 | airplane intercoms cool funny all that jazz |
 | Air Start and Pushback at Sky Harbor An air start is when an aircraft's auxiliary power unit (APU) is inoperable and the airline has to use a diesel generator to pump high-temperature, high-pressure air into the plane to start one of the engines while it is still in the gate. Normally planes use the APU located in the tail to start one of the engines. On Airbuses and 757's we start engine #2 at the gate, for 737's we start engine #1. Pushback includes pushes the aircraft from the gate with a push tug, putting on a taxi line, disconnecting the towbar, removing the steering bypass pin, and then disconnecting the intercom for GREAT SUCCESS. I think the captain was having a nice day. |
 | STITS PLAYBOY SA3B Built in 2000 with a 160hp Lycoming B1A engine,Sterba 72x60 prop. 360ttaf and smoh. 160 since new milinium cylinders,slick mags,skytec starter and alternator,pitts exhaust,remote oil filter and cooler. New tires and tubes and cleaveland brakes relined. Gear aligned and aircraft track very straight and true. Lowrance 2000C color GPS and vertec radio. Intercom with two David Clark headsets,PTT. Neww gell cell battery,Maetco tailwheel. Cruise 135 to 140 at 7 to 8 gph. Stall 60,Vne 175. For Sale on barnstormers.com for $17000 OBO Possible trade for recreational vehicle. Video taken at Sandy River Airfield Oregon. Not a trainer,requires accomplished tailwheel pilot. Not hard to fly,just very responsive in all axis. The Playboy was the basis for the RV series of aircraft. |
 | Dead Stick Fun (read the details) Hey Gang, With time management being of great concern ...... I took time to go flying yesterday. yea, I know..... but it was 75 degrees in Georgia in December. Actually, I have been planning a video to develop some performance numbers on the Fergy. The flight plan includes the installation of a vertical speed (rate of climb) indicator in the cockpit to determine best climb, glide speeds at different power & trim settings as well as engine out performance numbers. I was able to complete the flight profile thinking that I had done everything right. Upon reviewing flight #1, I realized that the tape had run out during the 360 degree gliding turns. So, I reloaded the camera & went back up to complete the flight plan. I also shot some "B-roll" of the takeoff & landing to add to the ARTISTIC IMPACT of this award winning documentary. Well. I get the award for forgetting to plug in the audio feed from the intercom... both times. After narrating & spouting off numbers to the camera, covering all aspects of the flight plan, all I have is some noisy footage & virtually no record of the power-on data. I found that the best Engine Off decent rate is 500 fpm @ 55mph. This is so close to stall (45 - 50), that there is no energy available for maneuvering. I decided to push the glide speed to 60mph, 800fpm decent.180 degree turn lost 300 feet, a tight 360 turn lost 400 feet. Reaching for nearly 70mph on final, the low mass - high drag airplane slows in the round-out to landing, and I have plenty of runway to work with. You can hear me mumbling over the wind noise. You can also hear squeaky rudder pedals. Come take a sled ride with me. |
 | SCANNER AUDIO - United Flight 93 09/11/2001 3:58 United Flight 93 09/11/2001 3:58 Minutes. The plane was a Boeing 757-222 on a morning route from Newark International Airport (now known as Newark Liberty International Airport) in Newark, New Jersey, near New York City, to San Francisco International Airport near San Francisco, California (EWR-SFO). It had 182 seats but was carrying only 37 passengers (including the four hijackers) and seven crew members: two pilots, the captain Jason M. Dahl and his first officer, LeRoy Homer Jr.; and five flight attendants. Because one passenger had booked two seats, some early accounts said there were 38 passengers on board. The four hijackers were seated in first class. A flag flies over Gate A17. United 93 pushed back from this gate at 8.01AM on September 11, 2001. Two hours later it crashed into a field in PennsylvaniaThe aircraft was scheduled to depart at 8:00 a.m. but did not lift off until 8:42 due to routine heavy morning traffic.[3] Had the flight departed on time, it would likely have been hijacked around the same time as the other flights, and there is little chance the passengers would have had time to organize a revolt. By 9:02 a.m., the aircraft reached its cruising altitude of 35,000 feet.