When some 500 personnel of the Canadian Armed Forces set out on their yearly training exercise that included conducting a rescue of survivors from a simulated airliner crash site, little did they suspect that within a few hours they would be doing this very thing for real. First Air Flight 6560, a Boeing 737-200 was… Continue reading If you have to crash…
Tag: Boeing
Wouldn’t you love to know…
Did you ever wonder where the new car you just ordered was being built and even more, when the wonderful process of parts coming together to grow into an automobile, your automobile, started. Not to the hour but at least to the day. I guess if you order a Rolls-Royce or some other exclusive car,… Continue reading Wouldn’t you love to know…
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
A personal reflection on the AF447 accident
I write from the perspective of a long retired pilot who only flew on old fashioned round dial types (Britannias, VC10s, 707s and 747s). This does not mean that I decry the modern Airbus and Boeing systems – far from it, I think the Airbus philosophy has made a great contribution to air safety. The… Continue reading A personal reflection on the AF447 accident
From leather to electronic – the evolution of the flight bag
This article was written using in part material kindly provided by Mr. Dave Allen The gems in my collection Among my travel gear accumulated over the years, I have two items that are really iconic and which are both on the way out. They are two leather flight bags, one from Jeppesen in the traditional shape… Continue reading From leather to electronic – the evolution of the flight bag
Amsterdam’s SARA – an important step towards the future
If you read the current SESAR documentation, you cannot fail to notice one of the more serious misunderstandings that still prevail in the project. In SESAR terminology, ATM progress goes from time-based operations to trajectory based operations (TBO) and then to performance based operations. This reveals the, oft bemoaned, confusion between TBO and performance based… Continue reading Amsterdam’s SARA – an important step towards the future
Incredible story – or is it?
Imagine an American opening his daily paper and finding an article about Boeing Commercial Airplanes that ran something like this. “It was announced to-day that Boeing’s VP for Customers was leaving the company even before its CEO and COO are to swap places later this year as called for by the agreement between the State… Continue reading Incredible story – or is it?
Interesting people, unusual flight plans…
David Allen – Raised in an aviation family in an aviation town Dave was Chief Engineer, Crew Information Systems at Boeing What were you dreaming of becoming when you were a kid? I was raised in an aviation family in an aviation town. I was born and raised for 16 years in Wichita, Kansas. My… Continue reading Interesting people, unusual flight plans…
737 successor is coming!
Although officially Boeing maintains that they are still only evaluating their options concerning the future of the 737 (re-engining versus an all new aircraft), CEO Jim McNerney, speaking at the Cowen and Company Aerospace and Defense Conference in New York, basically confirmed that they will build an all new narrowbody to counter Airbus’s A320NEO. Well,… Continue reading 737 successor is coming!
Do you really understand – Trajectory based operations (TBO)?
There is a misconception in some air traffic management circles that trajectory based operations is simply business as usual except that the current, notoriously imprecise ground generated trajectories are replaced by more accurate, 4 D trajectories and that is all there is to it. Some will add that parts of this 4D trajectory might be… Continue reading Do you really understand – Trajectory based operations (TBO)?