Status of Avolar

[beytzim]

Just to be a little realistic over here, I believe Avolar will stay in business. Gumby - don't despair.

However, I believe that the future dreams of hiring 1000 pilots and flying 100 airplanes etc. are out of the question.oal A more sensible goal is perhaps double the current fleet by next year.

Good Luck!

 

[InHot]

Not on topic, but...

Hey Guys

I don't have anything useful to add to this thread, but after reading your comments about "slim177" I thought you might all enjoy this about the F-16A/ADF/C/F...Z, etc...
F-16 Bumper Stickers

* Lean, Mean, Flameout Machine.

* I SHALL RETURN...Well, I might.

* The F-16. Takes a licking, and takes a licking.

* Have you hugged your chute today?

* This Vehicle Makes Frequent Stops.

* I came. I saw. I bingo'd.

* No deposit, no return.

* We've spent so much money on this thing that we can't afford to admit
we were wrong.

* A triumph of style over substance.

* The best **CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED** second place fighter in the world.

* Instead of a CAS mod, we're going to install a roll bar.

* And now with this LANTIRN thing and our new Block 40's, we can hit the ground at NIGHT!

* We cover the target like a thong bikini.

* And BINGO is my Name-O.

* We crash more airplanes before 9-o'clock than most people crash all
day.

* Your courtesy appreciated. Please replace your divots.

* A war record exceeding even the B-1.

* Last in the talent show, but first in the swimsuit competition.

* Lose a few, lose a few.

* Feet and knees together, eyes on the horizon...

* Designated no-hitter.

* Everything you wanted in a fighter and less.

* Optimist: F-16 pilot who's worried about dying from cancer.

* Only Michael Jackson is more manly.

* Hey, today we didn't lose a single jet.

* This is going to hurt me more than it's going to hurt you.

* User friendly... if you've got three hands.

* If we have a war with BDUs, we've got 'em beat.

* Careful badguys...I'm carrying BOTH bombs today. I'm talkin' all-to-wall MK-82's Pal.

* If I carried more weapons, and if I had enough gas, and if I could actually hit the target, and if I had some more REALLY expensive electrons so I could find you, and if my motor didn't quit, and if My wings didn't crack, Boy, I'd really teach you a lesson!


Keep the faith guys and Good Luck!

 

[GVFlyer]

In Hot,

Great post! I remember that for a while, when I was in Germany, you couldn't go outdoors for fear of being struck by a crashing F-16. They put in as many as two Lawn Darts a day until MG Harke killed himself in one at Torrejon AB. Then they got serious about fixing it. One of the problems, as I recall was an engine driven electrical power source, that had a failure mode that would adversely affect the control laws for the fly-by-wire system resulting in a 5-6g push-over. This could be truly unpleasant if you were in a low-level mode.

One of my friends was an engineer at GD in Dallas working on F-16 development. He liked the jet so much that he went into the USAF to fly it. He had enough of the 'Right Stuff" quotient to be "FAR'D" in UPT and got the F-16 as his first assignment. He then went to the Air Force Test Pilot School and spent the remainder of his career on various F-16 programs at Edwards.
What I'm trying to say is the guy has a real love affair with the F-16. I sent him your F-16 Bumper Sticker list with a note saying that a Marine had some ideas about the Falcon that he ought to read.

Concerning AVOLAR, there was a Georgetown University study last year stating that only about 25% of the fractional market had been absorbed.
UAL was ahead of the curve on this one. Their business ridership was and is off; this was a good way to regain business clients. Too bad UAL doesn't seem to have the executive savy to see this one through with the right kind of financial commitment. I believe that AVOLAR will succeed if properly managed. I don't know the guy that replaced Stu Oran, but with long time aviation professionals like Tom Davis, Cliff Schmitt, Jon Ellis, and Howard Hackney on the Bridge, I don't think proper management will be a problem.

I wish them God Speed; fractionals are good for everyone: they get people into airplanes who would not otherwise be in them, they create more pilot jobs, and they keep the aircraft manufacturers busy building product to meet the fractional demand.

 

[typhoonpilot]

I can't stop laughing

InHot:

Great post.

I used to be based in Wendover, UT and can't remember how many times I read about an F-16 out of Hill crashing in the ranges on either side of Interstate 80. Not to mention the ones that made emergency landings at Wendover.

Typhoonpilot