A special AirlineReporter.com livery I made on an Airbus A330 for an online airline game. Yes, I am a huge nerd.

It’s a prerequisite of Airplane Geekdom that you spend hours and hours drawing out the plans for your own airline at a young age. I finally succumbed to the temptation when I was 12. With my AeroTrader in one hand, and blank paper in the other, I chose 2 old Piper Navajo’s priced at about $250K each to run my Chicago Meigs-based airline. I built a schedule, had a full year’s worth of financials, and even started writing a business plan (to this day, I’m still convinced it would have worked if it weren’t for that pesky Mayor Daley). But just building the idea wasn’t enough. I wanted to know if it would work.

So, I built my first airline business simulation. It was nothing more than some rules, a 10-headed die, some paper, and a pencil. In retrospect, this is where I should have stopped, however, over the years I decided it would be so much better to automate it with a little bit of computer magic. So after failed attempts at multiple languages, I went to Barnes and Noble, bought a book on PHP and MySQL programming, and read it over the weekend. I made the browser type “hello world” a couple of times and was off and running.

And so began my obsession with Airline Empires. A project that started because I wanted a way to find out if my airline ideas worked, was soon open to the public. The simulation floundered over and over again as the user base grew to 100, then 1,000, then 10,000, and finally peaked at 50,000 virtual airline entrepreneurs. One achievement I’m very proud of is that Airline Empires was the very first airline simulation which took into account competition in real time. In a nutshell, the fortunes of players’ airlines were dictated not only on their decisions, but on the decisions of the other players in the game. Sounds simple, but the complexities of it are mind boggling.

The problem with the game is that it never really was a game; It was as realistic a simulation as I could build. As airline investors know, realistic airline simulations aren’t much fun, and as close as I tried to make my simulation to reality, the true reality was that if you had 50,000 airlines, nobody made money. So I struggled with angry players, competing spin-offs, and a lack of time. Largely, the project has cost me thousands of dollars over the past 10 years, with not much more than disappointment and frustration.

Airline Empires wasn’t a complete bust. The techniques I learned from an airline perspective have served me well as I’m now paid to create airline business models, which is more of a fluke than a direct result of Airline Empires. What I’m most proud of, however, isn’t the simulation itself, but the advertising for it. Having learned some rudimentary Flash programming, I decided to put together a bit of a trailer for the game. It was my homage to airline history, and it quickly became more popular than the game itself. And so, as a sort of eulogy to the last 10 years that was Airline Empires, here is a look back at some of the failed airlines through the years. Enjoy.

You can follow Courtney on Twitter @miller22. Airline Empires is still being actively developed by people who know what they’re doing and you can find the game at AirlineEmpires.org.

Wonderful shot of American Airlines Boeing 777-200ER

I hear from a lot of aviation enthusiasts, “why are people afraid of flying? It is the safest transportation out there.” I have heard all sorts of fascinating statistics on how much safer flying is than driving, but I wanted to check them out for myself and share what I found.

A lot of people feel they have a lack of control while flying. They are sitting in a seat 30,000 feet in the air and their life is in the hands of the pilot and luck. Many feel they have full control in their automobile and are able to avoid a deadly crash. Yes, there are many auto incidents that can be avoided, but in most fatal accidents, there is nothing the driver can do.

First, some raw information from government websites:

Data from NHTSA (2008):
Total Auto-Related: 34,017
Deaths to Drivers: 19,220
Deaths to Auto Passengers: 7,397
Pedestrian Deaths: 4,378

DATA FROM FRAOSA (2008):
Total Train Related Deaths: 800
Deaths on a train: 3

Ok you ready for this?

DATA FROM NTSB:
Deaths on 14 CFR 121 (Airlines)…
From 1982-Present: 2924
In 2009: 45
In 2008: 0
In 2007: 0
In 2006: 47
Deaths on 14 CFR 135 (Commuters)…
From 1982-Present:  364
In 2009: 0
In 2008: 0
In 2007: 0
In 2006:  1

The raw numbers are pretty interesting all on their own. I was hoping to compare 2008 stats with all transportation methods, but there just weren’t any airline-related fatalities in 2008. It is amazing that in 2008 34,017 Americans died in car related accidents, but in 28 years from 1982-2010 only 3,288 Americans have died from airline-related accidents. Just think about that… statistically, that means it would take over 117 years of airline fatalities to equal the same number of auto-related deaths just in 2008.

Although telling already, I also wanted to compare number of deaths per miles traveled by car versus airplane versus train. According to the Research and Innovative Technology Administration with the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Americans in 2008 traveled 2,553,043,000,000 miles  in cars, 583,506,000,000 miles via commercial aviation and 16,850,000,000 miles by rail. Doing the math, I looked at the number of deaths per 100 million miles traveled in the US:

TRAIN RELATED: 4.40
People being killed by a train in any fashion via FRAOSA

OTHER AUTO: 1.73
Motorcycles, pedestrians, auto related

AUTOS: 1.33
Only passenger vehicles

PASSENGER TRAIN: 0.13
People dying on the train via FRAOSA

COMMERCIAL AIRLINES: 0.0077
2009: 0.0077
2008: 0.0000
2007: 0.0000

Once again, it is hard to compare, since so many years for airlines have zero deaths. This means the average American is 190 times more likely to die in an auto accident in 2008 versus an automobile accident per 100 million miles traveled. So why do people concentrate so much on airline-related deaths versus others?

