2014distelfinkairliensnewsletter2 (PDF)

“Distelfink
Airlines”

Issue 2
Spring 2014

The newsletter of Corey J. Beitler Aviation Photography!
Feature Story: Lehigh Valley Airshow “GO” For 2014
The Lehigh Valley International Airport made an exciting announcement for local
airshow enthusiasts recently.
The airport announced that
they will once again hold the
Lehigh Valley Airshow in
2014. The announcement
confirmed several rumors
that were starting to form on
the Internet about the event
making a return in 2014.

surprising success of the
2013 event. The 2013 show
drew nearly 50,000 people
over the course of two days
and netted the airport over
$45,000, a very solid profit
for a first year event. The
2013 event was also blessed
by two days of perfect weather, allowing the show to go on
without a hitch.

Despite the success, there
were some serious reservations about holding the event
in 2014. The 2013 event was
not without some serious The Canadian Harvard Association Aerobatic Team will be
problems that left spectators one of the featured performers at the 2014 Lehigh Valley
Airshow. In this photograph, the team performs at the 2011
frustrated and angry.
Geneseo Airshow.
The airport decided to hold
Continued on Page 2
an airshow in 2014 after the
Airport officials have set the
date for the 2014 event as
August 23rd and 24th. The
event will once again be
sponsored by the Sands Casino in Bethlehem.

Inside this issue:
Lockheed P-3 Orion Contin- 3
ues To Give Sterling Service
Spotting At PHL Photo Gallery

4-7

Boeing 777 Approaches 20
Years Since First Flight

8

Lufthansa Airlines Airbus
A340

9

Model Find: Vintage P-26
Peashooter A Gem

1011

Planes Of Fame Boeing P26A Peashooter

12

Allegiant Air Flight 746
Scared Ironpigs Faithful

13

Quick Look: Embraer ERJ-190
The Embraer ERJ-190 is a
stretched version of the
ERJ-170 and 175 series of
aircraft. The ERJ-190 has
different engines and larger wing, horizontal stabilizer and landing gear structures than the E-170 and E175. The E-190 can carry
up to 114 passengers depending on seating configuration. The design has been
a commercial success, with
over 500 in service worldwide. This ERJ-190 is being
operated by U.S. Airways
and was photographed
landing at Philadelphia International Airport.

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“Distelfink Airlines”

Lehigh Valley Airshow “GO” For 2014 (Continued From Page 1)
The 2013 show suffered from being unprepared to handle the
surprising number of spectators that attended. Spectators endured long waits in the lines of food vendors for food and beverages. The amazing number of people also caused a serious
traffic problem on Race St. for those entering the airshow
grounds. A large number of people did not even get into the
event and were forced to watch the flying from the shoulders
of Race St. and other nearby roads.
Airport officials have promised changes to alleviate these problems for the 2014 event. This time around, the airport is planning to handle an estimated 25,000 people per day at the
event, up from the 15,000 expected per day last year. The airport will also do away with the shuttle service and remote parking areas that were so problematic last year. For the 2014 airshow, all parking will be on airport property.
Airport officials have also promised to improve two other problems from the 2013 event. For 2014, the airshow will have
more parking gates open and more traffic control personnel on
site to help traffic flow and prevent the major traffic jam that
occurred last year. Finally, the airshow officials have promised

that there will be double the food vendors from last year. It
is hoped these changes will help make the airshow a
much more enjoyable experience than the 2013 event.
The airshow lineup has yet to be finalized but two performers have already been confirmed for the event. The Canadian Harvard Association Team will perform at the show
with their World War II era North American Harvard advanced training aircraft. The Misty Blues All-Woman Parachute Team will return to the show for a second straight
year. Veteran airshow airboss Wayne Boggs will once again
run the airshow portion of the program, keeping the show
as well as the arriving and departing commercial flights on
schedule. Officials hope to announce more of the performer lineup in the next few months. It is rumored the Black
Diamond Jet Team will be returning to the show, though
this has yet to be confirmed.
The Lehigh Valley Airshow presented by Sands Bethlehem
returns August 23rd and 24th to the Lehigh Valley International Airport. More information on what will certainly be a
great event is expected in the next few months.

A member of the Misty Blues All-Woman Parachute Team descends to earth at the 2013 Lehigh Valley Airshow with the
American flag in tow during the playing of the national anthem. The team will return to perform at the 2014 event.

