Despite being in commercial service for almost six years, it was only in the last six months that I finally got to fly on a 787. Now I have flown five flights with four airlines on both the 787-8 and 797-9. There are now 326 of the 787-8 and 186 of the 787-9 flying, an extraordinary delivery schedule since the first delivery. The company is now delivering 12 a month. Boeing has outsourced production of the Dreamliner to speed up the process. Parts of the plane are produced across the globe and assembled in the Everett or South Carolina.…
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Happy birthday to Cathay Pacific at 70
Few companies last seventy years in our modern world and even fewer non-government airlines have survived. Carriers in Asia have come and gone over the decades but Cathay Pacific Airways (CX) has maintained services since 24 September, 1946 from its base in tiny Hong Kong. They have survived SARS, hijackings, the handover of HK back to China and several economic crises. I fell in love with Cathay Pacific in 1971 on my birthday and today, they are my third favourite airline. I have rated its booking systems, check ins, service, meals etc and come up with…
After 299 times, I still don’t like the B737!
There are many reasons to like the Boeing 737. It is reliable. It is prolific (over 8,500 built). It has been around for almost 50 years. It has a fantastic safety record. It is fuel efficient. It is not an unattractive plane to look at. I have never liked it. This week I reached a milestone with my 299th flight on a 73. There is no other plane I have been on as many times. The 737 has taken me 340,000km (212,000) to 91 airports on five continents. I have disembarked as far south as Queenstown,…
FlyDubai Crash -Questions start
A big plane crash is rare these days so every time there is one, we are all riveted. Despite plane travel being one of the safest forms of transport on the planet, people still have an uneasy fear when it comes to planes. The loss of FkyDubai’s Flight 981 today at Rostov-on-Don Airport , Russia, in the early morning hours of 19 March 2016, is shocking. The crash occurred during the 737’s second attempted landing and resulted in the death of all 55 passengers and seven crew. The poor weather that was engulfing the airport meant the…
Qantas 747 flies with five engines
In an exciting manoeuvre, last Wednesday, Qantas flight 63 took off from Sydney, Australia to Johannesburg, South Africa with five engines on the 747 instead of the usual four. The extra engine was not used to power the flight. It was merely being transported to Johannesburg to be swapped with a defective engine on a 747 which then operated QF64 back to Sydney. I never knew that the 747 could be used in this way. Its wing, apparently, has anchor points under it, which allow for a supporting strut to be attached. A winching mechanism added to the strut lifts the extra engine…
MH370- Reunion gives news but not answers
The news that part of an aeroplane has washed up on the shore of the Island of Réunion last Wednesday gives little comfort to families and friends of those who were on Malaysia Airlines 370 that disappeared on March 8, 2014. Confirmation by Malaysia on Friday, that the part is a flaperon and is indeed from a Boeing 777 tells us that it is likely that the plane did indeed end up in the sea. It does not tell us how, where or why. (See wsj: What is a flaperon?) Additional information emerged that a suitcase was…
How I use plane safety briefings
“Ladies and gentlemen, the Captain has turned on the Fasten Seat Belt sign. If you haven’t already done so, please stow your carry-on luggage underneath the seat in front of you or in an overhead bin. Please take your seat and fasten your seat belt. And also make sure your seat back and folding trays are in their full upright position. For many passengers the start of the safety briefing is a sign they can start dozing, reading or texting. Are safety announcements an anachronism? Accounts of US Air Flight 1549‘s evacuation indicate that one of the key reasons many passengers were able to…
Would you fly in a Windowless Plane?
The IXION Windowless Business Jet Concept has no windows. Instead any scene can be projected onto a high-res screen on the interior cabin walls and ceiling. It could be the view from the outside of the plane or relaxing scenes or business charts! The displays would be powered by Solar panels on the jet’s exterior. The design recently won the Exterior Design Concept category at the 2014 International Yacht & Aviation Awards for Paris-based company Technicon. The advantages of removing windows include: construction cost reductions a lower weight leading to decreased fuel usage increased flexibility for the inside layout of the plane…
Air Algerie flight down
What a weird week. I have just heard of the reports that Air Algerie flight #AH5017 with 116 people onboard has crashed in Niger. The aircraft reportedly lost contact 50 minutes after take-off and is likely to be carrying many French passengers. The MD83 was flying from Ouagadougou,Burkina Faso, to Algiers, Algeria and was operated by SwiftairS A . Swiftair is a Spanish airline which operates scheduled and charter, passenger and cargo flights in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. This adds to a horror week in Europe with MH17, Asia with TransAsia 222 and now Africa. More people have died in plane crashes this week than…
Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner and A380 at Farnborough
The Farnborugh airshow is held in mid-July in even-numbered years at Farnborough Airport, England. The airport is 35 kilometres (22 miles) from Londom. This year’s show celebrated 100 years of commercial Aviation. One impressive display was the 787-9, shown here practising for its routine: The other show stopper was the acrobatic antics of the 380. In this vidoe, you can catch a glimpse of the new A350 taking off at five minutes 45seconds just before the A380 lands at six minutes 12 seconds Related Posts 110 years today– wright brothers take off Trip Review: Emirates- comparing the…
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