Well, the scheduled 27th January Apple Press conference will settle a few queries and the word is that March should confirm it with a product release.
Rumours are wild, we will see e-reading, games, mobile phone functionality, the App suite of many thousands running native and a couple of version options down the line. Like the iPhone it will evolve, that is for sure.
Me, I have the cash ready and as much as I hate ‘early adopting’ I feel the need… Does that make me an Apple Junkie or just a tech nerd? If you want the full rumour suite try Gizmodo.
The Air France accident has had its repercussions as will the spate of over-runs later as airline training departments craft their next Checks. Unreliable Airspeed has emerged as a feature on this seasons ATQP offering.
The blockage, loss or failure of pitot and static systems or air data computers has caused several accidents across the years. Current theories on the loss of AF447 GRU-CDG 1st June 2009 focus on these systems.
A brief description of the issue for anyone not familiar with the nature of the problem, and at systems level it is a complex one and specific to type so I will not comment on the mechanics other than generally.
I hope this gives an insight and overview – it certainly isn’t designed to be a flying lesson “your honour’.
I hope Matthew Stribe of GolfHotelWhiskey.com will forgive me for using his post source material; this is a wonderful clip showing the recovery of Chesley Sullenberger’s A320 from the Hudson. ‘Right place, right time’ for David Martin, his blog has some cracking images of the recovery which reveal the process stage by stage. Dramatic scoring and ingenuity makes for a memorable piece.
Thanks for the ‘eye on the scene’ work David, this is the kind of material that makes the web such an amazing tool and who knows, maybe points the way to the evolving nature of journalism. At the scene of every major event in the future there will be many cameras, both stills and video to catch the fleeting moments that cause us to ponder the nature of our existence.
There is trouble brewing at British Airways, after an abortive strike attempt over the Christmas period (scotched by legal moves from the company) the sabres are being unsheathed by the Cabin Crew Unions BASSA/UNITE.
Recap
BA pays its flight attendants in many cases significantly more than its commercial competitors if you look at the corrected figures after any benchmarking exercise. New hires into the cabin have for a while now been employed on inferior contracts, still reasonable given the industry norms.
Low speed rejected takeoffs (with high thrust/hi bypass engines such as the 777 – A300 etc), particularly those with a crosswind from the critical side can be a real challenge. They may even be unrecoverable in the sense that you cannot remain on the paved surface. Performed in the simulator this exercise is sobering – on the line? Well, watch the clip.
Snapping the thrust levers back fast enough to get the thrust decaying (that is the key contributor) and quickly popping in (the correct) lateral inputs is the response. On a contaminated runway where traction is reduced – it just isn’t your day… In case you are wondering, counter reverse doesn’t work, it all happens too quickly. Good job I’d say.
Iran-bound plane slides off runway in Sweden
The Associated Press
Published: January 16th, 2010 04:34 AM
STOCKHOLM – An Iran Air-owned Airbus bound for Tehran slid off a Stockholm runway on Saturday, but no one was hurt, a Swedish airport official said. Some 172 people, including 23 crew members, were on board the Airbus 300-600 when it swerved off the runway and glided some 130 yards (100 meters) into the snow. Everyone was safely evacuated, Arlanda airport spokesman Anders Bredfall said.
The pilot will be off the flight deck in a short while. “The last fighter pilot has been born, the last fighter built.” These are some of statements written or repeated by Scott Spangler of Jetwhine, someone I don’t know but suspect has his tongue firmly rammed into the corner of his cheek. See the post on Jetwhine for the authors and more on the proposition. That must be close to his real objective, stirring up controversy that is.
Anyone who spends their working day up there can plot across time the development of the high tech flight deck and the out of step march of technology on the ground that manages the sky. The pace of advancement on the side of automation is driven by the military through UAV programs but anyone with a ounce of analytical inclination can see that progress and public attitudes just will not cross for many, many years to come.
One inhibitor is ever increasing traffic densities robbing the system of flex and airspace, another sovereignty based issues. Another still and by far the major hurdle is the huge investment that would be required in ground support infrastructure. We can’t yet fund and set up something as simple as a satellite based ATC communications system to manage the Atlantic or Africa, what makes us think we will be able to put in place the agreements and kit required to intermix and manage automated airliners internationally? It may happen, but not for a very long time yet – I would stake my job and even my rocking chair on it!
Nice try Scott but get real, pulling our chain is one thing, a serious proposal is quite another.
Now military aviation, that’s more than subtly different.
