tagged w/ Airlines
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All for the 'appearance' of keeping the public safe. Watch as this little boy gets visibly upset when he realizes that he's the only one in his family being searched on their way to Disney World...
http://veracitystew.com/?p=32421All for the 'appearance' of keeping the public safe. Watch as this little... more
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This looks better than most people's bedroom. This is how to join the mile high club... in style.This looks better than most people's bedroom. This is how to join the mile high... more
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A Very Out of the blue decision made my Qantas CEO Alan Joyce wich will effect thousands of people, and have long term inpacts on the Australian Airline.A Very Out of the blue decision made my Qantas CEO Alan Joyce wich will effect... more
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“Get these monkey fightin’ lesbians off this Monday through Friday plane!”
The greatest threat to American air travel, right now, as I am typing this very important piece of internet fluffery, is not exploding shoes, or slightly larger than tiny bottles of shampoo, or the stinky guy. No, commercial air travel enemy number one, is lady kisses!
Now, you and I, being people of a reasonable nature who exist in a world where things happen, have likely seen a lesbian before, whether we like it or REALLY like it. We, being human animals with the ability to move our heads a not unreasonable degree (I mean, not like, owl levels or anything, that’s crazy and unreasonable, let’s not get all fantastical now gentle reader) and have a fair working knowledge of what it is that we prefer to bear witness too and what it is that we simply will not linger upon, no matter how pant tighteningly hot it is. And while the majority of us do not own aero-planes, dirigibles or any other manner of flying machine, we do own something, be it a mode of transportation or posession otherwise, that we likely would not clutch fearfully to our chest sobbing uncontrollably simply because a lesbian happened to be lesbianing in, on or near to it.
But then, I guess that’s what makes us different from Southwest Airlines.
It seems a lady (to call her a “celebrity” would be KIND of stretching it. She’s known, more than I am, sure, but “celebrity”? meh) kissed another lady while in mid air and that caused quite a stir, and not just the trousery kind that that sort of exchange usually engenders. It seems as little as one flight attendant and as many as one flight attendant and “several” passengers were unable or unwilling to employ their neck muscles to avoid the horrible, ghastly sight of two sets of soft, warm lips, coming together in a loving face embrace IN FRONT OF GOD AND EVERYONE!
This interaction prompted a talking to by Southwest staff and resulted in these filthy consenting adults being thrown from the plane upon its landing. Which is a confusing part of the story to me, perhaps because I don’t do a lot of plane flighting, what what with my uncanny power of unaided human flight (a direct result of my prolonged exposure to your planet’s yellow sun) but I always thought that once a plane had landed, it wasn’t strictly necessary to escort someone from it, as, unless they planned on paying rent, that was the entire purpose of a plane’s landing, so that one could then disembark and continue on toward the destination that the plane flight had aided in expediting. So it just seems that escorting someone from a plane after it lands is just kind of a dick move. Is there a fear that, without the forceful prodding of Southwest employees these two lady pervs would continue to face slam one another willy nilly, further endangering all of those around them to varying levels of arousal depending upon their personal proclivity?
I get that people have personal tastes and beliefs and dislikes and prejudices. I understand. I myself can’t stand to see people. But when I see one or more of these “people” doing anything ever I don’t immediately tell them to stop doing it because I don’t like that I’m able to see them doing it. I don’t ask the nearest other person that I don’t like to stop the activity of two people who have absolutely nothing to do with me simply because what they’re doing is visible. So why should anyone, in this dazzling age of spinal rotation, be so offended by something that they have to actively look at, when the other 340 degrees of potential visible landscape would likely offer unto them something that even their hateful little minds would find inoffensive?
