Richard John Cork

Richard John "Dickie" Cork, (4 April 1917 – 14 April 1944) was a fighter ace in the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy during the Second World War. Cork served in the Battle of Britain as the wingman for Douglas Bader of No. 242 Squadron RAF. When he returned to the Fleet Air Arm in 1941, Cork served with 880 Naval Air Squadron in the Arctic, Mediterranean and Indian Ocean. It was during Operation Pedestal in 1942 that he became the only Royal Navy pilot to shoot down five aircraft in one day, and was the leading naval ace using the Hawker Hurricane. He was given command of the 15th Naval Fighter Wing aboard before being killed in a flying accident over Ceylon in 1944.
Early life.
Richard John Cork was born in London, England on 4 April 1917. He was the son of Harold James Cork and Ethel Mary Cork, of Burnham in Buckinghamshire.
In the months prior to the war the Royal Navy encouraged school leavers to enlist by offering them short-service commissions. Cork was one of those that signed up in 1939. Successfully passing an interview and medical, he joined the air branch and was promoted to acting sub-lieutenant on 1 May 1939. Attached to HMS "President" he was posted to No.14 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School at Gravesend aerodrome where his flying course began on 21 August 1939. On 28 October 1939 on completion of his course Cork was posted to No.1 Flying Training School at Netheravon and on graduation from this school wrote in his flying logbook "Authorised to wear the flying badge with effect from 20 January 1940".
Second World War.
Cork was promoted sub-lieutenant in March 1940. From 21 April until 11 June 1940 he served with No.759 and No.760 Squadrons flying Skuas and Gladiators and on 11 June he was graded as an above average pilot. A shortage of fighter pilots during the Battle of Britain led to the Fleet Air Arm asking for volunteers to serve with the Royal Air Force. On 1 July 1940, Cork and two other naval pilots joined the Hawker Hurricane equipped No. 242 Squadron under the command of Squadron Leader Douglas Bader; Cork was assigned to become Bader's wingman. On 30 August, he was involved in his first combat action with No. 242 Squadron. The unit claimed 12 aircraft destroyed, and Cork was credited with a Messerschmitt Bf 110 destroyed and a share in a second. By 13 September he had shot down five aircraft and became a fighter ace. For his exploits he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) on 18 October 1940. Paul Brickhill states that, at the insistence of the Admiralty, the DFC was exchanged for a Distinguished Service Cross (DSC). However, Hugh Halliday corrects this myth and advises that the DFC was recommended by Bader but actually awarded as the naval equivalent, the DSC, in the "London Gazette" issue of 18 October, although he confirms that as squadron commander Bader insisted that Cork wear the ribbon of the DFC while serving with the RAF; this is confirmed by contemporary photographs. Out of the 58 Fleet Air Arm pilots seconded to the RAF during the Battle of Britain, 12 of them shot down at least one aircraft, five became aces, seven were killed and two wounded.
Cork returned to the Fleet Air Arm after the battle and was posted to 880 Naval Air Squadron. The unit was equipped with the Grumman Martlet, which were exchanged for Hawker Sea Hurricanes by mid-1941. The squadron then joined for attacks on Petsamo and Kirkenes in Arctic Norway. Cork flew two missions but did not come into contact with the German defenders. After this attack, 880 Squadron joined the newly built fleet carrier in October 1941, and Cork was promoted to lieutenant the following month. One of the squadron's first operations with "Indomitable" involved the attack on Vichy French gun positions during the landings at Diego Suarez, Madagascar on 6 May 1942. During these operations Cork claimed three Morane-Saulnier M.S.406s and four Potez 63s, all destroyed on the ground. On 12 August 1942, during Operation Pedestal, he became the only Royal Navy pilot to shoot down five aircraft in one day, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) on 10 November 1942. Flying a Sea Hurricane, his first success was at 12:30 hours when he shot down a Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 over the convoy. Then, flying off the coast of Tunisia, he shot down a Junkers Ju 88 and shared in the destruction of another. Later in the day he shot down a Messerschmitt Bf 110 and another Savoia-Marchetti SM.79. The squadron leader, Lieutenant Commander F.E.C. Judd, was killed during these battles and Cork as the senior pilot was given command of 880 Squadron. In September 1942 he was promoted to acting lieutenant commander.
In November 1943 he was posted to HMS "Illustrious" as wing leader of the 15th Naval Fighter Wing, comprising three squadrons of Vought F4U Corsairs, on board . The carrier sailed for the Indian Ocean to join the British Pacific Fleet. After arriving Cork was killed in a flying accident while landing at China Bay, Ceylon on 14 April 1944. His final score was nine destroyed, two shared, one probable, four damaged and seven destroyed on the ground. He was fifth on the table of Royal Navy Second World War aces. He was buried in Trincomalee War Cemetery.


List of airlines of Estonia

This is a list of airlines currently operating in Estonia.


Alphabetically named Flights RAF/RFC

The table below lists the independent aircraft Flights of the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force which were given Alphabetical designations.


Isamu Mochizuki

 was an officer and ace fighter pilot in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific theater of World War II. He was officially credited with destroying ten enemy aircraft over China and the Pacific. He is famous for inventing the hineri-komi half-loop-and-roll technique that was employed in dogfighting by many Japanese fighter pilots.
Career.
Mochizuki enlisted in IJN in 1925 and completed its pilot training program in November 1926. He first served on carrier "Kaga" and then on carrier "Hōshō", before he was transferred to a fighter squadron based at Ōmura Naval Air Station in Nagasaki Prefecture on Kyushu. In November 1932, he was transferred to Yokosuka Air Group, which was at the time considered as an elite unit consisting of the very best fighter pilots in IJN.
In November 1936, Mochizuki was promoted to Warrant Officer. At the outbreak of Second Sino-Japanese War he was transferred to 13th Air Group that operated from Shanghai. After six months of combat over China, he was recalled back to Japan. In October 1941 he was promoted to Ensign.
In March 1943, Mochizuki was appointed division leader (buntaichō) in the newly-formed 281st Air Group that was stationed in the Kuril Islands. The same year he was transferred to Roi in the Marshall Islands. After USN carrier strikes destroyed most of the IJN aircraft in the Marshalls, he became stranded on Roi. Mochizuki disappeared and was presumed killed during the American invasion on 6 February 1944.
"Hineri-komi" maneuver.
During his four-year stay with Yokosuka Air Group, Mochizuki invented and developed hineri-komi (捻り込み—literal meaning: twist inside) maneuver that allows an aircraft, which is being chased by an enemy, to come at the chaser's tail or to gain an opportunity to take a shot at it. Minoru Genda, who was also part of Yokosuka Air Group at the same time, observed this technique during the training sessions with Mochizuki and helped to formalize it in order to be widely adopted by other IJN pilots in dogfights.
The maneuver starts by a steep climb into a half loop, where the pilot applies (e.g., right) rudder to yaw his aircraft and perform a side slip. At the top of the loop the aircraft ends up inverted and pointing outside of the loop's vertical plane. At that point, the pilot applies hard reverse (e.g., right) rudder while at the same time applies (e.g., right) aileron to roll the aircraft in the opposite direction of the applied reverse rudder. After the resulting twisting motion, the pilot uses elevator to pull the aircraft up, which brings it into a horizontal flight in the same direction as the loop begun.


