Tired of your old shoes? Do not throw them away! They may be the new source of jet fuel…

Next time you see a standard 40-feet shipping container have a closer look. It may be that your neighbors are moving… or it may be a modular-enclosed photo-bioreactor nurturing algae from which jet fuel can be made. This technology is truly amazing. The amount of algae you can produce at any one time depends on… Continue reading Tired of your old shoes? Do not throw them away! They may be the new source of jet fuel…

Landing Gear Problems – Seen from the Cockpit

“It’s too much to say I am a national hero, I am absolutely sure that any one of our pilots could have landed the plane and the result would have been the same because we train for situations like this on simulators”, So said Captain Wrona after the wheels-up landing of the LOT Polish Airlines Boeing… Continue reading Landing Gear Problems – Seen from the Cockpit

Inside a jet engine

If, like me, you are wondering what goes on inside a jet engine the site below from Rolls Royce might help. As a pilot I merely used the thing, in my case four Rolls Royce RB211-524s on a Boeing 747-200 and very good they were too. I also had a flight engineer who helped by… Continue reading Inside a jet engine

QANTAS flight QF 32 – Media versus Reality

When something spectacular occurs the media tends to bring out all the hype – aircraft crashes, disaster narrowly averted, Airbus unsafe, or hero pilots save the day. Reality is not like that. Instead we should be praising the design standards that are current in civil aviation. So, what are some of the safety precautions that… Continue reading QANTAS flight QF 32 – Media versus Reality

British Airways Boeing 777 Heathrow accident final report issued

G-YMMM was executing British Airways Flight 38 Beijing-London Heathrow on 17 January 2008 when it crash landed just short of the runway at its destination airport. Several people were injured but there were no fatalities. The UK Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) has now released its final report on the accident. The 777 was 720… Continue reading British Airways Boeing 777 Heathrow accident final report issued