Which airlines fly to America. A post about private aviation in the USA from the point of view of the pilot and owner of the aircraft (in the picture). Major US airlines

The first known incident with a nuclear bomb occurred in February 1950, when military base Americans Eilsen (Alaska) during a full-scale application exercise nuclear strike A B-36 bomber took off across the USSR, carrying a bomb. The plutonium was removed for safety reasons because the exercise was to take place over San Francisco, but the bomb still contained uranium and 5,000 pounds of explosives. Off the coast of Canada, the plane began to ice up, three of its five engines failed, and it was forced to drop a bomb into the ocean. It is known that the explosive detonated when the bomb touched the water; eyewitnesses on the shore saw a bright flash, but the contamination of the waters Pacific Ocean not reported off the coast of Canada.

The next incident was more serious - the United States lost two nuclear bombs. They were on board a B-47 military aircraft, which, according to official reports, “disappeared off the coast of Algeria” in March 1956. Since then, nothing has been heard about either the charges or the plane.

In the hot summer of 1957, a hundred miles from the American city of Atlantic City into the ocean from a distressed transport aircraft The C-124 dropped two atomic bombs. It could have been worse - there was still one more bomb on board the transport ship and a charge for making a fourth. After dumping the dangerous “ballast,” the crew managed to cope with the situation and land safely.

The next incident was not long in coming - it happened six months later, in early 1958, off the coast of Georgia (USA), where two planes collided in the sky over the city of Savannah. An F-86 attack aircraft accidentally hit a heavy B-47 aircraft, which was carrying a thermonuclear bomb with a yield of 1.7 megatons - that's about 80 nuclear charges, dropped on Hiroshima. The damaged bomber “dropped” the bomb into the Atlantic, where it remains to this day.

In the winter of 1961, problems occurred in the fuel system of the B-62 aircraft (USA), which was carrying two nuclear bombs. It was a long way from the sea, so the pilots received permission to drop them in a desert area over North Carolina. The military easily found one by the opening of the parachute. It did not explode by chance: one fuse out of seven tripped. The second (as assumed) landed somewhere in the swamps and drowned there. She lies there now, never found by anyone.

Aviation in America is loved and respected (for now, at least). In the 30s and 40s, the whole country was overgrown with a dense network of airfields, and almost every city with a population of more than 30 thousand has its own airfield. Naturally, not every airfield serves airlines, but there is general aviation at every airfield. These are cargo transportation, mail, ambulance, firefighters, and private owners, from ultralights to large business jets. Actually, I want to talk about this segment, and specifically about small propeller aircraft.

The golden age of personal aviation was in the 60s and 70s. It was due, firstly, a large number post-war pilots, as well as the relative availability of new aircraft. At that time, lawyers were not yet spoiled by multimillion-dollar lawsuits, there was no paranoia about terrorism, people were more adventurous, and it seemed that in a dozen or two years everyone would have their own personal plane.

Actually, the relative availability of a personal aircraft now is the merit of the huge fleet of those years. It is enough to walk around any airfield in the United States to see that the vast majority of the private aircraft fleet is made up of aircraft from the 60s, 70s, and 80s, and the share of relatively new aircraft (less than 10 years old) is vanishingly small.

Many people ask a reasonable question: isn’t it dangerous to fly in a thirty- or even forty-year-old car? The answer to this is no, it is not dangerous. And here's why.

Firstly, as a rule, everything in these aircraft has already been replaced except the fuselage and wings. Since the aircraft body is aluminum, it will last a long time with proper care. Everything else changes as needed. Usually the engine is middle-aged or new, the avionics are more or less recent, the interior too, and so on.

Secondly, aircraft must undergo an Annual Inspection every year, which is carried out by a certified mechanic or service center. If they find that the plane is not safe for operation, then until all the problems are fixed, the plane will not be allowed to fly. Mechanics take this matter quite seriously, because if a disaster occurs due to a technical problem, they will be the first to be grabbed by the authorities by the ass (and lawyers too). Every year they publish different bulletins with known “bugs” that mechanics are required to check at every technical inspection.

Any repair is recorded in special logs and signed by a mechanic. There they sign for the Annual. Using the logs, you can view the history of the aircraft - what was repaired when, what upgrades were made, and so on. Quite a fascinating read, I must say.

