360 degree views of rare aircraft cockpits

Photographer David Palermo has created stunning images of aircraft at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum. These include the cockpits of the B-29 Superfortress "ENOLA GAY," the Concorde, the Gemini VII and Mercury "Freedom 7 II" capsules, the Lockheed Martin X-35, and others.

What makes these photographs particularly unique is the 360° technology Palermo used to give us a full view of the cockpit. He has also created 360° "virtual tour" CD's that heighten the experience.

Recently, Thirty Thousand Feet conducted an interview with Palermo via email:

Max Flight: David, these are some fascinating images. What motivated you to photograph the aircraft in the Smithsonian collection?

David Palermo: The Smithsonian wanted to have interactive experience for all who visit the new Udvar-Hazy Museum at the Dulles Airport in Virginia. I worked at Apple Computer on the QuickTime VR team - I was the Product Manager for technology called QuickTime VR (QTVR) which is the technology that started "virtual tours" back in 1992. The Smithsonian decided this would be a great way to show the inside of these famous aircraft.

MF: Why the focus on cockpits?

DP: No one is allowed inside these aircraft and many are hanging from the ceiling in the museum so it's sometimes difficult to get a good view of the cockpit. Throughout the museum there are large plasma screens and kiosks allowing visitors to interact and view the cockpits from all angles. It's as if you were actually sitting in the cockpit! Many enthusiasts, historians, students, as well as the general public are curious about the cockpits and this is a great way to show them!

MF: Certainly not everyone can get such access to the aircraft. Was that a particular challenge for you? How did you pull it off?

DP: Well, that's what the job entailed. Photography inside the aircraft as well as outside.

MF: As you photographed the cockpits, what was going through your mind? What vision did you have that you were trying to capture for the final print?

DP: The purpose was to show in 360° what the cockpit looked like as if you were inside looking around. I have to admit that when I was inside the "Enola Gay" I had a strange feeling. As you know, this was the aircraft that dropped the first atomic bomb. I had to climb into the plane through the bomb bay doors. It was dark in there and I had to setup all sorts of lights throughout to have enough light for a 360° photograph. This particular shot was done with an experimental robotic device that rotated and took a photo every few degrees. It fell down a few times but didn't damage anything luckily!

MF: Some readers may be curious about the technical aspects of your work. Can you tell us a little about your equipment, the lighting, and your printing and processing technique?

DP: The images were captured with either a Nikon D1x or Canon 1DS. Lighting was supplied by Ellinchrom and Home Depot. Smaller lights were used inside the cockpits to light up key areas. In the Gemini VII and the Mercury space capsules, Ellinchrom strobes where used because lights just wouldn't fit since the capsules were so small. The Gemini VII was lit with 2 large softboxes - one on either side. Printing was done by master printer Art Fisher of Santa Barbara. He's a printing genius and is meticulous about quality which is great! He probably should get out more! [Find Art Fisher at In Color.]

MF: I see that 20 x 40 inch fine art prints can be purchased through your website, http://www.davidpalermo.com/smithsonian/smithsonian.html, and that you include an interesting CD. Can you tell us about that?

DP: When you look at a 360° image printed flat as these prints are, it looks interesting hanging on a wall. The virtual tour on the CD is that same image but wrapped around a sphere and "displayed" on your computer. When viewed this way you can look all around... up, down, or left, and right. Most virtual tours are only left or right. In a cockpit there is a lot of detail above and below so it was important to show that. Most virtual tours are postage stamp which is not a great way to view these. So I decided to create what I call "HDVR" or High Definition Virtual Tours where there is a lot of detail to look at and they are almost full screen. You can see some of these types of virtual tours at my other Web site (http://www.worldvr.com).

MF: Your photographic work includes subjects other than aviation, correct?

DP: Yes, I actually make my living photographing hotels such as Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt, and Sheraton, large luxury yachts, interiors of homes and people - musicians lately, and architecture.

You can view Palermo's cockpit images and purchase prints (and the CD's) at:
http://www.davidpalermo.com/smithsonian/smithsonian.html. These would certainly look great on the wall of your den or in an office environment.

WomenVenture 2008

The EAA and Women in Aviation, International announced that AirVenture Oshkosh will see the recognition of woman aviators at an event called WomenVenture 2008:

What could easily be the largest gathering of women pilots in history is just one of the highlights of the inaugural "WomenVenture 2008" activities taking place at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2008. The 56th annual edition of the EAA fly-in convention, "The World's Greatest Aviation Celebration," is July 28-August 3 at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh.

Over the next several years, the EAA is looking to introduce aviation to women as a hobby or a profession. They want to set a record at Oshkosh for the number of women pilots gathered in one location at one time.

Firing another shot

The ATA issued the following press release, keeping the user fees/next gen ATC system fight on the front burner:

DOT Inspector General Report Confirms Air Transport Association Assertions That Business Jets Do Not Pay Their Fair Share and Contribute to Congestion

WASHINGTON, March 14, 2008 – The Air Transport Association of America (ATA), the industry trade organization that represents leading U.S. airlines, today issued a statement regarding a report by the Department of Transportation (DOT) Inspector General (IG) on National Airspace System (NAS) usage. The report concludes that business jets (referred to as non-air carriers) are not fully paying for their proportional use of air traffic control (ATC ) services and contribute to air traffic congestion at the busiest towers – known as terminal radar approach control (TRACON) facilities.