I guess just the fact that they would KNOW that someone was in some way happy near them would just be too much. And the only thing that gets THEM hard, is interfering in the happiness of others. So thanks for ruining it for the rest of the passengers, haters of sexy things. Now I’m going to have to jerk off to the over priced electronics gadgets and lemon bar recipes in the in flight publications… again…
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For all your rickety, primered, windowless comedy needs, visit:
http://vanfullofcandy.com“Get these monkey fightin’ lesbians off this Monday through Friday... more
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CNN: 'Mass casualties' after plane crashes at Reno air race
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'Mass casualties' reported after plane crashes at Nevada air show
By the CNN Wire Staff
September 16, 2011 9:30 p.m. EDT
Click photo to play video
Plane crashes at Nevada air show
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Show spokesman: "It was clear that (the plane) was pulling up and was in distress"
NEW: National Guard members and NTSB, FAA personnel are on the scene
People are being escorted out of the area with injuries
Are you there? Share your photos, videos from the scene.
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(CNN) -- "Mass casualties" were reported at an air show after a plane crashed Friday into an area in front of a grandstand at the National Championship Air Races and Air Show in Reno, Nevada, a spokesman for the show told CNN.
Mike Draper said he's been told there are "likely fatalities," but it has not been determined how many or who they may be. The fate of the pilot, who was flying a P-51 Mustang, was not known, he said.
Video from the scene, posted on YouTube, showed a plane plummeting from the sky, sending up clouds of dust and debris.
Shocked spectators rose to their feet.
The P-51 plane, called the "Galloping Ghost," was taking part in a qualifying round in the "unlimited class" division of the air race when it went down around 4:15 p.m. PT Friday, Draper said. The final rounds had been slated for the weekend.
The aircraft was about a lap into the race when the pilot sent out a "Mayday signal" and pulled "out of the lap" before crashing into a box area that is in front of a grandstand at the "very large race field," located about 15 miles north of Reno, Draper said.
"It was clear that (the plane) was pulling up and was in distress," he said.
He added that authorities do not yet know why the aircraft went down.
Besides the Federal Aviation Administration personnel already there to assist the National Transportation Safety Board in any investigation, the show's spokesman said that National Guard members -- who were on-site practicing before the incident -- are helping emergency personnel to clear the area.
"There are people still being escorted out of that area with various injuries," Draper said.
Local fire officials are reporting multiple fatalities and critical injuries, according to Ian Gregor, a spokesman with the FAA.
He said the aircraft did not catch fire, but there was a wide debris field following the crash.
CNN's Mike Ahlers contributed to this report.
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NTSB has just confirmed that nine people were killed.
09/17/11 - 4:02PM PT
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.CNN: 'Mass casualties' after plane crashes at Reno air race
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Many travelers heading to and from the East Coast still face days of delays even as airlines start flying again Monday at major airports that closed for Tropical Storm Irene.
Link : http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44309693/ns/travel-news/Many travelers heading to and from the East Coast still face days of delays even as... more
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sitsi
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Comparing airlines' Airbus A380s
Six commercial carriers fly the A380. Here's a look at how each has used the space aboard the super jumbo jet
Los Angeles Times...
Six carriers
Earlier this summer, Korean Air's first Airbus A380 made its maiden voyage from Seoul to Tokyo. The airline will expand service to New York later this month and offer flights to and from Los Angeles starting in October.
The Asian carrier becomes the sixth airline worldwide to provide commercial flights aboard the super jumbo jet. Other airlines that operate the A380 are Lufthansa, Air France, Emirates, Qantas Airways and Singapore Airlines. How does Korean Air compare with the rest? Here's a look.
-- Jason La
Pictured, clockwise from top left: Korean Air, Qantas Airways, Air France, Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa and Emirates.
More photos if you click on photo at top.Comparing airlines' Airbus A380s
Six commercial carriers fly the A380.... more
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In an interview with the Daily Beast, hero pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger talked about recent safety problems that have been discovered throughout the airline industry.
He also talked about the House version of a Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill, which proposes $4 billion in cuts to FAA funding over the next four years.
