Well, I suppose it might just stop the really grossly overweight fatties from trying to squeeze into seats then spreading over to take my space!

(Written on 08/04/2017)(Permalink)

I was aboard a BOAC comet in about 1960/61 travelling non-stop Heathrow to Muharraq (Bahrain) when the aircraft was hit by lightning on the tail. I was sat by the window watching the light display which was a bit like St Elmo's fire but we didn't really notice anything amiss, don't even think the lights flickered so we knew nothing until the pilot made an announcement. We carried on and when we arrived I was met on disembarkation by my parents who didn't really believe me. (I was about 14) We were later told by a friend of my parents who was stationed with RAF at Muharraq, that the aircraft had been examined and evidence of a lightning strike was noted on the starboard side of the fin. The plane carried on towards Singapore almost immediately and without any significant delay. Seems that BA's earlier incarnation also had adequate Faraday cages and were similarly dismissive.

(Written on 08/04/2017)(Permalink)

It hit a deer in flight just before landing! Hope he didn't have a red nose or quite if it was Rudolph involved then a few children risk not getting presents from St Nick!

(Written on 12/12/2015)(Permalink)

Hope nm doesn't stand for Nano Metres!

(Written on 12/12/2015)(Permalink)

Sorry Steve you are probably not old enough to remember the Lockheed Constellation or the Vickers VC. 10 both more luxurious (for their days) and the VC10 was the quietest and smoothest of them all.

(Written on 12/01/2015)(Permalink)

To all of those who think that everyone should learn "American" just remember we "ENGLISH" invented the language, and it's just a courtesy that the "foreigners" who come to the US learn our language. If Americans travel abroad do they ever learn the host countries language? All I can say Is "NAROW MINDS CAUSE FEAR"

(Written on 12/01/2015)(Permalink)

Hey DAVID Sandford you seem to forget that US citizens and Oil companies With the Brits too, (Ever heard of Standard Oil?) have been in the Middle and Far East since about 1900. Taking taking out the oil for America & UK to burn. Only recently have we been paying anything like a fair price. You seem to have a very narrow view. The middle easteners may be very shrewd businessmen now, and some are certainly getting very rich personally. But, Islam is basically a gentle religion with ancient and sometimes misguided folk interpreting their laws and holy writings. Some deliberately misinterpret them and those are the leaders of IsIs. Don't join them by expressing the same xenophobic fears.

(Written on 12/01/2015)(Permalink)

This is typical US population Xenophobia overkill!In the UK the airline and those passengers would almost certainly be prosecuted for racial abuse, and rightly too. No, I'm not Muslim (WASP!) I'm from UK (Scotland actually so probably really come closest to The Anglo Saxon of the "A" in WASP. So, if a majority plane load of Muslims objected to Christian passengers for similar reasoning would the Righteous Christian minority be made to de-plane? Can't see it happening. This is why the west is easy to target by fanatics, such behaviour and over the top reaction makes it easy for those fomenting the hatred of ISIS to make examples of anti Muslim discrimination.

(Written on 12/01/2015)(Permalink)

Agreed, they apparently did nothing, - BUT, Boeing admitted there was nothing that could have been done, and that their so called "Test" sanctioned by FAA was just a simulated event that indicated the deployment of thrust reverser could perhaps be survived at low speed. Also in the later analysis with Lauda it apparently was agreed that it would have happened so unexpectedly that by the time they realised what had really happened (If they could have realised it in the time available), they could have most likely been so disorientated or injured that they did nothing. The accident report actually states that the "flightcrew training simulators yielded erroneous results" and; that recovery from the loss of lift from the reverser deployment "was uncontrollable for an unexpecting flight crew". It was finally agreed that the lift on the aircraft's left side was disrupted due to the reversers unexpected deployment, that the aircraft was placed in an immediate left diving tur

(Written on 12/27/2014)(Permalink)

It was a 767. Boeing had insisted that a deployment was not possible in flight. In 1982 Boeing established a test where the aircraft was slowed to 250 knots, and the test pilots then used the thrust reverser. However this was fatal when the reverser unexpectedly deployed at cruise speed. Lauda asked Boeing to issue a statement, but the legal department said it could not be issued because it would take three months to adjust the wording. Niki Lauda asked for a press conference the following day, and told Boeing that if it was possible to recover, he would be willing to fly on a 767 with two pilots and have the thrust reverser deploy in air. Boeing told Lauda that it was not possible, so he asked Boeing to issue a statement saying that it would not be survivable, and Boeing issued the statement. Lauda said "This was the first time in eight months that it had been made clear that the manufacturer was at fault and not the operator of the aeroplane. There are often slight flaws with planes

(Written on 12/27/2014)(Permalink)