Upgrades, by the way, are also a regulated matter. It is necessary that the equipment you want to supply be certified for your aircraft, and the installation must be done (or supervised) by a certified mechanic, with obligatory entry into the logs.

However, there is such a topic as experimental aviation, aka self-construction, where there are a lot of concessions, but more on that separately.

The development of private aviation, in addition to the infrastructure itself, is also facilitated by the simplicity and accessibility of training. Almost anywhere in the United States you can find a flight school within a 50 mile radius, and in more popular places the choice is much wider. For example, when I lived in Michigan, there were 3 schools within a 50-mile radius, and in California, where I now live, there are about 30 such schools, if not more.

Moreover, you don’t even have to find a school. All you need to do is find a plane (buy or lease) and a certified instructor. It’s a little more complicated for foreigners, but more on that later.

Training can take place either according to one of the standard programs (for schools) or in a free form. The exam is standardized and administered either by FAA representatives or by specially accredited private examiners (DPEs). In order to be admitted to the exam, you need to accumulate a certain number of hours, fulfill several more requirements described in the laws, and also pass a written test at one of the certified centers. The exam itself consists of an oral part (usually three hours long), where you are driven through all the material, as well as a practical part, where you need to perform all the necessary maneuvers. After this, a temporary pilot certificate is issued, and a plastic card then arrives by mail.

Now about one more component - the medical examination. Unlike the Russian VLEK, where the requirements are the same as for astronauts, the American medical board is a complete freebie. The medical examination consists of a questionnaire and one doctor who makes you pee in a jar (test for drugs and diabetes), measures your blood pressure and checks your eyes and hearing. That's it. No visits to specialists, nothing. There is, however, one point - if you lie on the questionnaire about some of your illnesses, and this comes up later, you will be in serious trouble. However, even with illnesses it is quite possible to obtain a medical certificate. There are people who fly without arms or legs. As they say, “if you hear thunder and see lightning, you're good to go,” and that's not exactly an exaggeration.

The third class is given for 5 years before 40 years of age, and for 2 years after 40. The medical board for the second class differs slightly in requirements, and for the first class an ECG is required.

There is still an opportunity to fly without going through a medical examination at all. It is enough to have a valid driving license. But this only applies to a class of aircraft called LSA ( Light Sport Aircraft), these are two-seater aircraft with restrictions on weight and speed (120 knots maximum). There is even a special license - Sport Pilot.

Yes, regarding training if you are not a US citizen. In principle, it is not difficult at all. There had to be the correct type of visa (work, student or green card), and you can get a special visa if the purpose of your trip is to train as a pilot, but we will leave this aside for now, because this is a separate topic. Well, the second condition is permission from the TSA, which can be obtained via the Internet (the first time you only have to go and get fingerprinted).

Well, okay, let’s say you’ve trained to be a pilot, but you don’t have your own plane. What next?

There are several options here - rent or join a club. Or you can also chip in with your friends and still buy a plane together. Any school and many FBOs (Fixed Base Operators) that provide services at airfields (fuel, repairs, etc.) can rent out an aircraft.

If there is a club nearby, it is usually very good option, as club members are usually covered by club insurance (no need to buy separately) and prices are cheaper. The only thing is that you have to pay membership fees. But since the club is a non-profit organization, it is always cheaper in terms of prices.

And finally, you can buy your own plane. Alone, if you have enough money, or by chipping in. Depending on the year and model, you can meet $15 thousand, or you can not meet two million. Few people can afford new planes, so probably 80 percent of all private aircraft are from the 60s and 80s. There are practically with original equipment, and there are also those with a turbine, a Glass Cockpit, and other goodies.

The contingent is also diverse. From students who got together as four and bought a Cessna 150, retired military officers and pilots who bought their plane 30-40 years ago and still haven’t lost their passion for the sky, to millionaires. For some it’s a weekend hobby, for others it’s a means of transportation or income, for others it’s a little bit of everything.

I must say that as a means of transportation, small aircraft are quite convenient in the States. Of course, it will not replace commercial airlines on long-haul flights, but within 500-600 miles it looks very attractive. Traveling such distances is already long and tedious by car, and traveling on a commercial flight is quite long, considering the time required to get to a major airport, go through registration and security checks, etc. And if your destination is located quite far from a large airport, then it makes sense to fly over longer distances on your own plane.