Antonio (Nery) Juarbe Pol Airport

Antonio (Nery) Juarbe Pol Airport is a public use airport located southeast of Arecibo, Puerto Rico. It is owned by the Puerto Rico Ports Authority. This airport is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which categorized it as a general aviation airport.
The IATA and FAA airport codes differ because IATA had already assigned the "ABO" code to Aboisso Airport in Côte d'Ivoire.
History.
World War II.
During World War II, the airport was used by the United States Army Air Forces Sixth Air Force conducting antisubmarine patrols. It was known as Arecibo Field. Flying units using the airfield were:
Name.
The airport was named after a prominent Arecibo-born businessman and pilot, who perished along with his wife and two passengers, on a flight from Isla Grande airport in San Juan to Arecibo on Mother's day, 1979. His wife's body was recovered the next day being picked up by fishermen from La Perla in San Juan. His body, the two other passengers, and the aircraft (a Cessna) were recovered from the sea on Father's day 1979. They were visiting his parents in San Juan for Mother's day. The weather was particularly rough that evening and is believed to be the cause of the accident.
Facilities and aircraft.
Antonio Nery Juarbe Pol Airport covers an area of 178 acres (72 ha) at an elevation of 23 feet (7 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 8/26 with an asphalt surface measuring 3,975 by 60 feet (1,212 × 18 m).
The Dorado non-directional beacon (Ident: DDP) is located east of the airport. The Borinquen VORTAC (Ident: BQN) is located west of the airport. The Ponce VOR-DME (Ident: PSE) is located south-southeast of the airport.
Antonio (Nery) Juarbe Pol Airport has a large number of light-sport aircraft and ultralights. It has become the main center of Sport Aviation in Puerto Rico. The airport is very popular with skydiving community, with a private skydiving school located there.


Chandrapur Greenfield Airport

Chandrapur Greenfield Airport is a greenfield airport to be built at Vihirgaon, 40 kilometres south of Chandrapur, Maharashtra, India.
The Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) is the nodal agency for the project.
The airport will be developed in two phases. The first phase will be built on 720 acres of land, with a 2000 metre runway capable of handling turboprop aircraft like the Bombardier Q400 and ATR 72. In the second phase, the runway will be extended to 3000 metres to accommodate narrow-body jet aircraft like the Airbus A-320.
The Airports Authority of India submitted its pre-feasibility report in January 2018, approving the site for the construction of a greenfield airport. Following this, the State government gave approval for the project and sanctioned funds for acquisition of 463 acres of private land and other administrative process.
The land acquisition for the airport is expected to be completed by the end of financial year 2020/21.


Kitsissuarsuit Heliport

Kitsissuarsuit Heliport is a heliport in Kitsissuarsuit, a Disko Bay island village in the Qaasuitsup municipality in western Greenland. The heliport is considered a "helistop", and is served by Air Greenland as part of a government contract.
Airlines and destinations.
Air Greenland operates government contract flights to villages in the Aasiaat Archipelago. These mostly cargo flights are not featured in the timetable, although they can be pre-booked. Departure times for these flights as specified during booking are by definition approximate, with the settlement service optimized on the fly depending on local demand for a given day. Settlement flights in the Disko Bay region are unique in that they are operated only during winter and spring. During summer and autumn, communication between settlements is by sea only, serviced by Diskoline.


Akutan Seaplane Base

Akutan Seaplane Base is a public use seaplane base located in Akutan, a city on Akutan Island in the Aleutians East Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska. Scheduled seaplane service was subsidized by the Essential Air Service program until late 2012 when PenAir retired their Grumman Goose amphibious aircraft and a new land-based airport on neighboring Akun Island was built. The new airport is known as Akutan Airport.
As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 1,346 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008, 1,200 enplanements in 2009, and 1,246 in 2010. It is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which categorized it as a "general aviation" airport (the "commercial service" category requires at least 2,500 enplanements per year).


