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Dozens hurt in mid-air turbulence
Thirty-three people have been injured, some with broken bones, after an Australian Airbus A330 airliner hit turbulence before making an emergency landing.
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The Qantas aircraft made an emergency landing at Learmonth airfield in the northeastern town of Exmouth.
It was carrying 303 passengers from Singapore to Australia.
The Australian Air Transport Safety Bureau said in a statement: "While cruising in level flight, the aircraft experienced a sudden in-flight upset, resulting in injuries to a number of cabin crew and passengers, primarily in the rear of the aircraft.
"The crew declared a Mayday and diverted the aircraft to Learmonth, near Exmouth ... where it landed without further incident."
Police initially described the aircraft as an airbus A320 with 370 passengers on board, but Qantas later said flight QF72 was an A330-300 with 303 passengers and 10 crew.
"Early reports indicate that three cabin crew and approximately 30 passengers sustained injuries, including about 15 with serious injuries, namely broken bones and lacerations."
Learmonth has only one runway, about 10,000ft long, and is used mainly by oil and gas companies.
The nearest town is the port of Exmouth, around 700 miles north of Perth, the state capital of Western Australia.
Qantas has been hit by a spate of incidents recently.
In one, Australian air safety investigators blamed an oxygen bottle for a mid-air explosion which blew a minivan-size hole in the side of Qantas 747 last month. Thirty-three people have been injured, some with broken bones, after an Australian Airbus A330 airliner hit turbulence before making a... more -
Not Qantas again !!!
Qantas and the Kangaroo seem to be heading in a downwind spiral after taking repairs offshore from Australia. Hope they will bounce back...... Qantas and the Kangaroo seem to be heading in a downwind spiral after taking repairs offshore from Australia. Hope they will bounce ba... more
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Swiss man flys!
This guy created a jet pack and flew over the English Channel! That is amazing! Next thing you know, we could all have the possibility to fly or have a real-life Iron Man! This guy created a jet pack and flew over the English Channel! That is amazing! Next thing you know, we could all have the possibility... more
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The Flying Hammer
This happened during the last show of Van Sinkel by Tim Gladdines. It gave the first two rows of the audience a near death experience and us as players a heart attack. In short it's hillarious. This happened during the last show of Van Sinkel by Tim Gladdines. It gave the first two rows of the audience a near death experience ... more
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Pilot completes jetpack challenge
"A Swiss man has become the first person to fly solo across the English Channel using a single jet-propelled wing.
Yves Rossy landed safely after the 22-mile (35.4 km) flight from Calais to Dover, which had been twice postponed this week because of bad weather.
The former military pilot took less than 10 minutes to complete the crossing and parachute to the ground.
The 49-year-old flew on a plane to more than 8,200ft (2,500m), ignited jets on a wing on his back, and jumped out. "
BBC News
Video and more at link. "A Swiss man has become the first person to fly solo across the English Channel using a single jet-propelled wing. ... more -
Pigs Fly in Australia (photos)
Photographs from the 2008 Royal Melbourne Show at the Melbourne Showgrounds in Melbourne, Australia on Thursday, September 18, 2008.
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Prince William to become rescue pilot
Clarence House has announced that Prince William is to train as a full-time pilot with the RAF Search and Rescue Force in order to "serve operationally".
William, who learned to fly with the RAF earlier this year, is an officer in the Household Cavalry Regiment and has also spent time with the Navy and Army.
He said he wanted to build on his experience "especially because, for good reasons, I was not able to deploy to Afghanistan this year". He added: "It has been a real privilege to have spent the past year understanding and experiencing all aspects of the British Armed Forces. I now want to build on the experience and training I have received to serve operationally."
William undertook a shortened training course - less than four months compared with the usual four years - and was awarded his wings by his father Prince Charles in April. Announcing his plans, the prince said: "The time I spent with the RAF earlier this year made me realise how much I love flying."
He will begin 18 months of search and rescue training in January and continue his charitable and royal duties until then, Clarence House said. He could be flying operationally in 2010 at one of six UK-based RAF Sarf units. Clarence House has announced that Prince William is to train as a full-time pilot with the RAF Search and Rescue Force in order to �... more -
Airlines may ask us to go on diet
With airlines cutting security and safety measures from onboard and inflight safety, I have to admit that perhaps we will be required to fly with risks for our own safety in the name of saving fuel costs.
This article states the reality of fear that perhaps not just having security screening which allow TSA officials to look at our naked bodies, but now, we'll have to disclose our weight to ticket and gate agents. Is nude flying next ?
