Flying a seaplane, the “right” to airline seat space, stacked passenger seats, a KC-46A Pegasus milestone, an A330 faceplant, U.S. Customs and Border Protection drones in the National Airspace, and The Air League.
Guest
Edgar “E.T.” Tello owns and flys a Seabee, and he is also a United Airlines Captain with experience in DC-8s, B-737, B-747, B-757, B-767, and B-777. He flew T-37s and T-38s at Williams AFB and went on to C-141s at Norton AFB, and T-41s (Cessna 172s) instructing Air Force Academy cadets in Colorado Springs. Currently, Ed and his family live in Long Island Airpark, at Lake Norman, North Carolina (NC26).

Ed tells us how he was impressed by seaplanes at an early age. Years later when he saw his dream at AirVenture Oshkosh, he bought it. Seaplanes offer a unique unique flying experience, with the ability to land on water and pull up to the dock or a boat. Ed brings his Seabee to Oshkosh, Sun ‘n Fun, seaplane splash-ins, and other events.

The Seabee's high wing at the rear of the cockpit affords great visibility, and the plane is unique in that it can be reversed, but it does have heavy maintenance requirements. Ed tells us about the Seaplane Pilots Association and advocating for the type. Some organizations think flying a seaplane into a lake is dangerous, and the Association takes on the task of making them aware that such flights are actually safer than a lot of other recreational activities taking place on the water.

Ed also tells us about life in a residential airpark, the freedoms it brings, and he offers some advice for people considering moving to an airpark. LivingWithYourPlane.com is a helpful resource.

News
Airline space wars are shifting to the human rights front
This article by Chris Elliott asks the question, “Do you have the right to room on a plane?” As Chris points out, most people probably think the answer is “no, you don’t have a right.”

But as we know, seat space (width and legroom) have been shrinking as airlines look to increase profitability by increasing seat density. Now, the consumer groups Travelers United and FlyersRights want to see that change.

Travelers United has lobbied a government advisory committee to address the amount of space given to air travelers. FlyersRights wants minimum seat width and seat pitch regulations for commercial airlines.
Are stacked seats the new plan to pack in airline passengers?
Airbus has a patent application for an interior design where passengers are placed above in a sort of mezzanine. That would allow the upper and lower passengers to fully recline for sleep during flight. Is this a good idea or something crazy?

(Max joins Mary Kirby and John Walton in a discussion of this topic in #PaxEx Podcast Episode 28.)
Pegasus drogue, hose, boom systems deployed
KC-46A Pegasus November 462 Kilo Charlie reached a program milestone when it deployed its boom and wing mounted pods using a hose and drogue. The Boeing tanker will test the ability to successfully pass gas before meeting the requirement for 18 of the aircraft to be operational by August 2017.