tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post8568829197597892844..comments2024-03-28T14:52:13.218-05:00Comments on Stonekettle Station: Oh, You Disingenuous Bastards, You!Jim Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-17371850051366097382013-01-30T23:50:25.575-06:002013-01-30T23:50:25.575-06:00Oh that is so me... Sigh.
Oh that is so me... Sigh.<br />Lady-Crackerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11847059948420463767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-73066844064373997902010-03-02T09:40:05.666-06:002010-03-02T09:40:05.666-06:00Cell phones are already allowed on some EU flights...Cell phones are already <a href="http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/09/526" rel="nofollow">allowed on some EU flights</a>. If anything's going to get effed up by WiFi or cellphone use, it's the fly-by-wire controls on the EU Airbus fleets.<br /><br />The continuing prohibition in the US was probably an overabundance of caution followed by the airlines lobbying to keep it in place so they can charge for onboard access to telcom networks using their own phone networks.<br /><br />Plus fears of windbag cellphone users not quieting down when instructed.John the Scientisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03467337009577733553noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-68414130884061531482010-03-01T10:33:48.502-06:002010-03-01T10:33:48.502-06:00Wi-Fi I can live with. Letting the jerk next to m...Wi-Fi I can live with. Letting the jerk next to me blab away on his cellphone- hell, no!Pam Adamsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-2693509360160585322010-02-28T09:42:24.338-06:002010-02-28T09:42:24.338-06:00And my airline pilot hero is the copilot who got o...<i>And my airline pilot hero is the copilot who got off a flight I was on recently to personally grab someone to (a) get the sticks and guide them in and (b) fine SOMEONE to drive the damned jetway over.</i><br /><br />On a similar note, coming back into Atlanta (the world's busiest airport) after New Year's our gate was on the center corner next to the roadway under the terminals for all the ground traffic. <br /><br />We taxi to just across the marked roadway from the gate and wait... and wait... and wait... other planes are stacking up behind us, at this point we're blocking half the gates to this terminal. <br /><br />Now bear in mind we're directly in the line of sight of Delta's terminal-level tower that directs aircraft on the ground. <br /><br />No one shows up. Pilot pulls up a little. Still no gate crew. Pilot apologizes for the delay. Still no activity at the gate. Pilot pulls the nose of the plane into the roadway, gets interesting as baggage convoys & buses slow down to go around our nose. Nada, no response. <br /><br />So after being ignored for about 15 minutes the pilot comes on, says he doesn't think they know we're in position and he's going to get their attention. He simply pulls up into the middle of the roadway, effectively blocking all FOUR directions for both aircraft & ground traffic. To the cheers of all of us on the plane!!<br /><br />In less than a minute people were <i>running</i> to the gate to bring us in. People waiting to board the plane at the gate didn't look too happy about what they'd just witnessed out the windows. <br /><br />Of course you know the gate crew got their revenge, we waited almost 45 minutes for our luggage to surface at baggage claim. And that was after most of us made pit-stops on our way over!WendyB_09https://www.blogger.com/profile/03788918629240949526noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-37464888077470085562010-02-26T23:28:27.099-06:002010-02-26T23:28:27.099-06:00Actually Electromagnetic radiation, particularly t...Actually Electromagnetic radiation, particularly that within the communications band, is something that I know a great deal about. It is the very heart of my particular military specialty. <br /><br />This post was, of course, strictly tongue in cheek. <br /><br />I seriously doubt that any reasonable RF source generated by consumer electronics could produce enough EMI to interfere with the plane's flight controls, more likely it would be the other way around. And I believe there is a large amount of empirical data to support that - and in fact I was involved in the testing of certain high power emitters onboard military platforms. <br /><br />HOWEVER, that said, I fully support the concept of erring on the side of caution.