Past and present

Sometimes the past and present meet in the strangest ways. Here is a USAF C-17 at the Papa air base in Hungary and a battered, old, East-German Trabant passenger car that had its heyday decades before the C-17 was born.

Low-fare summer, low-fare Ferihegy

Well, we are over one more summer. The sinking of Ferihegy took a new turn when after about ten years of operation, Terminal 1 once more closed its gates. Since traffic at Terminal 2 dropped precipitously following the sad demise of Malev earlier this year, this was an unavoidable step. Low-fare airlines were moved to… Continue reading Low-fare summer, low-fare Ferihegy

Quote of October 2012

We must welcome the future, remembering that soon it will be the past, and we must respect the past, knowing that once it was all that was humanly possible. George Santayana

New Airline for Hungary… Dreamers or Lunatics?

Hungary is in dire straights these days. A government with two-thirds majority in parliament having declared a fight for freedom and the desire not to be a colony of the European Union (yes, there are such weirdoes in the world), the economy in ruins and capital fleeing the sinking ship, their national airline, Malev was… Continue reading New Airline for Hungary… Dreamers or Lunatics?

Jeppesen…

Elrey B. Jeppesen is probably one of the best known names in aviation. True, some of us tend to associate his name with charts or the famous flight bag, but it was Elrey the man and pilot who left his indelible mark on making aviation safer. You can read more about his story and the… Continue reading Jeppesen…

Radars… the end is near. Hopefully.

If you are a bird flying over Europe, finding yourself slowly being roasted by radars is not something unexpected. In an effort to achieve radar coverage that is at least double and in view of the fragmented nature of the air traffic management system, this effort has resulted in triple+ coverage in some places. This… Continue reading Radars… the end is near. Hopefully.

NORAD pilots talk flight restrictions, intercepts with civilian pilots

Sometimes you need pilots to talk to pilots…      Working under this premise, three pilots from North American Aerospace Defense Command, the binational U.S. and Canadian military organization charged with intercepting aircraft that violate temporary flight restrictions, attended the AirVenture air show in Oshkosh, Wis., July 23 – 29, to talk face-to-face with general aviation pilots… Continue reading NORAD pilots talk flight restrictions, intercepts with civilian pilots

HungaroControl’s New Air Traffic Control Center Building Commissioned Today

ANS III to go live in February next year HungaroControl’s new air traffic control center building, commissioned on 30 August 2012, marks a new important milestone of ANS III, the complex development plan for the Hungarian air navigation service provider. After installing the software, moving into the new facility, and completing a successful pilot operation,… Continue reading HungaroControl’s New Air Traffic Control Center Building Commissioned Today

Drone pilots… watch this video to see how they work

Look at this video. These controllers are in Nevada and are each flying a  drone thousands of miles away in the combat zone in Iraq and  Afghanistan . Their left hand is on the throttle controlling the drone’s engine.  Note all the buttons which perform various tasks without removing the hand from the throttle.  The… Continue reading Drone pilots… watch this video to see how they work