Well, the media and public really attach on to an airline crashing anywhere in the world. Heck, you normally will hear when an airline needs to make an emergency landing. However, you barely hear a peep about an auto-related death on the local news, let alone an auto death happening somewhere else in the nation or world. This slanted coverage gives passengers this false idea that airlines are inherently unsafe and people die all the time. Also, where an average of about 90 people die per day in a car related accident, they are spread through out the day and all over the country. It isn’t as shocking as 30-250 people dying at one time in an airline incident.

This just helps to reinforce how amazing air travel is in the US. What other transportation can you use in America today that is safer than that… other then not leaving your home? These are very complex machines, constantly flying as cheap as possible at all hours of the day. It truly is amazing more incidents don’t occur. Those that ask for the “good ‘ol days” of travel, should remember how much safer your flight is now than it was just 50 years ago.

On the other side of this, should airlines and airport continue to put millions of dollars into safety, when the industry is already very regulated and comparatively very safe? Is there such a thing as spending too much money to make air travel “too safe” or are the costs worth it?

Anyhow, getting off my soapbox, I know if you are afraid of flying, seeing these statistics probably isn’t going to help you feel too much at ease.  However, next time you hit a bit of turbulence, think of how few people die each year flying and that there is a really, really really, really, really good chance you will be a.o.k!

I love the Ilyushin IL-96 (and IL-86). With the older Aeroflot livery, it looks all Russian. This video shows off the IL-96T, the freighter version, at the Moscow Airshow in 2005. She takes off, does a fly-by and then lands. Love the sound of her four Aviadvigatel PS90 engines.

Although many view the IL-96 as a less safe aircraft, no fatal accidents has ever occurred with the aircraft type (no passengers have died in the IL-86 either). I have never been able to fly on one, but it is on my to-do list. Have any of you been able to experience flying on an IL-96 or IL-86?

The Boeing factory in Everett has lots of hard working people making some amazing airplanes. Photo by Boeing

A very happy labor day to everyone! According to the United States of labor, this day “is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.”

Although the holiday has become a reminder it is the end of summer and start of the football season, I try to remember the reasoning behind it. Depending on what you currently think of unions now, our current working conditions would most likely be very different if unions did not fight hard for the working rights of Americans.

A very safe holiday for those who are celebrating and sorry to those that have to work today!

Lots of great stuff to check out at Vintage Aircraft Weekend at Paine Field this weekend.

If you are in the Seattle area this weekend and you like aviation, you probably want to stop by Paine Field (KPAE) to check out the Vintage Aircraft Weekend.

It is more than just looking at vintage airplanes on the ground. These babies can still fly and will show off their stuff. There will also be people who fly and work on the planes to be around to answer your questions and tell you stories.

Oh and there will be some pretty good food vendors there too.

If you are interested in checking it out, today they are open from 9:30am to 5:30pm and then open from 9:30am to 3:00pm on Sunday. To learn more, be sure to check out their website.

Aerial view of the DreamLifter and Future of Flight taken by Paine Field

Paine Field is in the process of building additional parking spots next to the Future of Flight. The hope is Boeing 787 Dreamliners will one day be parked there, but for a little over a week, a Boeing DreamLifter has been making it home. If you are in the Seattle area, this gives you a great opportunity to pretty close to a DreamLifter.

This photo was taken from the sky by the Paine Field Airport. Check out the shadow that the DreamLifter puts on the ground (zoomed in photo), it is quite impressive, just like the plane itself.

More:
* Larger version of image above
* Photos I took of the DreamLifter yesterday while at Paine Field

Allegiant Airlines Boeing 757 (N901NV) with full livery

A while back I was able to get a hold of a photo of a Boeing 757 with only the winglet painted with Allegiant Livery. Today I was sent a photo of the whole (ok, minus the nose) plane decked out in Allegiant livery.

As reported previously, Allegiant is looking to fly the planes to destinations in Hawaii. To date, they have not announced where they will fly.

I do not know when or where this photo was taken, but I do know the Allegiant livery looks dang good on a Boeing 757 in my opinion.

SEE LARGER VERSION

I was able to learn from Ron Suttell, Alaska Air Group director of facilities planning and administration and company historian (can that title even fit on a business card?) about Alaska and Boeing 707s. He explained that Alaska has operated four different Boeing 707s, which were all leased over the summers from 1970-1973 to provide chartered flights to Russia and provide additional capacity for passengers and cargo for regular domestic flights during the peak summer season.

