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Video link:
You're welcome.
Just uploaded again to Youtube, and though aspect ratio problem is solved, there are a couple of weird visual glitches from the upload as if rain was on the lens for a moment or two - not really the case. But for the most part, it looks better than the first upload. Here is the link to "Takeoff 4":
"Has anyone taken new pictures?"
Take a look at this...
Me too!
New York.
Descending to Oscoda. On the ground in just a few minutes. Will likely be there for 10 days to 2 weeks, then on to JFK.
"Wish we had someone on the ground in Michigan to take pictures..."
We do, of course.
Big problem with winds this morning, so had to detour north to get better winds for heading east. Now we're cooking over north central Nevada heading northeast.
Airborne, on the way to Oscoda, MI.
Keep in mind that FlightAware has about a 5 minute delay.
Rescheduled for early tomorrow morning.
Flight cancelled for today.
The ferry pilots are from Kalitta.
"When do all the other airlines have to start the re-certification process?"
My understanding is that it will be phased in on a schedule designed to not be disruptive to airline operations. Apparently the schedule hasn't been set yet because the FAA is waiting to complete this new certification process with Baltia in order to see what bugs in the system may have to be ironed out before mandating it for the re-certification of existing airlines.
But when that happens, one can easily imagine how valuable Baltia's manuals and SAI docs are likely to be to other airlines as a template for their re-certification work (though "re-certification" may not actually be the proper name for this process).
The earliest it could fly from Victorville would be about 1 pm PDT or 4pm EDT.
Abolish the FAA? Just political noise to get attention. It won't happen, especially from the party that created the FAA. Remember, it was Ike, a Republican, who set it up in the late '50s after some nasty midair collisions of airliners over the Grand Canyon followed soon after by another midair collision between an airliner and an air force jet fighter. The FAA replaced the CAA and instituted an effective air traffic control system that has given us some recent years (not necessarily consecutive years) with zero US airline fatalities. Hard to argue with that. The public will support the FAA.
Actually, the FAA people who are working with Baltia on this are reportedly being very helpful, and have been so for months. However, the new airline certification process - redesigned to enhance safety - is new to the FAA as well as to Baltia, so they have both been struggling with it. Eventually, all existing airlines will have to be re-certified under this system. Then Baltia will be able to make big bucks selling them Baltia's manuals and SAI responses to use as a template.
On the morning (PDT) of Friday, Sept 9th, it may be of interest to look for N706BL on...
http://flightaware.com/live/airport/KVCV (Victorville)
and...
http://flightaware.com/live/airport/KOSC (Oscoda)
...just in case there is activity.
Remember what happened to Martha Stewart - she wasn't an officer of the company in question nor did she own more than 5 % of the stock. But she went to prison for acting on an inside tip. The tipster was also prosecuted.
There is a very fine line here. Reporting an event that has actually happened - is usually no problem. But anything that is forward looking based on inside knowledge is in the realm of "would/should/could/might/ought be" and could be construed as an attempt to manipulate the stock price, which would be illegal, especially if done by someone with a significant holding of stock.
Apparently some folks are not interested in a one-way ticket to Leavenworth for manipulating the stock price with insider information.
If more shares are sold bringing in more cash assets (increasing the size of the pie), or if shares are exchanged for physical or other assets thereby avoiding the expenditure of cash assets while increasing the value of the physical assets, how is that dilution? Doesn't dilution relate to the relationship between a share and the size of the assets pie?
I will email Barry. By the way, did you know that roosters actually can fly - unless their wings have been clipped?
Travel to Kauai, Hawaii, and you may be amazed to see chickens and roosters flying wild in many areas. Apparently some of them got loose from a farm long ago before their wings could be clipped, and so started breeding wild flocks of chickens & roosters.
So the criticism that Baltia chose a flightless bird for its logo isn't true.
The rooster can indeed fly!
A preview of coming attractions...
http://www.leadersoft.com/files/N706BL-2c.jpg
(Shamelessly photo-shopped from photo of parked Baltia rooster.)
The photos of the plane outside are indeed real, but just look a little strange because of the jpeg compression that was probably used to reduce the file size to something that could be more easily emailed. That's what I was trying to explain before, but I guess wasn't clear.
The photos of the plane parked on the ramp may look "photo-shopped" because their jpeg files were compressed from approx 280,000 bytes down to about 22,000 bytes (perhaps to facilitate emailing as an attachment). This compression process often causes a little weirdness around the edges of objects in a picture. For comparison, if you look at the photo in the cockpit, which has lots of detailed objects, there is no weirdness around their edges - because it wasn't compressed and remains about 280,000 bytes.
Apparently the paint job isn't quite completed yet, which is why the photos show some unfinished places on the tail. Have heard that the Baltia 747 was in the shop for 2 weeks, then had to come out to let another plane in for pre-scheduled work. They say Baltia's 747 will go back into the paint shop shortly for a few finishing touches that will take a few days. Then it will wing its way east.
Who quoted Trump?
Go see for yourself at...
http://www.t10lists.com/uncategorized/10-most-popular-private-jets-in-the-world.html
...which was just one of the many places where one of his 2 planes were shown with the gold leaf lettering.
But this isn't about Trump. It's about whether gold leaf can stay stuck to the side of a jet. What proof do you have that it can't be made to do so?
It's been done before very successfully on Donald Trump's private 757 jet, which has a huge "TRUMP" on the outside of the fuselage in 23 carat gold leaf. He also did it on his prior jet, a 727.
It is. No if's and's or but's about it. It is.
"...get an inkilng as to what they've done, or plan to do, to capture that nostalgic experience." - emit
For starters, they've added about 6 inches between all rows of seats in back on N706BL. It looks like food and service will be superior to anything else in the air. We will fly like honored humans again instead of like cattle, and arrive refreshed and ready to enjoy our destination.
I heard a strong rumor that N706BL went into the paint shop last Thursday. Info online about the painter, "Leading Edge," is that they generally do a 747 in 2-3 weeks.
Yes.
No.
Maybe.
According to online info about the two Northwest "sister ships" the one now in paint was Northwest's N623US and the second one was Northwest's N624US. The first one (the one Baltia has in paint) actually has about 3000 less flying hours and 1000 less cycles on it than N624US.
Baltia's 2nd 747, N706BL, formerly Northwest N623US, flew for Northwest as a passenger plane until December 2009, when it was bought by Kalitta and went into storage. The last few years with Northwest it was used for charter work only, mostly military charters - fairly light long-haul work. People who inspected it before Baltia bought it had said Northwest maintained it in tip top shape.
3:34 pm EDT. Descending at 32,000 and overflying Las Vegas. Better place your bets now on Baltia! Land in 21 minutes.
3:18 pm EDT over Zion Nat'l Park at 40,000 feet (went up a bit)at 454 knots (522 mph) ground speed. Land at Victorville in 38 minutes.
Video of paint shop:
Could be out of the paint shop in 3 weeks with a gold rooster on the big red tail.
By the way, do you know roosters can actually fly? Go to Kauai and you'll see roosters and chickens flying all over the place. That is because some roosters and chickens that didn't get their wings clipped escaped from a farm long ago and their descendants are now wild. Barnyard chickens & roosters don't fly because they've had their wings clipped. Let's hope our rooster never gets its wings clipped!
Over Casper Wyoming at 2:25 EDT at 36 thousand feet, and picked up a little speed to 438 knots (504 mph) ground speed. Salt Lake City coming up soon. Then we'll be in the home stretch for Victorville.