[1] At 9:24 a.m. Flight 93 received from flight dispatch the warning "Beware any cockpit intrusion—two a/c [aircraft] hit World Trade Center". At 9:26 a.m. the pilot asked for confirmation of the message. That was the last time flight dispatch heard from Flight 93. At about 9:28 a.m., after both towers of the World Trade Center had already been hit, air traffic controllers in Cleveland Center overheard the pilot Jason Dahl yelling "Get out of here", along with commotion and possibly screaming from the cockpit.[1] A voice, likely forty seconds later, more screams were heard. During this time the aircraft dropped 700 feet (200 m). Air traffic controllers tried to contact the pilot and received no reply. The cockpit voice recording, which was recorded on a 30 minute loop, began at 9:32 a.m.[1] At 9:32 a man with an Arabic accent, probably Ziad Jarrah, transmitted to air traffic control the following: "Ladies and gentlemen: Here the captain, please sit down keep remaining seating. We have a bomb on board. So sit.." (It is likely that Jarrah was attempting to broadcast this over the plane's intercom, but did not understand that the message was transmitted to air traffic control instead.) The flight then reversed direction and began flying eastward at a low altitude. At 9:39 air traffic controllers overheard Jarrah saying, "Hi. Here's the captain. I would like to tell you all to remain seated. We have a bomb aboard, and are going back to the airport, and to have our demands. So, please remain quiet." There were no further transmissions. |
 | Sky Adventure, Chiangmai Thailand Video by www.thaipods.com Sky Adventure Detail FLY FOR FUN See the beautiful views of Chiang Mai's countrysidefrom the sky. During the flight the passenger can communicate with the pilot by intercom.your picture in flight is available by our wing tip camera. Microlight flying is said to be the most fun you can have with your clothes on; and who am I to disagree? Wearing a tracksuit, trainers and a stiff upper lip, I drove out to the Chiang Mai Sky Adventure airstrip, about fifteen kilometers out of town towards Doi Saket, for my maiden flight. Having landed by light aircraft on the beaches of remote Scottish islands, I was nevertheless unprepared for the sight of my first microlight; a soapbox derby entrant with wings sprang to mind. Any reservations I may have had were soon dispersed when I met up with my pilot, Prayote Chaimongkol, Chief Flying Instructor and founder of Chiang Mai Sky Adventure. Khun Prayote exudes an air of relaxed calm as he runs through a description of the aircraft and our half hour flight plan. We climb aboard; khun Prayote in the pilot's seat ,and yours truly seated behind him. The engine kicks into life, we trundle across the grass, pick up speed, and are soon soaring above Wat Doi Saket, its red tiled roofs sparkling in the morning sunlight. Not wishing to explode, due to a surfeit of oxygen, I exhale and begin to relax. The first thing I am aware of is the relative silence; the engine noise is whipped away in the slipstream and I can hear the wind as it flows beneath our wings. The scenery is truly breathtaking; mile after mile of green fields on either side of the Ping river as it meanders through the city on its route south. Microlight flying is unique, in that you can fly slow enough, and low enough to photograph a working buffalo, or to soar like an eagle to the permitted ceiling of three thousand meters. Only last year, a British microlight pilot flew over Mount Everest, but we are happy to stick to our permitted flight envelope and glide gracefully across the Ping Valley at a modest twelve hundred meters. Farms, orchards, paddy fields and private housing estates roll past beneath us. We bank to the right and are soon flying parallel to a range of hills, leading us to the Mae Kuang reservoir. Khun Prayote's voice enters my helmet as he asks whether I want to take photographs. I had forgotten about my trusty Nikon, and soon we are banking gently to circle the dam as I run off shots that National Geographic is eating its heart out to receive. We level off and head across the valley in line with Doi Suthep with its spires glinting amid its lofty green perch. All too soon we are descending toward the airfield, with its windsock fluttering in the morning breeze". Is that half an hour already", I mutter into the wind. A glance at my watch confirms my disappointment; we are about to land. Swooping in over the grass we gently touch down and roll to a stop, close to a hanger. Chatting to Khun Prayote, I discover that he is a vastly experienced flying instructor, who has taught the art of microlight flight in France and in Thailand. I am an instant convert to microlight flight, and I shall return. But don't take my word alone; look at this sample of opinions, as entered in Khun Prayote's