Aviation history

Qantas reveals retro livery

Aviation history, liveries, , ,

Look what’s back:

Qantas-Retro-Livery-.tail

Qantas has reached way back for its first ever “retro” inspired livery, which can now be seen on one of the airline’s brand new Boeing 737 aircraft.

The design is a tribute to 70 years of the airline’s iconic flying kangaroo logo and was unveiled at a special hangar event in Seattle.

qantas retro livery - travola pointing

Qantas Ambassador and aviation enthusiast John Travolta (last seen welcoming the first Qantas A380 that flew from Sydney to Dallas) was on hand to help unveil the aircraft and the new/retro livery, which also brings back the ochre band around the window line of the aircraft, a signature element used from 1971-1984 referencing the colors of the Australian outback.

The winged kangaroo logo on the tail of this new aircraft was adapted from the original 1947 version designed by Gert Sellheim and brings back the wings on the flying kangaroo that were discarded in 1984.Qantas retro livery plane

The 737 will operate across all Qantas domestic routes starting November 20th.

85th anniversary for Hawaiian Airlines

Aviation history, History, Uniforms, ,

SNOW GLOBE HAWAII

Hawaiian Airlines is celebrating its 85th anniversary on Tuesday, November 11 and, in preparation, the airline has been reflecting on its past.

They’ve put out this lavishly illustrated book celebrating and documenting the company’s history.

Hawaiian Airlines

The airline has also been going through its archives and shared these photos of the evolution of its uniforms.

Hawaiian1943

Hawaiian Airlines uniforms – 1943

Hawaiian 1957

Hawaiian Airlines uniform – 1957

Hawaiian1969.

Hawaiian Airlines uniform – 1969

Hawaiian Airlines uniform – 1971

Hawaiian 1974.

Hawaiian Airlines uniform – 1974

Hawaiian 1989.

Hawaiian Airlines uniform – 1989

Hawaiian2013

Hawaiian Airlines uniform- 2013

Seattle’s Museum of Flight gets a Dreamliner

Aviation history, Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Museums, , , , , ,

It’s still so new – but the 787 Dreamliner is already a museum piece.

On Saturday, Nov. 8, the Boeing Company will officially donate Dreamliner “Number 3” to Seattle’s Museum of Flight.

If you’re in town, you’ll be able to see the plane in the museum’s East Parking Lot all weekend and tour it from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, and all day Sunday, Nov. 9.

The plane will then be relocated and closed to the public from Nov. 10 until the 21st while it gets prepped for permanent exhibition starting Nov. 22.

What’s the big deal about this airplane?

This 787 – ZA003 – was the third Dreamliner built. It first flew on March 14, 2010 and, in addition to its role in the flight test and certification program, Boeing flew this plane to almost two dozen countries to show it off as part of a “Dream Tour.”

Gifts for Avgeeks

Air Travel, Airlines, Airport shops, Aviation history, Design, Shopping, , , , ,

I’m gathering up a list of cool aviation-related products and handicrafts, just in case Santa reads StuckatTheAirport.com, or in case you’re looking for some cool gifts this holiday season.

Two for today:

Jerome Daksiewicz has a kickstarter campaign going to create a boxed set of his runway prints of 30 of the large hubs in the US and a screenprint illustrating all the runways.
 
runways

And Matthew Mahler at Skyebags has a refreshed line of items – a wallet, a tote and a Dopp kit – made from upcycled leather from old Delta Air Lines seats.

7_Skyebags Dopp Kit

Have a great avgeek gift to recommend? Send in your suggestions.

Greetings from Dallas Love Field

Art, Aviation history, family travel, , , ,

Love FIELD - SIGN

Dallas Love Field is getting ready for its big day.

For years, the Wright Amendment placed tight restrictions on the flight services allowed to operate from Love Field. Most of those rules will be lifted on October 13 and that means lots of new direct flights and added service from carriers such as Southwest Airlines and Virgin America – and lots more passengers having the opportunity to travel through the new and improved terminal, which is filled with some really great art.

Here are some snaps from my pre-party tour of Love Field.

Love Field - Virgin America

VIrgin America will operate two of the 20 gates at Love Field beginning on October 13

There’s still some drama over whether or not Delta Air Lines will get a space to operate at Love Field, but right now Southwest Airlines controls 16 of airport’s 20 gates, United has two gates and, starting October 13, Virgin America will have two gates.

The Love Field Art Program is already in place, with more than a dozen new and renewed works.