Of course, you need to be aware that flying your own plane has its limitations, such as weather. You can’t fly around all types of weather, and it’s very desirable to have an IFR rating. If there is a wide thunderstorm front on the way, you will have to wait it out on the ground. The same garbage in winter with cloudiness, which at this time of year is often synonymous with icing.

Traveling on a private jet also benefits from the almost complete freedom that comes with it. There are no searches, you take whatever you want on board. You fly when you want, and where you want, you don’t even have to submit a flight plan if you fly VFR. If you are flying IFR, that is, by instruments, then you need to submit a plan, but this can be done 15 minutes before departure, and in some cases you can request one of the predefined plans right at the tower (called TEC - Tower Enroute Clearance). Moreover, if you fly VFR, then you can avoid radio communications at all, if you avoid the airspace of classes B, C, D, that is, more or less around major airports. However, I almost always take radar tracking, and you don't have to worry about accidentally intruding into one of these spaces, plus you are warned about other aircraft nearby.

Oh yes. A small amendment that distinguishes the States very favorably from Europe, namely, the complete freeness of this entire infrastructure. Yes, yes, you don’t have to pay to access the instruments! And you don’t have to pay for landing either, unless it’s an airport like JFK (there are exceptions, but they only prove the rule).

Most often you don’t have to pay for parking if you plan to fly back during the day, but even when you have to pay, the cost is usually small, from 5 to 20 dollars per night. It is not surprising that people from Europe fly to the States to study or fly hours. All this is financed by a special excise tax on aviation gasoline. Airlines have long been lobbying for the law to introduce fees for services and reduce excise taxes, but through the efforts of congressmen we are holding out for now ☺

By the way, what I also like here is that everything is very homely. For example, I just wanted to look down on the field - please:

An Asiana Airlines plane caught fire after a hard landing Saturday at San Francisco Airport. The upper part of the fuselage burned down and the tail was torn off. There were 290 people on board the Boeing 777. According to preliminary data, two were killed and dozens were injured.

May 25 a small twin-engine passenger aircraft. There were three people on board the Piper PA 34, which was flying from Bedford to Rome, New York. As a result of the fall, the passengers of the aircraft died. The pilot has gone missing.

February 21 A Hawker Beechcraft 390/Premier I light jet carrying seven people was on a scheduled flight from Nashville, Tennessee, to Thomson-McDuffie Airport, 30 kilometers west of Augusta. At about 20.30 local time (17.30 Moscow time) the plane landed, after which. Five people died, the pilot and one passenger managed to survive and were sent to the hospital. The fire that broke out after the accident caused power outages, leaving several thousand people in the area without electricity.

April 6 A U.S. Navy F-18 Superhornet fighter jet is seen in Virginia Beach near a busy highway around noon. The crash occurred not far from the airbase where the plane took off. Two fighter pilots who managed to eject, as well as at least one person who was near the crash site, were hospitalized.

December 21 a small private plane carrying seven people in the US state of New Jersey. As a result of the plane crash, five people died. Among them are two investment bankers from the New York company Greenhill & Co. According to the company, the wife and two children of one of the bankers were also on board the plane.

November 24 in the mountains east of the capital of the American state of Arizona, Phoenix. According to eyewitnesses, the plane crashed into a mountain and caught fire. At about 21.00 local time (08.00 Moscow time), a rescue team went to help the crashed plane. Six people died as a result of the plane crash. The private jet was flying on an excursion to Superstition Mountain, which is very popular among tourists.

October 25 US Air Force F-15 fighter in the west of the country. The plane crashed about eight kilometers from the city of Alamo at 17.00 local time (Tuesday 04.00 Moscow time) in a desert area off Highway 93. The pilot managed to eject and was hospitalized.

September 16 at the airfield in Reno (Nevada), where the national championship in aircraft sports was held, a World War II fighter P-51 Mustang with spectators. 11 people died - the pilot and six people died on the spot, four victims died in hospitals. More than 60 were injured.

June 18 A Cessna 310 light twin-engine aircraft crashed in the US state of New Mexico. The plane crashed after skidding off the runway at Sierra Blanca Airport near the town of Ruidoso, south of Albuquerque. As a result of the accident, five people were killed and two more were injured. The plane was registered to Rod Aviation in Texas.

March 22 near the city of Butte (Montana) Pilatus PC12, not reaching 150 meters to runway. The plane took off from Oroville, California, to Bozeman, Montana, but the pilot changed his flight plan and decided to land in Butte. 14 people died.

