aviation Archives - TravelSkills

The newest Embraer jet you may never fly

October 20, 2017

Chris McGinnis checking out the new Embraer Legacy 500 business jet at San Jose Airport

You probably know Embraer by its line of smaller so-called “regional” jets that typically fly short distances and feed into major airline hubs. These are the popular E175s and E195s that have displaced the cramped CRJs in the regional jet space.

But did you know Embraer is also in the business of building private or “business” jets for companies or high net worth individuals?

In October, the Brazilian aerospace company jetted its executives into Mineta San Jose Airport to show off its new private jet, the Legacy 500, which seats 8-12 passengers, and costs around $20 million. It’s considered a “midsize” private jet, falling between the smaller Phenom (which it also makes) and the better known larger models like Gulfstreams and Learjets. (Scroll down for slide show)

Built in Melbourne, Florida, the Legacy 500 is considered a “stand up” jet, which means it has a flat floor and passengers can stand up in the aisle- I could do that when onboard, but at 6 feet, my hair grazed the ceiling. The jet’s flight range is about 3,000 miles, which means it can make nonstop cross-country and Hawaii trips, but can’t cross oceans.

In addition to showing the Legacy 500 off to Silicon Valley tech companies (or their billionaire owners or investors) Embraer invited a few media types down for a look and a quick spin out over the Pacific Ocean at sunset.

Come along with me and take a peek at how the other half of business travelers live!

At SJC, business and private jets are handled on the west side of the runways. In this case, Embraer used Atlantic Aviation.

When flying private, the airport concourse looks like this- your car drops you off and you walk to your plane- no security, no hassles, muss or fuss. This is smooth as silk! (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Inside the Atlantic Aviation Terminal on the west side of San Jose International, passengers and pilots walk through this well-appointed terminal, check in and then walk out to the tarmac. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

As we boarded the plane, you could look east and see the Mineta San Jose International terminals across the runways (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

This brand new $20 million plane’s curves and shine are hard to resist. I want one! (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

There are plenty of luxury touches on this bird, like gorgeous wood veneer, leather and even lightweight marble floors in the galley area which I noticed as soon as we boarded (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Embraer design executive Jay Beever was onboard to show us around and explain how his masterpiece works (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Passengers can control cabin temperature, music and dim lights from an iPad (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

I walked to the back of the plane for a look at the semi-private lavatory, which includes this nice sink area on one side, and the loo on the other (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

The lavatory is separated from the cabin by a sliding door. A nice leather cover hides the toilet- if you did not lift it up, you’d think it was just another seat (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Here’s the toilet with the cover down. Note that it has a seatbelt, so it could serve as a passenger seat if needed (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Once we boarded and doors closed, we taxied for about two minutes and took off into the sunset over the Pacific Ocean. The G-force of the plane taking off felt exhilarating- and so quiet. Flying on this smooth and quiet jet felt “like buttah!” I could so easily get used to this!

Monitors at the front and rear of the cabin had a fantastic, frequently updated image of the plane’s position. It’s a spectacularly crisp and colorful show, almost as good as what you can see out the window! (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Gorgeous view of the Pacific coastline of central California out the window during our 45 minute ride (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Editor Chris McGinnis enjoying his 45 minutes of feeling like a billionaire- Embraer served passengers Veuve Clicquot during the ride

Looking out Embraer’s trademark square windows reminded me of my many rides on its E175 or E195 regional jets (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

As we made our way back to SJC, I took a walk up to the cockpit for a chat with pilots– who clearly love flying this plane. On the Embraer, like the Airbus, there is no “yoke” or steering wheel. Pilots use small sticks– almost like video games– to guide the plane when autopilot is off.

