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Airline removes life vests to save weight and fuel
TORONTO - Air Canada's regional carrier Jazz is removing life vests from all its planes to save weight and fuel.
Jazz spokeswoman Manon Stuart said Thursday that government regulations set by Transport Canada allow airlines to use floatation devices instead of life vests provided the planes remain within 50 nautical miles of shore.
Safety cards in the seat pockets of Jazz aircraft now direct passengers to use the seat cushions as floatation devices.
"The nature of our operations doesn't require that we carry both," Stuart said.
Stuart said 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 and New York.
Stuart said all of Jazz's flights operate within 50 nautical miles of shore. She said they operate 880 flights daily to 85 destinations in North America and that the number of flights operating over water are minimal.
A commercial-style life vest weighs roughly a half-kilogram (1.1 pound), meaning 25 kilograms (55 pounds) would be saved by removing them from a Dash-8 aircraft with 50 seats, the most common aircraft the company uses. TORONTO - Air Canada's regional carrier Jazz is removing life vests from all its planes to save weight and fuel. ... more -
Plane's nose damaged during flight
Northwest Airlines says it's investigating after the nose cone on one of its planes was damaged during flight.
The plane had been scheduled to fly to Minneapolis from Tampa, Florida. But that flight was delayed after the plane was damaged sometime during a flight between Detroit and Tampa.
Retired Northwest pilot Richard Duxbury says the plane was likely hit by something, possibly a bird. He says bird strikes can be a significant safety issue.
The airline hasn't confirmed that a bird hit the plane. In a statement, Northwest says none of the passengers or crew members were hurt in the incident. Northwest Airlines says it's investigating after the nose cone on one of its planes was damaged during flight. ... more -
Airplane Heal Thyself? Self-Repairing Aircraft Could Improve Air Safety
Airplanes get old, and over time their skins can develop tiny holes and cracks. Mechanics are good at spotting these problems during regular maintenance checks, but a technique developed in Britain that mimics natural healing could allow airplanes to repair themselves.
Researchers at the Engineering and Sciences Research Council are developing composite materials that "bleed" resin when stressed or damaged, effectively creating a "scab" that fixes the damage. It's an innovation that could drastically improve air safety, foster the development of lighter aircraft and bring biomimicry to aviation.
"This project represents just the first step", says Dr. Ian Bond, the aerospace professor leading the research. "We're also developing systems where the healing agent isn't contained in individual glass fibres but actually moves around as part of a fully integrated vascular network, just like the circulatory systems found in animals and plants. Such a system could have its healing agent refilled or replaced and could repeatedly heal a structure throughout its lifetime. Furthermore, it offers potential for developing other biological-type functions in man-made structures, such as controlling temperature or distributing energy sources."
Think about the body's healing process and the technology behind self-healing plastics is easy to grasp.
When we cut ourselves, sticky cells called platelets clump together near the wound to create a plug that stops the bleeding and begins the healing. The principle behind the self-healing plastic Bond has developed at University of Bristol technique is remarkably similar. Airplanes get old, and over time their skins can develop tiny holes and cracks. Mechanics are good at spotting these problems during r... more -
American cancels more than 1,000 flights
DALLAS - Cancellations at the nation's biggest airline continued Wednesday. American Airlines scrapped more than 1,000 flights — nearly half of its scheduled service — as it reinspects wire bundles on its fleet of MD-80 jets. Cancellations on late Tuesday and Wednesday were for the very same issue that affected the airline two weeks ago. DALLAS - Cancellations at the nation's biggest airline continued Wednesday. American Airlines scrapped more than 1,000 flights — ... more
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New Zealand to increase domestic flight security in wake of hijack attempt
Somali immigrant Asha Ali Abdille, 33, was charged with attempted hijacking, wounding, and injuring with intent to injure after she allegedly stabbed both pilots and another passenger last Friday on a domestic commuter flight. Abdille demanded to be flown to Australia. The plane landed safely in the southern city of Christchurch. Somali immigrant Asha Ali Abdille, 33, was charged with attempted hijacking, wounding, and injuring with intent to injure after she al... more
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Texas man shooting lasers at planes
Class IIIB laser could have caused a crash
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Airline safety engineer is an Imposter
Qantas says he approved over 1000 flights in the past year
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