The photos above (which you can click on to see a larger version) shows three of the four Boeing 707s used. Here is a little  history on each of the four aircraft:

Boeing 707-321 (N724PA) leased from Pan Am sporting Donaldson Airways (a non-scheduled charter airline) dark green / gold stripes scheme and Alaska-added Eskimo on the tail blended in.  Suttell says, “I remember this plane very well while working as an air freight agent in JNU.  In fact, I took a couple photos myself right from the freight shed as it taxied by.” N724PA brought much needed lift of cargo backlog SEA-KTN-JNU on flight 69 about three or four times a week in the summer of 1973 and provided the same needed capacity for passenger volumes at peak season. Unlike the other three Boeing 707′s, N724PA didn’t actually fly to Russia due to the poor economy. As discussed yesterday, N724PA was given back to Donaldson Airways and given a new registration number. Pan Am, then gave N724PA to a Boeing 747-200.

Boeing 707-331 (N705PA) leased from Pan Am with Air Florida reddish-orange stripes scheme and “Alaska” in black helvetica letters on the tail and sides. The aircraft was flown during the summer of 1972 for Alaska. After being with Alaska N705PA went to Globe Air and then hit the road and traveled the world. Last record I can find of her is a photo in 1981 of her being stored in Kuala Lumpur.

Boeing 707-321 (N727PA) leased from Pan Am.  Red stripe with familiar “Golden Nugget Service” logo on the tail.  This was the 707 that Alaska used on the inaugural charter flights to Russia beginning on June 6, 1970.  There was great fan-fare in the local Seattle media news media about the whole Russia ground-breaking flights.   This Boeing 707 flew until 1980 when it crashed on landing in Bogota. Like N724PA, the registration number was used by Pan Am again and given to another Boeing 747-200.

Boeing 707-320 (N793SA) the odd one of the bunch. This aircraft was not leased from Pan Am and Alaska had no information other than it was listed as an aircraft they have previously used. I did find some information on the aircraft on AussieAirliners.org and it shows it started life with Qantas. The aircraft was leased by Pacific Western Airlines before going to Alaska during summer of 1971. The plane flew until 1979 when it was used for spare parts for KC-135, so it might be the only one of the four with part of it still currently flying. The registration number is now being used on a Southwest Boeing 737.

Alaska Airlines also operated the Boeing 720 for a number of years in regular service on their route system until about 1975. Even though the Boeing 720 looks very similar to the 707, it is not as well suited for international flights and was used for a few years until 1975 on domestic routes.

You guys were rock stars providing more information on N724PA yesterday, so if you find any more about these four aircraft, please share them in the comments!

Here is PanAm Boeing 747-200 N724PA taken in 1990, about a year before Pan Am went out of business.

A while back after I blogged a photo of a Pan Am Boeing 747-200 taking off at Seattle, an ex-pilot that flew for Pan Am emailed me and thought the registration number had to be wrong. He remembered quite clearly that N724PA was not for a 747, but it belonged to a Boeing 707-300 that flew for Pan Am. This was curious for me, since when I looked up photos of aircraft belonging to N724PA there was a photo of a Boeing 707 in Alaska Airlines livery. It is common for airlines to re-use registration numbers, but I felt a story involving a Pan Am Boeing 747 and 707 used by Alaska needed to be told.

It turns out he was right. N724PA a Boeing 707-300, which Pan Am called “Clipper Mercury,” went into service on December 8, 1959 and served Pan Am well, until 1971. Mercury was leased to GE, then Donaldson International Airways until being leased to Alaska Airlines for the summer of 1972. After Alaska’s lease was up it went back to Donaldson and the registration number was changed from N724PA to G-BAEL.

When Mercury’s registration number was changed, it allowed Pan Am to “re-use” the number and register a new aircraft. When Pan Am got a Boeing 747-200 in 1984 from Sinapore Airlines, they gave her the name “Clipper Fairwind” and the registration number N724PA, which previously belonged to the Boeing 707.

I can’t find where the Boeing 747 ended up, but based photos taken in 2005, I am guessing she is no longer flying (can anyone else confirm that?).

So, that explains the confusion of the registration numbers, but left me wondering why the heck Alaska was flying a Boeing 707 for only one summer. For that answer you will have to wait until tomorrow!

Thanks Nick Y for pointing this out!

Also check out:
* Photos of Fairwind Clipper Boeing 747 through the years on Airliners.net

If you like wings, you are going to love the Caproni Ca.60 Noviplano. It had nine wings and was set to be a 100-passenger flying boat. To help get the 100-passenger aircraft and its nine wings off the ground, it had eight engines.

The plane was 30 feet tall – about three stories – and only 77 feet long. One would think the plane might not be the most stable and it wasn’t. It took flight one time, got up to 60 feet before crashing on March 4, 1921.

There was quite a bit of lead ballast in the aircraft and it is assumed they got lose and caused the aircraft to nose dive into the water. Luckily the test pilot survived.

The Caproni Ca.60 Noviplano might not have been successful, but it is one unique looking airplane.