Mike Goulian invited my son and me to come up to the Red Bull Air Races in New York June 19^th and 20^th. Mike and I have been friends since I was the team doctor and he was a member of the US Aerobactic Team at the World Competition in Hungary in 1994. Goulian is seventh in the Red Bull standings so far this year. Since these opportunities do not come around every day, we flew to NYC for the event.

Red Bull does not do routine advertising but instead, concentrates on extreme sports. What they have done with their air races is to turn aerobatic competition into a spectator sport appreciated by the pilot and non pilot alike. They have done this by combining speed through a course which requires aerobatic maneuvers to compete.

Watching amateur aerobatic competition gets boring after the first couple of flights. Red Bull has an entirely different feel and experience. Of course, the technology involved is spectacular with real time cameras in all the cockpits, on the tails, and from ground and helicopter cameras over the entire course. Red Bull also has jumbo TV screens all over so the spectators can watch the race with the naked eye or from the various camera locations on the screens with “entertaining” play by play. Of course the replays of the flights are ubiquitous.

Competition is based on time through a course delineated by inflatable pylons. These pylons are usually set up on lakes and rivers but some course have been set on hard ground. Blue pylons have to be passed wings level between the solid color marks and the red pylons are passed wings vertical. The aircraft will pull as many as nine positive Gs during the race and times can be separated by hundredths of seconds. There are time penalties for going too high, too low, wings not level or knife edge when passing a pylon, and of course, the ultimate six second penalty for hitting a pylon. There is even a one second penalty for “insufficient smoke” which shows how important the spectator portion of the competition is.

The rules are strict and aircraft engines and weight are set to be exact as possible. In fact, there are close to 200 pages of rules and regulations that define locations, personnel, weather, and just about every other criterion imaginable to make sure the races are fair and in particular, safe. Rescue divers are fully geared up during the race and were on the pilot in less than 60 seconds during a dunking in Perth, Australia.

My photos on Aircraft Owner show various aspects of the race in New York (actually on the Hudson River, just off New Jersey’s Liberty Park next to Ellis Island) ranging from aircraft passing the pylons to the short skirted Red Bull hosts. In addition to the race, there is a fair amount of party atmosphere at night which adds to the event.

Red Bull’s commitment to the race is enormous. They transport 360 tons of equipment to each race which include two control towers (one for the departure airport and one at the race site), hangars for all the aircraft (plus the aircraft), bleachers, VIP tents, the pylons, and much more. Everyone I spoke with associated with the race from the pilots to contract Getty photographers said that Red Bull treats them in a first class manner whether it was hotel selection or routine amenities. Reliable sources said that every race costs between $6 and $8 million to produce although the exact amounts are not public.

Needless to say, there was lots of Red Bull at the race. In fact, the choice was Red Bull, Red Bull Cola, or water. In the New York heat and humidity, I was hoping for a Red Bull beer!

I am very concerned about the role and plight of the professionally trained business aviation flight attendant. Non trained or unprofessionally trained  people acting as a corporate flight attendant and being listed as a passenger on the aircraft manifest or listed as a "cabin server" is beyond dangerous. It is unacceptable and a liability for an industry that is responsible for keeping people, including corporate executives, safe.

The moment the aircraft's chocks are removed and there is aircraft movement, until the aircraft comes to a complete stop and the chocks are replaced behind the tires, anything, and I mean anything can happen.

CEO's and anyone utilizing a business aircraft are in a tube traveling from point A-B-C in an unnatural environment. The mind set is to obviously get to point C without incident or accident. However, there is always that "What If" factor. I would have to assume that in 2004 in Montrose, Colorado, none of the passengers questioned whether or not the "acting" flight attendant was or was not corporate specific trained for evacuation purposes by an approved Part 91/135 training vendor. The person that appeared to be a corporate flight attendant was actually commercially trained. However, our business aircraft equipment is different, the operation of the main cabin door is different and the primary exits that are the over wing exits are different. The heart-breaking fact is that three people perished in that accident, including the "flight attendant" who had no formal emergency training by an approved training vendor for business aviation.

