Train Derails In Montana, Dumps Boeing Fuselages Into River

Train Derails In Montana, Dumps Boeing Fuselages Into River


Until now, whenever Warren Buffett's preferred mode of industrial transportation - that would be trains - derailed, it would usually involve spilling generous amounts of oil into the surrounding area, far more than any hypothetical pipeline disaster to date would have resulted in. Then, in an apparent first, overnight a train derailed in Montana and spilled fuselages of Boeing 737 airplanes into the Clark Fork River. One wonder if all of these airplane orders had been funded by the Ex-Im bank.

The investigation continues into the derailment of a train near the town of Superior, Montana Thursday night.

Some of the cars carried aircraft components.

Nineteen cars on the westbound train derailed. Three of the cars contained aircraft parts and ended up in the Clark Fork River. Sources tell KING5 the parts were heading to Boeing in Renton.

Crews spent the night and into this morning cleaning up.

Photos from the derailment site:











In any event, since the capital order will have to go through twice, expect a bumper month when it comes to July Durable Goods, and thus Q3 GDP. In retrospect, the "derailed airplane fuselage" theory of economic growth may soon replace the "broken window" falacy as a means to "boost" the US economy.

Copyright ©2009-2014 ZeroHedge.com/ABC Media, LTD; All Rights Reserved.

Roswell's Bizarre Aircraft Boneyard

US Navy Harrier Jet Lands On Stool

AAA THE F-35 IS A LEMON PIERRE SPREY (RUNAWAY FIGHTER) FIFTH ESTATE EXTE...

F7U Cutlass: "Flight Research with the Wing Flow Method" circa 1951 NACA...

Hydrogen bomb and nuclear tests in space

Declassified U.S. Nuclear Test Film #51

The Rise of Radical New Rotorcraft

The Rise of Radical New Rotorcraft
At a secret facility, aerospace engineers are plotting to end the helicopter as we know it, and devising new rotorcraft to replace it.

By Jeff Wise




Sikorsky technicians at a hangar in Florida work on the S-97 Raider, the first production-ready prototype of a compound-coaxial helicopter.

Nathaniel Welch


June 3, 2014 6:30 AMTEXT SIZE: A . A . A
1 of 2 »
The building doesn't look like much—one of several nondescript hangars alongside an airstrip on the edge of the Everglades, baking in the eternal monotony of the central Florida sun.

This is the home of Sikorsky Aircraft's Area 31, where the company works on its most advanced rotorcraft projects. Like Area 51, the famously clandestine Air Force base in the Nevada desert, this airfield is home to experimental aircraft being built and tested. The mystery projects here need to be kept not only from other nations but from other aviation companies too. Millions, possibly billions, of dollars are at stake. For that reason, Sikorsky is hesitant to let journalists onto the grounds and does so only if the tour is restricted and the photography limited.

Inside the hangar, bathed in fluorescent light from banks of industrial lamps, is a molasses-dark fuselage with unusual twin fins jutting vertically from its tail. The fin structures are vertical stabilizers with rudders built in. Even at a glimpse, the half-finished airframe is something new.

This is the S-97 Raider. When it takes to the air in 2015, it will be the first production-ready prototype for a new kind of rotorcraft, the compound-coaxial helicopter. The Raider has two rotors that turn in opposite directions on a central mast, enabling it to fly up to 275 mph. That's more than 100 mph faster than a conventional helicopter, giving it twice the range.

The S-97 is among an emerging generation of advanced craft that could redefine the meaning of vertical-lift aviation. In 2011 the Army funded the Joint MultiRole Rotorcraft Technology Demonstrator (JMR-TD) program. This is the first step in an effort to replace the military's entire inventory of helicopters. Retired first will be the UH-60 Black Hawk, to be replaced with the Future Vertical Lift Medium, at the earliest in 2030.

The FVL Medium will have big shoes to fill. The Black Hawk provides the bulk of vertical-lift capability for the U.S. Army, Navy, Marines, Special Operations Command, and Coast Guard. It first entered service with the Army in 1979; over the next 30 years, more than 2300 aircraft saw service at home and abroad. The Black Hawk and its variants have proven track records but are limited by a maximum speed of 183 mph.

Aside from the FVL Medium, the Pentagon envisages three other classes of future flying machines that will have roots in this program: the FVL Light, to replace the Kiowa scout helicopter; the FVL Heavy, to replace the brawny twin-rotor Chinook; and the FVL Ultra, a brand-new class of aircraft that would combine the hauling capacity of a C-130 cargo plane with the ability to take off vertically. If the Pentagon plan comes together, these machines will replace every U.S. military helicopter.

Changes on the battlefield are posing dangers for traditional helicopters. Longer range missiles can target bases and ships, putting helicopter staging areas at risk. Aircraft that can fly faster and travel farther can complete their missions with less risk. And, since more capable rotorcraft can cover more ground, the Pentagon can buy fewer of them.