Another benefit of flying private- the cockpit door is wide open and passengers can go take in the view. The Embraer 500 glass cockpit is gorgeous (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Looking out at the California Coast from the cockpit (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Note the small stick on the right which pilots used to guide the Embraer 500 versus the “yoke” you’ll find on Boeing jets (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Wow! What a ride. It was tough to leave this beautiful jet behind (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Once we deboarded our sleek little bird, we walked across the ramp to the Atlantic Aviation terminal, jumped in an Uber, and went home. What a way to fly! (Photo: Chris McGinnis

Have you ever been lucky enough to fly on a private or business jet? What do you think about the Embraer planes you’ve flown on? Please leave your comments below.

What the heck? Mystery papered plane

July 12, 2017

A 747 all wrapped up and ready to go. But for whom? (Image: Matt Cawby / Paineairport.com)

Up near Seattle, there’s a feast for the eyes of aviation geeks at Paine Field. It’s a small airport located next to the Boeing Everett factory, which is the primary assembly location for Boeing’s biggest jets, the 747, 767, 777 and 787.

It’s also the place where Boeing “delivers” its big jets to airline customers with great fanfare.

When you are dealing with flying behemoths like 747s it’s tough to keep secrets. But based on the photo above, which has been circulating in aviation circles for the past few days, it appears that Boeing has something under wraps.

What could it be?

Don’t miss: Russian mystery plane at SFO

Paine Field (PAE) is located next to Boeing’s massive Everett factory north of Seattle (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

Clearly what we see in the photo is a Boeing 747-8, the only 747 variant that Boeing still manufactures at Everett. This one is the -8f meaning it’s a freighter vs the -8i for passengers. (You can tell by looking at the shorter, non-extended bubble.)

But why the brown paper wrapping? Is it a gift for someone? Perhaps a big new cargo jet appropriately destined for the United Parcel Service fleet?

I reached out to a Boeing spokesperson to inquire about this, and he said, “We are making some adjustments to our 747 Everett paint process, and this airplane has been partially painted and awaiting the next paint phase. The wrap is to protect the exterior of the airplane.”

Who’s it for, I asked. “We can’t disclose the customer,” he said.

So I asked Matt Cawby, who took the photo and put it on the PaineAirport.com website if he knew. His reply: “The airplane was in the paint hangar last, today it’s at the fuel dock. I have no idea why it is entirely masked off.”

In the end, it’s likely true that we’ve just caught a 747 in the middle of a paint job, but it sure makes you wonder!

So….what do YOU think? Would love to hear your comments and speculation about this strange brown bird!

UPDATE!! Mystery solved when United Parcel Service tweeted about its new big bird:

A #UPS7478F wrapped up like a package during painting. A gift that will keep giving … 60,000 global customers at a time! pic.twitter.com/OG9IeHY0Wp
— UPS Airlines (@UPSAirlines) July 13, 2017

(Check out my Trip Report when Cathay Pacific took delivery of a shiny new B777from Boeing’s Everett factory here.)

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Quiz: Test your planespotting skills

May 27, 2017

A Delta 767 taking off from SFO (InSapphoWeTrust / Flickr)

Did you know that’s a Boeing 767? Take our quiz to hone those planespotting skills! (Photo: InSapphoWeTrust / Flickr)

Over the last week we ran our popular planespotting series. Did you pay attention? Now it’s time for a fun TravelSkills quiz!

We ran this quiz last year and over 7,000 people took it. Did you? How’d you score? Feel free to take it again!

This time, we are testing your ability to identify the planes you see in the skies or at the airport. Can you tell the difference between a Airbus A320 and Airbus A321? A Boeing 757 or 767? What’s the most distinguishing feature of a Boeing 777? Take our easy 3-minute, 10-question quiz below.

(Scroll down for some help studying for the quiz if you need it. (We offer plenty of planespotting tips!) If you can’t see the embedded quiz below, here’s a link to it.

If you’d like to bone up on your skills before you take the quiz, here are links to our recent planespotting posts:

A320 family differences

Boeing 737 vs Airbus A320 differences

Boeing 757, 767

Boeing 717, MD-80/90

Take the quiz and get your score! Based on your performance, you’ll be named Aviation Geek, Aviation Nerd, Aviation Enthusiast, Pretty Good Plane Spotter or Novice Plane Spotter. Which one are you? Share your status and YOUR best planespotting tips with us in the comments below!