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Page 3

Lockheed P-3 Orion Continues To Give Sterling Service
During the recent hunt for missing Malaysian Airlines Flight
MH370, an aircraft that has been in service for over 50 years
has been on the front lines in the search. The Lockheed P-3
Orion has been flying daily in a race against time to find any
trace of the missing airliner and its black boxes, which could
provide clues as to what caused the aircraft to crash.

shown rugged reliability. The aircraft has frequently been
used on 12-hour plus missions over salt water and has an
excellent safety and reliability record.

The P-3 Orion was originally developed as a turboprop fourengine maritime surveillance and anti-submarine aircraft. The
design first flew in 1962 with the United States Navy. The aircraft was based on the Lockheed L-188 Electra commercial
airliner. The P-3 is distinguishable from the Electra design by
its large tail boom, which carries the equipment used for the
magnetic detection of submarines. During the Cold War, the P3 had the important task of tracking and eliminating Soviet
submarines and ballistic missiles. The P-3 was such an important aircraft that in the height of its career, the United
States Navy had 24 active squadrons of P-3 in their inventory.

First ordered by the United States Navy, the P-3 soon
found use with many other nations around the world. Canada, Japan, Korea, Brazil, Germany, Greece, Pakistan,
Spain, Chile and Norway all operate upgraded versions of
the aircraft. The P-3 is also operated by NOAA as a weather
research aircraft and the U.S. Forest Service used a modified version of the aircraft as an aerial firefighting platform. Recently, the U.S. Navy revealed that P-3’s have
been used to track private submarines attempting to deliver narcotic shipments into the United States. In the recent
search for missing Flight MH370, P-3’s from the Australian
and New Zealand navies have been frantically searching
the remote southern Indian Ocean looking for any debris
from the missing Boeing 777 aircraft.

The main role envisioned for the P-3 was anti-submarine and
anti-surface warfare against enemy ships. For this role, the P-3
carried an advanced radar and electronics system. The P-3 is
equipped with a large internal bomb bay which can hold a variety of torpedoes, sea mines, missiles and gravity bombs. The
-3 also has excellent speed and range. The aircraft has a top
speed of 473 miles per hour and a range of over 2,000 miles.
This long range has made the P-3 adaptable to the role of a
maritime reconnaissance aircraft. The P-3 design has also

The P-3 Orion is one of the few aircraft that has served for
more than 50 continuous years with the United States military. Despite the fact the P-3 is an excellent aircraft, the
design beginning to show its age. The remaining aircraft in
service with the United States Navy are due to be replaced
by the Boeing P-8 Poseidon, a new aircraft with more advanced capabilities. Until its official retirement, the P-3 will
continue to provide sterling service to the nations that use
it, as it has done for over 50 years.
The Lockheed P-3 Orion
has served as a maritime patrol aircraft for
over 50 years. Adaptable to a variety of roles
and configurations, the
P-3 has found a home
with the United States
Navy and many other
nations. Recently, P-3’s
from the navies of New
Zealand and Australia
have been searching
the remote areas of the
Indian Ocean for any
sign of debris from missing Malaysian Airlines
Flight MH370. This P-3
Orion is a modified United States Navy Research aircraft and was
on display at the Joint
Services Open House
Airshow at Andrews Air
Force Base in 2012.

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“Distelfink Airlines”

Spotting At PHL Photo Gallery

An AirTran Airways Boeing 717 comes in for a landing at the
Philadelphia International Airport. The AirTran name and colors
will eventually disappear once the company’s merger with Southwest Airlines is complete.

An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 comes in for a landing at the Philadelphia International Airport. This flight was arriving from Seattle, Washington. Boeing 737 aircraft make up the entire Alaska
Airlines fleet.

A Virgin America Airbus A319 arrives at the Philadelphia International Airport. The A319 and A320 look very much alike except
for one easy to spot feature. The A319 has one over wing emergency escape exit while the A320 has two.

A U.S. Airways Boeing 767 arrives at the Philadelphia International Airport. There are about 10 767’s remaining in service
with U.S. Airways. The 767’s will be retired by the end of this
year.

A U.S. Airways Boeing 757 is seconds from touchdown at the
Philadelphia International Airport. Since Philadelphia is a U.S.
Airways hub, a lot of the flights arriving and departing at the airport carry the U.S. Airways colors.

A U.S. Airways Airbus A319 arrives at the Philadelphia International Airport. This aircraft carries a special Pittsburgh Steelers
color scheme. U.S. Airways has similar aircraft painted in the
colors of the Eagles, Cardinals and Panthers NFL teams as well.