I have asked my peers for the past 25 years, "In what industry/profession where you have and hold people's lives in your hands do you introduce into that environment an untrained person?" Certainly not a doctor, nurse, criminal defense attorney who quite possibly by his/her expertise and training holds your life in their hands by his/her closing remarks to the jury. I recently took Amtrak to speak at an aviation conference in Washington, and even the conductors were evacuation trained. All pilots whether commercial or private are trained, so why not the flight attendant?

Do passengers boarding a commercial airline (El Al/Delta/Southwest/Air France), know that the flight attendants are emergency trained to save your life? The answer is a definite YES. You know that they are there to evacuate you if needed and will always have your back whether it is a medical emergency or aircraft emergency. Let us not forget The Miracle On The Hudson.

Most corporate aviation passengers never consider the possibility that the "acting flight attendant" on their airplane is a non-trained person. Their assumption is that she/he is egress/emergency and first aid trained for the mission of that aircraft type. The "acting" cabin server in Teterboro, NJ, Challenger aircraft accident had no formal corporate specific egress training and when the aircraft hit the warehouse building across Highway 46 the reports stated that she covered her eyes, screamed and could not open the forward door. A passenger opened the door.

On October 31, 2006, the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) released a final report about the Teterboro accident. In the report there was a statement: " Requiring any cabin personnel on board Part 135 flights who could be perceived by passengers as equivalent to a qualified flight attendant receive basic FAA  approved safety training in at least the following areas (incomplete safety briefing was given on this accident flight) : preflight briefing and safety checks; emergency exit operation; and emergency equipment usage. This training should be documented and recorded by the Part 135 certificate holder."

A synopsis of the Board's report including the probable cause and recommendations of this incident is available at www.ntsb.gov

I think it is time for corporate aviation passengers to start asking who the people are in the back of their aircraft whether it is a Part 91 or a Part 135 operation, and if they are corporate aircraft specific trained.

I will close by telling Wheels Up readers about my last recurrent egress training at FlightSafety in Teterboro last month. They have an amazing Gulfstream simulator for evacuation procedures and drills. It has an over wing exit for each corporate aircraft type. We are all given 2 drills each after hours of classroom work. This particular drill for me was what we refer to as an anticipated evacuation or a planned emergency. Here was my drill:

I was called to the cockpit and told by the instructor that we had about 15 minutes before landing in Morocco. We were over the water and there were major engine problems due to volcanic ash. I immediately asked the questions that I am trained to ask so I could gather the information needed to tell my passengers what was going on and then brief them accordingly. The information I was told made me realize that we might ditch (water landing) and might not have a runway landing.

I briefed my passengers (other students) accordingly, had them get their life vests out from under their respective seats and instructed them on how to put them on in the event of a water landing and instructed them to NOT inflate them in the cabin if we had a water landing but to do so when they had exited the over wing exit opening and after they assessed conditions out of the exit (fire/smoke/water level line). I showed them the rafts and their location under the couch (2 of them) and briefed them on how to tie the raft to the aircraft before heaving it out, and then REALLY briefed my assigned ABP (Able Bodied Passenger) in the event that I did not survive. This is the person that has the other passenger's backs in the event that the Flight Attendant is dead and they can then lead the evacuation. Trust me, there are a lot of things I briefed my passengers on that I can't get into in an article.

When we landed, the sound effects were implemented which were loud and scary when replicated for this type of landing. When what we heard was completed, I knew we had hit the water. The instructor screamed to me that I was partly paralyzed and had 2 broken legs, and my ABP was dead on impact. I could not physically initiate my evacuation. I had to verbally scream my evacuation commands from my seat and not execute my evacuation myself but instruct the passengers verbally again on when they could get out of their seats and what to do. What if the pilots were dead on impact and you had no corporate-specific-trained flight attendant in a real-life scenario like this?

The cost of corporate specific emergency training and having a real trained Corporate Flight Attendant on your aircraft versus a cabin server is a mere monetary pittance in relationship to your life and your corporate and personal family's lives.

Susan C. Friedenberg has been very proactive in Business Aviation for 25 years and is the founder of Corporate Flight Attendant Training & Consulting Services. She is passionate regarding raising the educational and egress training standards for the business aviation flight attendant/third crew member.

