THE HIGHEST FALLS PEOPLE HAVE SURVIVED

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JUANCHO E YRAUSQUIN AIRPORT ON DUTCH CARIBBEAN ISLAND OF SABA

Juancho E Yrausquin Airport has the shortest runway in the world available for commercial use. The runway is 1.312 feet long and has three cliff edges over the sea, with the fourth side enclosed by high hills. The only planes allowed at the airport are regional propeller aircraft flights provided by Winair from nearby islands.

ELECTRA, TEXAS, BUICK ELECTRA AND LOCHEED L-188 ELECTRA TURBOPROP

Electra is a city in Wichita County, Texas. The population was 2,791 at the 2010 census. Daniel Waggoner started a ranch in present-day Electra in 1852. Around 30 years later, the Fort Worth and Denver City Railway was built. In 1885, Waggoner’s son, William Thomas Waggoner, successfully lobbied railroad executives to build a railroad station at the site. By this time, the Waggoner ranch covered a half-million acres. Until this time, the town was called Waggoner, but following the building of the station and a post office in 1889, it was dubbed Beaver Switch, after the nearby Beaver Creek. The opening of 56,000 acres of land north of the railroad station brought more farmers to the area. The town was renamed again in 1907, this time after the Waggoner’s daughter, Electra Waggoner. Electra Waggoner was born on January 6, 1882 near Decatur, Texas. She had two brothers; E. Paul Waggoner and Guy Waggoner. E. Paul Waggoner had two sons and a daughter. His daughter was born on November 8, 1912 and she was named after her aunt, Electra Waggoner. Electra (born 1912) ultimately became a well-known sculptor. A large collection of her work is featured at the Red River Valley Museum in Vernon, Texas. Electra (born 1912) also has the distinction of having both a plane, the Lockheed L-188 Electra turboprop, and a car, the Buick Electra, named after her, the latter by her brother-in-law, Harlow H. Curtice, former president of Buick and later president of General Motors.

1960 BUICK ELECTRA 225 CONVERTIBLE

AN L-188A ELECTRA OF PACIFIC SOUTHWEST AIRLINES

LONGEST REGULARLY SCHEDULED AIRLINE FLIGHTS

NON-STOP FLIGHTS – TOP 10 BY GREAT CIRCLE DISTANCE
Rank	From	To	Airline	Distance	Aircraft	First Flight
1	Newark	Singapore	Singapore Airlines	9,534	A350	10/11/18
2	Auckland	Doha	Qatar Airways	9,032	Boeing 777	2/5/17
3	Perth	London (Heathrow)	Qantas	9,009	Boeing 787	3/24/18
4	Auckland	Dubai	Emirates	8,823	A380	3/2/16
5	Los Angeles	Singapore	Singapore Airlines	8,769	A350	11/2/18
6	Houston	Sydney	United Airlines	8,769	Boeing 787	1/11/18
7	Dallas/Fort Worth	Sydney	Qantas	8,577	A380	9/29/14
8	New York (JFK)	Manila	Philippine Airlines	8,520	A350	10/29/18
9	San Francisco	Singapore	United Airlines	8,446	Boeing 787	6/1/16
			Singapore Airlines		A350	10/23/16
10	Johannesburg	Atlanta	Delta	8,439	Boeing 777	6/1/09

Singapore Airlines flight SQ 21 departed Newark Liberty International Airport today at 10:17 AM (EDT). As of 1:21 PM, It has traveled 1,526 miles and has an additional 8,015 miles to go to reach Singapore. It is currently cruising 581 miles per hour at an altitude of 35,000 feet.

THIRD-QUARTER 2018 DOMESTIC AIR-FARE

The third quarter 2018 average domestic itinerary air fare of $343 is the lowest inflation-adjusted quarterly fare since the Bureau of Transportation Statistics began collecting such records in 1995, down 0.4 percent from the previous low of $345 in the third quarter of 2017. Adjusted for inflation, the 3Q 2018 air fare was: ·         Down 0.4 percent from 3Q 2017 ($345) ·         Down 2.0 percent from 2Q 2018 ($350)

LARGEST BUILDING IN THE WORLD BY VOLUME

The largest building in the world by volume is the Boeing Everett Factory in Everett, Washington. The Boeing Everett Factory is an airplane assembly building located on the north-east corner of Paine Field. The building has a volume of 472,370,319 cubic feet and covers 98.7 acres. Wide-body Boeing 747,767, 777 and 787 aircraft are assembled at this facility.