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Page 5

Spotting At PHL Photo Gallery

A U.S. Airways Airbus A330 arrives at the Philadelphia International Airport. This was one of several A330 flights that arrived at
the airport in the afternoon hours. This particular aircraft is
brand new and a recent addition to the U.S. Airways fleet.

A Delta Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-88 comes in for a landing at the Philadelphia International Airport. The MD-88 is an
upgraded version of the reliable MD-80 series commercial aircraft. This was my first time seeing one in Delta livery.

A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 arrives at the Philadelphia International Airport. The colorful livery of Southwest Airlines
shows up well against the partly cloudy sky. Southwest has several daily flights into Philadelphia.

A United Airlines Airbus A319 arrives at the Philadelphia International Airport. This A319 was one of several that arrived during
my spotting time at the airport. Other A319’s that arrived at the
airport included aircraft from U.S. Airways and Virgin America.

An American Eagle Embraer ERJ-175 comes in for a landing at
the Philadelphia International Airport. This aircraft displays the
new color scheme for American Eagle. Eventually, all American
Eagle aircraft will carry this new livery.

A surprise arrival to Philadelphia International Airport during my
spotting time was this Air Canada Airbus A319. This A319 is
wearing a very faded paint finish, indicating it has seen lots of
service in its career with Air Canada.

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“Distelfink Airlines”

Spotting At PHL Photo Gallery

An Air Canada Express Embraer 175 comes in for a landing at
the Philadelphia International Airport. Air Canada Express is just
one of the many users of the 175 on regional airline routes
throughout North America.

An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 comes in for a landing at the Philadelphia International Airport. The “Spirit Of Education” 737 is
painted to honor Raisbeck Aviation High School, the nation’s first
public, college preparatory aviation-themed high school.

An American Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-80 lands at the
Philadelphia International Airport. The “Super 80” wears the old
striped tricolor livery American Airlines has had for many years
combined with a natural metal finish on the aircraft itself.

A United Express Canadair CRJ-700 arrives at the Philadelphia
International Airport. This CRJ-700 is actually being operated by
GoJet Airlines. The CRJ-700 is a stretched version of the CRJ-200
aircraft and can 70 passengers.

Aircraft of all shapes and sizes come into the Philadelphia International Airport. This Gulfstream was one of many private aircraft to come into the airport on a busy Sunday afternoon. Several Cessna Citations and a Lear Jet were also spotted.

A Delta Air Line Boeing 717 comes in for a landing at the airport
in clear blue skies. The 717s being used by Delta are aircraft
that were formerly operated by Air Tran. Delta is using the larger
717’s to replace some of the aging jets in their regional fleet.

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“Distelfink Airlines”

Spotting At PHL Photo Gallery

A U.S. Airways Express Embraer ERJ-175 comes in for a landing
at the Philadelphia International Airport. The special “400th”
livery on this aircraft celebrates the aircraft itself as it was the
400th Embraer 170/175 aircraft built by the company.

An American Airlines Boeing 737 comes in for a landing at the
Philadelphia International Airport. This American 737 is painted
in the new livery that will eventually adorn most of the aircraft
operated by American Airlines.

A Delta Connection Embraer ERJ-145 arrives at the Philadelphia
International Airport. The ERJ-145 is a very safe and reliable
aircraft. To date, no ERJ-145 has been lost in a crash and no
passenger fatality reported due to a mechanical malfunction.

A JetBlue Embraer ERJ-190 comes in for a landing on a warm
spring afternoon at the Philadelphia International Airport. Unlike
U.S. Airways, JetBlue only runs a couple of flights into the airport,
so catching their aircraft is tricky for a spotter.

A U.S. Airways Airbus A320 arrives at the Philadelphia International Airport. Although it looks very similar to the A319, the
A320 is easy to spot as it features a second emergency exit over
the wing. The similar looking A319 has only one of these exits.

A U.S. Airways Express DeHavilland Dash 8 comes in for a landing at the Philadelphia International Airport. The Dash 8’s are a
common sight at the airport, landing every few minutes. Most of
the Dash 8’s are operated by Piedmont Airlines.