Susan C. Friedenberg – President & CEO
Corporate Flight Attendant Training & Consulting Services
241 South 6th Street
Suite 1806
Philadelphia, PA 19106 USA
Telephone # 215.625.4811
FAX # 215.413.9013
www.CorporateFlightAttendantTraining.com 

Tiny Teterboro, New Jersey is situated just south of Hackensack at the edge of the Meadowlands only twelve miles from midtown Manhattan. This Bergen County borough is mostly known for its airport, as the residential properties in the town are few. Indeed, recent census figures put the town's population at just 18 souls! Meanwhile, business dominates the town and the airport, named for the town, is the chief job generator in the town as well as in surrounding communities.

At just over one square mile, Teterboro certainly is easily missed. Bordered by state highways 46 to the north and 17 to the west, the town would certainly be overlooked unless you failed to notice the regular flow of general aviation traffic entering and leaving the airport. Indeed, Teterboro Airport {TEB} ranks as one of the busiest general aviation airports in the country serving Piper and Cessna owners all the way up to Gulfstream V charter operators.

In 1917, a Mr. Walter C. Teter purchased what is now known as Teterboro from North American Aviation, who had operated a plant on its site during the first world war. Over the years, the airport changed hands several times until, finally, in 1949 the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey purchased the airport. Since then the authority has operated the airport through contractors or has managed it directly; vast improvements to Teterboro Airport have been made since the authority assumed control.

Teterboro is the home to numerous aviation companies including Atlantic Aviation, Million Air, Jet Aviation, First Aviation Services, and Signature Flight Support. All five companies operate what are known as Fixed Based Operations {FBOs} which provide essential airport services including aircraft fueling, passenger processing, and more. In addition, aircraft hangars occupy key sections of the airport for operators to house their expensive business jets within.

One of the most famous landmarks in the Teterboro is the Aviation Hall of Fame & Museum of NJ. Located on the airport grounds the museum, which opened in 1972, was the first state aviation museum in the nation. Aviation pioneers Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhardt both flew in and out of Teterboro.

Towns bordering Teterboro include: South Hackensack, Little Ferry, Moonachie, Wood-Ridge, and Hasbrouck Heights. Indeed, the entire lower third of the airport actually falls within the boundaries of Moonachie.

 

A very senior pilot was asked, "How might I fly through a thunderstorm that I could not avoid?"

The answer he wanted to give was either, "You can't." or "Don't try."

But the question needed to be answered. Here is his advice:

Just about the only way to inadvertently get into a thunderstorm is by flying instruments in clouds with embedded thunderstorms and without either weather radar equipment onboard or ground-based weather radar available to your air traffic controller. Let's assume this is how Fate dealt you such a poor hand.

The greatest risk in thunderstorms is structural failure. My advice is: don't do anything that helps the thunderstorm break your airplane. When you realize that you are in trouble, slow down. I mean not just to maneuvering speed but much slower than that. Slow to what is known as 'slow cruise' - the speed that you use in holding patterns. This will be fairly close to the best rate of climb airspeed for your airplane. Slow cruise is slow enough to minimize the adverse effects of turbulence and fast enough to keep your controls responsive. Consider putting your wheels down. This will help you stay slow. Most airplanes are not as strong with flaps out, so don't use flaps unless there is no restriction against it in your pilot's handbook for the airplane.

The reason to slow down is that the higher your airspeed, the greater force turbulence can impart on your airplane. That destructive force comes in the form of lift. Remember that lift is proportional to the speed of the airplane squared. Slow is good.

Too slow is not good simply because the last thing that you need is to stall and spin when you are in a thunderstorm.

There is an expression in aviation that says a pilot's priorities are aviate, navigate and communicate, in that order. I agree. Certainly your most important task is to fly the airplane. However, you need all the help you can get. So tell air traffic control (ATC) that you are in trouble and need help. Ask them to vector you out of the thunderstorm. Tell them that you cannot maintain the assigned altitude - because you cannot. Ask them to vector you away from high terrain. Be aware that your inability to maintain altitude can easily put you in a position where you cannot communicate with ATC for some period of time.

The intensity of rain in a thunderstorm can be truly phenomenal. Quite possibly your engine or engines can start to ingest a great deal of water. This water can turn to ice in your carburetor especially at high altitudes and low power settings. When you apply carburetor heat, the mixture enriches forcing you to lean the engine or risk fouling the spark plugs. Tuning the engine is an integral part of flying the airplane, your most important task.

