24 August 2010

Kulula Airlines

Kulula Air is a South African airline with a sense of humor. They painted up 'ol 101 to demystify air travel for folks who have never flown before.See more pictures here.

Malware Downs Spanair Flight 5022

The National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) announced in it's findings of the crash of Spanair flight 5022 that a computer virus is the root cause. The MD-82 crashed shortly after take off from Madrid Spain. Initial investigations blamed pilot error when the flaps and slats needed for take off were found in the retracted position. A maintenance computer should have alerted the ground crew to a problem with the flap system but was prevented from sounding an alarm by the computer virus.

The infected computer, located at the airlines office in Palma de Mallorca, is supposed to emit an alarm signal when three similar technical problems are found in the same device. Though three problems were detected – two Aug. 19, the day before the crash, and a third Aug. 20 – the incidents were not registered in the computer due to the Trojan.

Ground crews attempted to recall the aircraft, but the aircraft was not returned to the gate. Officials will not release the name of the Trojan nor the specific effects it had on the aircraft.

The crash occurred on 20 August, 2008 killing 154 people. There are 18 survivors.

20 August 2010

NASA Throws a Yard Sale


NASA announced today that since they don't need them anymore, they are GIVING AWAY their space shuttles. All you have to do is pony up for the shipping and handling. That might be around 30 million bucks. Oh...you have to be a museum to qualify and the Smithsonian already has dibbs on Discovery.

The last big aviation give away was when the Concorde retired. That was easy. There are 13 Concordes left...only three shuttles are on the block. The Government is involved with the shuttles.

Shuttle expert and author Dennis Jenkins was quoted to say:

"The current competition is going to be stupider than Concorde was because the government is involved. Congress will immediately go into an uproar and un-decide for them."

As Shuttle retires there are no plans to replace it. Once again that leaves good ol' Soyuz, the only taxi you can take to get to the International Space Station. U.S. plans to go to Mars and return to the Moon have been scrapped. So if you have kids, you might want to break it to them that they don't have a hoop in Hell of becoming an Astronaut. Maybe their kids will. In the meantime they can play "Community Organizer and Health Care Coordinator".

15 August 2010

Appreciate Your Flight Attendant

Safety Rap

Southern Hospitality

You gotta love this one even if you've never lived in the South.
Some of you will enjoy this more than others.... Southerners can be so
Polite!

Atlanta Tower: "Saudi Air 511 -- You are cleared to land on
Runway 9R."
Saudi Air: "Thank you Atlanta . Acknowledge cleared to land on
Infidel's' runway 9R - Allah be Praised."
Atlanta Tower: " Iran Air 711 - You are cleared to land on runway 27L."
Iran Air: "Thank you Atlanta . We are cleared to land on infidel's
Runway 27L. -Allah is Great."

Pause....
Saudi Air: "ATLANTA TOWER - ATLANTA TOWER !"
Atlanta Tower: "Go ahead Saudi Air 511.."
Saudi Air: "YOU HAVE CLEARED BOTH OUR AIRCRAFTS FOR
THE SAME RUNWAY GOING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS. WE
ARE ON A COLLISION COURSE . . . . . INSTRUCTIONS, PLEASE!"

Atlanta Tower: "Well bless your hearts. And praise Jesus.
Y'all go on ahead now and tell Allah "hey" for us

11 August 2010

Did You See That?

Prepare to be shocked and awed.....


06 August 2010

Flight Recorder Survives Guatemalan Crash


Guatemalan Flight's Data-Recording Parrot Holds Clues To Crash