If you have fun with this, take our previous quizzes, too!

NAME THAT AIRPORT quiz

BUSINESS CLASS SEAT quiz

–Chris McGinnis

ICYMI, see the 25 most recent TravelSkills posts right here

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Planespotting: Airbus A320 family differences

May 22, 2017

Can you identify JetBlue’s newest Airbus? (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Pilots, planespotters and aviation buffs can quickly recognize nearly every aircraft type from the ground or in the air.

But it’s not so easy for the rest of us. To help TravelSkills readers confidently recognize what they see overhead or out on the runway, we offer a series of posts dedicated to planespotting. (See below for a list of our previous Planespotting posts)

The Airbus A320 family is near ubiquitous around the world, and increasingly so in the US. Airbus factories pump out a new A320 family aircraft every seven hours!

The largest of the pack, the A321, is rapidly replacing the aging Boeing 757 at many airlines. The A320 gives the workhorse Boeing 737 a run for its money. And the smaller A319 and A318s work for short haul markets, although British Airways operates a specially configured 32-seat, all business class A318 between London City Airport and New York-JFK once per day. (That’s down from twice daily)

How can you spot the differences among these planes? Well, first, you will want to know how to spot the difference between the A320 family and the similarly-sized Boeing 737, which we covered for you here: Planespotting: Airbus A320 vs Boeing 737 differences. (Hint: Look at the tail and cockpit windows.)

Once you’ve learned to distinguish the A320 family, you should then know how to spot the differences among the four models.

The easiest way to do that? Look at the doors.

A321: Four doors

The A321 is the largest member of the Airbus A320 family, and accommodates 185-220 passengers depending on configuration.

(This is a blast from the past- a previously popular post we want to share again. Enjoy!)

The Airbus A321 has four doors evenly spaced along the fuselage (Photo: Anna Zverena / Flickr)

A320: Two over-wing emergency exits

The Airbus A320 is the mainstay of the family, and carries 150-180 passengers depending on configuration. Virgin America flies 53 Airbus A320s. United flies 97 A320s.

The Airbus A321 has two distinctive emergency exit doors over the wing (Photo: Lasta29 / Flickr)

The Airbus A320 has two distinctive emergency exit doors over the wing (Photo: Lasta29 / Flickr)

A319: One over-wing emergency exit

An exception to this one-door A319 is EasyJet, which had to retrofit its A319s with an extra emergency exit because it packs so many passengers on a plane.

The stubby Airbus A319 has only one emergency exit door over the wing (Photo: Andre Gembitzki / Flickr)

The Airbus A319 has only one emergency exit door over the wing (Photo: Andre Gembitzki / Flickr)

A318: short, stubby, super-cute- and one door

This little aircraft with only 100 seats is also known as the “baby bus” due to it’s size and cuteness factor.

The super stubby A318 has a single emergency exit, too. But it’s shorter than the A319 (Photo: Bernal Saborio / Flickr)

How do YOU tell the difference between the Airbus A320 family? Leave your comments below.

Here are our other popular planespotting posts!

Planespotting: Boeing 737 vs Airbus A320 differences

Planespotting: Boeing 757, 767

And don’t miss the TravelSkills Planespotting quiz— 7,000 readers have taken it! Why not you?

ICYMI, see the 25 most recent TravelSkills posts right here

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First look deep inside a Delta 747-400 [PHOTOS]

March 30, 2017

The Delta 747 Experience as seen from the road near Delta HQ (Chris McGinnis)

This week Delta opened a fantastic new exhibit near runways at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

The new “747 Experience” at the Delta Museum features a retired Delta/Northwest Boeing 747 (Ship 6301) that’s been spiffed up, hollowed out, peeled back and lovingly restored for up-close-and-personal interaction with the public.

This year Delta and United will retire their 747 fleets. So if you’ve ever flown on this graceful bird and would like to see it again, or if you’ve never been on one and always wondered what it’s like, here’s your chance!