BOEING FACTORY IN EVERETT, WASHINGTON

SHORTEST REGULARLY SCHEDULED COMMERCIAL FLIGHT IN THE WORLD

The Loganair Westray (island) to Papa Westray (island) route in Orkney, Scotland is the shortest scheduled passenger flight in the world. Flights on this route are scheduled for one and a half minutes, and actual flying time is closer to one minute. The record for the fastest flight is 53 seconds. The route is flown by Loganair, a Scottish regional airline that serves Scotland's Highlands and islands. Flights between Westray Airport and Papa Westray Airport occur daily in both directions, except on Saturdays, when only flights from Westray to Papa Westray are available, and on Sunday, when only flights from Papa Westray to Westray are available. The total distance covered by the flights is 1.7 miles, which is about the same length as the runway at Edinburgh airport. Many students and their teachers take these flights to study the 60 archaeological sites on Papa Westray, making up the majority of passengers. Occasionally health professionals are needed to assist one of the island's 90 residents, and patients will also take the flight from Papa Westray to medical facilities when needed. The flight has also become popular among tourists.

AIRPORT RUNWAY NUMBERS

If you thought runway numbers signified the number of runways at an airport, you would be wrong. Runways are numbered based on the magnetic azimuth direction (compass bearing) they are oriented to. Every runway has two numbers, one at each end. These two numbers are the reciprocal of each other (180 degrees opposite). The numbers are determined by rounding the compass bearing to the nearest 10 degrees and removing the last digit. (Runways are numbered from 1 to 36, rather than 10 to 360). By using this method, you end up with two numbers which differ by 18 (since they are 180 degrees opposite from one another). So, for example, if the compass heading of a runway is 93 degrees, you would round it down to 90 and drop the last digit, leaving you with 9. This runway would then be named Runway 9-27. When taking off from or landing on runway 9, a plane is heading east. If there is more than one runway pointing in the same direction (parallel runways), each runway is identified by appending left (L), center (C) and right (R) to the number to identify its position (when facing its direction).

PLANE IS LANDING TO THE WEST

NASA HYPER-X (X-43A) WORLD'S FASTEST AIRCRAFT

On November 16, 2004, an unmanned Hyper-X (X-43A) aircraft reached approximately 7,000 miles per hour (Mach 9.6) thereby setting a new world speed record for aircraft. The aircraft developed by NASA was boosted to an altitude of 109,000 feet by a Pegasus rocket launched from beneath a B52-B jet aircraft. The revolutionary ‘scramjet’ aircraft then burned its engine for around 10 seconds during its flight over the Pacific Ocean.

REPUBLIC XF-84H "THUNDERSCREECH"

The Republic XF-84H "Thunderscreech" was an experimental turboprop aircraft derived from the F-84F Thunderstreak. Powered by a turbine engine that was mated to a supersonic propeller, the XF-84H had the potential of setting the unofficial air speed record for propeller-driven aircraft, but was unable to overcome teething aerodynamic deficiencies, resulting in the program's cancellation in 1956. NOISE: The XF-84H was quite possibly the loudest aircraft ever built (rivaled only by the Russian Tupolev Tu-95 "Bear" bomber), earning the nickname "Thunderscreech". ·         On the ground “run-ups” could reportedly be heard 25 miles away. ·         The blades on the XF-84H’s propeller traveled faster than the speed of sound, producing a continuous visible sonic boom that radiated laterally from the propellers for hundreds of yards. ·         The shock wave was actually powerful enough to knock a man down. ·         The aircraft was notorious for inducing severe nausea and headaches among ground crews. ·         In one report, a Republic engineer suffered a seizure after close range exposure to the shock waves emanating from the aircraft. SPEED: The Guinness Book of World Records recorded the XF-84H as the fastest propeller aircraft ever built, with a top speed design of 673 miles per hour and 623 miles per hour. This claim has been disputed. The unofficial speed record based on data from the National Museum of the United States Air Force is 520 miles per hour (mach 0.70). Nevertheless, the XF-84H held the record as the fastest single-engine propeller-driven aircraft until 1989 when “Rare Bear” a highly modified Grumman F-86 Bearcat reached 528 mph.

REPUBLIC XF-84H IN FLIGHT WITH THE RAM AIR TURBINE EXTENDED

MAJOR WILBERT D. "DOUG" PEARSON - FIRST PILOT TO SHOOT DOWN A SATELLITE

On September 13, 1985, Major Wilbert D. “Doug” Pearson became the first pilot to shoot down a satellite. Major Pearson, flying the “Celestial Eagle” F-15A, launched an ASM-135 ASAT about 200 miles west of Vandenberg Air Force Base and destroyed the Solwind P78-1 satellite flying at an altitude of 345 miles. Prior to the launch the F-15 flying at Mach 1.22 executed a 3.8g zoom climb at an angle of 65 degrees. The ASM-13 ASA was automatically launched at 38,100 feet while the F-15 was flying at Mach .934. The 30 pound MHV collided with the 2,000 pound Solwind P78-1 satellite at a closing velocity of 15,000 mph.

An F-15 Eagle launches the ASM-135 during the final test, which destroyed the Solwind P78-1 satellite

THE CORNFIELD BOMBER

The "Cornfield Bomber" was the nickname given to a Convair F-106 Delta Dart, operated by the 71st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron of the United States Air Force. On February 2, 1970, it made an unpiloted landing in a farmer's field in Montana, suffering only minor damage, after the pilot had ejected from the aircraft. The aircraft, recovered and repaired, was returned to service, and is currently on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force.