I think I'll stop eating those outlandishly generous peanuts inflight to lose some kilos.
Danielmklopp With airlines cutting security and safety measures from onboard and inflight safety, I have to admit that perhaps we will be required ... more -
Home-made plane crashes
After spending 10 years building a plane with parts sent in the post the two fliers were delighted, until thier new craft crashed on its maiden flight.
The pilot - Bill Knott, 73, who is said to be afraid of heights, was taken to hospital suffering neck and back injuries.
His co-pilot, who has not been named but was also in his 70s, escaped with minor injuries. After spending 10 years building a plane with parts sent in the post the two fliers were delighted, until thier new craft crashed on i... more -
Airline removes life vests to save fuel
An official with Air Canada's regional carrier Jazz says the airline is removing life vests from all its planes to save weight and fuel.
Jazz spokeswoman Manon Stuart said Thursday Transport Canada regulations allow airlines to use floatation devices instead of life vests provided the planes remain within 50 miles of shore.
Safety cards in the seat pockets of Jazz aircraft now direct passengers to use the seat cushions as floatation devices.
Stuart says Jazz is a transcontinental carrier that doesn't fly over the ocean.
Jazz planes do fly over the Great Lakes and along the Eastern seaboard from Halifax to Boston to New York.
Stuart says all of Jazz's flights operate within 50 miles of shore. She says they operate 880 flights daily to 85 destinations in North America and says the number of flights that operate over water are minimal.
A commercial-style life vest weighs roughly a half-kilogram, meaning 25 kilograms would be saved by removing them from a Dash-8 aircraft with 50 seats.
Sounds risky, doesn't it? An official with Air Canada's regional carrier Jazz says the airline is removing life vests from all its planes to save weight an... more -
Fault forces Gatwick jet landing
A plane bound for Barbados was forced to return to Gatwick Airport after the captain reported a technical problem.
The Virgin Atlantic flight returned to the West Sussex airport an hour after take-off. A plane bound for Barbados was forced to return to Gatwick Airport after the captain reported a technical problem. ... more -
On the Horizon of Green Air Travel
The move to green up the airline industry is heating up. The recent gas prices have been fueling the fire and environmentalists are fanning the flames, but there are some cool eco-friendly ideas on the horizon that could completely change the way we fly. Here are a list of some of the coolest... most innovative... scariest green flight concepts.
Check out the site for pics and descriptions of each concept... The move to green up the airline industry is heating up. The recent gas prices have been fueling the fire and environmentalists are fa... more -
Married at 1,000 feet
When choosing a wedding venue, most people think of churches and beaches, well not Darren McWalters and his bride Katie Hodgson, they chose the wings of two identical planes.
They were married at 1,000ft by the Rev George Bringham who, conveniently, was flying ahead of them on the wings of a third aircraft, with a walkie-talkie linked to a speaker on the ground for all the congregation.
Cheap way to get the honeymoon flight paid for I guess. When choosing a wedding venue, most people think of churches and beaches, well not Darren McWalters and his bride Katie Hodgson, they ... more -
AirAsia X aren't going to weigh passengers before flying
Reports have emerged that an Asian budget airline who were considering 'weighing passengers to calculate the overall weight of the aircraft' were misquoted.
The Sun found an interesting article in trade magazine Travel Today, which "reported the company - which flies mainly between Malaysia and Australia - would consider extreme measures to bump up revenue if fuel costs continued to increase," with the general manager Darren Wright claiming the move "could help Aussies lose weight." Reports have emerged that an Asian budget airline who were considering 'weighing passengers to calculate the overall weight of th... more -
The Martin JetPak: a $100,000 nerdy flying contraption
New Zealand inventor Glenn Martin has built what he describes as the ultimate personal flying machine, the world’s first practical jetpack. Modern-day attempts to build jetpacks have evolved from the 1940’s and 50s comic book marvels and early television-series heroes. Since the 1960s, science geeks have built a number of real jetpack designs, but none has been able to fly for more than a minute.
Martin’s JetPak is said to be able to run for 30 minutes. The contraption doesn’t look much like the classic jetpacks of science fiction. Martin's JetPack has somehow been able to make the future look very, very nerdy. It is also not, to put it bluntly, a jet. A gasoline-powered engine runs the Martin JetPack, not really jets as we know them today. According to Martin, all that counts is that it flies.