"I would say you have to be very careful," Sullenberger told the website. "It's very difficult to cut the budget that much and not have an effect on safety."In an interview with the Daily Beast, hero pilot Chesley "Sully"... more
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US Airways Captain Escorted From Airport
By Ted Reed 07/25/11 - 12:00 PM EDT
CHARLOTTE, N.C. TheStreet) -- The battle between US Airways(LLC) and its pilots over the airline's safety culture is continuing, this time focused on an incident in which a captain declined to fly a transatlantic flight.
On June 16, captain Valerie Wells, a 30-year-pilot, was scheduled to fly an Airbus A330, which can carry nearly 300 passengers, on a flight from Philadelphia to Rome. But she declined to fly because of failures of both the auxiliary power unit, a backup source of electrical power, and the "hot battery bus," a primary source of electrical power.
After the crew and passengers had returned to the gate Wells, in a particularly unusual event, was escorted out of the airport by security officials. Subsequently, a second crew of three pilots also declined to fly; the aircraft was repaired and underwent a rigorous inspection, and a third crew took off about six to seven hours late.
In seeking to publicize the incident, the U.S. Airline Pilots Association took out a full-page advertisement in Friday's edition of USA Today. The ad proclaimed that US Airways put "revenues first, safety second.
"The intimidation of flight crews is becoming commonplace at US Airways, [which] works to maximize their revenues by pushing their employees to move their airplanes regardless of the potential human cost," said the text. The ad referred readers to a website, www.USAirlinePilots.org/SafetyFirst.
In a letter to employees on Friday, Robert Isom, chief operating officer, wrote that "USAPA has embarked upon a smear campaign that in reality is all about contract negotiations, not safety.
"I can tell you unequivocally the union's claims are outlandish, false and a disservice to the 32,000 hard-working employees of US Airways," Isom wrote. "Safety has been and always will be the top priority at US Airways, as it is at any airline."
Union spokesman James Ray said that initially, Wells could not possibly fly the airplane because it lacked cockpit electrical power, but a chief pilot nonetheless encouraged her to fly. He said the incident symbolized US Airways' desire to enhance on-time performance and revenues. "This is not just an isolated incident," he said. "It has been going on on a daily basis, and is the kind of practice we've been fighting for a number of years now."
Airline spokesman John McDonald said the incident is under investigation. He said "the fact that [Wells] was escorted off the property had nothing to do with safety," but declined to elaborate. Ray said the airplane sat at the gate for five hours -- without air conditioning -- during the maintenance process, until finally Wells decided that passengers should be allowed to disembark.
On the aircraft's public address system, she explained the situation to passengers and reminded them to stay near the gate, Ray said. It is possible that a gate agent interpreted Wells' remarks or later conversations with passengers to be critical of the airline, leading to the sequence of events in which she was escorted from the airport.US Airways Captain Escorted From Airport
By Ted Reed 07/25/11 - 12:00 PM EDT... more
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New air traffic control system at crossroads
By JOAN LOWY, Associated Press – 2 hours ago
PART ONE...
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Aviation Administration is creating a new air traffic system that officials say will be as revolutionary for civil aviation as was the advent of radar six decades ago. But the program is at a crossroads.
It's getting harder to pry money out of Congress. The airline industry is hesitating over the cost of equipping its planes with new technology necessary to use the system. And some experts say the U.S. could lose its lead in the manufacture of high tech aviation equipment to European competitors because the FAA is moving too slowly.
Seventy-five years ago this week the federal government, spurred by the nascent airline industry, began tracking planes at the nation's first air traffic control centers in Newark, N.J., Chicago and Cleveland.
The original group of 15 controllers, relying on radioed position reports from pilots, plotted the progress of flights using blackboards, maps and boat-shaped weights. Air traffic control took a technological leap forward in the 1950s with the introduction of radar. That's still the basis of the technology used today by more than 15,000 controllers to guide 50,000 flights a day.