Delta flew TravelSkills to Atlanta for the grand opening and a look-see before the crowds arrive– here’s what we saw!

Chris (seated on stairs to “the bubble”) was one of the first to take a scramble through the new 747 exhibit at the Delta Museum in Atlanta

The ‘747 Experience’ provides a look into the history and magic of the iconic Queen of the Skies, which Delta will retire from its fleet by the end of 2017. (No details of final flights have been revealed yet. Currently Delta’s 747s fly from Detroit and Honolulu to Asia.)

For those United loyalists who want to book a seat on the airline’s last 747 flights, the carrier has set the schedule for the plane’s retirement later this year. All the affected routes are out of San Francisco. The last 747-400 departure from SFO will be a flight to Seoul on October 28, returning October 29.

TIP: Delta’s closer ties to Korean Air means that you’ll still be able to fly on a 747 using your Delta SkyMiles, but you’ll be flying on one of Korean’s new 747-8 birds- what a treat!

The end of the 747 era will usher in the beginning of the Airbus A350 era for Delta— the first new 306-passenger widebodies arrive this summer and should be on proving runs by the fall. Delta has 25 A350s on order, and should get the first five by the end of this year. The new planes will be used primarily on Delta’s transpacific routes.

General admission to the Delta Museum (including the 747 Experience) is $15 for adults, $12.50 for seniors (65 years or older), $10 for children under 18 and free for children under 5. The exhibit is open noon – 4 p.m. on Thursday – Tuesday. Tickets can be purchased at tickets.deltamuseum.org.

Let’s take a look- and be sure to read the captions!

Two permanent staircases and and elevator provide access to the big bird (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Rear staircase to enter and exit ship 6301 (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

You’ve got to get up under one of these ships to realize its enormity (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Part of the 747 experience is crawling around and under the plane, touching the landing gear and peering up inside the underbelly (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

I walked up the rear staircase, walked in and saw the entire aft economy class section cleared of seats, with a glass floor and open ceiling for a full view. Very cool! Amazing how much space there is without the seats. Delta plans to rent this space for private events like weddings or meetings. Great idea! (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

In the renovated area, the exhibit gives visitors a unique look behind the scenes. An exposed ceiling and glass floor reveal the insulation, wires, air conditioning ducts and more that are essential for the operation of a commercial airliner. The walls are lined with historic achievements in aviation, specific 747 graphics and statistics and a video screen capable of projecting various multimedia displays.

Delta flight attendants stationed at the event in vintage uniforms from the 1970s (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Did you know that there are two staircases on the 747? The one in the back goes to the crew rest area. Regrettably, you can only look at the rest area thru a plexiglass pane, but you can climb the tight staircase (Chris McGinnis)

Glass floor allows views into the guts of the plane (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

On one side of the plane you can walk out on the wing for a fantastic, unique view of the 747’s beautiful curves (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Unusually up-close exterior views from the wing walk (Chris McGinnis)

It’s important to point out that this 747 first belonged to Northwest Airlines, which merged with Delta. These are vintage Northwest uniforms from that era– the red one designed by Yves St Laurent (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Vintage pilot and maintenance uniforms from the 1970s. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Up inside the bubble, Delta has removed the rear galley and replaced the wall with glass so you can look down into the main deck. So cool! (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Looking forward in the bubble, Delta has preserved the Delta One cabin (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Visitors can enter the cockpit, and peer at the seats and controls through plexiglass (Chris McGinnis)

Looking back from the cockpit, you can look into the pilot crew rest area (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

A Delta Red Coat from back in the day. Remember those coats? (Chris McGinnis)

! An unusual view of the nose of this beautiful aircraft from the fore entry/staircase- click for Instagram! (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Delta says that Ship 6301 logged more than 61 million miles, enough to make 250 trips from the Earth to the moon, between its first flight with Northwest Airlines December 1989 and its last with Delta in September 2015.

