March 2010 Archives

Read a post on the Airline Business blog about how Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary is doing his bit to help out passengers stranded during the recent BA strikes by operating BA flights on his Ryanair 737s.

Mary Kirby has a rant in a post on Runway Girl. She says: "I think in-flight mobile connectivity rocks. I want to be able to call my daughter when I'm on the road - and in the air! I want to be able to interview you in-flight. I'm not scared of the future. Are you?"

See the comments, one of which highlights the irritation felt by some passengers. One user said that the new generation of aircraft are very quiet and someone talking at length on a cell phone will annoy all passengers.

"With inflight net access people can IM. You can communicate with whoever you want and you won't annoy anyone around you."

David Learmount thinks remote piloting of airliners is not a far-fetched notion for the future. In a blog post he says: "The mental picture of pilots controlling drones in a hostile Afghan military environment, or operating tiny remotely controlled "model aeroplanes" carrying out video surveillance on a gas pipeline, no longer challenges the modern imagination."

And technology in 20 or 30 years time may well enable one pilot on the ground to operate the aircraft remotely. "Why do I say this now?", he asks. "Because a lot of people who know what they are talking about are talking about this", he says.

And while Gulf Air celebrates 60 years in the air, it is also seen departing Heathrow  sporting a special Bahrain F1 2010 livery on one of its A330s. See it on AirSpace in apgphoto's gallery.

Read a post on the Airline Business blog about how Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary is doing his bit to help out passengers stranded during the recent BA strikes by operating BA flights on his Ryanair 737s.

Mary Kirby has a rant in a post on Runway Girl. She says: "I think in-flight mobile connectivity rocks. I want to be able to call my daughter when I'm on the road - and in the air! I want to be able to interview you in-flight. I'm not scared of the future. Are you?"

See the comments, one of which highlights the irritation felt by some passengers. One user said that the new generation of aircraft are very quiet and someone talking at length on a cell phone will annoy all passengers.

"With inflight net access people can IM. You can communicate with whoever you want and you won't annoy anyone around you."

David Learmount thinks remote piloting of airliners is not a far-fetched notion for the future. In a blog post he says: "The mental picture of pilots controlling drones in a hostile Afghan military environment, or operating tiny remotely controlled "model aeroplanes" carrying out video surveillance on a gas pipeline, no longer challenges the modern imagination."

And technology in 20 or 30 years time may well enable one pilot on the ground to operate the aircraft remotely. "Why do I say this now?", he asks. "Because a lot of people who know what they are talking about are talking about this", he says.

And while Gulf Air celebrates 60 years in the air, it is also seen departing Heathrow  sporting a special Bahrain F1 2010 livery on one of its A330s. See it on AirSpace in apgphoto's gallery.

Read Stephen Trimble's The DEW Line blog post about Eurofighter saying the "P" word in India.

He writes: "it wouldn't surprise me if Eurofighter thinks politics -- and not performance -- will decide who wins India's mega-fighter contract. But it does surprise me that somebody actually said it. India is currently judging the six competitors on technical performance."

He spies that StratPost blog editor Saurabh Joshi quoted Matthias Schmidlin, who leads Eurofighter's pursuit in India, saying: "The final decision at the end of the day will be political. We all know that."

There's a fun post on As the Cro(ft) Flies about the art of the apology - a course being offered to scientists and engineers at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Centre.

John Croft writes: "A news alert says the course promises to be a highly interactive and engaging class.

"Objectives include learning multiple types of apology and their delivery, timing, sincerity and effectiveness; learning about research as to the impact of apologies and understanding how men and women use apology differently."

AirSpace has an ever growing blogs portfolio, with six individual bloggers using our blogging platform to write exclusively to an aviation audience.

Find out how we can help you create your own blog and identity by creating a blog header for you.

See an image of an RNLAF Fokker 50 uploaded by AirSpace user Boswinkel.

Watch a fascinating video posted by FlightBlogger of a Boeing 747 departing Johannesburg for Maputo, Mozambique with an camera strapped to the nose landing gear looking aft along the fuselage. The result is a stunning piece of HD video taken over African skies.

There's a discussion on AirSpace about Lufthansa wing-strike probe which has led to questions about the A320's landing logic.

Add to some of the interesting comments on the repercussions of the increase in the computerisation of flying.

The Airline Business Blog asks: "What's the future for short-haul business travel? What value can traditional airlines really add? If you've got something to say, share your views by leaving a comment.

Read about the Wright Biplane and see a general arrangement diagram of the machine, plus read how important statements were being made in the House of Commons 100 years ago this week concerning the attitude of the Government towards flight were made such as the need for a special Aeronautical Corps, and also that a large dirigible was being designed.

Have a look at a fabulous image from user Flyer1 of the Avro Vulcan taken at Shoreham 2009.

Read an article from the archive that considers how "a young vulture in captivity found much practice necessary in order to master the art" of flight.

The bird "tried his wings several times, very much like a recruit going through his 'extension motions'. One day he was sufficiently venturesome to attempt gliding from the top of a table or seat with his wings spread out like a parachute".

An AirSpace user has posted an image of Ryanair's 250th Next-Generation 737-800 from Boeing's commercial delivery centre in Seattle.

Why not take part in a smart debate about Alaska Airlines choosing Gogo over Row 44 for its inflight entertainment.

One user is not a "big fan" of GoGo after having tried it three times on another airline. "Too many dead zones on the way to Dallas. The Row 44 gizmo uses satellite and I was hoping for something like that on my flights. I might as well use something else."

AirSpace user Flyer1 has uploaded an image of a P-40M Warhawk the colours of 332nd Fighter Group, better known as the "Tuskegee Airmen". This squadron was based in southern Italy during the period, 1944-1945 and saw repeated action in that time, he says.

Read Learmount's fascinating blog post about the air traffic control systems that have changed over the last seven years and how pilots using UK airspace would not have realised this.

He says: "This gives me the opportunity to look at a little bit of ATC history with pictures." Have a look at our newest blog to join the fray.

Flight International Editor Murdo Morrison's new blog keeps you up to date with his thoughts on the industry and how he takes decisions on everything to do with the magazine including inspiring readers with appropriate cover pictures.

On a recent factfinding trip to Belgium he promises to tell all about the country's aerospace industry, tying in a visit to the "revitalised Fokker Aerospace" among others - in an upcoming feature.

Check out AirSpace user Andrew Siebert's Jet City Report on a week in the life of an aircraft spotter detailing the aircraft movements at Boeing Field.

And see a range of pictures of a Dornier 228NG production in a gallery of user Slider's images.