Flying soon...prepare to bring your own entertainment

[Rudi]

Why your brand-new plane doesn't have a seat-back TV

[viking33]

Why your brand-new plane doesn't have a seat-back TV

I just annoy the flight attendants. More entertaining than TV.

[Rudi]

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[viking33]

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Enjoy your bag of peanuts. We land in 5 hours. By the way, the call button doesn't work.

[Rudi]

From 1 to 8, some most annoying scenarios in a plane...
I'm travelling upcountry next week...I hope I do not encounter ANY of these!!

1. Inconsiderate people can REALLY tick me off!
2. Seat kickers.... ARGH!!
3. Need I say more...
4. Argh!
5. Please....NO!
6. I can handle...till they snore!
7. Understandable unless in 1st class
8. Really...shouldn't that have been checked in! (HAND luggage sir!)

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[viking33]

Number 7 also includes the battle for the armrest.

[StuartR]

I have 27 hours of flying home from Melbourne to London in a few days. I'm really not looking forward to it. I do hope I don't experience any of these horrors.

[PaulB]

27 hours? Oh yes, you will!

[GeoffW]

I have 27 hours of flying home from Melbourne to London in a few days. I'm really not looking forward to it. I do hope I don't experience any of these horrors.

Most people really don't look forward to leaving Australia.

[StuartR]

I can't find the Lounge "like" button Geoff

[Leif]

I have 27 hours of flying home from Melbourne to London in a few days. I'm really not looking forward to it.

You won't want to read this then - BBC News - Pilot's artificial arm 'became detached while landing plane'.

[Rudi]

Gosh...
1. Plane checklist: WIngs, rudder, landing gear, windscreen wipers
2. Pilot checklist: Eyes, ears, brain, arms

[BobH]

Not being familiar with the particular aircraft mentioned in the story, I don't know whether my information applies to it; but most commercial jets in the US - certainly those of the major airlines - are so highly automated that most landings are handled by computer with the pilot's role being to stand by in case something unforeseen happens.

I have 2 good friends who are now retired pilots for major US airlines. Both are former air force fighter pilots who flew combat in Vietnam then went into passenger jets after their military service. Their careers spanned the era that saw automation of flight deck duties. (Remember when most planes had pilot, copilot and flight engineer aboard?) Neither of them was ever able to 'trust' the automation and always kept hands on stick and monitored every instrument while landing. Each has tales about sudden gusts at ground level and having to land on cross-wind runways where the aircraft would have been lost had they not been 'hands on'.

Remember: To err is human; to really foul up requires computers.

[viking33]

Not being familiar with the particular aircraft mentioned in the story, I don't know whether my information applies to it; but most commercial jets in the US - certainly those of the major airlines - are so highly automated that most landings are handled by computer with the pilot's role being to stand by in case something unforeseen happens.

I have 2 good friends who are now retired pilots for major US airlines. Both are former air force fighter pilots who flew combat in Vietnam then went into passenger jets after their military service. Their careers spanned the era that saw automation of flight deck duties. (Remember when most planes had pilot, copilot and flight engineer aboard?) Neither of them was ever able to 'trust' the automation and always kept hands on stick and monitored every instrument while landing. Each has tales about sudden gusts at ground level and having to land on cross-wind runways where the aircraft would have been lost had they not been 'hands on'.

Remember: To err is human; to really foul up requires computers.

Apparently, it was a Bombardier Dash 8. One of those high winged twin engined Turbo Prop Monstrosities, with only 47 passengers on board. They don't carry the degree of instrumentation that their larger relatives do. So I'm sure there is more "hands on" flying done.

[Rudi]

I have 2 good friends who are now retired pilots for major US airlines. Each has tales about sudden gusts at ground level and having to land on cross-wind runways where the aircraft would have been lost had they not been 'hands on'.

I could sit a whole weekend with those two friends of yours; an nice bottle or three of wine, some crackers with cheese and listen to there winged adventures. That would be cool! Your cross wind landings remind me of some of those hair raising videos on Youtube of planes having to take two or three attempts at landing in strong cross winds.