<br /><br />But, unless somebody comes onboard with a 30 foot antenna I doubt you have to worry about RF in the HF band from passenger compartment (of course you <i>could</i> get HF from a shorter <i>active</i> antenna, but the power source tends to be non-man portable) (HF is 3-30MHZ, or 100meters to 10meters, you need a full multiple of the wavelength to transmit, unless you have a powered antenna) Of course TF was talking about the plane's long range HF transmitter, that's a totally different animal, powerful and with external antennas. Certainly could cause EMI in exposed circuits. We have the same problem on ships, where the antennas are clustered tightly around electronics and sensor receptors. EMI is always an issue.Jim Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-7666591005255025282010-02-26T22:51:00.601-06:002010-02-26T22:51:00.601-06:00Jim, I know I disagreed with you on the facilitato...Jim, I know I disagreed with you on the facilitator post, but I wonder if back when portable electronics were becoming common there wasn't a conversation at FAA headquarters that ran along the lines of...<br /><br />Engineer: "You know, it's probably nothing, but we should really check to see if these transistor radios and portable TVs can interfere with navigation equipment."<br />Senior FAA guy: "You're right, but we don't have the money to run the tests right now. And it's not like anyone would want to watch TV on an airplane anyways, hahaha. Let's just restrict those devices until someone has the time to check for interference."<br />Memos pass down the chain...<br />FAA Public Relations guy with no engineering or aviation background: "Electronic Devices crash airplanes!!!"<br /><br />Joking aside, @Dr.Q there have been instances where aircraft with systems susceptible to RF interference have been put into service. The 707-300 series for example, had an ABS system that could be locked open by certain HF transmissions...* Admittedly, brakes aren't navigation systems, but they're sometimes important. ;)<br /><br />@cass_m- I am a (cargo) airline pilot. Speaking of my company only, we don't get any formal maintenance training... We do get pretty extensive training on system operation and trouble shooting, and have to pass a refresher each year... but it's a pretty different skill set to, say, react correctly to a loss of oil pressure in an engine during flight, and to fix that engine after the plane has been landed. Or to identify that a drainage tube has been bent out of shape, and to replumb a replacement through the pressure vessel.<br /><br />I can see where if I had to talk to the general public, I might call a 'aft hydraulic fluid overflow port' a 'little drain' because the latter is something readily understood. The ANZ mechanic doing the replacement certainly got a more detailed squawk. :) <br /><br />-tf<br /><br />*- Airworthiness directive 66-22-01 (http://www.airweb.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgAD.nsf/0/746DFBE96004720A8625682E005A8197?OpenDocument) mandated that the 707's HF radio not be used during taxi, takeoff, and landing unless an interference filter was installed. I have in my book collection a memoir where the captain talked about one of the runway over-runs and follow-on investigation that led to that AD(1), but I couldn't find the relevant NTSB reports or other description of the incidents online. (Unfortunately, it's sometimes hard to find information on non-fatal airplane accidents from the 1960s on the internet!) <br /><br />(1)- Reilly, Vincent. 2007. "A Life of Flight" p 87-95.tfernandonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-4015918786535893042010-02-26T14:43:47.653-06:002010-02-26T14:43:47.653-06:00That would be door #2, Mr. Wright. I read years ag...That would be door #2, Mr. Wright. I read years ago that there has never been a shred of evidence that RF of any kind, nor wireless anything of any flavor, interferes with the plane's navigation systems. They made that up, because once someone noticed something weird was happening with the flux capacitors and JUST IN CASE it had to do with cell phones, we should all panic. BTW, American already has WiFi. It blows, but there you have it.Dr. Qnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-63180053079870510302010-02-26T09:34:53.130-06:002010-02-26T09:34:53.130-06:00Have you ever seen a grown man naked?Have you ever seen a grown man naked?Jim Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-11530776684141220462010-02-26T09:32:46.600-06:002010-02-26T09:32:46.600-06:00I was on a flight to Chicago once when half the pa...I was on a flight to Chicago once when half the passengers and all of the flight crew came down with debilitating cases of food poisoning. There was nobody on the plane capable of landing it, but this really annoying flight attendant knew that one of the passengers was, in fact a retired Navy flyer. She talked him into landing the plane in spite of his fears, a horrendous thunderstorm and one 'sploded engine. We never found out how he felt about gladiators, but we did learn his name; that man was Ted Striker.