906th Air Refueling Squadron

The 906th Air Refueling Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit. It is an active associate squadron and part of the 375th Air Mobility Wing at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois.
The squadron was first activated in United States military buildup just before World War II as the 16th Reconnaissance Squadron. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the squadron participated in the Antisubmarine Campaign of the American Theater of Operations. As the 406th Bombardment Squadron it also served in the Aleutian Islands Campaign of the Pacific Theater of Operations and several campaigns in the European Theater of Operations. The squadron was unusual in that it received campaign credit in three different theaters of operation.
The 906th Air Refueling Squadron was activated as part of Strategic Air Command's nuclear deterrent force. It maintained aircraft on alert throughout the Cold War. The squadron deployed aircrews and aircraft to support combat operations in Southeast Asia from the mid 1960s through the early 1970s. It also supported numerous contingency operations from its bases in the northern United States and forward operating locations until moving to Scott in 2009 and becoming an active associate unit of the Illinois Air National Guard.
Mission.
The 906th operates the Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker aircraft conducting air refueling missions. It is an active associate unit and the airmen of the 906th operate and maintain the aircraft of the 126th Air Refueling Wing and fly with the 108th Air Refueling Squadron of the Illinois Air National Guard.
History.
World War II.
The first predecessor of the 906th Air Refueling Squadron was established as the 16th Reconnaissance Squadron. It was assigned to the 3d Bombardment Wing, but was under the operational control of the 42d Bombardment Group, to which it was assigned the following year. The squadron drew its cadre from the 88th Reconnaissance Squadron and was equipped with a mixture Douglas B-18 Bolos, Lockheed A-29 Hudsons, and a few Martin B-26 Marauder medium bombers. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the squadron flew antisubmarine patrols over the Pacific until early May 1942.
Aleutian Campaign.
Following Pearl Harbor, military planning called for Alaska to be defended by units based in the Zone of the Interior, which would deploy only their air echelons, which would move forward to Alaska as they were needed. The 42d Bombardment Group was tabbed as one of the units to deploy combat elements to Alaska. The Japanese invasion of the Aleutian Islands showed that permanent units were necessary for Alaskan defense. However, because of other demands, only the 406th and the 77th Bombardment Squadrons of the group deployed to Alaska, where they were attached to the 28th Composite Group. The squadron continued antisubmarine operations in the Gulf of Alaska and detachments of the squadron flew combat missions during the Aleutian Campaign from forward bases on Adak and Amchitka with North American B-25 Mitchells, attacking enemy targets on Dutch Harbor that helped force the withdrawal of enemy ships and on Kiska until the Japanese withdrew from the island. The squadron returned to the Continental United States in late 1943 and was briefly assigned to Fourth Air Force.
Combat in Europe.
The squadron moved on paper to the European Theater of Operations in November where it was organized from crews and aircraft formerly assigned to the 479th Antisubmarine Group. The 406th received its cadre at RAF Alconbury from the ground echelon of the 4th Antisubmarine Squadron and the air echelon of the 22d Antisubmarine Squadron, which had been disbanded at RAF Podington. The squadron was equipped with modified B-24Ds that had been stripped of armament except for the tail turret. The aircraft were painted gloss black overall and the openings left by the removal of the gun turrets from their bellies were used by agents being dropped by parachute. In addition, plexiglass bubbles were added to the cockpit side windows to improve visibility for the pilots.
The unit flew its first Carpetbagger mission to drop supplies to members of the Resistance in Occupied Europe under the guidance of the Royal Air Force (RAF) in early January. In April the squadron moved to RAF Harrington, which was near RAF Tempsford, where the RAF was engaged in similar activities. Carpetbagger missions also began to include the infiltration of agents with most missions flown over occupied France and the low countries. In August 1944 the squadron transferred its personnel and equipment to the 858th Bombardment Squadron of the 492d Bombardment Group, which assumed the Carpetbagger mission.
When the 492d took over the Carpetbagger mission, its 858th Bombardment Squadron, which was engaged in psychological warfare against Nazi Germany, joined it at RAF Harrington. The 406th moved on paper to RAF Cheddington and took over the dozen Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 858th. These aircraft used laminated paper leaflet bombs that burst at one to two thousand feet above the ground and could accurately deliver 80,000 leaflets. As the squadron assumed its new mission in August 1944, the pace of missions accelerated to about eight per night. Squadron strength expanded to 24 aircraft and the B-17s were replaced by B-24s by the end of the year. The squadron flew these missions over France, Germany, Norway and the low countries. After the surrender of Germany in May 1945, the squadron continued flying missions for the Office of Strategic Services. Just under two billion leaflets were delivered by the night leaflet unit.
In July 1945, the unit returned to the United States, where it was redesignated as a very heavy bombardment squadron. The war in the Pacific Theater ended and the squadron was inactivated in October 1945.
Strategic Air Command.
In 1959 the Air Force assigned the 906th Air Refueling Squadron to Strategic Air Command (SAC), which organized it at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota in June, where it was assigned to the 4136th Strategic Wing. The 4136th wing was established by SAC in a program to disperse its Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bombers over a larger number of bases, thus making it more difficult for the Soviet Union to knock out the entire fleet with a surprise first strike. The squadron received its first Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker on 23 September 1959 and was judged to be combat ready on 31 October. Starting in 1960, one third of the squadron's aircraft were maintained on fifteen-minute alert, fully fueled and ready for combat to reduce vulnerability to a Soviet missile strike. This was increased to half the squadron's aircraft in 1962. The 4136th (and later the 450th and 5th wings) continued to maintain an alert commitment until the end of the Cold War. The 906th refueled B-52s participating in Operation Chrome Dome, the airborne component of SAC's alert force, until Chrome Dome was terminated in 1968. The squadron's ground alert commitment was increased in the fall of 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis, when all available aircraft assumed an alert status.
In February 1963, The 450th Bombardment Wing assumed the aircraft, personnel and equipment of the discontinued 4136th wing. The 4136th was a Major Command controlled (MAJCON) wing, which could not carry a permanent history or lineage, and SAC wanted to replace it with a permanent unit. The 900th was assigned to the newly activated 450th wing. In 1966 the squadron was awarded the Saunders Trophy for outstanding refueling operations.
In 1962, SAC organized four Post-Attack Command and Control System (PACCS) squadrons and equipped them with Boeing EB-47 Stratojets. The establishment of Boeing EC-135 airborne command post aircraft at SAC headquarters and at each of its Numbered Air Forces resulted in the inactivation of the less capable B-47 units by 1965. The communications relay mission of the B-47 units was assumed by the 906th and 28th Air Refueling Squadrons, which received a variety of EC-135s for this mission. By the mid-1960s, improved accuracy of Soviet ballistic missiles made underground Minuteman missile launch control centers more vulnerable, so the Airborne Launch Control System (ALCS) was created to provide a survivable launch capability. The ALCS was eventually installed aboard all PACCS aircraft assigned to the 906th. Launch crews came from the 91st Strategic Missile Wing. In April 1970, the squadron's ALCS aircraft were transferred to the new 4th Airborne Command and Control Squadron at Ellsworth Air Force Base.
The squadron deployed aircrews and aircraft to support the Spanish, Great Lakes and Alaskan Tanker Task Forces. It engaged in worldwide operations supporting combat operations in Southeast Asia from 1968 through 1975 through participation in Operation Young Tiger and support for Operation Arc Light. Afterwards it continued to support forward based tanker task forces. Due to normally supporting the European Tanker Task Force (ETTF) and Pacific Tanker Task Force (PTTF) simultaneously along with home operations, it adopted the slogan "The sun never sets on the 906th". It supported combat operations in Southwest Asia from 1990 through 1991.
Air Mobility Command.
In 1992 the air force reorganized its major commands. As a result, the 906th's parent 5th Operations Group was reassigned to Air Combat Command as a bomber unit, while the 906th became an element of Air Mobility Command (AMC) and was assigned as a geographically separated unit to the 43d Operations Group at Malmstrom Air Force Base. During this time, the squadron included not just the normal operations personnel, but also maintenance and other support personnel. For 1992 and 1993, the squadron maintainers were recognized as the Best AMU (Aircraft Maintenance Unit) in all of AMC. In December of 1992, they received a no-notice tasking to deploy to Lajes Field, Azores, Portugal, and departed organically (no other airlift support) within 24 hours. At Lajes they were the lead unit along with KC-135As from K.I. Sawyer AFB, MI. They were part of Operation Restore Hope supporting humanitarian efforts in Somalia, enabling US-based airlifters to deliver supplies more efficiently. During 1993, they converted operations from the KC-135A to the KC-135R. From January to March 1994, they deployed to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in support of Operation Southern Watch. While deployed, the squadron flag was reassigned and they became Detachment 1, 43d Operations Group until transfer of all personnel and aircraft out of Minot later in 1994. The squadron was assigned to the 319th Air Refueling Wing one of three "super tanker wings" at Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota, where it became the second of four tanker squadrons assigned to the wing's 319th Operations Group.
Under AMC control, the unit supported Operation Deny Flight, the United Nations no-fly zone over Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1994 and 1995 from Pisa Airport, Italy and Istres Air Base, France. It supported Operation Uphold Democracy, the United Nations action to remove the military junta and restore the elected president of Haiti in 1995. In 1996 the squadron deployed planes and crews to Riyadh Air Base, Saudi Arabia for Operation Southern Watch, the Southwest Asia Task Force operation to monitor and control airspace in southern Iraq. It also deployed for the sister operation patrolling northern Iraq, Operation Northern Watch.
For three months in the summer of 2000, the squadron was forced to operate from MacDill Air Force Base, Florida as the Grand Forks runways underwent a nine million dollar renovation. For the first time in ten years, following the 9/11 attacks, the squadron once again placed aircraft on alert as part of Operation Noble Eagle and also began support for Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Toward the end of the following year, the squadron began to deploy forward in what became Operation Iraqi Freedom, the war in Iraq.
AMC began to prepare for the end of air refueling operations at Grand Forks in preparation for the arrival of Global Hawk unmanned aircraft. As a result, it began to inactivate or transfer the tanker squadrons stationed there. On 2 October 2009 the 906th moved without personnel or equipment from Grand Forks Air Force Base to Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, where it was assigned to the 375th Air Mobility Wing as an active associate unit with the 126th Air Refueling Wing of the Illinois Air National Guard. The 375th maintains administrative control of the squadron, while the 126th has operational control. The airmen of the 906th operate and maintain the aircraft of the 126th wing's 108th Air Refueling Squadron.
Lineage.
406th Bombardment Squadron
906th Air Refueling Squadron


