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With the economy spiraling further and further into a hole, Microsoft announced yesterday it was laying of 5000 employees. We learned today, though still officially unconfirmed by Microsoft, that the cuts include the disbanding of the ACES Studio team which is responsible for Flight Simulator. It appears as though the venerable flight simulator, which has been around since 1982, is no more.

When mega businesses like Boeing or Microsoft eliminate jobs, the impact reverberates throughout the economy. The loss of 5000 Microsoft jobs is a huge blow in its own right, but
the Flight Simulator community, which is truly global, will feel the
loss as well. Many developers make their living creating
addons for the program. The impact is far from localized.

As many of you know, I am an avid user of Flight Sim as well, having flown one version or another since 1995. In no uncertain terms, Flight Sim cultivated my love of aviation and helped me get to where I am today. I joke with my mother that all those times she was yelling at me during High School to do my homework and stop shooting ILS approaches to Kai Tai, I was really just getting job training for the future.

Microsoft Flight Simulator was an institution both personally and for the aviation community and its loss will be strongly felt.

In the wee hours of January 15th in the South of France, an A380 made its way (in pieces) to the Airbus facility in Toulouse. If my math is correct, this is the 32nd structural delivery of a flying A380 to the Final Assembly Line. The aircraft will eventually be the 8th for QANTAS as VH-OQH (MSN050). In addition to the video below (taken by my colleague Max Kingsley-Jones), photographer BlackBear_31 captured the convoy winding through a French village. The convoy carried the horizontal stabilizer, wings, forward, center and aft fuselage for the super jumbo.

Q: So how does Barack Obama like his hamburger?
A: Medium well, cheddar cheese, dijon mustard, lettuce and tomato with salad and don’t hold the fries.

The historic flight from Chicago to Washington, DC was widely covered right up until he reached the cabin door, though National Geographic took over filming to witness President-Elect Obama’s first official trip to Washington aboard an Air Force C-32 (Boeing 757) aircraft on January 4th.

My personal favorite line from Obama: “You look like Sam Shepard from the Right Stuff.”

The clip was filmed as part of the Onboard Air Force One documentary being aired on January 25th at 8 PM/9 PM ET/PT on the National Geographic Channel.

A very special thanks to the National Geographic Channel for providing the footage.

In honor of the festivities and traditions that are taking place over the next two days in my home of Washington, DC and the swearing in of the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, it was only fitting to offer a Movie Monday in honor of the peaceful transition of power my country is about to undertake.

This week’s documentary is a one hour look inside Air Force One by the National Geographic Channel that was produced in 2000 and 2001 just as President Clinton was leaving office and President Bush was beginning his first term. The documentary explores the symbolic, diplomatic and historical significance of the twin VC-25A aircraft that act as the President’s aircraft during their term of service.

Eight years later, the VC-25A is beginning, what could be, its final service for the full term of a President with replacement and retirement as a Presidential transport expected in 2017. On January 25 at 8 PM ET, the National Geographic Channel is once again taking us into the corridors of the modified 747-200Bs for a look at some of the most dangerous missions the aircraft has ever undertaken, including the 2003 secret mission to fly President Bush to Iraq for Thanksgiving with US troops. It promises to be an exciting look at the life of this flying symbol of the United States.

Last week, CNN’s Wolf Bitzer sat down with Col. Mark Tillman who serves as Presdient Bush’s pilot aboard Air Force One. In addition, the documentary has taken to twitter to promote the documentary and you can interact with “Air Force One” one tweet to tweet.

There’s a chance this video may be only viewable by a US audience, so I apologize in advance if that’s the case.

The 2008 Airbus/Boeing order battle is now closed. Airbus booked 777 (net) orders for aircraft in 2008 against Boeing’s 662. The 777 orders bring the European airframer’s backlog to 3,715 aircraft. Airbus received orders for 472 A320 family aircraft, 138 A330/A340s, 163 A350 XWBs and 9 A380s. 2008 marked a record year for deliveries as well, with 483 aircraft handed over to customers against Boeing’s 375.

Airbus also boasts a claim about the A350:

The recently launched A350 XWB won 163 new firm orders increasing the
total to 478 from 29 customers, making it the fastest selling aircraft
in aviation history.

The company doesn’t specify at what point they are measuring from, but no matter how you fold it, 478 orders is an incredibly solid start for an new aircraft program. Neither Airbus nor Boeing could’ve imagined that nearly 1400 long-range midsized aircraft would be in the books before a single one has even flown (delays not withstanding). That tally roughly matches the number of 747s delivered since 1970.

Why is Air Force One a 747-200B and not a 747-300?
I’ve been asked this one many times in the last week and it’s time for an answer. Many have suggested it was the service requirement for the airframe set forth by the Air Force criteria, but in fact, it’s not. The Air Force required the winning airframe/engine combination to have two years of commercial service by the time of delivery, more than enough for the 747-300.

Air Force One is actually powered by four General Electric CF6-80C2B1 engines that are identical to those on the 747-300. The 747-300 first entered service with Swissair in 1983. That engine went into service with Thai International Airways in December 1987. Boeing delivered the first modified 747-200B in August of 1990. Yet, that still doesn’t answer the question.

According to a June 1986 Aviation Week article (which I can’t republish):

Boeing did not propose the very long range 747SP (special performance) derivative because it would have been necessary to redesign the wing to accept the larger engines required to make the range/payload requirement. In addition, it would have been difficult to meet the interior space requirements with the foreshortened 747SP version. On the other hand, the stretched upped deck of the 747-300 provided more room than needed, and the greater gross weight and increased drag of the upper deck presented a range problem.

How many seats does Air Force One have?
The VC-25A is certified to carry 78 passengers and 23 crew members. Though, there is seating for 94 passengers, only 78 can be filled during takeoff and landing.

What number 747 off the line was 28000 and 29000?
Twin VC-25As 28000 and 29000 were number 679 and 688 out of Everett respectively.

How many auxiliary power units does Air Force One have?
Two! Twin Garrett GTCP331-200 APUs provide redundancy and guarantee sufficient ground power to main communications and air conditioning during extended ground stops in hot weather. The GTCP331-200 is actually designed for the 767, but the smaller unit was needed to double up in the VC-25A. The tailcone is modified to make way for this, and other “enhancements.”

Earlier this week, FedEx exercised options on an 15 additional 777 freighters just three weeks after a regulatory filing stated that the cargo company was deferring delivery of its first 777F until FY2010. Though this simultaneous deferral and expansion of the order provides an illuminating glimpse into the thinking of the cargo giant. International air cargo traffic fell 13.5% in the month of November last year. Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s general director called the drop, “Shocking.”

Air cargo, it appears, is a canary in a coal mine, setting off alarm bells for the rest of the global economy. Put simply, if people aren’t buying, good aren’t moving. This, of course, prompts a larger discussion as to whether or not air cargo traffic is a leading or trailing indicator of global economic health. Either way, it’s dropping…fast.

Though if we assume that air cargo is an indicator of the health of the global economy, then the FedEx order might just shed some light on where the world’s economic future lies. The initial deferral of FedEx’s first four 777Fs in FY2009 is an unsurprising move, but adding 15 more for delivery between FY2011 and FY2019 is a clue to what the company sees as a decade of robust global air cargo growth. Whether this happens or not is just reading tea leaves, but FedEx has put its money where its mouth is. Maybe we should listen.

FedEx 777F Delivery Calendar FY2009-FY2019

*Source – Seattle Post-Intelligencer & Flightglobal.com