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“Distelfink Airlines”

Boeing 777 Approaches Twenty Years Since First Flight
The Boeing 777 commercial aircraft is
reaching an important milestone. In
June, the aircraft will have surpassed 20
years since its first flight.
The Boeing 777 is a family of commercial airliners developed by Boeing. The
aircraft is the largest twin-jet airliner in
the world and can carry up to 451 passengers depending on configuration.
The Boeing 777 is commonly referred to
as the “Triple Seven”. The aircraft has
several features that make it easy to
identify. These features include the largest diameter turbofan of any aircraft and
six wheels on each of the main landing
gear. The main landing gear features the
largest tires of any commercial aircraft.
The Boeing 777 was developed in partnership with eight major airlines. The
aircraft was designed to bridge the passenger capacity gap between two other
Boeing designs already in service, the
767 and the 747. The Boeing 777 was
also designed to replace older wide-body
airliners already in service. The airliner
was also the first developed to have a fly
by wire control system.
The Boeing 777 has been produced in
several versions. An extended range and

long range variant have been produced. The 777-300 features a fuselage lengthened by 33 feet. In 2009,
Boeing started producing a freighter
version, the 777F. The long range versions of the aircraft feature General
Electric GE90 engines and extended
rake wingtips. The 777-200LR variant
is the world’s longest range airliner and
can fly halfway around the globe without refueling. This version also holds
the record for the longest non-stop
flight by a commercial aircraft.

have clouded the 777’s reputation for
safety. In July of 2013, Asiana Airlines
Flight 214 was the first fatal accident
involving the Boeing 777. The flight
crashed while landing at the San Francisco International Airport in California.
Three people were killed and 181 injured in the accident.
On March 8, 2014, the 777 was involved in another mysterious accident.
Malaysian Airlines Flight 370, a 777200ER variant, was reported missing
after it did not land as scheduled in Beijing, China. A search for the aircraft began soon after it was reported missing,
but no debris have been found. It is assumed the airplane crashed in the Indian Ocean, well off its planned course,
and all aboard have been lost. The
search has recently focused on finding
the black boxes from the aircraft.

The 777 entered service with United
Airlines in 1995. The 777 ranks as one
of Boeing’s most successful aircraft.
Over 60 different airlines have placed
orders for the aircraft. Over 1,100 aircraft have been delivered to airline customers. The most popular variant is the
777-300ER, of which over 500 have
been delivered. Emirates operates the Despite these accidents, the Boeing
largest fleet of 777’s, with over 120 777 remains a successful commercial
aircraft in service.
airliner with an excellent safety record
The Boeing 777 has also had an excel- overall. Recently, Boeing announced
lent safety record. Up until 2013, the plans for an upgraded version called the
777 had been involved in only four ac- 777X. The updated aircraft will feature
cidents, with no loss of life.
new engines and composite wings. It
Unfortunately, two recent accidents seems that the “Triple Seven” won’t be
going anywhere anytime soon.
A British Airways Boeing 777-200ER
is on approach to land at the Philadelphia International Airport following a
flight from Heathrow Airport in London. British Airways has 56 Boeing
777 aircraft in their fleet with 2 777300ER aircraft on order. The British
Airways 777 aircraft differ from other
variants of the 777 as most of the
British Airways aircraft are powered
by Rolls-Royce Trent 800s engines.
British Airways encountered some
early technical problems with their
777’s that required a redesign of the
fuel-oil heat exchanger for the RollsRoyce engines. This resolved the
problems and the aircraft have
proved reliable in service. The Boeing
777 has the largest diameter turbofan engines of any aircraft and six
wheels on each of the main landing
gear. These features make the Boeing 777 easily identifiable to plane
spotters around the world.

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Page 9

Lufthansa Airlines Airbus A340
A Lufthansa Airlines Airbus
A340 arrives at Philadelphia International Airport after a long flight from Frankfurt, Germany. This eighthour nonstop flight is
scheduled daily between
Philadelphia and Frankfurt.
The Airbus A340 is a longrange, four-engine commercial aircraft that is distinguishable due to its three
bogie main landing gear
arrangement and its four
high-bypass turbofan engines. The aircraft first entered service in 1993 with
Lufthansa being the launch
customer for the design.
Lufthansa is one of the
primary users of the A340,
with 62 aircraft registered
in their fleet. The A340 was
produced from 1993 to
2011. A total of 377 of all
variants were built.

The Lufthansa Airlines Airbus A340 flies into the sunset after departing the Philadelphia International Airport. The aircraft was beginning an eight-hour nonstop flight to Frankfurt, Germany. Lufthansa is the only
airline to bring the A340
into Philadelphia, so seeing
the unusual aircraft is a
treat for aviation enthusiasts and spotters that visit
the airport. The A340 has
also used by the airlines Air
France, Iberia, South African and Virgin Atlantic. The
A340 can seat between
379 and 440 passengers
and has a range of between 6,700 and 9,000
nautical miles, depending
on the variant and configuration. The A340 is gradually being phased out of
service in favor of more
economical twin-jet aircraft
such as the Boeing 777.