And just how well does this very, very noisy dream machine actually fly? Well, so far the ultimate personal flying machine, priced at $100,000, has not flown any higher than six feet. That’s about $17,000 a foot!!
Photographs and two humorous videos of Martin's geeky personal flying contraption are included. New Zealand inventor Glenn Martin has built what he describes as the ultimate personal flying machine, the world’s first practical jet... more -
Anybody else want there own jet-pack?
As thousands looked on Tuesday, the inventor's 16-year-old son donned a helmet, fastened himself to a prototype Martin jet pack and revved the engine, which sounded like a motorcycle. Harrison Martin eased about three feet off the ground, the engine roaring with a whine so loud that some kids covered their ears.
With two spotters preventing the jet pack from drifting in a mild wind, the pilot hovered for 45 seconds and then set the device down as the audience applauded.
The Martin jet pack can; in theory; fly an average-sized pilot about 30 miles in 30 minutes on a full 5-gallon tank of gas. The apparatus was unveiled Tuesday at AirVenture Oshkosh 2008, the annual aviation convention of the Experimental Aircraft Association in east-central Wisconsin. As thousands looked on Tuesday, the inventor's 16-year-old son donned a helmet, fastened himself to a prototype Martin jet pack a... more -
Inventor says jet packs ready to take off
T"his isn't how a jet pack is supposed to look, is it? Hollywood has envisioned jet packs as upside-down fire extinguishers strapped to people's backs. But Glenn Martin's invention is far more unwieldy — a 250-pound piano-sized contraption that people settle into rather than strap on.
As thousands looked on Tuesday, the inventor's 16-year-old son donned a helmet, fastened himself to a prototype Martin jet pack and revved the engine, which sounded like a motorcycle. Harrison Martin eased about three feet off the ground, the engine roaring with a whine so loud that some kids covered their ears.
With two spotters preventing the jet pack from drifting in a mild wind, the pilot hovered for 45 seconds and then set the device down as the audience applauded.
The Martin jet pack can — in theory — fly an average-sized pilot about 30 miles in 30 minutes on a full 5-gallon tank of gas. The apparatus was unveiled Tuesday at AirVenture Oshkosh 2008, the annual aviation convention of the Experimental Aircraft Association in east-central Wisconsin.
"Wow, that went better than expected," Glenn Martin said afterward, his accent revealing his New Zealand roots. "People will look back on this as a moment in history."" T"his isn't how a jet pack is supposed to look, is it? Hollywood has envisioned jet packs as upside-down fire extinguishers ... more -
British Airways to merge with Iberia
British Airways Plc and Spain's Iberia are in talks to create the world's third-biggest airline, which could form the basis of a three-way transatlantic tie-up and trigger a fresh wave of industry deals.
They will own over 450 planes and have a turnover of 16.9 billion euros! British Airways Plc and Spain's Iberia are in talks to create the world's third-biggest airline, which could form the basis ... more -
Ryanair predicts first loss in 20 years.
We all love cheap flights, bar misguided classist enviromentalist types...
But are they in danger with the current, unnatural cost of fuel (which no one seems to have an adequate reason for...) if even Ryanair can post a loss.
is it that people are sick of going to "near" paris, that's causing the rumoured half empty flights, or a combination of a bad economy, the negative hype of said economy and the dislike of being treated like a repugnant sardine? We all love cheap flights, bar misguided classist enviromentalist types... ... more -
How to survive plane decompression
Fortunately, large holes do not appear on passenger jets very frequently. But the cause of last week's incident on the Qantas Boeing 747 - in which a gash in the front end of the craft caused rapid decompression - is still under investigation.
An expert on disaster survival and behaviour psychology, Time Magazine's Amanda Ripley explains that in such circumstances, the plane dropping in altitude quite dramatically is "good news ... It usually means that the pilots are trying to get the plane low enough so that the outside air is breathable for humans."
Oxygen masks are usually dropped from the ceiling at this point. And it would seem Tyler Durden's dismissal of them was premature ... sort of:
"But you won't die if you don't get the mask on, provided you were already generally healthy ... There are only about 10 to 15 minutes of oxygen on those masks anyway, and they are provided just to help keep you comfortable until the plane reaches a lower altitude, where you can breathe easily and without assistance. The most important thing is that the pilots get their masks on first — and they have been trained to do this much faster than you will. That said, it is best to put your mask on before helping anyone else, since you only have a matter of seconds before you may lose consciousness." Fortunately, large holes do not appear on passenger jets very frequently. But the cause of last week's incident on the Qantas Bo... more
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