Not for those who have a fear of flying, this video showed the 1984 crash test of a Boeing 707. The video has multiple angles of the test, along with commentary on what happened. The goal was to conduct research on improved crash protection and reduce post-crash fire hazards.
The Boeing 707 was remote controlled and the plane was crashed in the middle of a desert outside Edwards Air Force base in California.
Safi Airways Boeing 767 (YA-AQS) in the Netherlands in March 2009 taking the President of Afghanistan to a conference
This livery is unique, but it seems confused. I like the nice silver base and the blue strips on front. However, the red/orange font doesn’t go too well and the tail seems confused with having strips, gradient, and the logo.
Safi Airways was founded in 2006 and flies between Afghanistan, Germany, Iraq, and UAE. Their fleet has one Airbus A340-300, two Boeing 737-300’s, and two Boeing 767-200ER’s. It is headquartered in Kabul, Afghanistan, with an office in Dubai, UAE.
One of their Boeing 767’s is the official plane for the president of Afghanistan.
THANK YOU YVETTE FOR THE TIP!
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Image: Peter van Marion
Cockpit of Virgin America Airbus A320
Senator Jim DeMint (R from South Carolina) is looking to change the rules about airlines being able to access recordings from the cockpit. He is currently working on a bill, called the “Pilot Professionalism Assurance Act,” that allows airlines to review the cockpit voice recorder when there are cases against the pilots for misbehavior or “to evaluate or monitor the judgment or performance of an individual pilot.”
Currently, labor contracts between pilots and airlines stop an airline from using the data stored in the flight-recorders against the pilots. Airlines can only listen to the voice recorder if there is an accident or major incident being investigated by the FAA or NTSB.
Today, there is an anonymous reporting system, where pilots can report safety lapses to the FAA. This allows the FAA to record statistics and help to fix future issues. There is a fear that there one files a report, then the airline or the FAA will want to listen to the conversations and pilots would be much less likely to report such safety issues.
I have some serious issues with this proposed legislation. I feel the bill (even the name) questions professionalism of the pilots. Yes, there have been some pilots who have been making poor decisions, but as I talked about the other day, a huge majority of pilots are extremely professional and do they do their jobs well. Should people that do their job well be punished? I think not.
What do you think about this proposed legislation? Is reducing the privacy of pilots worth the increased safety? Would you want a voice recorder at your work that your boss could listen to?
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Source: WSJ
Flying over London
Some people just can’t handle themselves on a flight. Back in October, James McLaughlan was on a special tour group flight from Glasgow to Turkey when he told his seatmate, “It’s going to crash. We’ll all be dead.” Normally not the quality conversation one hopes to have with the person sitting next to them. When the flight crew tried to calm him down, he became more angry. It got to the point that the captain felt he was a danger to the plane and the 190 passengers. The flight was diverted to Scotland and when it arrived McLaughlan was so drunk he had to be physically taken off the plane to awaiting police.
The tour group, XL Leisure Group, who was the tour operator, is looking to recover the costs it incurred, about $66,000. All the passengers missed their first day of the trip and XL Leisure Group had to pay for airport charges, fuel, and hotel fees.
I say good for the XL Leisure Group! This man’s irresponsible actions not only cost the tour group a lot of money, but he also disrupted the other’s vacation. Problem is, it is unlikely McLaughlan has $66,000 just sitting around.
Just this week, another unruly passenger was kicked off a US Airways flight from Philadelphia to London. The passenger had an injured arm and his splint was blocking the aisle. When asked if he could move, he stood up and became belligerent and demanded to be taken back to Philadelphia. Instead the pilot diverted to Boson where police where there waiting to arrest him. There are no plans to collect money from him, although it might be something airlines should start considering.
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Image: matt.hintsa
Apolo Ohno getting off the plane with his face on the side.
The Winter Olympics in Vancouver, B.C. are right around the corner. Alaska Airlines (based in Seattle, WA) is celebrating the Olympics with a special themed Boeing 737-800 displaying a picture of Apolo Ohno on the side. Ohno is one of the most decorated speed skaters in history and also a winner on “Dancing with The Stars.” Ohno is a Seattle native and a local celebrity.
Brad Tilden, Alaska’s president, stated, “The ’˜Follow Apolo’ jet will fly across our route system to build excitement for this great American athlete.’
When seeing the plane for the first time, Ohno said, ’œIt’s an honor to be featured alongside Alaska’s trademark Eskimo and have the support of my hometown airline for the most important race of my life.’ It has to be odd to see a bigger-than-life photo of you on the side of a plane. There is also a website where fans can follow Ohno’s quest to be the most decorated Winter Olympics athlete in history.
This aircraft adds to Alaska/Horizon’s great collection of themed liveries. Check out more photos of the event.