logbook. "Immense! Spectacular views. An overall amazing experience". Tim Allen London, UK. "Absolutely incredible! A must for anyone who loves aircraft and flying". Anil from Calcutta, India. "It's a really great experience, and well worth the money. The view of the lake among the mountains was amazing". Suzie Volkes, England. "Wonderful flight with an excellent pilot". Mimi Carr, California, USA. "I adored it. It was fantastic, marvellous. It has to be tried at least once. The feeling you have throughout the flight is thrilling The world is so beautiful from the sky...Try it, live it!" Ngoc-Sa, France. Chiang Mai Sky Adventure operates two kinds of aircraft: the microlight and the Ultralight.. Passengers are encouraged to bring along still and/or video cameras. You can communicate with our highly experienced pilots through the intercom during your flight. Prices : 1,700 baht for fifteen minutes. 2,900 baht for thirty minutes, inclusive of transportation from town. Flights operate between 06.00 and midday and between 15.00 and 18.00. Passenger Max. Weight 110 Kg. Insurance Cover Transportation round trip (Min.2 Persons) Microlight flight Certificate Coffee,Tea and drinking water Contact Telephone: 6653 868460, 66 81 9936861 Fax: 6653 868460 Address 143 M.6 T.Cherngdoi, Doisaket, Chiang Mai 50220 http://www.skyadventures.info/ http://www.thaipods.com |
 | Seaplane Flight Thru Sydney, Australia Sydney Baby! Cool flight from Rose Bay, flying to the Northern Beaches and back to Sydney Harbor with the Opera House and Bridge in view. I shot this on a recent visit to Australia. I'm filming (Kevin) while Canadian pilot Kory flies and narrates. The aircraft is a 1961 de Havilland Beaver on strait floats. Pilot allowed me to hook camera to intercom system. Take this flight by contacting www.seaplanes.com.au |
 | STRIPPED OF HIS FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHT Robos Says Airport staff overreacted Sean Garmire The Times-Standard August 6, 2008 A Humboldt State University student arrested at a Boston airport following his alleged role in an airplane scare spoke to the Times-Standard Monday, calling his arrest an overreaction and saying he was mischaracterized by the Massachusetts district attorney who charged him with disorderly conduct. Jason Robo, a 26-year-old political science major and student activist, spoke Monday from Boston, where he has been since his arrest last week. On July 31, Robo was formally charged with disorderly conduct by the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office. The charges stemmed from Robo's alleged misconduct on a Salt Lake City-bound plane as it was docked at a Logan International Airport gate, forcing the evacuation of the airplane and a three hour flight delay. "I think that this atmosphere of fear is completely unwarranted," Robo said. "It was not the passengers of the plane that were concerned. These reactions clearly illustrate how vastly things can be blown out of proportion." According to information from the District Attorney's Office, Robo allegedly affixed a sticker reading "9/11 was an inside job! PrisonPlanet.com," inside the airplane lavatory. Additional stickers were found in the airplane and inside the airport terminal, the office reported. The office also reported Robo was wearing a T-shirt depicting George W. Bush and Adolph Hitler, which Robo said reads, "Orwellian doublespeak." Robo neither admitted nor denied placing the stickers onboard the plane, but he said "in this country, there's a nonviolent tradition of civil disobedience. We're really not told the truth about 9/11. There's a moral imperative to get that message out." After the sticker was found, Robo said the captain announced over the intercom there would be a delay while airport staff inspected the luggage. A second sweep was conducted, which was followed by an evacuation of the cabin. The District Attorney's Office reported Robo "charged off the plane after telling a flight attendant, 'I have to get off this plane right now.'" Robo said that never happened. "I did not run off the plane," he said. "They asked everybody to get off the plane. There was no running." While authorities swept the plane with bomb-sniffing dogs, Robo said he returned to the terminal. Robo said he arranged for a room at a nearby hotel, and went to claim his luggage when he was arrested. Following his arrest, the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office reported Robo said the stickers were "just a joke." However, Robo said he was misquoted, and was actually referring to his treatment. "I referred to the process of my rights being violated," Robo said. "I wasn't told what charges