MetaFilter posts tagged with airplane

Artifact of Early Antarctic Aviation Found

filthy light thief — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 13:32:53 -0800

Early in the days of exploration of Antarctica, Australian geologist Douglas Mawson turned down an invitation to join Robert Falcon Scott's Terra Nova Expedition in 1910 (Cool Antarctica previously). Instead, Mawson lead his own expedition, the Australasian Antarctic Expedition (December 1911 to December 1913), an expedition to chart the 2000-mile coastline directly south of Australia, one of the least-visited parts of the continent throughout the early years of Antarctic exploration. The group's efforts and activities are well documented, and many remnants of the expedition remain on Antarctica. The conservation of Mawson's Huts is now an ongoing effort from Association of Australasian Palaeontologists (AAP) Mawson's Huts Foundation. While most efforts were focused on the recovery and treatment of artifacts inside the main hut, the group also searched for the Vickers (Aviation) monoplane that was modified to become an "air tractor", or motorized sledge. The remains of the plane were last seen in 1975. Now the plane has been found, thanks to an exceptionally low tide and a bit of luck. According to the Sydney Morning Herald:

It was found by a heritage carpenter, Mark Farrell of Hobart, who was looking for a suitable landing spot for a cruise ship to bring visitors to the historic huts at the site in January, he said.

Though the Mawson's Huts Foundation Latest News page doesn't include reference to the find, it does provide more details about the known history of the plane, as well as earlier finds. Bonus bits: * Photos of the original expedition, courtesy of the State Library of New South Wales (mentioned previously) * Mawson's Huts Conservation Programme Part 1 and Part 2

21st Century Jet: The Building of the 777

FishBike — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 10:49:47 -0800

21st Century Jet: The Building of the 777 (part 1 of 5) In the early 90's, Boeing decided to build a new airplane, the 777. They also decided to allow KCTS Television and Channel Four London to film the design, construction, and testing of the new airliner. This 5-hour documentary, first aired in 1996, is no longer shown on TV, and out of print on VHS, but you can now watch it on Google Videos. The 777 is still the largest twin-engined airliner ever built. Its engines are the largest aircraft engines ever made. It was the first fly-by-wire airliner from Boeing, their first to be designed entirely on computers. The documentary covers all of this with plenty of airplane stuff, plenty of manufacturing stuff, and also a surprising amount of "people" stuff. Boeing tried a new "Working Together" philosophy to improve teamwork internally, with sub-contractors, with regulatory authorities, and even with customers. As a result, the 777 was the first twin-engined plane certified to fly up to 180 minutes from the nearest airport at entry into service (rather than the usual 60 minutes), and was the first Boeing plane where the first one delivered was accepted by the customer the first time around. Part 1 covers the decision to build a new airplane, how they got United Airlines to be the launch customer, the computerized design process, the new "design-build teams" concept, and some footage of cold weather door tests. It also covers the design of the cupholders and toilet seats (yes, really). Part 2 shows a lot of the initial assembly of wings and fusealge, an internal discussion about whether or not to use aluminum-lithium alloy for some 777 parts, and a visit to a Japanese sub-contractor's new factory. Some of the logistics of getting parts to the assembly line are also included, such as bullet-proof rail cars to prevent skin panels from arriving with bullet holes in them. Don't miss the 130-foot tractor-trailer with a driver at each end. In Part 3, the 777 rolls on its own wheels for the first time. Extensive coverage is given to the design and testing of the new engines, including water, ice, and bird ingestion, and a "blade out" test where a fan blade is intentionally detached from a running engine to make sure the fragments will be contained. Also included in part 3, pressure testing of a completed fuselage, and the large airplane ground operations simulator (LAGOS)--a cockpit on a very long stick to test how best to manuever such a large plane around airports. Concludes with a high-speed taxi test where the 777 "almost" takes to the air. Part 4 begins with the first flight of the 777 and then focuses on the flight testing process and Boeing test pilot John Cashman. In this part, we see such things as intentionally dragging the tail of the aircraft along the runway, a "spray test" involving driving through deep puddles at high speeds, and various brake tests including "the big one" that destroys $750,000 worth of wheels and tires. Part 5 starts with a wing structure being tested to failure, United Airlines making an advertisement featuring the 777, the steps taken to certify the 777 for 180-minute ETOPS at entry into service, and an emergency escape systems test where 419 volunteers get out in less than 90 seconds. Final test flights are flown by United Airlines to prove they are competent to operate the 777 on commercial flights. We see the purchase and delivery of the first plane to United (including a very complicated conference call to conduct the transaction). The documentary ends with the inaugural commercial flight (which one passenger had mis-heard as "an all girl flight").