The updrafts and downdrafts in a thunderstorm can far exceed a general aviation airplane's ability to climb or dive. So just ride them out. Don't start building airspeed by pushing your nose down to stay at your assigned altitude in a strong updraft. If you get caught in a strong downdraft, go to your best rate of climb airspeed at full power. You will still go down - just not as fast and not so far. When the downdraft dissipates, you can start climbing back to your assigned altitude. If you have oxygen and perhaps if you don't, ask ATC for a higher altitude so you will have a greater margin of safety when you enter your next overpowering downdraft. If ATC will not grant you a higher altitude, do not be afraid to declare an emergency and tell ATC that you are going to a higher altitude.

There are two things that you should remember here. First, if the FAA issues a violation, it is better to argue in court that you needed that higher altitude than it is to have the surviving members of your family argue in court that the FAA should have cleared you to a higher altitude. Second, when you go high without oxygen, you get so stupid you don't know how truly stupid you are. Having said that, when you are at 10,000 feet facing 12,000 feet peaks and a known thunderstorm behind you, the options start to narrow. For me, it is better to face hypoxia than certain death.

To sum it up: Plan your fight and check your weather well enough to know that you are not going into a thunderstorm.

If, by some fluke of nature, you end up in a thunderstorm that was not predicted and you could not see, then

1.) Slow down.
2.) Remember that flying the airplane is your most important task.
3.) Get out of the thunderstorm as quickly as possible.
4.) Keep going straight with wings level while you ride out overpowering up and downdrafts.
5.) Tell ATC.
6.) Ask for help.

Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com

About the Author: Doug Daniel a is long time pilot, flight instructor, software engineering manager and author. His department developed the software for the out-the-window-displays for the space shuttle, F-117, RS-71 and numerous other exotic airplanes. His writing focuses on flying techniques designed to make flying easier and safer. If this was interesting, visit his website at http://www.FlyingSecretsRevealed.com/flying_questions/

Right now something very exceptional is going on. It’s call the American Barnstormers Tour and it is flying around the upper Midwest entertaining people with General Aviation. (www.AmericanBarnstormersTour.com)
 

This great event was started after the 2003 National Air Tour (see: www.NationalAirTour.org) . It is operated and participated in, by several original 2003 NAT participants 
 

The third biannual Barnstormers Tour is flying through July 5th and is headed up by original NAT participant Clay Adams. Clay gets a group of barnstormers together, sets up and promotes a route and gets local airports and communities to help support each stop. There, about half-a-dozen vintage ride planes operate carrying passengers for hire while another dozen of so vintage ships provide background color and a static museum of sorts at each stop. It’s fabulous. People love it and the local participation is hands down fantastic.

 

At each stop there is music playing, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, high school boosters and other local organizations selling food, snacks and other things in support their community activities. People are happy just to be there. They watch the goings-on with enthusiasm, even if they don’t take a ride. All the activity is centered around aviation their local airport. That, my fellow pilots, is a wonderful thing!

 

The tour consist of twenty meticulously restored vintage aircraft from the 1920s and 1930s. It started on June 17th and runs through July 5th. Tour aircraft will be on display at each stop from around 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Biplane rides available for $60.00 per passenger and Stearman 'hands-on flights' for $200.00 per passenger. Admission is free for everyone.

 

Here is the remaining Barnstormer’s Tour Schedule.  I only wish there were more events like this going on around the country!

 

Watertown Regional Airport (KATY) June 23

Watertown, SD

 

Aberdeen Regional Airport (KABR)  June 24-26

Aberdeen, SD

 

Bismarck Airport (KBIS) June 27-29

Bismark, ND

 

Jamestown Regional Airport (KJMS) June 30-July 2

Jamestown, ND

 

Chandler Field Airport (KAXN) July 3-5

Alexandria, MN

Good luck to Clay and all of the other particupants of the American Barnstormer's Tour. Thank you for sharing aviation with so many people.

Aircraft insurance is a specialized industry, which differs in lot of ways from other insurance industries. The first insurance for an aircraft was done in the early 20th century by Lloyds of London in 1911. However, the airline industry was well established in 1933 and a need for specialized aircraft insurance industry was realized. The International Union of Marine Insurance set up an aircraft committee and by 1934 eight European Insurance companies were established.