ATA noted that, “An initial review of the report’s findings confirms what commercial airlines have long been saying – that business jets are being subsidized by commercial airlines and their customers. Business jets are also significant contributors to air traffic congestion, especially in busy metropolitan areas.” The report states that business jets have significant operations at the most active towers in the country. ‘More than half (53 percent) of non-air carrier operations occurred at the top third (162) most active towered airports,’ and their unscheduled peak flight times coincide with commercial airlines’ long scheduled peak times. For example, in the New York area, business jets were found to account, ‘…for 20 to 30 percent of the peak level of instrument approach operations at the New York TRACON.’

“The DOT IG report points clearly to the need for an equitable, cost-based funding system in order to properly modernize our ATC system and to prevent gridlock in the skies. The future of air travel depends not only on an upgraded ATC system, but on a fair and equitable funding system to pay for and support it. It is time for Congress to stop forcing the passenger in seat 28B to subsidize business jet travel.”

ATA airline members and their affiliates transport more than 90 percent of all U.S. airline passenger and cargo traffic. For additional information about the industry, visit www.smartskies.org.

This is but one side of a contentious issue between general aviation and the airlines.

Flying into Beijing terminal 3

NBC News Producer Adrienne Mong recently flew into the new Terminal 3 of Beijing Capital International Airport, the gateway to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. At 14 million square feet, this is one large airport terminal:

...as the British press noted pointedly, the Beijing terminal is bigger than all five Heathrow terminals put together.

The new capacity means that Beijing Capital - already China's busiest airport with 53 million passengers traveling through in 2007 - will be able to handle nearly 90 million passengers a year by 2012.

Mong found the terminal a little devoid of people, but that will change as more carriers begin to use the monster.

Read the report at Flying into Beijing's mega-airport.

HondaJet in Canada and Mexico

HondaJet is expanding to encompass all of North America. In Mexico:

HondaJet retail sales and service for Mexico will be provided by Servicios Aéreos Estrella, S.A. de C.V. (SAE), one of the country's top full-service Fixed Base Operators (FBO), located at Mexico City's Toluca International Airport (TLC). SAE will establish a new HondaJet sales and service facility at TLC for the nationwide retail sales and service operations for the HondaJet. SAE will begin taking customer orders immediately with first deliveries of the HondaJet expected in Mexico in 2012.

Honda Aircraft Company also announced a fractional order for 10 HondaJets from Aerolíneas Ejecutivas, S.A. de C.V. (ALE) to be added to the company's Mexjet charter fleet. Deliveries also start in 2012.

HondaJet sales to Canada will be handled directly from the company's headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina. Service support for Canadian customers will be provided through the U.S. HondaJet service facility closest to each Canadian customer's location.

See the VLJ section on Thirty Thousand Feet for very light jet links and resources.

Green aviation website

GreenAir Online is an independent online publication that provides current news, features, and statistics on issues surrounding air travel and its impact on global warming and the environment.

[GreenAir] has no association with industry, environmental pressure groups or government bodies and so is able to present opinions from all sides of this heated debate without fear or favour. [They] will be taking an objective journalistic approach where news and views can be given a single platform.

The GreenAir website has content in a number of sections:

News - Current news from around the world, reported on a near-daily basis, with a searchable archive of news stories building over time.

Features – Articles contributed by journalists and authoritative leaders in their field.

Statistics – Facts, figures and graphs showing important data to help provide informed opinion.

Directory – Listing of relevant organisations, companies, associations, pressure groups, etc., with contact details and website links.

Events – Listing and contact information of relevant conferences, meetings, trade fairs, etc.

2008 Beijing Olympics - travel by air

This post starts a series about air travel to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. First, the airport:

Beijing Capital International Airport has just opened the new Terminal #3 in the first of two phases. Phase 1 includes the following carriers: Shandong Airlines (SC), Sichuan Airlines (3U), Qantas Airways (QF), Qatar Airways (QR), British Airways (BA) and El Al Israel Airlines (LY).

Phase 2, currently scheduled for 28 March 2008 includes: Air China (CA), Shanghai Airlines (FM), Scandinavian Airlines (SK), Austrian Airlines (OS), Deutsche Lufthansa (LH), Asiana Airlines (OZ), Air Canada (AC), United Airlines (UA), All Nippon Airways (NH), Thai Airways (TG), Singapore Airlines(SQ), Finnair (AY), Cathay Pacific Airways (CX), Japan Airlines (JL), Dragonair (KA), Turkish Airlines (TK), Emirates (EK), Air Macau (NX),S7 Airlines (S7) and Egypt Air (MS).

The terminal has three concourses (C, D, and E) encompassing 1,000,000 square meters.

Concourse C is domestic and international check-in, domestic departures, and domestic and international baggage claim. Concourse D is temporarily dedicated for charter flights during the Olympic and the Paralympic Games. Concourse E is international departures and arrivals.

(To view the entire series of posts on the Olympics, you'll be able to click the "Beijing Olympics" label at the end of any of the posts.)