Post World War II, the then federal Civil Aviation Board (CAB) regulated all interstate flight routes, schedules, and fares. The Act allowed existing regulations from the CAB and state governments to be gradually eliminated, benefiting the airlines and consumers. New airlines entered the market with improved business models that offered new routes at competitive fares […]
The First Omnirange Airways
Before Global Positioning System (GPS), airplanes in the United States relied on VORs to fly and in poor weather pilots would navigate from one VOR to another. Each VOR is a small radio station that broadcasts on an assigned frequency. For instance, the Canarsie VOR near the JFK airport covers New York; the Robert’s VOR […]
Pilatus’ Announcement of the PC-24
The PC-24’s interior was enhanced with the goal of improving the overall passenger flight experience. The aircraft’s new integrated Cabin Management System (iCMS) featured a 10″ touch screen controller with 3D moving map, mood lighting, USB ports, four cabin speakers with a sub-woofer option, a media storage server, and a large side-facing divan that […]
Airspeed Record of Mach 6.72 (4,543 mph, 7,297 km/h) in a North American X-15
On October 3, 1967, a North American X-15 was dropped at 45,000 feet (13,716 meters) over Mud Lake, Nevada. Pilot William J. “Pete” Knight fired the rocket engine and began to climb and accelerate. The X-15A-2 climbed to 102,100 feet (31,120 meters) and Knight leveled off, still accelerating. After 140.7 seconds of engine burn, Knight […]
