Avgeekery Blog

3 days ago | avgeekery.com | Joe Gvora

With large groups of people needing to travel all across the country, one company easily saw an opportunity to do business with several sports teams that had to fly to 20 to 30 destinations in a single season. For over twenty years, Champion Air became a trusted name for NBA, NHL, and collegiate teams. In the late 2010s, it inspired teams to start purchasing their own jets. This article explores Champion Air’s history. Champion Air started out as MGM Grand Air in 1987.

6 days ago | avgeekery.com | Joe Gvora

The Concorde may have been a game-changing jet when it entered service in 1976, but a rival Russian jet—the Tupolev Tu-144—happened to be in the air one year earlier. The earlier service, however, was a detriment to the ambitious aircraft, as the Tupolev wasn’t as refined overall as its Western European competitor. Thus, its history was a little more uneventful. While England and France collaborated on developing the Concorde, Russia wanted to not only have an answer but also beat it to the market.

1 week ago | avgeekery.com | Joe Gvora

Allegiant pilots recently issued a statement regarding negotiations between Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air and Mexican ultra low-cost carrier Viva (fka Viva Aerobus). A union representing Allegiant pilots fears that a partnership would lead to significant layoffs, with Viva pilots taking over positions on Allegiant flights. The two low-cost carriers have been discussing a partnership since 2021.

1 week ago | avgeekery.com | Mike Killian

The USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier lost a second jet in a week yesterday, after a failed landing attempt. Details are scarce, but Navy officials have confirmed the F/A-18F Super Hornet had a “failed arrestment”. Whatever the case, the jet went off the deck and to the bottom of the Red Sea. Both crew on the jet ejected safely, and were recovered quickly with minor injuries. The incident is just the latest for the Truman.

1 week ago | avgeekery.com | Joe Gvora

Air Koryo, North Korea’s state-owned (and only) airline, is a unique relic of Cold War aviation. Shaped by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s state control, isolation, and geopolitical alignments, Air Koryo has a history of over seven decades, starting as a Soviet-backed venture and operating today as a symbol of the DPRK regime. What’s it like to fly on Air Koryo? You may never find out personally, but others have and lived to tell the tale.