World Map - courtesy Love Field

World Map – 1959 -by Luighi “Tony” Flabiano. courtesy Love Field & Office of Cultural Affairs

detail from Sky by Brower Hatcher & Marly Rogers.

A detail from Sky – by Brower Hatcher & Marly Rogers. One of the art pieces at Love Field.

Kids area at LOVE FIELD

The play area at Love Field will have floating clouds and more play structures by October 13.

Love Field - Nursing Room

A Nursing Room is open – and waiting for some finishing touches as well.

Why is Maui’s Kahului Airport code OGG?

Aviation history, , , ,

HA_OGGWall_MainPanel

For most travelers to Maui, the airport code for Kahului Airport – OGG – has been a mystery, if they’ve thought about it at all.

Now there’s an 8-foot tall, 42-foot wide information-packed wall at the airport that tells the story behind the three letter code. And it turns out the airport is named for Capt. Jimmy Hogg, a Hawaiian Airlines pilot,Kaua‘i native and aviation pioneer whose life and flying career is charmingly described in the video below.

HA_OGGWall_LeftPanel

HA_OGGWall_RightPanel

OGG2 copy

The new history wall is at Gate 19 at Maui’s Kahului Airport and was presented by Hawaiian Airlines, the State Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Transportation Security Administration.

(All photos courtesy Hawaiian Airlines, except for the OGG image, which is courtesy of O8 Left, a really cool line of aviation and airport-related art.

Lufthansa “then & now” photo exhibit at Munich Airport

aviation, Aviation history, ,

Lufthansa then and now flight attendants

Lufthansa has put together an exhibition of ‘then and now’ photos bundled under the title “Service is our tradition” and on view in Terminal 2 at Munich Airport until the end of August.

The images show the development of Lufthansa from 1955 to today and show historical images of the cabin, the cockpit and aircraft juxtaposed with similarly posed scenes from today.

Here are few samples:

Lufthansa then and now flight attendants with kids

Lufthansa then and now flight attendant with drinks

Not going to Munich Airport anytime soon? You can see all the photos from the exhibition here.

Aviation exhibit at Lambert-St. Louis Int’l Airport

Aviation history, Exhibits, ,

Lambert aviation exhibit

What better place to see artifacts from aviation history than in an airport?

Lambert-St. Louis International Airport is hosting a new exhibition in Terminal 1 featuring items on loan from the Greater St. Louis Air and Space Museum.

On displays: pristine aviation instruments, flight attendant and pilot uniforms, posters and other aviation-related memorabilia, much of it highlighting Lambert’s own history.

Look for an old Ozark Airlines sign, samples of boarding passes from carriers past and present and a lot of items from the golden years of TWA, which once had a hub here. There are also items related to the military here, including an ejection seat from a fighter jet.

lambert

Souvenir Sunday: travel-themed gear at PHL & SEA Airport

Airport shops, Airports, Aviation history, Shopping, Souvenir Sunday, Souvenirs, , , ,

A new shop at Philadelphia International Airport – called Pilot & Captain – is the first brick & mortar effort from the design studio The Heads of State – and is filled with travel-themed items related to what the creators call “the good old days of planes, trains & discovery”

PHL PILOT and CAPTAIN

The shop offers city-specific t-shirts, mugs, posters, notebooks and more and can be found in Terminal 3.

There’s also a new travel-themed store at Sea-Tac Airport on Concourse C called Planewear – Style is in the Air , filled with items created for the Enumclaw, Washington-based Planewear company

Planewear-storefront

Inventory includes the sassy SkyBelts, (belts made out of airplane seatbelts, which might be problematic for flight when you have to clip on the real airplane seatbelt…), Pan Am “vintage inspired” t-shirts, passport covers, luggage tags, those nostalgic Pan Am bags and kid-sized apparel.

Happy Birthday Houston Bush Intercontinental Airport

Airports, Aviation history, Fun Stuff, Transportation, ,

1969 Flight Attendants

Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) is turning 45, and to celebrate the airport is throwing a big party on Saturday, June 7 complete with exhibits, games, face painting, moonwalks, music, a barbecue cook-off and a raffle with a grand prize for two airline tickets on KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.

Find more details about the time and location of the event here, but in the meantime, here are some vintage IAH photos, including a snap from 1981 of Mickey Mouse helping to celebrate the opening of the airport’s inter-terminal train, which was built by the Walt Disney Company.

1969 - June IAH Opening Day

1979 Disney Mickey terminal train

1970 Term B