List of airlines of Mongolia

This is a list of airlines which have a current Air Operator Certificate issued by the Civil Aviation Authority of Mongolia ().


Shock cooling

Shock cooling refers to the theory that damage to engines (particularly air-cooled aviation piston engines) may occur because of an excessively rapid decrease in temperature.
The situation where rapid cooling arises is on descent from altitude. In this condition, less power is demanded of the engine (it is throttled back) so it is developing much less heat. In a descent, the plane's airspeed increases, simultaneously increasing the cooling rate of the engine. As metals expand and contract under temperature changes, dimensional changes in the engine may exceed tolerance limits.
Manifestation.
Damage from shock cooling is most commonly believed to manifest itself as stuck valves, cracked pistons and cracked cylinders.
Analysis.
While the subject is very controversial, some believe shock cooling, as commonly explained, is nothing but a myth. This position is supported by the fact twin engine planes commonly experience ideal conditions for shock cooling during simulated, single engine failures, yet statistically show no difference in wear or damage probability distribution between engines. Equally, it has been pointed out the rate cylinder head temperatures drop off after a normal engine shutdown is often much faster than the usual rates deemed to present a shock cooling risk. Furthermore, others believe damage usually associated with shock cooling is actually caused by rapid throttle changes where fuel, which has been supercooled during high-altitude flight, is introduced into a very hot engine cylinder during descent, where rich of peak (as opposed to lean of peak) operation is considered the norm, thus causing higher operating temperatures. It is well established, high operating temperatures in of themselves, can contribute to excessive component wear and damage, which is typically associated with "shock cooling". Given the available data, it strongly suggests "shock cooling" is nothing but a myth, at least in the context as commonly explained.
Detection and prevention.
A single cylinder head temperature (CHT) sensor, or in more sophisticated installations, an array of sensors, one for each cylinder, may be employed to monitor the temperature and cooling rate of the engine. Usually a simple analog gauge or a more advanced graphical bar-graph display(see external links below for an image) is used to present information to pilots. Spoilers on the wings or thrust reversal may also be deployed to lose lift without having to reduce engine power substantially, slowing the rate of engine cooling.


List of Middle East Airlines destinations

Middle East Airlines – Air Liban, more commonly known as Middle East Airlines – MEA, is the national airline of Lebanon, with its head office in Beirut. and its base at Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport. It operates international flights to 31 destinations (29-year-round and 2 seasonal destinations) in 22 countries in Africa, the Middle East, and Europe, as of summer 2016.
Middle East Airlines was founded on 31 May 1945 by Saeb Salam, with operational and technical support from BOAC. Operations started on 1 January 1946 using three de Havilland DH.89A Dragon Rapides on flights between Beirut and Nicosia, followed by flights to Iraq, Egypt, and Syria.
Destinations.
Note - MEA also served Haifa and Lydda in former British Mandate Palestine till 1948.


List of defunct airlines of Mexico

This is a list of defunct airlines of Mexico.