World's Most Experienced Airline... in the garage

armage — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:30:26 -0800

Anthony Toth has recreated a first-class Pan Am cabin in his garage.

non-flight of the unPhoenix

Artw — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 22:00:56 -0800

Abandoned PBY-5A Catalina Flying Boat in Saudi Arabia. More images. (via)

Where do the guns go?

lazaruslong — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 15:52:09 -0800

RC version of a Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird with real jet engines. (SLYT)

PepsiNude

l33tpolicywonk — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:29:46 -0800

Nothing to Hide. Air New Zealand has introduced new ads and an in-flight safety video which uses body-painted uniforms to ... get your attention. SFW due to strategically placed drink carts, seatbelts and camera angles.

Exclusive Flight 1549 Salvage Pictures

mr_crash_davis mark II: Jazz Odyssey — Wed, 13 May 2009 19:10:49 -0800

"On Jan. 15, 2009, a few Canadian geese with bad timing became snarge, a steely pilot became a hero, and the world became fascinated with images of a jet splashing into the Hudson River and then floating calmly as passengers crowded its wings.

But until now, few people have seen the equally surprising pictures of the second half of this story: when a salvage team used the biggest floating crane on the East Coast to pluck the ill-fated Airbus A320 from the frigid water."

Midair collision at 37,000 feet

flug — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 10:45:09 -0800

The sky is a really big place, right? So how did a Boeing 737 and a Legacy 600 private jet manage to collide head-on at 37,000 feet over the Amazon jungle in Brazil? William Langewiesche's detailed analysis of the 2006 crash--which killed all 154 aboard the 737--provides some answers. It seems the sky just isn't as big as it used to be: "Until recently, head-on airplanes mistakenly assigned the same altitude and route by Air Traffic Control would almost certainly have passed some distance apart, due to the navigation slop inherent in their systems. But this is no longer true." The navigation systems of the two aircraft are so precise that when they met--at a closing speed of about a thousand miles per hour--the Legacy 600 was only 2 feet below and 30 feet to the left of the 737.

Another look at the incident from Salon's Patrick Smith
Another analysis of an aircraft disaster by William Langewiesche, the 1999 crash of EgyptAir 990 (previously on MeFi)

Miracle on the Hudson.

gman — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 14:52:34 -0800

The Hudson River plane landing was reconstructed by SceneSystems.

The salvage of flight 1549.

docgonzo — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 21:47:46 -0800

The salvage of flight 1549.

Survival in The Sky

maxwelton — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 01:16:11 -0800

Known as Black Box in the UK, Survival in the Sky was a four-episode 1996 series about commercial aviation accidents and the investigation of their causes. (Two additional episodes were filmed in 1998.) Not currently available on DVD, five of the six episodes are available in their entirety on YouTube (links within). The series, narrated by Will Lyman, is notable for being produced with the cooperation of the NTSB and AAIB, and is a studied and thoughtful contrast to the much more frenetic Seconds from Disaster, a recent series which often focuses on aviation disasters. Survival in the Sky features a minimum of CGI recreation and no dramatic reenactments, instead allowing period footage and compelling interviews with survivors, air crew, experts, and investigators tell the story. Please see the wikipedia entry for a synopsis of the specific incidents each episode explores, and beware that there are a few moments in the show which take an unblinking look at the aftermath of aviation disasters. The episodes (missing the 1998 program about Flight 800):

