Painting aircraft in alliance colors is something agreed by the partners. Painting aircraft in an airline’s old livery is a decision they take themselves and to be honest, I like this latter a good deal more. The new paint schemes may be cute but some of the old ones still carry the aura of adventure… Continue reading Retro is in…
Tag: Air France
The Final Moments of AF 447
A lot has been written about Air France 447 but nothing is more revealing than the sounds and discussion that were recorded on the aircraft’s recording equipment. Those bits and bytes reveal the incredible scene that prevailed in the cockpit during the last minutes of the flight. Here is a synopsis by Jeff Wise (reprinted… Continue reading The Final Moments of AF 447
My Fifth Mistake as an Air Traffic Controller
Yes, here I am again. You’d think by now I would stop this self-flagellation, but this is not for me. I record these incidents so you may see the mistake and avoid the same or similar in your life. I noted in my last missile that pride was a key ingredient in most of my… Continue reading My Fifth Mistake as an Air Traffic Controller
Viewfinder view 2 – Would you accept your car with wiring like this?
If you have a camera handy, it is always a good idea to look around you in the cabin. Plenty of stuff to record! Like this under-seat wiring on an Air France Airbus 330 en-route to Washington D.C. OK, all this is low current stuff so unlikely to start a fire but still… would you… Continue reading Viewfinder view 2 – Would you accept your car with wiring like this?
It is not easy to work with the airlines – Why the SJU should be careful
Having airspace users on board in SESAR is an important development by anyone’s measure. Thinking that having individual airlines involved is the same as having the industry involved is a grave mistake that can cost dearly to all concerned. The signs of trouble are already there. What do you think about there being a hard-won… Continue reading It is not easy to work with the airlines – Why the SJU should be careful
AF447 – French investigators say it was pilot error
French accident investigators have concluded that the crash of AF447 was due to pilot error. Investigator Alain Bouillard said: “The pilots were in a situation they didn’t understand!” Download the latest summary report here. Get the 3rd Interim Report here.
Air France and Hungarian water-melons
While Hungarians are being urged by their Minister of Agriculture to buy a few extra pieces of water-melons, thereby helping local growers, French politicians under the leadership of right-wing MP Bernard Carayon are proclaiming: “Air France is Airbus, not Boeing”. Excuse me? Of course this incredible folly is a direct retaliation for the US Air… Continue reading Air France and Hungarian water-melons
The final minutes of Air France Flight 447
There are few things in aviation more nightmarish than an unsolved, major accident. When, on the night of 1 June 2009, an Air France Airbus A330-203 plunged into the Atlantic Ocean on its flight from Rio to Paris it was easy to feel that such a nightmare was about to unfold. The plane went off… Continue reading The final minutes of Air France Flight 447
At least the Red-Arrows survived…
I am pretty certain that few in the travel industry would have believed when this photo was made in April 1985 that the Queen Elisabeth 2 would actually stay in operation longer than Concorde would… Yet that is exactly what had happened. Concorde’s future was sealed when F-BTSC crashed in Paris on 25 July 2000.… Continue reading At least the Red-Arrows survived…
Flying AIRE – the pilot's view
AIRE (Atlantic Interoperability Initiative to Reduce Emissions) is a joint initiative between the European Commission and the FAA. It is the green component of the SESAR programme. In 2009, 1,152 flight trials in operational conditions were carried out on the European side. Claude Godel was the Pilot in Command of the first complete green transatlantic… Continue reading Flying AIRE – the pilot's view