SixCargo


USS Bali

USS "Bali" (ID 2483) was a large Dutch freighter seized in New York City by the U.S. Customs Service during World War I. She was assigned to the U.S. Navy and later the U.S. Army as a cargo ship to be used to carry military cargo to Allied forces in France. After a number of transatlantic voyages, she was returned to the Dutch government at war's end. She subsequently remained busy transporting cargo until World War II, when she was wrecked by Luftwaffe bombers in the Mediterranean. Her remains were reclaimed and disposed of by scrapping in 1951.
Seized by U.S. Customs.
"Bali" – a single screw steel-hulled freighter completed in 1917 at Rotterdam, the Netherlands by the Rotterdam Dry Dock Co. for the Stoomvaart Maatschappij Nederland – was seized by customs officials at New York City under Proclamation 1436 of 20 March 1918 (40 Stat. 1761); inspected by the Navy at New York on 23 March 1918; assigned the identification number (Id. No.) 2483; and commissioned at New York on 27 March, Lt. Comdr. Norman Ferguson, USNRF, in command.
World War I service.
Assigned to NOTS.
Assigned to the Naval Overseas Transportation Service (NOTS) on an Army Account, "Bali" began loading cargo less than two hours after going into commission. She completed the evolution, as well as the bunkering of her fuel, by 1630 on 1 April 1918. Sailing two hours later to chase and join a convoy that had left the harbor five hours earlier, "Bali" developed engineering difficulties that compelled her to anchor off Tompkinsville, Staten Island, to carry out repairs.
First voyage to France.
Underway again on 9 April with another convoy, "Bali" still failed to maintain speed well enough to keep pace, and she had to put in at Halifax, Nova Scotia, for repairs on 16 April. She resumed her voyage once again on 28 April; and this time, "Bali" reached Brest, France, on 14 May despite a rough passage.
She steamed thence to St. Nazaire the following day, but a crowded harbor kept her waiting for a berth. Finally able to discharge a portion of her cargo, she left St. Nazaire for Nantes on 6 June, where labor conditions were such that German prisoners of war had to be employed working the ship's hatches during the unloading process. She finished working her cargo and proceeded down the Loire River early in the evening of 15 June. "Bali" joined a convoy the following day and, after returning briefly to Brest on 16 June, sailed for the United States on the afternoon of 18 June. She reached Hoboken, New Jersey, on 2 July.
Second voyage to France.
Taking on board 6,759 tons of general cargo, "Bali" put to sea for Hampton Roads, Virginia, on 18 July and reached her destination the next day, mooring alongside the battleship USS "Mississippi" (BB-41) at the Norfolk Navy Yard. While in the yard, "Bali" received her main and secondary batteries, a 5-inch gun and a 6-pounder that had originally been installed on board the battleship USS "Arkansas" (BB-31) and the cruiser USS "Raleigh" (C-8), respectively. Moving out of the yard on the morning of 21 July, she joined a convoy and sailed that afternoon for France.
On 8 August, a few days before arriving at her destination, "Bali" observed a steamer on her starboard side sounding a submarine warning and opening fire on a "suspicious object" in the water. "Bali" opened fire with her forward gun, but apparently neither ship scored any hits. Dropping anchor in Quiberon Bay on 10 August, she proceeded thence first to La Pallice and then to Bordeaux on 13 August. After unloading her cargo, the freighter sailed for New York on 21 August and reached that port on 5 September.
Third voyage to France.
Sent to Hoboken on 6 September, the ship loaded 6,887 tons of general cargo and underwent repairs to her engines. Following a trial trip on 16 September, she sailed on 18 September for France. Reaching Verdon Roads on 5 October, "Bali" unloaded a portion of her cargo to a barge before mooring to a dock at Bordeaux on 9 October to finish unloading. She had to wait a number of days for a return convoy to be formed, but "Bali" finally sailed west again on the afternoon of 24 October and arrived back in New York on 7 November.
Transporting horses to France.
Word of the impending armistice with the Central Powers delayed the installation of stalls to enable her to serve as a horse transport. Three days after the armistice, however, she was docked at the Bush Docks in Hoboken, New Jersey, where modifications were made to accommodate 600 horses. "Bali" took the animals on board soon thereafter and loaded 2,551 tons of general cargo before sailing for France on 30 November. Reaching Verdon Roads on 14 December, the ship then proceeded up the Gironde River to Bordeaux on 16 December, where she discharged her cargo and loaded steel rails for ballast. She stood back down the river two days after Christmas of 1918, bound for the United States.
Bali collides off Sewall's Point.
"Bali" dropped anchor in Hampton Roads late on 11 January 1919, and shifted to a mooring at Newport News, Virginia, the following day. There, workmen came on board and removed the horse stalls on 13 and 14 January. On the afternoon of 15 January, "Bali" entered the yard at the Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co., where her guns were removed.
From there, she proceeded to the Engineer Depot dock at Lambert's Point on 23 January, where she unloaded the steel rail ballast she had carried from France. The ship then shifted to a berth off Sewall's Point on 28 January. The next day, a flood tide and a strong breeze caused her to drag her anchors and drift down on the freighter "Bonafan". The collision caused no great damage to either ship, and "Bali" steamed away under her own power. After coaling on 31 January, the freighter sailed for Baltimore, Maryland, on 3 February.
Transfer to the Shipping Board.
Having been transferred from the NOTS Army Account to the Shipping Board Account on 1 February 1919, "Bali" reached Baltimore on 4 February and loaded 7,458 tons of Food Administration flour, peas, and beans earmarked for European relief. Then, having had "otter gear" installed for minesweeping at that port, she departed Baltimore for Denmark on 14 February. Reaching Copenhagen on 7 March, "Bali" unloaded her cargo and sailed for the British Isles on 20 March. Proceeding via the Kiel Canal and Heligoland, she reached Yarmouth on 23 March to await a pilot; proceeding thence to Harwich and Plymouth, she reached the latter port on 25 March. She remained there until 29 March, when she sailed, in ballast, for the United States.
"Bali" made port at New York City on 10 April, mooring at Jersey City, New Jersey that same afternoon. Moving thence to the Morgan Pier on 17 April and Shewan's Drydock on 19 April, she underwent repairs on 19 and 20 April.
Final war support voyage.
After that, "Bali" moved to the West Shore Railroad dock on 22 April and loaded a cargo of lard and flour. She sailed for Europe on 29 April. Touching briefly at Falmouth, England, on 11 May for sailing orders and onward routing, she pushed on the next day, reaching Hamburg, Germany, on the morning of 16 May.
Decommissioning.
Arriving at Amsterdam on the morning of 24 May, Bali entered the Amsterdamsche Drydock Company drydock on 27 May. She was decommissioned at Amsterdam on 30 May 1919 and was returned to her owners. Her name was struck from the Navy list simultaneously.
Subsequent destruction in World War II.
Stoomvaart Maatschappij Nederland operated "Bali" until sometime in 1932 when she was acquired by Georges Portolo. Her port of registry then became Ithaca, Greece and she was renamed "Max Wolf". The freighter operated under Greek colors until bombed by German planes off the coast of France between Roque and Berville, and two of her crew killed, on 9 June 1940. Run aground to prevent her sinking, the wreck was used as a bombing target by the Luftwaffe during the German occupation of France. The wreck was subsequently broken up for scrap about 1951.


Ioannis Kellas

Ioannis Kellas (, 1908-1966) was a Greek aviator and Hellenic Air Force officer during World War II.
Career.
Kellas was born in Trikala, Greece and graduated the Greek Military Academy in Athens. In the following Greek-Italian War (October 28, 1940 to April 7, 1941), he was positioned as commander of the 21st Pursuit Squadron, initially based on the airfield of Thessaloniki, but then moved to Vasiliki, near Kalabaka, central Greece.
At the outbreak of the war his squadron comprised 12 PZL P.24 fighters. Kellas got involved in several dogfights with the Italian "Regia Aeronautica" aircraft. At November 20, he had his first success by hitting a bomber over lake Prespa. During December 1940, while Italian pressure was continuous, the 21st Pursuit Squadron was equipped with Gloster Gladiator aircraft from the Royal Air Force. In February 1941, during a patrol mission over the Permet-Kelcyre sector, southern Albania, Kellas shot down two enemy fighters.
At April 15, during the German invasion, Kellas was hit by a Messerschmitt Bf 109 of the "Luftwaffe" and made an emergency landing. He managed to escape to North Africa where he served as commander of the 335th Greek Squadron. In one occasion on October 28, 1942, 12 Hurricanes of the 335th squadron under Kellas performed a strafing attack on the Italian XX Corps headquarters, an operation that was a huge morale booster for the expatriate Greeks during the Second Battle of El Alamein.
After the war Kellas followed a short career with Civil Aviation as a pilot of Olympic Airways.


Jeffrey Pino


APG Airlines

APG Airlines is a French airline based at Toulouse, France. It operates flights between Toulouse Blagnac Airport and Lorient Airport.


List of airlines of Serbia

This is a list of airlines currently operating in Serbia.