Under FAA's Next Generation Air Transportation System program, known as NextGen, ground radar stations will be replaced by satellite-based technology. Instead of flying indirect routes to stay within the range of ground stations, as planes do today, pilots will use GPS technology to fly directly to their destinations.
Planes will continually broadcast their exact positions, not only to air traffic controllers, but to other similarly equipped aircraft within hundreds of miles. For the first time, pilots will be able to see on cockpit displays where they are in relation to other planes and what the flight plans are for those other aircraft. That will enable planes to safely fly closer together.
When planes approach airports, precise GPS navigation will allow them to use more efficient landing and takeoff procedures. Instead of time-consuming, fuel-burning stair- step descents, planes will be able to glide in more steeply with their engines idling. Aircraft will be able to land and take off closer together and more frequently, even in poor weather, because pilots will know the precise location of other aircraft and obstacles on the ground. Fewer planes will be diverted.
Pilots and airline dispatchers will be able get real-time weather information. Computers will spot potential weather conflicts well in advance so that planes can be rerouted. And, controllers will do a lot less talking to pilots. Many instructions now transmitted by radio will instead be sent digitally to cockpits, reducing the chance of errors.
Together, the suite of new technologies and procedures being phased in will significantly increase the system's traffic capacity, FAA officials predict. That's critical if the number of passengers traveling annually on U.S. airlines grows from an estimated 737 million this year to over 1 billion a year in the next decade, as the FAA forecasts.
And, the FAA predicts, NextGen will save significant time, fuel and money. It also will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and noise.
"It really is a revolution in air transportation," Deputy FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said in an interview. "The decisions we're making in the next several years will set the foundation for the next 75 years of air traffic control."
Paying the tab for NextGen — estimated at as much as $22 billion for the government and another $20 billion for the airline industry through 2025 — may be FAA's biggest hurdle. The program has widespread support in the Obama administration and Congress, but it isn't immune to budget cuts in the current climate of austerity. The House wants to reduce FAA's budget authority by $1 billion a year over the next four years, while the Senate has favored higher funding.
Even longtime NextGen supporters like Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee's transportation subcommittee, warn that full funding is no longer automatic.
"We need to see a realistic strategy for funding NextGen," she told FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt at a May hearing. "To date, the FAA has filled its budget request with a laundry list of programs and development activities, and a vague promise that somehow the agency will achieve its goals by 2018. But that approach is not enough this year."
If funding is reduced, some elements of NextGen could be delayed. There is no date for completion of the entire program, which officials say is constantly evolving.
CONTINUED...
.New air traffic control system at crossroads
By JOAN LOWY, Associated Press –... more
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NPR...
Airlines Positioned For Big Gains In Efficiency
by The Associated Press
Chart shows airplane fuel consumption to fly one passenger 1,000 miles
July 4, 2011
Planes are being built out of the same lightweight materials used for Formula 1 race cars. Their engines are being redesigned to squeeze more thrust out of every gallon of fuel. And governments are developing air-traffic systems that will allow airlines to fly shorter routes.
Those and other advances have positioned airlines for the biggest gains in fuel efficiency since the dawn of the jet age in 1958. For airlines, more efficient jets will reduce their biggest expense. For passengers, it means fares won't jump around as much with the price of oil.
"We're seeing 25 years of improvements compressed into 10 years," says Hans Weber, president of TECOP International, an aviation consulting firm.
Airlines' urgency to reduce fuel use is being driven by two trends: soaring oil prices and tougher environmental regulations.
Pressured by airline executives for improvements, manufacturers have pushed the frontiers of technology by building lighter planes and borrowing essential engine-design advances from the auto industry, like automatic transmissions.
Airplane manufacturers have already reduced fuel consumption twice as much as car and train manufacturers have. In 1980, it took an average of 46 gallons of fuel to fly a passenger 1,000 miles. Today, it takes 22, according to an AP analysis of Department of Transportation data. Experts say the coming improvements could bring that number below 18 within a decade.
