic control and have a voice with the institution for a number of years.
I failed to mention before that Captian Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger who splashed down US Airways 1549 in the Hudson River two years ago today had visited Purdue a couple months ago giving me the chance to pick up a signed copy his autobiography and mention to him with all my childhood years flying his airline that I was a huge fan. He studied industrial psychology at Purdue after finishing at the Air Force Academy and the human factors side of things has helped him as a safety specialist and pilot as he describes in detail with the book. His visit though was overshadowed by Neil Armstrong being here the same weekend and even rallying our football team during an end of 3rd quarter "Shout" dance.
My schedule is quite demanding but the distractions around campus are being replaced with snowbanks and slush that will not be going away anytime soon. It feels good to be back and my horizons continue to broaden each day for new and exciting things as the new year gets going. I will have plenty more to report on if this ATSC thing really does happen.
My other courses are Calculus 3 times a week with a perminant instructor yet to be announced, English Composition 4 times a week and Elementary Psychology 2 times per week with me and 450 of my closest friends. That leaves me at only 5 courses down from 6 last semester but at 18 credit hours, up from 16. The Aviation Technology Student Council is opening their doors this coming Wednesday so I will finally have a chance to get involved pending their approval. I am eager to represent air traffic control and have a voice with the institution for a number of years.
I failed to mention before that Captian Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger who splashed down US Airways 1549 in the Hudson River two years ago today had visited Purdue a couple months ago giving me the chance to pick up a signed copy his autobiography and mention to him with all my childhood years flying his airline that I was a huge fan. He studied industrial psychology at Purdue after finishing at the Air Force Academy and the human factors side of things has helped him as a safety specialist and pilot as he describes in detail with the book. His visit though was overshadowed by Neil Armstrong being here the same weekend and even rallying our football team during an end of 3rd quarter "Shout" dance.
My schedule is quite demanding but the distractions around campus are being replaced with snowbanks and slush that will not be going away anytime soon. It feels good to be back and my horizons continue to broaden each day for new and exciting things as the new year gets going. I will have plenty more to report on if this ATSC thing really does happen.
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