there were or what grounds I was being arrested on." A former HSU student legislative vice president, Robo ran for student body president in 2008, but was removed from the ballot after he was placed on disciplinary probation. Robo also participates in and leads a number of social activist clubs, including NORML — a marijuana law reform club, and the 9/11 Truth Movement. Robo was released from jail Thursday, but he said he is now waiting for his Aug. 19 pretrial court date. He faces three charges of interfering with aircraft operation, disorderly conduct and disorderly conduct on a public conveyance. The Suffolk County district attorney and a Logan airport spokesperson were unavailable for comment Monday. "After my pretrial I'm going to come back and do my semester," Robo said. "I look forward to a positive outcome." |
 | Turn Off the Heat! VERY Funny Japanese student has problems with the intercom and almost cooks the instructor |
 | Ethiopian Airlines Hijack 1996 On November 23, 1996, an Ethiopian Airlines B-767 aircraft en route from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to Nairobi, Kenya, was hijacked by three Ethiopian males. The aircraft carried 163 passengers and 12 crew members from over 35 nations. The hijacking occurred at approximately 11:20 a.m. (zulu) in Ethiopian airspace. Approximately 20 minutes into the flight, the three Ethiopian males separately approached the cockpit from the rear of the aircraft. At least two of them had been in the lavatory before the aircraft took off. One of the men ran down the aisle toward the cockpit shouting statements that could not be understood, and his two accomplices followed soon after. The hijackers were described as young (mid-twenties), inexperienced, psychologically fragile, and intoxicated. They were clean shaven and dressed in Western clothes, and one wore a black stocking cap which covered his face. When the three men reached the cockpit, one or more forced their way in. After 15 minutes, the co-pilot had been beaten and forced from the flight deck. The hijackers were armed with a fire extinguisher and small fire ax, and they threatened to blow up the plane with a bomb. The hijackers announced on the intercom in Amharic, French, and broken English that they were "opponents" of the Ethiopian government seeking political asylum and had recently been released from prison. They stated they were changing the direction of the aircraft and threatened to blow it up if interfered with. It was later discovered that their "bomb" was a covered, unopened bottle of liquor. The hijackers instructed the pilot to fly to Australia at an altitude of 39,000 feet, saying they knew that the aircraft could reach that destination since it could fly 11 hours. During the course of the hijacking, however, arguments erupted as the pilot tried to convince the three men that the plane was running out of fuel. Two of the hijackers remained in the cockpit, while the third man was posted outside the door. During the four-hour ordeal, the hijackers were primarily interested in keeping firm control of the cockpit area, and they never returned to other sections of the aircraft. Occasionally, however, the two men in the cockpit met with their accomplice. The hijackers appeared uninterested in the passengers as long as they kept away from the cockpit. No interaction existed between the hijackers and passengers; passports, identity papers, or nationalities were not requested. The mood of the hijacking was unusual in that the passengers carried on their normal activities of eating, reading, sleeping, and conversing quietly without interference. The passengers had the impression that the hijackers were unprepared and not well rehearsed. The consensus among the passengers was that an assault against the hijackers would be safer when the aircraft landed for refueling rather than in flight because of the risk of provoking the three men to detonate the explosive device. Escaping out the emergency exits once the aircraft had landed to refuel was also part of the passengers' planning. Overall, the passengers were calm; however, they were unaware of arguments between the pilot and the hijackers regarding the aircraft's destination and dwindling fuel reserves. The passengers, furthermore, had no idea of the direction of the aircraft and only guessed it had taken a southern route to eastern Zaire. The pilot was flying south along the east coast of Africa instead of east over the Indian Ocean toward Australia as instructed by the hijackers. Three and one-half hours into the flight, one engine ran out of fuel and stopped, causing the aircraft to drop from 39,000 to 25,000 feet. Upon