Cobra maneuver

In aerobatics, the Cobra maneuver (often shorted to just the "Cobra)", also named "dynamic deceleration", among several other names, is a dramatic and demanding maneuver in which an airplane flying at a moderate speed suddenly raises the nose momentarily to the vertical position and slightly beyond vertical with an extremely high angle of attack, momentarily stalling the plane and making it a full-body air brake, before dropping it back to normal, during which the aircraft does not change effective altitude.
The maneuver relies on the ability of the plane to be able to quickly change angle of attack (alpha) without overloading the airframe and sufficient engine thrust to maintain approximately constant altitude through the entire move. The maneuver demands accurate pitch control, alpha stability and engine-versus-inlet compatibility on the part of the aircraft, as well as a high skill level on the part of the pilot.
It is often used as an example of supermaneuverability, specifically poststall maneuvering. The Herbst maneuver and the helicopter maneuver are examples of similar post-stall maneuvers that are often carried out by 4.5th Generation and 5th Generation fighter aircraft, often employing thrust vectoring.
Although the maneuver is mainly performed at air shows, it could be used as a last-ditch maneuver to make a pursuing plane overshoot in close-range air combat. The maneuver is not known to have been used in real combat, although there are records of it being used during mock dogfights and during border protection.
Description of the Cobra.
The Cobra maneuver is very basic yet very complex. The actual movement of the maneuver can simply be described as; a rapid vertical pitchup from level flight without initiating a climb, followed by a forward-pitch back to level flight. If properly performed, the plane maintains nearly straight flight throughout the maneuver. The plane does not roll or yaw in either direction. This greatly lowers the speed of the aircraft due to the un-aerodynamic under-surface of the aircraft going against the airflow.
To perform the Cobra, the maneuver must be entered from fairly high subsonic speeds. Proper entry speed is necessary because, if the maneuver is entered too slowly, the plane might be unable to complete the maneuver or return to level flight with sufficient speed, while entering at too high a speed would create g-forces so high that the pilot loses consciousness or the airframe is damaged. High thrust is also needed throughout the maneuver to not stall out.
To execute the maneuver the aircraft only need to use its standard aerodynamic controls, however executing it can be achieved more easily with the addition of modern thrust vectoring.
Aerodynamics.
The Cobra maneuver requires more than just pilot input and aircraft maneuverability to be performed. Since the maneuver requires the aircraft to not lose or gain substantial altitude during the maneuver, the change of alpha during the vertical pitchup has to be fast enough to break the airflow of the wings, as to not make the aircraft climb. To be able to perform this rapid vertical pitchup the aircraft needs an "instability" in its core aerodynamics which will make the aircraft rapidly pitch up by itself once the elevator of the aircraft is pitched to the point were it breaks the airflow during a pitch up; but also the stall-control needed to not enter an uncontrollable stall at the peak of the pitch; which allows the aircraft to center the elevator and using the torque from the elevators added drag to pitch forward to horizontal flying again.
Only specific aircraft feature this "instability" and thus the maneuver can only be performed by a small number of aircraft. This is because conventional aircraft are designed to lack this "instability" for safety reasons, and can thus not execute the maneuver by conventional means. Some conventional aircraft can however perform maneuvers reminiscent of the Cobra but do so with differences which disqualify them as real Cobra maneuvers; such as: performing at low speed, changing alpha too slowly and using advanced thrust control so as not to gain altitude (i.e. performing a forced vertical climb with no thrust, usually ending with the aircraft performing a short climb or stalling instead of completing the cobra movement), among other examples.
Simply put, the Cobra relies more on the core aerodynamics of the aircraft than its control surfaces and avionics and can thus only be performed by specific aircraft featuring aerodynamics allowing for the maneuver.
Execution (Sukhoi Su-27).
In the case of the Su-27, to execute the maneuver the pilot initially disengages the angle of attack limiter of the plane, normally set at 26°. This action also disengages the g limiter. After that, the pilot pulls back hard on the stick. The aircraft reaches an angle of attack of 90–120° with a slight gain of altitude and a significant loss of speed. When the elevator is centered, the drag at the rear of the plane causes a torque that makes the aircraft pitch forward. At the same time, the pilot adds power to compensate for the reduced lift.
Use in combat.
If pursued by an enemy fighter in a dogfight, by executing the Cobra, a sufficiently closely pursued aircraft may suddenly slow itself down to the point that the pursuer overshoots it, allowing the previously pursued aircraft to complete the Cobra behind the other. This may allow the now-pursuing aircraft an opportunity for firing its weapons, particularly if a proper pointing aspect (facing toward the former pursuer) can be maintained. Due to the speed loss when performing a Cobra, maintaining weapons on target may require the use of thrust vectoring and/or canard control surfaces. Otherwise, the maneuver may also allow the pursued plane to flee as the overshooting attacker may lose track of the target.
The maneuver is also potentially a defense against radar, as the sudden change in velocity can often cause Doppler radars to lose their lock on the target. Doppler radars often ignore any objects with a near-zero velocity to reduce ground clutter. The cobra maneuver's sudden change to near-zero velocity often results in the target being momentarily filtered off as ground clutter, making it difficult for the radar to lock onto the target, or breaking the target lock if already established. However, there is no available documentation of this being tested beyond theory.
The Cobra maneuver has been used in mock dogfights but there is little to no known documentation of it being used in actual combat. The mock dogfights were performed by planes using 1950s technology which differs greatly from modern aircraft. Existing material of these mock dogfights does not cover the elements of the engagements before and after the maneuver, which would be useful in assessing its usefulness in modern combat. That being said, there is evidence that it was a useful combat move during the third and fourth generations of jet fighters.
Names.
The maneuver goes by many names around the globe but it is most often referred to as the Cobra maneuver in the respective language. The origin for the name Cobra is unknown but it could refer to the plane displaying its top and bottom profile, much like a cobra spreading its shield.
Other notable names include: "Pugachev's Cobra" (alternative the "Pugachev Cobra"), which is named after Viktor Pugachev, the first pilot to bring the maneuver to the public eye. "Short parade" (Swedish: "Kort parad"), the original Swedish name for the maneuver, probably referring to the way the plane stands up during the maneuver. "Zero speed maneuver" (), the Syrian name for the maneuver, referring to the way the plane loses speed during the maneuver.
The maneuver has also been given the name "dynamic deceleration" as a more scientific name.
History.
The maneuver first came to the public's attention when the Soviet test pilot Viktor Pugachev performed it at the Le Bourget Paris air show in 1989 using a Sukhoi Su-27. As this maneuver was largely unknown to the public previous to this the maneuver was quickly named after Pugachev. But apparently Pugachev was not the first Soviet pilot who had performed the Cobra. Another Soviet test pilot, by the name of Igor Volk, performed the Cobra previous to this when he tested aircraft behavior at high super-critical angles of attack, up to around 90°.
Sweden.
Several decades prior to Pugachev showing off his cobra, during the early 1960s, the maneuver was performed by Swedish pilots flying the Saab 35 fighter jet. It was invented during training on how to recover from super stalls (also known as deep stalls) which the double delta tailless design of the Saab 35 is prone to. Simplified, a super stall is an uncontrollable stall which is much harder to recover from than a standard stall. Super stall plagued the early years of the Saab 35's service life, leading to several deaths, which in turn lead the Swedish air staff to implement extra training on how to counteract and recover from it. What came out of this was the Cobra maneuver. When pulling high alpha, the pilot would have noticed that he was going into super stall, and he would then have pulled negative alpha to get out of it. The effects this maneuver had on the aircraft's speed were noted and pilots started to purposely use it as a way to lower speed. The first Swedish pilots to discover the Cobra were the test pilots and , which developed or invented the technique around 1961-1963.
The Swedes named the maneuver "kort parad", or "short parade" in English, likely referring to the way the plane stands up during the maneuver as if on parade. The Swedish pilots quickly started to theorize on how to use this move in combat as a way to get a pursuing aircraft to overshoot, and it was not long until it was proven viable during mock dogfights. In real combat, depending on the situation and the execution of the maneuver, it could be used to confuse the enemy by making it lose the target or to overshoot, which would allow the pursued pilot the opportunity to either flee from combat or to set up a new engagement. However, the maneuver was very difficult and dangerous to use as anything more than a last-ditch maneuver, as without precise execution the aircraft's low speed after the maneuver would make it an easy target.
The maneuver originated with the Bråvalla Air Force Wing, who were the first wing to receive the Saab 35 fighter plane. As the plane was in time adopted by other wings, so was the maneuver. The Scania Air Force Wing apparently called the maneuver "Wacka", which has no real meaning in Swedish.