That can't come soon enough for airlines struggling with the rising price of oil.
U.S. airlines lost a combined $1 billion in the first three months of this year, in large part because of a 24 percent spike in fuel costs. A decade ago, fuel accounted for 15 percent of an airline's operating budget. Today, it's 35 percent.
U.S. carriers with European routes face hundreds of millions of dollars a year of additional costs pegged to their fuel consumption starting next year, when the European Union begins limiting how much carbon dioxide airlines are allowed to emit before paying a penalty. The restrictions are expected to cost airlines worldwide $3.3 billion a year. The U.S. airlines are fighting the law in European courts.
With billions of dollars of aircraft and engine orders at stake, manufacturers are turning designs that were dreams only a few years ago into reality.
Boeing and Airbus are both building long-range jets — the 787 Dreamliner and A350, respectively — with half of their bodies made of carbon-fiber composites. The carbon-fiber weighs 20 percent less than traditional aluminum alloy.
But the real revolution will come from the way planes are powered.
Pratt & Whitney and CFM, a joint venture between General Electric and Safran, are unveiling engines that promise to cut fuel use by 15 percent. These engines are designed for single-aisle planes, which account for more than 75 percent of the 22,000 jets worldwide. The engines should save more than $1 million per aircraft per year.
"For the first time, we're seeing a propulsion horserace," says Richard Aboulafia, an analyst with the Teal Group.
The PurePower engine from Pratt & Whitney will debut on the new Bombardier CSeries in 2013. Its main technological advance is to add gears — similar to a car's transmission — that will allow different parts of the engine to operate at different speeds. That boosts fuel efficiency and provides the same amount of power as a traditional engine but in smaller, lighter housing.
The LEAP-X from CFM has advancements in air flow and temperature-resistant coatings that allow the air passing through the engine core to be at temperatures otherwise hot enough to melt the surrounding metal. Those higher temperatures allow the engine to be more efficient.
Airbus is redesigning its A320 jets to accommodate both engines and says its A320neo, which starts flying in 2016, will cut fuel consumption by 20 percent. Airbus has already received more than 1,000 orders and commitments for future orders.
Boeing plans to offer the new engines on a single-aisle jet but has yet to decide whether it will update the 737, its best-seller, to accommodate them or design a new plane.
Other ways airlines will save on fuel:
— A satellite-based air traffic control system in the U.S., several years away, that could cut fuel consumption by 12 percent. Airlines and the government are fighting over who will pay for it. The current system is based on less precise World War II-era radar, which can force planes to zigzag miles out of their way.
— Aerodynamic improvements to jets, including vertical extensions at the tip of each wing called "winglets" that prevent drag. They've been around for several years but are being deployed on a wider range of planes.
— Carrying less weight inside the plane. American is replacing its 19,000 catering carts with models that weigh 16 pounds less. Southwest is testing seat covers made with lighter fabric. JetBlue chose thinner seats for its new A320s. Every pound removed from a plane saves 30 gallons of fuel a year.
— Replacing older jets faster. American, which has the worst fuel economy among U.S. airlines, is replacing aging MD80s with 737s that use 35 percent less fuel per passenger.
Airlines are cutting costs in other areas as well.
Ten years ago, salaries and benefits accounted for 39 percent of industry expenses. Now they account for 28 percent. Several major airlines filed for bankruptcy and that allowed them to renegotiate labor contracts.
But with oil at $100 a barrel and expected to rise more in the years ahead, analysts say the long-term imperative for airlines is singular: they must dramatically cut their fuel consumption.
"Either they do it," says Darryl Jenkins of the Aviation Consulting Group, "or they go out of business."
———NPR...