THE U.S. FIGHTER JET THAT SHOT ITSELF DOWN

The Grumman F11F/F-11 Tiger is a supersonic, single-seat carrier-based United States Navy fighter aircraft in operation during the 1950s and 1960s.

The F11F/F-11 was used by the Blue Angels flight team from 1957–1969. Grumman Aircraft Corporation made 200 Tigers, with the last aircraft being delivered to the U.S. Navy on 23 January 1959.

The F-11 Tiger is noted for being the first jet aircraft to shoot itself down. On 21 September 1956, during a test-firing of its 20 mm cannons, pilot Tom Attridge fired two bursts midway through a shallow dive. As the velocity and trajectory of the cannon rounds decayed, they ultimately crossed paths with the Tiger as it continued its descent, disabling it and forcing Attridge to crash-land the aircraft; he survived.

Grumman F-11F

BETTY LOU OLIVER – LONGEST SURVIVED ELEVATOR FALL

On Saturday, July 28, 1945, Lieut. Col. William F. Smith Jr. was piloting a B-25 Mitchell bomber on a routine personnel transport mission from Bedford Army Air Field to Newark Airport. Smith asked for clearance to land, but was advised of zero visibility. Proceeding anyway, he became disoriented by the fog, and started turning right instead of left after passing the Chrysler Building.

At 9:40 a.m., the aircraft crashed into the north side of the Empire State Building, between the 78th and 80th floors, carving an 18-by-20-foot hole in the building. One engine shot through the south side opposite the impact and flew as far as the next block, dropping 900 feet and landing on the roof of a nearby building. The other engine and part of the landing gear plummeted down an elevator shaft. 

Elevator operator Betty Lou Oliver was injured when the cables supporting her elevator sheared and the elevator fell 75 stories, ending up in the basement. Oliver managed to survive the fall and rescuers later found her amongst the rubble. This is record for the longest survived elevator fall.*

 *There is a second version of the elevator fall in which Betty Lou Oliver was found injured in the elevator and was being lowered in the elevator when the cables failed. I do not believe this is a correct version.

Editors Note: For more interesting information about elevators click on the label “Elevator” in the word cloud at the bottom of page 1 of John Smith’s Blog.

Betty Lou Oliver 5 months after the accident

AVIATION NAVIGATION FIXES

Navigation fixes are intersections or points along airways (highways in the sky) and airport arrival/departure procedures. Fixes are given five letter names (like NOISE and WEEDY) to make them easy for pilots and air traffic controllers to reference.

When airways or procedures are being designed or modified, local FAA facility employees often recommend fix names. The FAA’s Office of Aeronautical Information Management (AIM) checks the names to make sure they are unique, pronounceable, and not obscene or controversial.

Here are some examples:

Sports fanatics: Near Boston, you have CELTS and BOSOX.  Only in Texas you find:  GOALL, PPUNT, DRPPD, FTBAL,TEXNN, COACH, QTRBK, TAKKL, RECVR, FMBLE and TCHDN. By Soldier Field; KUBBS and BEARS. In DC GIBBZ, SKINS, and MONKK.

Foodies: Near Kansas City, you get the regional SPICY, BARBQ, TERKY, SMOKE and RIBBS. And in Vermont and New Hampshire,  HAMMM BURGR FRYYS.

One of the more unusual set of fixes is a tribute to Warner Brothers Cartoon characters Sylvester the Cat and Tweety Bird on the approach to runway 16 at Portsmouth, New Hampshire International Airport. The fixes read: ITAWT ITAWA PUDYE TTATT IDEED.

SR-71 FINAL FLIGHT ON WAY TO MUSEUM BREAKS 4 SPEED RECORDS

When the SR-71 was retired in 1990, one Blackbird was flown from its birthplace at United States Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, to go on exhibit at what is now the Smithsonian Institution's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. On 6 March 1990, Lt. Col. Raymond E. Yeilding and Lt. Col. Joseph T. Vida piloted SR-71 S/N 61-7972 on its final Senior Crown flight and set four new speed records in the process:

·         Los Angeles, California, to Washington, D.C., distance 2,299.7 miles, average speed 2,144.8 miles per hour, and an elapsed time of 64 minutes 20 seconds.

·         West Coast to East Coast, distance 2,404 miles, average speed 2,124.5 miles per hour, and an elapsed time of 67 minutes 54 seconds.

·         Kansas City, Missouri, to Washington, D.C., distance 942 miles, average speed 2,176 miles per hour, and an elapsed time of 25 minutes 59 seconds.

·         St. Louis, Missouri, to Cincinnati, Ohio, distance 311.4 miles, average speed 2,189.9 miles per hour, and an elapsed time of 8 minutes 32 seconds.