February 13 a few kilometers from the American city of Buffalo in northern New York, heading from Newark (New Jersey) to Buffalo. During the fall, the plane rammed a house, which caught fire as a result of the incident. 50 people were killed - 44 passengers, four crew members, a pilot who was on board the plane but not part of the crew, and one person on the ground.

January 16 tourist helicopter Eurocopter AS 35 and light aircraft Piper PA-32. After the collision, the helicopter and plane crashed into the water. There were five Italian tourists and one crew member on board the helicopter; there were three people on board the plane, one of whom was a child. The Piper PA-32 took off from Teterboro Airport and was headed to Ocean City, New Jersey. The Eurocopter AS 35 helicopter belonged to Liberty Tours, which organized charter flights and excursions for tourists. All nine passengers were killed in the crash, and the bodies of the last of them were recovered along with the wreckage from the Hudson River on August 12.

August 23 A twin-engine plane crashed in Utah. The plane crashed in a desert area near Canyonlands Field Airport. All 10 people on board were killed.

August 27 Comair Airlines (a subsidiary of Delta Airlines) CRJ-100 with 47 passengers and three crew members on board in Lexington, Kentucky. The plane crashed in the immediate vicinity of the airport immediately after takeoff. As a result of the plane crash, 49 people died, one survived.

December 19 off the coast of the American city of Miami (Florida), almost immediately after takeoff, a Grumman G-73 seaplane. All 20 people on board: 18 passengers, including three children, and two crew members, died.

October 19 in the US state of Missouri, six kilometers from Kirksville Airport Jetstream-32 of Corporate Airlines. In total there were 13 passengers and two crew members on board. 13 people died, two passengers miraculously managed to survive.

January 8 at the airport in Charlotte (North Carolina) a small passenger turboprop aircraft "Beechcraft 1900-D" (Beechcraft 1900D) in the hangar of US Airways. 19 people died - 17 passengers and two crew members.

The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti

the site compares prices for air tickets to the USA for 728 airlines around the world. We do not sell air tickets ourselves, but here you will find the lowest rates and special offers.. The population of the United States is 310,232,000 people. The official currency is Dollar (USD).

Airfare prices to the USA

The cost of tickets to the USA depends on the season, departure city, airline and availability of sales. Below is a list of the cheapest flights to the USA found by our visitors in the last 48 hours*:

Most cheap air ticket in the USA, found by our users in the last 48 hours: ticket on the route St. Petersburg - New York from Norwegian Air Shuttle with departure 03/11/2020 and cost 10,166 rubles.

Most fast air ticket in the USA: ticket on the route Kauai - Honolulu from Hawaiian Airlines with the nearest departure 01/21/2020 and flight duration 32min.

Visa and flight

Before you find out the cost of air tickets to the USA, you need to assess the flight situation. Not everyone can get to the country of triumphant democracy: the consulate “by default” considers you potential emigrants until you prove otherwise. To obtain a visa you need: an international passport, two color photos 5x5 cm, an application form, a receipt for payment of the consular fee ($160), a commitment to leave the United States at the specified time.

Aeroflot offers direct flights to the USA: from Moscow to Miami, New York, Washington, etc. Residents Northern capital Those wishing to buy cheap air tickets to the USA prefer to use the services of Finnair, which flies from Helsinki (about 385 km from St. Petersburg) to Chicago.

Please note that the peak load on flights to the USA occurs from April to September - happy participants of work-and-travel programs fly to the country.

For cheap flights to the USA, it's best to look between noon on Monday and Tuesday or on Saturdays. Experienced travelers know that prices increase on holidays - it is better to shift the dates by 5-7 days. By the way, when searching for tickets on the site, you can compare the cost of a flight in a given period of time.

For domestic flights around the country, local low-cost airlines are also suitable: Southwest Airlines, Jet Blue and Air Tran - of course, you will not be offered full meals on board, but the money you save can be spent in a restaurant.

The best time to buy air tickets and travel around the USA

Whenever you decide to buy a plane ticket to the USA, you can easily find a region with comfortable weather conditions. Almost all types of climate are represented here - from arctic in Alaska to tropical in Hawaii. If you want to share in the general tourist rush, plan your vacation between June and August. In the fall, when both the influx of tourists and the hot heat subsides, it is better to go to the Great Lakes. The longest swimming season is in Florida (from March to October). Buy air tickets to the USA to enjoy an active winter holidays? From mid-November to the end of April, Vail is a real ski empire.