<br /><br />But that was way back in 1980. Since then, I've only flown with assholes.Nathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00648438549121320566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-50081211713953657312010-02-26T00:20:28.220-06:002010-02-26T00:20:28.220-06:00You do know that all capacitors are flux capacitor...You do know that <i>all</i> capacitors are flux capacitors? Everyone thinks that Doc Brown's description of time travel is complete malarkey, but all capacitors are flux capacitors and "jiggawatts" is the European pronunciation of gigawatts (a unit of a billion watts).<br /><br />And my airline pilot hero is the copilot who got off a flight I was on recently to personally grab someone to (a) get the sticks and guide them in and (b) fine SOMEONE to drive the damned jetway over.<br /><br />Dr. Phil<br /><br />indecil -- an indecisive imbecile.Dr. Phil (Physics)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11943336276878704753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-82114681461420137652010-02-25T23:46:31.962-06:002010-02-25T23:46:31.962-06:00You have no idea how much I wish you'd make yo...You have no idea how much I wish you'd make your stats tracker public.Nathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00648438549121320566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-67942727324695801772010-02-25T22:48:43.369-06:002010-02-25T22:48:43.369-06:00No, the airline said they thought this was funny. ...No, the airline said they thought this was funny. They promised there would be no reprisal. Promised.Jim Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-56055315218309982912010-02-25T22:24:11.807-06:002010-02-25T22:24:11.807-06:00Way to get on the "no fly" list, Jim.
...Way to get on the "no fly" list, Jim.<br /><br /><br /><br />thets = I can't tell you what it means unless you've cleared into the higher echelons of Scientology.Nick from the O.C.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-34978814379217460232010-02-25T21:04:53.994-06:002010-02-25T21:04:53.994-06:00Your possibilities fail to account for the actual ...Your possibilities fail to account for the actual answer:<br /><br />(c) the new treaty with the Arcturans means that airplanes at high altitudes no longer need to maintain silence at certain radio frequencies to evade abduction by The Grays' slave ships.<br /><br />By the way, and not because I have any kind of "inside information" (quite the contrary, I insist!), now would be a good time to hoard water. It's going to... <i>possibly</i>... substantially increase in value in approximately two weeks, five days, seventeen hours and roughly twenty-eight minutes.<br /><br />Maybe.<br /><br />You're really gonna regret all the times you double flushed, seriously, like you were sending pure gold down the plumbing. Just saying.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18275812152895151542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-86132902864742429022010-02-25T20:56:57.929-06:002010-02-25T20:56:57.929-06:00You would have loved our Air New Zealand flight la...You would have loved our Air New Zealand flight last year. The flight crew was totally honest. First we were delayed because a service truck hit the plane. It looked like just a little drain was damaged but the pilot felt they should have everything checkout out. Yep little drain so they were calling to see about a replacement. Ok they say they have a replacement but pilot says we won't really know until it arrives. OK it's the right one so we're going to put it on. It will take a while but nothing is open in the airport so we'll give you cookies at 2:30 in the morning then wine and hot meal in the air so we can relax while we eat. Finally the pilot comes on and says the repair has been completed and he's inspected it and signed off so we'll be taking off. Then we had wine and hot meal. Air New Zealand rocks!<br /><br />The play by play was refreshingly honest but I wondered how much maintenance training the pilot of these big planes have.<br /><br />undecos - I mean underclothescass_mnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-9345745934112861612010-02-25T20:25:48.202-06:002010-02-25T20:25:48.202-06:00My favorite line from the cockpit: "I don'...My favorite line from the cockpit: "I don't want to worry you, but there will be precautionary fire trucks along the runway as we land."<br /><br />They put out a <i>lot</i> of firetrucks.Phialahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05604909119508288912noreply@blogger.com