Airlines Positioned For Big Gains In Efficiency
by The Associated... more
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Flying the friendly skies got a lot more expensive over the last three years, and it’s not just due to fluctuating oil prices and a lousy economy. Airline revenues are soaring, in part, because of all those extra charges tacked on for baggage check-in, snack packs, preferred seating, earlier boarding and extra legroom which added up to nearly $22 billion to carriers’ bottom lines this past year.Flying the friendly skies got a lot more expensive over the last three years, and... more
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The scene was apparently bedlam at airports in cities across the country last night as United Airlines' computer system totally failed, leaving thousands of flyers stranded for hours. So what the hell happened?
The airline called the problem a "network connectivity issue," already in the midst of trying to resolve the issue. If that sounds vague, I'm with you. It was a serious one at that, knocking out their departures, processing, and reservations systems. Anxious passengers were left trapped on grounded planes, stuck in lines, and sitting in lobbies at airports in major cities like New York, Detroit, and Los Angeles. By 2 AM, United's tech team had started to resolve the malfunction, allowing people to reach their destinations.
No statement has been made at to why United's computer system's failed, but they have been gracious enough to allow affected passengers to rebook their flights without penalties.
It just leaves one to wonder: What could cause a malfunction of this size to affect such a major airline? Hackers again?The scene was apparently bedlam at airports in cities across the country last night as... more
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WHACKO-TV, like most Americans, was extremely irritated when we learned that one airline charged our service men and women extra for their baggage on flights back home from our many wars and conflicts. So, we took our cameras to Captain Jack Jumpseat to get his viewpoint on this practice. Well, true to form, Jack was less than vocal about the airline policies.WHACKO-TV, like most Americans, was extremely irritated when we learned that one... more
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Video at the link (click the pic)
The Air France jet which crashed into the Atlantic in 2009 fell for three and a half minutes before hitting the ocean, French investigators have said.
The investigators say the crew had struggled with contradictory speed readings before the plane stalled and fell.
All 228 people on board were killed in the disaster, which is only now being pieced together following the recovery of the plane's flight data recorders.Video at the link (click the pic)
The Air France jet which crashed into the... more
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pdy
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At the high altitudes and latitudes commercial airlines fly, crews are subjected to higher-than-normal radiation levels from the sun and cosmic rays. Physicist Robert Barish believes airline crew members are exposing themselves to more radiation than almost any other occupation and is calling for the airline industry to better educate workers about radiation.At the high altitudes and latitudes commercial airlines fly, crews are subjected to... more
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The Rev. Jacob Jester wasn’t trying to start anything.
But when he saw security screeners at Kansas City International Airport patting down a baby — a baby — he took a picture. And then he shared that picture on Twitter.
Jester tweeted his picture with the message: “Just saw #tsa agents patting down a little baby at @KCIAirport Pretty sure that’s extreme
The Transportation Security Administration, which has contracted with FirstLine Transportation Security to handle screening, issued a statement saying the officers followed proper procedures.
After the stroller set off the alarm, “officers followed protocol to conduct additional screening on members of the family, who were very cooperative,” the TSA said
Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2011/05/10/2865800/photo-of-pat-down-of-baby-at-airport.html#ixzz1M4SdDu8AThe Rev. Jacob Jester wasn’t trying to start anything.
But when he saw... more
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An Air France Airbus A380-800 clips a Comair Bombardier CRJ-700 at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Ce la vie, non?An Air France Airbus A380-800 clips a Comair Bombardier CRJ-700 at New York's... more
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The bodies of some of the 228 victims of the worst air crash in Air France’s history have been found nearly 4 kilometers below the Atlantic Ocean.
Eerie images of the underwater tomb, which includes British and Irish victims, have been taken by submarines equipped with robot-controlled cameras.
As investigators released some of the images in Paris, they said they also showed the "vast majority" of the Airbus A330-203 had also been discovered, including its engines.
This raises renewed hope that the black box flight recorders can be retrieved, so helping to explain why Flight AF 447 crashed en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris on June 1, 2009.