Fans of fun holidays are advised to book flights to the USA in winter. You will be able to feel like a true American over a glass of beer while watching the Super Bowl (the final of the American football championship) in January. February also includes Mardi Gras, National Freedom Day, Groundhog Day, Valentine's Day, Presidents' Day, and George Washington's Birthday.

Time and communication

The USA lies in six time zones (UTC-10 to UTC-5). In most parts of the territory, on the second Sunday in March they switch to summer time, back on the first Sunday in November. In summer Moscow time ahead of New York by 8 hours, and in winter - by 9.

When buying a plane ticket to the USA, think about how you can always stay connected. There are two options: connect to international roaming through your operator and upon arrival buy a local prepaid SIM card - it is sold in all supermarkets.

Money and shopping

The official currency of the United States is the American dollar, which is equal to 100 cents.

With a credit card you can easily go anywhere: hotels, restaurants, shops and even gas stations accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express.

If cash is more familiar to you, we advise you to take care of the exchange in advance. Banks are open from 9:00 to 15:00, but the best way out, according to many tourists, is to use exchange office at the airport. John Kennedy.

Please note:
Tip - 10-20% in a restaurant, 1-2 dollars for the maid. If you pay by card at the establishment, simply indicate the amount you want to leave on the receipt in the “tips” column, and it will be written off.
The eye-catching figure on the price tag may not include sales taxes, which range from 3 to 15%.
Many stores have a Sale department - go here for discounts. The 4th of July, Independence Day, is celebrated not only with fireworks, but also with sales.

Transport and accommodation

Through aviasales you can not only buy a plane ticket to the USA, but also book a hotel. We hasten to warn you: the usual European five-star system does not apply in the country. Four stars here are approximately equal to the Deluxe (D) and Superior Deluxe categories, three - First Class (F), and two budget ones - Inexpensive and Tourist Class (T) hotels.

When booking a flight to the USA, remember: check-in at hotels is only possible if you are 21 years old or older.

Prices for rental housing, of course, vary by hundreds of dollars; the average cost of renting a car with an automatic transmission is about $70 per day (you only need a passport with a valid visa, a driver’s license and a credit card).

The American town of Spruce Creek, located in the north of Florida a few miles from Daytona Beach, is real paradise for everyone who is in love with the sky. Its second name is “residential airpark”, or “flying community”. The fact is that for 5 thousand local residents 1,300 houses and 700 hangars for aircraft were built here, and the main “avenue” of the city is the runway.

An airplane instead of a car is the motto of local residents, among whom are the rich and famous. The famous American actor and avid pilot John Travolta lived in Spruce Creek for many years, however, his Boeing 707 (whose previous owner was Frank Sinatra) made too much noise and was too big for the local airfield that the “neighbors” filed a lawsuit against him. A few years earlier, Travolta had already been in trouble with the law for landing in Spruce Creek in a Gulfstream II jet.

In addition to the ill-fated Boeing, in Spruce Creek you can see such American beauties as Cessnas and Pipers, P-51 Mustangs, several L-39 Albatros, Eclipse 500, the French Fouga Magister aircraft and even one Russian MIG-15. In addition to airplanes and electric vehicles, you can see supercars such as Lamborghinis, Corvettes, motorcycles of all kinds, and even the sports Porsche GT2.

Among the residents of Spruce Creek there are many professional pilots, but there are also wealthy doctors, lawyers, and landowners who cannot imagine their life without flying. Most have a tradition - on Saturday mornings to go to air ride to one of the local cafes. They usually fly in groups of three.

It is wrong to think that Spruce Creek is a settlement for powerful of the world this. The concept of "air" cities arose at the end of World War II, when the United States found itself with an oversupply of small airfields and pilots. If in 1939 there were about 34 thousand, then by 1946 there were about 400 thousand.” In order to somehow make use of the runways that had become unnecessary, the Civil Aeronautics Administration decided to build 6,000 residential air parks throughout the country. Such an ambitious plan was not destined to come true, but several hundred similar settlements it was still equipped.

Today there are 600 such settlements in the United States, most of them in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Texas and Washington, Spruce Creek is considered the largest of them. By the way, the idea was adopted in other countries, in particular in Canada, South Africa and Costa Rica.