Aircraft Hull Insurance

The task of accepting the risk of major airlines can not be handled by a single insurer as aircraft accidents involve loss of million of dollars. So the industry tends to use different kinds of syndicates.

Almost every airline arranges fleet policies to insure all aircrafts they own and operate. Most of them are covered by 'All Risk Policy', but this includes a fairly high deductible amount. This deductable can lengthen between $50,000 for a Twin Otter to $1,000,000 for a huge bodied jet aircraft.

Aircraft Liability Insurance

This consists of two types of insurance categories:

1. Liability covering baggage, cargo, passengers, mail and crew of the aircraft. It is concerned with the operations that an airline performs.
2. Another is the third party liability insurance which is for the damage caused to the property or people who are not boarded on the plane.

Every airline should cover both the categories and try to get them in a single policy. Small aircrafts use small airstrips which have less potential risk exposure in comparison to the large operators using main airports.

General Aviation insurance

Many of the aircraft companies cover other end of the market, consisting of privately owned airplanes and helicopters. However much of the insurance institutions do not provide insurance facilities for both the aircraft itself and any liability attached to it. There are other specialized insurance available such as flight instructors, which aims at protecting flying instructors against any sort of negligence claims. Insurance is also provided for a rent out, leased out aircraft and also for the pilot if he is hired for flying the aircraft. Certain benefits are also meant for the family members of the pilot and crew in case of any incident.

Aircraft insurance is a specialized industry, and those willing to take it should go for an advice from an insurance company or an insurance broker.

For more insights and further information about Aircraft Insurance, Aircraft Financing and Aviation Insurance visit our site:- http://usaviationfinance.com/

An international airport is a hub of activity; with holidaymakers, business people and others travelling en mass, it is essential to create a calm and tranquil atmosphere. It is also important to plan and design the airport so that a large number of people can pass through with minimum disturbance to each other and to the operations within the terminal itself.

There are, however, smaller general terminals and military bases that form a large part of the aviation industry and the design and development of each of these has different priorities.

The smooth running of these large projects takes a level of organisation and planning that requires the amalgamation of many skills in the engineering industry. In recent years the building of any industrial development has had to conform to new environmental impact legislations.

To guarantee that the development meets these regulatory standards it is essential to implement an Environmental Management System. This will ensure that every step of the airport design has been considered in accordance with any future environmental impacts it might have.

Environmental engineering takes many environmental factors into consideration and meets the 'green' standards expected by a concerned public and demanded by government regulations. Using resources wisely and setting high standards that will meet tomorrow's sustainability requirements are a priority.

It is now widely understood in business that an increase in environmental performance translates as a rise in general performance and profits; it is this kind of understanding that is allowing the boundaries of design to be pushed and for developments in airport design to embrace the future of technology.

The aesthetics of an airport differ depending on whether it functions as a consumer-facing international air terminal, a military base or a general aviation airport, due to significantly different end user requirements. In a commercial airport, the design is tailored toward creating a calm, open atmosphere.

The users of this type of airport are generally waiting for long amounts of time to board a flight and will spend this interval shopping in the many tax free boutiques and eating and drinking in the terminals bars and restaurants. The way these airports function has to facilitate a large number of people queuing and moving between areas. This requires wide, open walkways and an environmental control system that ensures passengers are comfortable while they wait to board.

If you compare this with the functioning of a military air base, the differences in design priorities are startling. At military air bases, comfort and aesthetics take a lower priority than functionality because a military establishment is primarily a place of work. There is no need to create a consumer-friendly atmosphere culture and the volume of personnel that military airports have to process is dramatically reduced.

A small local airport often has to accommodate a unique demographic that needs more functionality than an international terminal because some of the clientele are pilots and others are passengers, so a certain level of consumer-friendly aesthetics are built in and the facilities on offer mirror those that would be expected at a major airport, such as restaurants and shops.

Understanding and unifying aesthetics and functionality in accordance with a sustainable way of development is the major challenge facing airport designers today. When you have passengers who seek five star service and airport operators that aim to meet a target of zero carbon emissions, formulating a green project that gets the green light can seem like pie in the sky.

Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com

About the Author: Dominic Donaldson is an expert in the engineering industry.
Find out more about airport design and why the new environmental legislation is affecting the aesthetics of airports.

