Headsets are quite a personal thing, handfuls of chemical wipes lodged on most flight decks attest to that. Airlines are generally pretty good at providing something reasonable to wear, often not fashionable and at the less expensive end of the range, but they do the job. In our case that job is clear communication, a modicum of noise attenuation through ANR (Active Noise Reduction) and the digging of a groove at each temple on flights over three hours. Yes, wearing a headset for hours on end is seldom a pleasure and often a bit of a trial. Still, it has to be borne – or does it?
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Archive for May, 2011Headsets – The Lightspeed ZuluIceland Volcano smoking…Icelandic volcano smokes – secondary inhalation a risk all over again? They said it would raise its plume again before too long – ‘they’ were right. What a show!
360º Cockpit photography
Ken McBride is obviously a man of talent even without his 360º rig. A generation of Nimrod pilots can revisit their jet at will. Well, I gather it wasn’t that different? These 360º graphics are amazing, the first I saw (paradoxically) was Burt Rutan’s Airship 1. That was impressive. Then Enola Gay followed by the 787 in the iPad version of Wired magazine. Of course the one that will send many nuts is Concord. Best viewed in Full Screen.
Qualified, no Job, what next?
Still we have trained or partially trained guys out there hanging on by their teeth and hoping desperately that the employment situation will improve. A sniff of real evidence is worth a earful of bar-room banter and beer inspired opinion, I offer the contents of an email exchange here as another snippet for anyone engaged in the waiting game. I firmly believe that the tide is about to turn and the employment situation for pilots world-wide is set for improve dramatically. Don’t misunderstand me, I am fortunate in being at the top end of the food chain, but and that puts me clear of the tooth and claw end. The best guys as always to talk to are often those who have just got their seat after a battle, they can give you their snapshot based around their reality. |
I had a conversation with a Chief Training Captain of a low cost carrier recently in Singapore. I won’t name him or the airline but his perspective was revealing and illuminated the situation in his part of the world.