The £8million search is being financed jointly by Air France and Airbus, who are both at the centre of a criminal enquiry into the disaster, and face manslaughter charges.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1373189/Victims-Air-France-flight-447-Atlantic-year-mystery.html#ixzz1IZZrfLw4The bodies of some of the 228 victims of the worst air crash in Air France’s... more
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The air traffic controller suspended for failing to respond to two planes heading into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport has told investigators that he had fallen asleep, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
The controller, a 20-year veteran, "indicated that he had fallen asleep for a period of time while on duty," according to statement released Thursday by the safety board. "He had been working his fourth consecutive overnight shift (10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.)."
"Human fatigue issues are one of the areas being investigated," the statement read.
Federal Aviation Administration chief Randy Babbitt said earlier Thursday that the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident and that the air traffic controller has been suspended from all operational duties.
An FAA official speaking on background said the controller was given a drug test after the incident. The official said the drug test was "standard procedure" and did not know the results.
The situation began at 12:10 a.m. Wednesday, when an American Airlines plane attempted to call the tower to get clearance to land and got no answer, said Peter Knudson, a spokesman for the safety board. The plane had been in contact with a regional air traffic control facility, and a controller at that facility advised the pilot that he, too, had been unable to contact anyone at the tower, according to a recording of air control traffic at the website liveatc.net.
"1012," the controller said, using the airline's flight number, "called a couple of times on landline and tried to call on the commercial line, and there's no answer.
"The tower is apparently unmanned."
Apparently asked why by a pilot, the controller later responded, "Well, I'm going to take a guess and say that the controller got locked out. I've heard of this happening before. Fortunately, it's not very often," he said.
Knudson said the plane landed without incident in a situation termed an "uncontrolled airport."
About 15 minutes later, a United Airlines flight also failed to reach the tower but landed without any problems, he said. After that, the controller in the tower was back in communication. Knudson said one controller was staffing the tower at the time this occurred.
The controller's admission that he was asleep during the landing emergency underscores concerns about the effect of fatigue on underslept controllers at work.
In 2007, then-NTSB Chairman Mark Rosenker wrote in a letter to the FAA that four plane incidents "provide clear and compelling evidence" that controllers are sometimes operating while fatigued because of their work schedules and poor use of rest periods.
"That fatigue has contributed to controller errors," Rosenker wrote.
The incidents cited by the NTSB were:
-- A March 23, 2006, incident in which a Chicago air traffic controller cleared a plane to take off from a runway on which, 15 seconds earlier, he had cleared another aircraft to cross. The pilot of the departing plane stopped when he saw the other craft in the taxiway intersection. The controller told investigators he had slept only four hours during a nine-hour break between shifts.
-- An August 19, 2004, incident in which a Los Angeles controller cleared one passenger jet to take off and another to land on a runway at the same time. The pilot in the landing aircraft noticed the other on the runway and pulled his plane up 12 seconds before they would have collided. The controller said he had slept five or 6 hours before coming to work.
-- A September 25, 2001, incident in which a Denver air traffic controller approved a request from a cargo plane pilot to take off from a runway that had been closed for construction. The aircraft came within 32 feet of hitting lights that had been installed in the construction zone. The controller said he'd slept only two hours between work days.
-- A July 8, 2001, incident in which a Denver controller cleared one passenger plane to cross a runway where another was about to land. The landing pilot hit the brakes, stopping 810 feet from the other plane. The controller said he had worked three shifts in two days.
Of the most recent incident, Babbitt said, "In my 25 years as a professional airline pilot, I've never seen anything happen like this.
"I am outraged by it," Babbitt said. "We're going to make sure something like this never happens again."
Babbitt stressed that, because of a backup system, neither plane was out of "positive radar contact, nor were they out of communication with the FAA, thus allowing both to land safely.
"That said ... this should not have happened," Babbitt said. "We should not have had this gap in communication. We had to rely on a backup system, which shouldn't have happened."
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood ordered the FAA on Wednesday to schedule two controllers on the overnight shift.The air traffic controller suspended for failing to respond to two planes heading into... more
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