Did you ever get a chance to ride on a Delta or Northwest 747? What do you think of its impending retirement? Please leave your comments below!

–Chris McGinnis

Disclosure: Delta provided TravelSkills with an economy class ticket between San Francisco and Atlanta to attend this event.

ICYMI, see the 25 most recent TravelSkills posts right here

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Test your planespotting skills with our new quiz!

July 30, 2016

Did you know that’s a Boeing 767? Take our quiz to hone those planespotting skills! (Photo: InSapphoWeTrust / Flickr)

It’s time for another fun TravelSkills quiz! This time, we are testing your ability to identify the planes you see in the skies or at the airport. Can you tell the difference between a Boeing 757 and Airbus A321? What’s the most distinguishing feature of a Boeing 777? Take our easy 3-minute, 10-question quiz below.

(Scroll down for some help studying for the quiz if you need it. We offer plenty of planespotting tips!) If you can’t see the embedded quiz below, here’s a link to it.

Longtime TravelSkills readers may remember our Planespotting 101 series. If you’d like to bone up on your skills before you take the quiz, here are links to those posts:

Planespotting 101: Boeing 757, 767

Planespotting 101: Boeing 737 vs Airbus A320

Planespotting 101: MD-80/90 & Boeing 717

Planespotting 101: Airbus A320 family differences

If you have fun with this, take our previous quizzes, too!

NAME THAT AIRPORT quiz

BUSINESS CLASS SEAT quiz

–Chris McGinnis

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: How to get the BEST summer fare deals | One airline fee fading fast | Trip Report: Aer Lingus Economy Class | 5 top jobs for frequent travelers | First class phase out coming soon

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Surf Air: All-you-can-fly in Europe for $3,250

July 9, 2016

Although it uses Pilatus turboprops for intra-California flights, Surf Air says it will use executive jets like this one for its new European division. (Image: Surf Air)

Aviation entrepreneurs in the U.S. have been trying different models like all-you-can-fly, pay-per-seat and so on to try to bring more business travelers onto smaller business jets. And now that effort is setting its sights on Europe.

California-based Surf Air is going to see how its all-you-can-fly membership club model goes over in Europe. It plans to launch operations there in October, charging a monthly fee of 2,500 pounds (about $3,238) for unlimited executive jet flying between London’s Luton Airport and European destinations like Cannes, Geneva and Zurich, with more destinations to be added next year, including Dublin, Amsterdam, Paris and Barcelona. See its new European website here.

Surf Air said its expansion to Europe “is a sign of the success Surf Air’s disruptive travel model has brought to the industry.” The company said that in the U.S., it now claims 3,000 members and it operates up to 90 daily flights to 13 destinations in or near California.

Will there be reciprocal benefits for Surf Air members in California and Europe? Here’s what a spokesperson told TravelSkills: “Founding Members will be able to use Surf Air services in the US as part of their European subscription. US Members and guests will have the ability to purchase guest passes for £750 one-way when flying Surf Air in Europe.”

Recent: New JetSuiteX option between Bay Area and LA now flying

Bliss Jet will use 14-passenger aircraft for flights from suburban New York to London. (Image: Bliss Jet)

For the transatlantic market, a company called Bliss Jet, based in Westchester, N.Y., recently started promoting individually-ticketed private jet flights between New York and London. The flights, due to start in September, will operate between Westchester County Airport in New York and London’s Biggin Hill Airport, located in southeast London 12 miles from the heart of town.

Flights will use 14-passenger jets operating on “business week” schedule, with Sunday night departures from Westchester and Friday afternoon returns from London. The company said that to maximize passenger comfort, it will “limit seat sales well below the maximum aircraft’s capacity.” They’ll operate as public charters flown by Jet Access Aviation. And the cost? A cool $11,995 – one-way.

Hmmm. That compares to British Airways’ daily all-business-class, 32-seat A319 nonstop between New York JFK and London City airport at about $5,000 roundtrip. Which one would you take?

Have you flown private… or at least semi-private yet? Please leave your comments below!

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