Visitors to Florida will be happy to know that there are plenty of low-cost and even free attractions that are every bit as exciting as theme parks for which this state is famous. One such attraction is the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola.

The museum is part of the Naval Air Station at Pensacola and contains more than 150 historic aircraft as well as thousands of artifacts representing the history of the air services of the Navy, Marine Corps and the Coast Guard. In addition the museum also contains memorabilia representing nearly a century of Naval Aviation history, including personal mementos from historic battles, flight logs, vintage equipment and flight clothing

 

If you are visiting during the months of March through November you can watch the aerial exploits of the Blue Angels. The practice sessions of the Blue Angels take place on most Tuesday and Wednesday mornings of these months and are followed by autograph sessions that are sure to be a hit with your kids.

 

Regardless of when you visit, the museum has plenty of exhibits that will make you appreciate the 100 year history of naval aviation. Special exhibits include Faces of Aviation History, Medal of Honor, Enlisted Pilots, P.O.W. Exhibit, Hall of Honor, Then and Now Frontiers of Aviation History , Lighter than Air, WWI, Space, World War II and the Age of Carriers and several others.

 

Entrance to the museum and all of these exhibits is free of charge and that includes the Blue Angels sessions too. In addition the museum also offers several tours that are free of charge.

 

Admission to the museum's thrilling aerial simulators and its huge seven storey IMAX however are not free, but you will be happy to know that the fees are quite reasonable and affordable.

 

The IMAX Theater at the museum has a number of films that are entertaining, thrilling and educational at the same time, as well as visually awesome when viewed on the huge screen. Films on the bill include "Straight Up! Helicopters in Action," "The Magic of Flight," "Grand Canyon Adventure - River at Risk," and "Fighter Pilot." The museum describes the Fighter Pilot film as the "closest to air combat you can get without joining the military!" Admission to the IMAX Theater costs $8.00 with discounts for seniors, military personnel and others.

 

The flight simulators are another stand-out item at the museum. The museum has two flight simulators. There is the Motion Based Simulator which is a five minute ride that combines high definition audio-visual images, surround sound and a moving simulator capsule that lets you and 14 other passengers experience movement in six directions as well as horizontal rolls, longitudinal pitches and vertical climbs.

 

The motion based simulator offers two options, a Blue Angels simulation on a high speed low-level flight with high-performance turns and maneuvers, and a take-off from an aircraft carrier in a Desert Storm simulation that includes a battle in the Iraqi desert.

 

The other simulator is the Top Gun Air Combat Simulator which is the actual two person simulator that was used to train the pilots of the Navy F-14 Tomcat. In this simulator you can test your flying skills, engage in a dog fight and land on an aircraft carrier.

 

If flight, thrills or history is your thing, then a visit to the National Museum of Naval Aviation should be put on your must-see list. Here are the contact details: National Naval Aviation Museum, 1750 Radford Blvd., Suite C, Naval Air Station Pensacola, FL 32508, Phone: (850) 452-3604 or (850) 452-3606, Fax: (850) 452-3296

 

About The Author: Mark Whichard is a frequent writer on Orlando area tourism. He is the proprietor of Orlando's Finest vacation homes and you can get great deals on Orlando Vacation Homes by visiting his website at http://www.orlandosfinest.com

Many years ago I started a Web site just for fun called Fly-ins.com.   It’s a simple site and we have not updated the software since day-one but it still works. 

 

At www.Fly-ins.com you can find fly-ins or aviation events going on in your state this weekend and on into the summer. Also, if you are hosting and event or know of one not posted, you can post it yourself (it may not come up immediately as we need to review all the postings first, but it won’t take long).

 

If you subscribe to our free notification service you will receive an e-mail about events you have expressed an interest in; once when they are first posted then a reminder notice a few days before the event.  It’s simple but it works and it costs nothing.

 

I have a couple of event’s coming up and I think we will pull the tri-motor out!  Should be fun.

 

Fly safe!

Greg

 

Apparently Honeywell is testing some exciting new avionics technology that will audibly call out the aircraft location on the taxiway. This is a huge deal for airports with thick fog and confusing taxiway and runway layouts.

Besides that, the technology goes much further in providing audible cues than current technology.

Read more at Planeology.com