As Sweden effectively shared borders with the Soviet Union over the Baltic Sea, both sides regularly flew into the international space between the two. Due to this, the Saab 35s had to regularly intercept and escort Soviet planes away from Swedish airspace. Sometimes these meetings would result in non-combat dogfights, which were either of playful or threatening nature. Apparently, the Cobra maneuver was used during some of these engagements, much to the surprise of the Soviets. Later in the Saab 35's service life, the maneuver was used as a secret weapon by Saab-35 pilots in mock dogfights when facing the more advanced Saab 37 fighter plane. The Saab 37 was unable to safely enter super stalls, and therefore its pilots did not receive any major training against it. Due to this, the Cobra maneuver was unknown to many Saab 37 pilots prior to facing it in combat. Due to the interesting nature of the tactic, some Saab 37 pilots tried to do it with the Saab 37, but to their dismay it was unable to effectively do it above speeds of 350 km/h as the Saab 37 couldn't safely take the necessary gs to do it above that, effectively rendering it useless in combat.
When the Saab 35 went out of service, the maneuver did as well, as the next generations of Swedish warplanes, the Saab 37 and the Saab 39, couldn't effectively perform the maneuver. Due to the secrecy of the Cold War era and other factors, the Swedish Cobra was largely unknown to the world, until some former Saab 35 and 37 pilots brought it up years later in books and articles, although this was long after the Soviets had been credited with its discovery.
Finland.
In an interview, former Finnish Air Force pilot Ari Saarinen recalled performing the maneuver in a Draken while intercepting a Royal Air Force Nimrod over the Baltic Sea; the Nimrod pilot reduced power in order to get the Finns to overshoot, but the Finnish Drakens performed the maneuver to slow down, which according to Saarinen caused the British pilot to praise them over the radio.
Austria.
According to a video uploaded by the Scania Air Force Wing comrade association (Swedish: F10 Kamratförening), the Swedish Cobra was taught to Austrian pilots training on the Saab 35 in Sweden. It is unknown if the Austrians used this as a combat maneuver or just as training against super stall.
Syria.
Beyond Sweden, Syria also discovered the maneuver prior to the Soviets.
In 1961 when Syria left the United Arab Republic, they were left with a very weak air force. Due to this, the Syrians had to order new combat aircraft, which resulted in the procurement of the Mig-21F-13 in June 1962. Once the aircraft had arrived and been integrated into the fleet, a problem became apparent. All of the unit commanders had been selected based on political associations and loyalty to superiors, instead of knowledge in air combat. Due to this, the newly established commanders were over-reliant on advice from about 30 Soviet advisors assigned to the Syrian Air Force to help them work with the new planes, and were generally ineffective. This era of power over knowledge, however, also meant a handful of pilots with powerful connections were able to disregard Soviet advisors and orders from their commanders.
One of these pilots, Mohammad Mansour, then a novice MiG-21-pilot fresh from conversion course in the USSR, had an older brother, Fayez Mansour, with deep connections high up in the chain of command in Damascus. Those connections enabled him to challenge Soviet advisors and demand greater operational flexibility for himself and other pilots of his unit.
During Mohammed's first clashes with the Israeli Air Force, he realized that there was a need for an effective defensive maneuver for close combat that made a pursuing plane overshoot. His initial solution was based on Soviet manuals and consisted of rapid descending turns followed by a sudden activation of the afterburner and a climb. However, during a test flight in early 1967, Mohammad inadvertently pitched the nose of his MiG-21 too hard, so that the forward movement of his aircraft nearly stopped. In reaction, he engaged the afterburner of his MiG, and ended with the plane standing vertically on the verge of stalling out of control. Mohammad managed to recover the plane from that state, just in time to prevent a crash. Intrigued, he decided to try and replicate the maneuver in a controlled manner, this time by engaging the afterburner beforehand, as the Tumansky R-11 engine of the Mig-21 had to spool for full effect. After successful replication of the maneuver, it became clear that this was the defensive maneuver for close combat that he had been looking for.
The Syrians came to name the Cobra the "zero speed maneuver" (Arabic: مناورة السرعة صفر, "munawarat alsureat sifr"). Mohammad soon saw combat again with the Israeli Air Force but never got to use the maneuver. The Cobra quickly became a standard part of defensive tactics for Syrian Mig-21s.
Pakistan and Egypt.
With time, as different air forces were stationed in Syria, the maneuver spread to both the Pakistan and Egyptian air force, who also started using it as a standard defensive maneuver for their MiG-21s, as well on their Chinese made counterparts, Chengdu F-7s.
It is believed by some that the Cobra maneuver was performed in combat by an Egyptian pilot during the Yom Kippur War, but the theory is based on the quote of an Israeli pilot that doesn't mention anything more than an Egyptian MiG-21 apparently standing on its tail when trying to evade an attack.
Soviet Union.
When the cobra came to the Soviet Union's attention is unknown. It is possible that they first learned about it from the engagements with the Swedish over the Baltic Sea during the 1960s, but one story says that the Soviets, during their visits to Egypt between 1970 and 1972, saw the maneuver being performed by Egyptian MiG-21 pilots, and brought it back to the USSR.
However, as there is currently no known material on the Soviets performing the maneuver prior to the 1980s, it is also possible the maneuver was independently discovered by pilots like Viktor Pugachev or Igor Volk when testing advanced Soviet planes like the MiG-29 and Su-27.
Derivatives of the Cobra.
Because of the difficult and complex nature of the Cobra, it does not always end in the usual manner as described above. This has led to several derivatives of the Cobra which all initiate it similarly, but end differently. It should also be noted that just because an aircraft is capable of the Cobra does not guarantee it is capable of all of the below described derivatives, such as for example the Cobra Hover which requires the aircraft to have thrust vectoring.
"(Names are not official as these are not standard maneuvers by any means)"
Cobra Climb.
In the Cobra Climb, the aircraft initiates the Cobra, but instead of remaining in altitude and continuing forward, it starts to stall climb (climbing vertically). The maneuver is similar to a regular stall climb except that the change from level flight to stall climb happens much faster. However, unlike a regular climb, this still achieves the effect of the Cobra and the aircraft will still stall momentarily which lowers speed and momentum. The maneuver ends with the climb and the aircraft can return to common flight in various ways.
Cobra Stall.
In the Cobra Stall, the aircraft initiates the Cobra, but instead of returning to level flight, the aircraft instead fully stalls out after which it applies thrust and rudder to change the direction of the aircraft.
Cobra Barrel Roll.
In the Cobra Roll, the aircraft initiates the Cobra but instead of returning to level flight, the aircraft uses its ailerons and rudder to initiate a barrel roll at the peak of the initial nose climb which ends the maneuver with a barrel roll.
Cobra Hover.
The Cobra Hover is an extension of the original maneuver in which an aircraft initiates the Cobra but remains in the "Cobra state" for a longer period of time by the use of thrust control, thus achieving the "Hover" part of the maneuver. After which the aircraft can complete the maneuver in various ways depending on its energy.
Cobra Turn.
The Cobra Turn is an air combat maneuver. It is a variation on the Cobra maneuver where the aircraft performs the pull-up, but instead of returning to level flight applies rudder or thrust vectoring and turns downward. The aircraft achieves a negative angle of attack, ending the maneuver in a dive, therefore regaining airspeed sooner than the common Cobra. John Turner of BAE considers the Cobra maneuver to have little use in air combat maneuvering. It could also be argued that the combat effect is likely to be similar to the “Vectoring In Forward Flight" or VIFFing maneuver. In theory, VIFFing allows the aircraft to effectively slow down or stop while the enemy overshoots, leaving the aircraft in a favorable position to attack the enemy.
Unlike VIFFing, however, the fully developed Cobra maneuver leaves the aircraft in a precarious and non-offensive attitude, with no energy, with weapons pointing toward empty sky and with the pilot having lost sight of the enemy. If the pilot exits the Cobra by using rudder, this is a very slow version of the Hammerhead. At the same time, the aircraft is defenseless, unable to maneuver, nearly stationary, offers the largest lateral visual and radar target and is creating a massive plume of hot exhaust, making it an easy target for any type of weapon and attack which an enemy might choose.
The transition from Cobra maneuver to effective and controlled flight takes several seconds, and airspeed sufficient for defensive maneuvering is not recovered for more than ten seconds. While entering the Cobra is effective as a "speed brake" maneuver, usefulness in combat is limited at best, and then only if exited while sufficient energy remains to bring the weapons to bear before the opponent can break into an evasive maneuver—or, worse, loop back and attack. One simple defense-into-attack maneuver is for the opponent to Split-S, pass under the Cobra aircraft, then half-loop again to bring the Cobra aircraft into the cone of fire. The primary danger for the opponent becomes the possibility of a mid-air collision with the slowly moving target.
The Cobra Turn first gained widespread attention after it was performed by the Sukhoi Su-27, Su-35 and Su-37 at various European airshows.
Example aircraft.
Examples of aircraft capable of the maneuver.