"Blaming the Pilot" (1996) [1 2 3 4 5]
"Deadly Weather" (1996) [1 2 3 4 5]
"A Wing and a Prayer" (1996) [1 2 3 4 5]
"Crash Detectives" (1996) [1 2 3 4 5]
"Sky Crimes" (1998) [1 2 3 4 5]

Panoramic view of the Airbus A380 cockpit

Brandon Blatcher — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 16:40:53 -0800

It's a small cubicle you have toshare, but the view is pretty good.

Parer & McIntosh

homunculus — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 19:25:14 -0800

Ray Parer & J C McIntosh; The Flying Wreck. In 1919 six teams entered an Air Race from England to Australia, but only two teams finished. The winning team finished in 28 days, while the second team didn't even get started until the race was already over, but they didn't let that stop them. Ray Parer and John McIntosh in their de Havilland DH9 airplane deviated considerably from their intended course, suffered many mechanical problems, had 7 crash landings, and took 237 days to finish. But they sure did have an adventure. In 1934 Parer and a new co-pilot entered the MacRobertson Air Race and had a similar experience.

I feel safer.

gman — Fri, 30 May 2008 16:25:45 -0800

Not only will SAFEE ensure 9/11 never happens again, but it will also catch unruly passengers.

Meooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow

blue_beetle — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 01:22:41 -0800

Cat + Airplane + Parachute [video]

When Employees get Disgruntled

Oriole Adams — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 12:41:08 -0800

Imagine you're a pilot trying to control a jet when your skull has been smashed with a hammer and your co-workers are trying to subdue a madman with a speargun. That was the grisly scenario aboard FedEx Flight 705 in 1994 when a pilot on the verge of being fired hatched a bizarre plan to both wreak revenge on his employer and provide for his family afterward. The crew survived, but their careers as commerical aviators didn't.

Vintage Flight Attendant Photos

brain_drain — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 09:07:58 -0800

Remember when air travel was viewed as glamorous and exciting? Of course you don't. So check out this collection of vintage flight attendant photos: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

First in Flight

neat-o — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 06:57:16 -0800

He's well liked...and now a legend. Dropping the football also may have violated FAA rules.

Solitary Delights of Infinite Space

vronsky — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 14:43:22 -0800

7 Means of Movement: Flying From "Come Fly With Me" to "Waitress In The Sky," Locust St. impresses us with all things aeronautical.

We're Not Gonna Take It Anymore!

ThePinkSuperhero — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 09:19:42 -0800

I now know what to do in case I ever got stuck on an airplane that's not going anywhere- organize and stage a revolt, like the passengers of Continental flight 1669.

It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's a Paper Airplane!

amyms — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 23:11:16 -0800

The Online Paper Airplane Museum. Hundreds and hundreds of designs. Also check out The Paperang, which bills itself as "The Best Paper Airplane System In The World."

How to crash an airplane by cheating at Tetris

jdfalk — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 14:19:26 -0800

This simple hack actually only crashes the in-flight entertainment system (perhaps this one?), but that's already enough to cause concern with the kind of people who comment anonymously on a blog for "security executives."

I'm certain that this vulnerability (like this vulnerability) will be taken seriously.

We have some planes

grouse — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 10:13:51 -0800

Track aircraft visually or listen to live air traffic control.

Flight deck simulators and airplane cutaways

grouse — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 01:32:45 -0800

Ever wonder what all those instruments and controls on the Boeing 777's flight deck do? How about all the stuff on the rest of the plane? Photographer and former United Airlines employee Jerome Meriweather brings you flight deck simulations, aircraft cutaways, and random technical information for a handful of civilian and military planes.

Photograph the friendly skies

soundofsuburbia — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 03:11:36 -0800

Letchik Leha photography. Letchik Leha is a russian photographer and pilot ("letchik" means "the pilot" in russian, apparently). Two tastes that go great together.