realizing that their instructions had not been followed, the hijackers reacted strongly by threatening the pilot, who thought the hijackers would detonate the explosive device or take some other extreme action. The pilot then made the first of only two communications to the passengers during the ordeal, informing them of the fuel shortage and the loss of an engine. His further instructions were to maintain calm and prepare for an emergency landing by securely putting on, but not inflating, life jackets. The reaction of the passengers to these instructions ranged from calm to panic. In the business class section, the search for life jackets was initiated by a passenger. While the flight attendants assisted those who were distraught, the passenger located the life jackets in an unmarked metal box Iying between the seats and assisted in distributing them. The plane continued to lose altitude and began to sway. A few passengers stood up motioning an intent to confront the hijackers, but the rest of the passengers urged against the action. Much of this time was consumed by instructions being exchanged between passengers and crew on proper use of the life jackets. Despite the crew's instructions, sounds of life jackets being inflated could be heard throughout of the aircraft. Advertisement Soon after his first communication to the passengers, the pilot make his second and final announcement instructing passengers to assume a pre-crash position. This involved their bending forward with pillows on their heads in order to brace for a hard landing. The passengers' reactions were the same as earlier, varying from calm to panic. At least one flight attendant prayed on the floor, and a father held three children in his lap. One physically large passenger again urged that the hijackers be attacked, but the consensus among other passengers remained that such action would result in everyone's death. The pilot signed off by stating that the passengers knew the hijackers were responsible and implied that if the hijackers survived, the passengers would be able to identify them. By now, the aircraft had run out of fuel, the second engine had stopped, and the plane continued to lose altitude. Electricity was out and the cabin became dark and quiet. The plane was approaching the Comoros Islands. The pilot had been given clearance to land at Moroni Airport, Grand Comoro, but he knew the plane would not reach it. He tried to land the plane in the water near the Galawa seaside resort. The hijackers, however, realizing that they had failed, attempted to take control of the instruments. They wanted to turn the hijacking into a suicide mission by crashing into the resort. The struggle in the cockpit between the pilot and a hijacker was evident as the aircraft, gliding at 200 miles per hour without flaps down, approached the water. Presumably, a wing tip skimmed the water, which caused the plane to overturn at least once and break into three segments. The plane crashed 500 yards from the resort and 16 miles from Moroni Airport; 123 of the 175 passengers and crew died. The majority of the survivors were hanging on to the fuselage section, which was floating; the rear section of the plane was submerged. Many victims were killed as a direct result of the impact, or they drowned because their inflated life jackets prevented them from swimming out of the water-filled fuselage. The pilot and copilot survived but the hijackers did not. Two suspects were initially detained but were not identified by the survivors as the hijackers and were released. Several boats and small vessels were immediately sent from the resort to the crash site. The resort's open air restaurant was turned into a triage station staffed by ten vacationing French and South African doctors, and patients were later sent to Moroni Hospital. Looting of the wreckage and victims by some locals also took place. Flight 961 was one of the deadliest hijackings in history. From 1990-1995, ten hijackings took place in Ethiopia by Ethiopians seeking political asylum and escape from poverty conditions in their country. However, only one injury resulted from these hijackings, and all the hijackers surrendered to authorities when the incidents were safely over. Flight 961 is significant in that it validates a continued threat to civil aviation in a region where air carrier activity has increased substantially in recent years. The threat against air carriers in the area is also heightened by the hijackers' change to lethal tactics not demonstrated in previous incidents. |
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![Don\](images/articles/thumbs/beachrainthumb.jpg "Don\")