Dimitris Ververelis

Dimitris Ververelis, also known as D.T. Ververelis, is a Greek helicopter pilot nicknamed "The Wizard." He is the first Greek helicopter pilot to perform a televised full loop with a helicopter.
Career.
Ververelis became a helicopter pilot in 1998. He served in the Hellenic Army Special Forces. Ververelis received his commercial helicopter license in the United States and continued to train in countries including France, the United Kingdom, the Ukraine and South Africa. He then became a certified flight instructor and in 1999 he founded GreekHelicopters.gr. Since 2004 he has been a flight instructor at Dekeleia Aeroclub in Tatoi.
He has participated in the Athens Flying Week, the largest air event in Greece, since it started in 2012. Athens Flying Week involves pilots performing precision exercises, operational maneuvers and mock rescues. Since 2014, Ververelis has flown an EC-120 B with the colors of Vostok Europe. His flight displays often incorporate backward movements with quick changes of heading, back flips, back and front pirouettes, 90° climbs, 360° vertical dives, dog turns and full down autorotations.
In June 2016 he participated for the first time at the Kavala Air Sea Show in Kavala. He is the father of term 'helobatic' used for unusual and extreme helicopter maneuvers. The name of the team changed to 'Wizard Helobatics'.
At the Athens Flying Week In September 2016, Ververelis' show was narrated by the famous Greek comedic impressionist George Mitsikostas. Ververelis performed together with the JetMan Yves Rossy, Vince Reffet, Fred Fugen and the Pegasus Apatsi Team in joint flight displays.
In June 2018 at the Kavala Air Sea Show, Ververelis joined in arrow formation with Pattuglia Blu Circe at Nea Peramos. At the same event he dropped skydiver Anastasis Sideris of Skydive Athens for a swooping landing in front of the spectators.
When asked to describe the joy of flight he said: "Flying is like Argentine Tango. You have to understand your heli-partner and always think steps in advance. You have to guide her with respect and she will impress you! If she happens to stumble you will need your skills and knowledge to hold her."
Ververelis is trained in more than 17 helicopter types. He has both FAA and EASA flight licenses. He is a helicopter flight instructor and examiner.


List of airlines of Qatar

This is a list of airlines currently operating in Qatar.


Wright XF3W Apache

The Wright XF3W was an American racing aircraft built by Wright Aeronautical for the United States Navy.
Development and design.
After the U.S. Navy declared its preference for radial engines, Wright developed the P-1 Simoon. To demonstrate the engine, the F3W was designed to carry it. The F3W was a single-seat biplane, with a steel tubing fuselage and wood wings, covered by fabric. Designed to be a carrier-based fighter and powered by the Simoon engine, its performance was poor. After the Navy took delivery of the aircraft, they installed a rival company's engine, the Pratt & Whitney R-1340 radial. The aircraft was redesignated XF3W, and flew with the new engine for the first time on 5 May 1926.
Operational history.
The Navy used the XF3W as a test bed for the Pratt & Whitney engine until 1930, during which time the aircraft set a number of records. On 6 September 1926, the XF3W set the world altitude record for seaplanes of . On 6 April 1930, it set the landplane altitude record of . The XF3W was also fitted with a single centreline float to evaluate the concept of basing floatplanes on battleships.