Today's most advanced vertical-lift aircraft is the V-22 Osprey, used by the Marine Corps and U.S. Special Operations Command. The Osprey tilts its rotors 90 degrees to fly like an airplane and land like a helicopter. But the Army is looking for a smaller combat rotorcraft instead of an Osprey-size heavy lifter. The JMR Technology Demonstrator will be designed to carry 11 troops, compared with the Osprey's carry capacity of 24.

The other type of vertical aircraft is the jump jet, which can vector its engines toward the ground to hover. Examples include the AV-8B Harrier and F-35B Lightning II, both carrier-capable fighter airplanes. These are not well-suited as Army utility lifters and attack helos because they burn too much fuel and are not light or maneuverable enough to fly missions close to the ground.

The goal of the JMR-TD program is to create an aircraft that is as nimble as today's Black Hawk while hovering, but with a ferry range of 2100 miles and a cruise speed of more than 265 mph. Industry engineers declare that it's possible, but the Pentagon launched the JMR-TD program to be convinced. "It's an investment to inform ourselves about the technology that's available," Dan Bailey, the Army program's director, says. "What we are looking at is a leap ahead in capability."

Last year the Army narrowed the field to four JMR-TD competitors, including two giants—Sikorsky of Stratford, Conn., and Bell Helicopter of Hurst, Texas—and two tiny firms, AVX Aircraft Company of Benbrook, Texas, and Karem Aircraft of Lake Forest, Calif. Each was awarded $6 million to produce a design. This summer two of the four will be selected to turn that design into hardware, with flight tests from 2017 to 2019.

The Army has made it clear that whoever survives the downselect will not necessarily be the winner of a $100 billion production contract for building as many as 4000 aircraft. But even losing companies stand to gain by flying demonstration aircraft, since the JMR-TD designs will inspire versions suitable for civilian markets.

In a few decades these futuristic rotorcraft could be as common in the skies as conventional helicopters are today. "This is a step change," says Steve Weiner, Sikorsky's director of engineering sciences. "It's going to be similar to when fixed-wing airplanes went from piston to jet engines."

If next-generation rotorcraft will be more capable than today's fleet, they are also going to be considerably more expensive. It takes a lot of power to go fast, and bigger engines add both weight and cost. "If you want to go above 150 knots [173 mph], you're going to have to pay a premium of 50 to 100 percent," says Richard Aboulafia, an aviation analyst with the Teal Group. Pentagon-funded demonstrator programs allow manufacturers to work out the kinks of new designs and bring down prices.

"Looking downstream, it's obvious that there's certain commercial applications of this technology," Bell's Keith Flail says. Some niches will be easier to exploit than others. "Offshore oil rigs could be a market," Aboulafia says. With exploration moving into ever-deeper waters, a vehicle that can make twice as many trips ferrying rig workers in the same amount of time will be worth the steep price tag to the big energy companies.

Another potential market, Aboulafia says, is the VIP market. Corporate executives and other wealthy individuals already take helicopters on short-hop trips, but more advanced rotorcraft could ferry passengers as far as 500 miles, avoiding airport hassles.

In a more critical application, medevac, speed can mean the difference between life and death. "There's a thing called golden hour," AVX's Troy Gaffey says. "If you can get someone to a hospital within that time, they're a lot more likely to live."

If these early markets pan out for tilt-rotors or compound-coaxial helicopters, there's no telling how many other uses they'll have. Right now vertical lift means a conventional helicopter, with niches occupied by the jump jet and the tilt rotor. Some day that relationship could reverse, if this new generation of vertical-lift aircraft becomes the norm, relegating conventional helicopters to the fringe. "You'll see the ratio change in that direction," Flail predicts confidently. "The evolution is coming."



©2014 Hearst Communication, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Being Green /Why did I get this ad?

Beginning in the 1920s, enormous concrete arrows were set in the landscape to point the way across the country for pioneering air mail pilots

What are These Giant Concrete Arrows Across the American Landscape?
Posted by hipstomp / Rain Noe | 18 Jul 2013 | Comments (45)



Backpacking through Europe in my 20s, my sense of direction served me well—until I hit the cities with the truly medieval street plans. So in Florence, after renting a motorcycle, I devised a clever way to find the garage again: Next to the garage was an impressive, obviously important brick building, with a large arrow and some Italian words pointing to it. I observed these same signs along the street pointing back towards this building, so I knew that if I got close enough, the signs would lead me back to the building and the garage.

Attempting to return at the end of the day, I located the signs, began following them—and was soon hopelessly lost. It was only after going in a complete circle that I realized what was written on the sign—Senso Unico—was Italian for "One Way."

To follow arrows is human-behavior-meets-graphic-design 101. So it may not surprise you to learn that these gigantic concrete arrows dotting America, from east to west, are for wayfinding.



In the 1920s, America began coast-to-coast Airmail service, but the pioneer pilots had trouble navigating the route, since navigation charts of the day were fugazi and you couldn't exactly pull over to ask a farmer for directions. And traveling at night, when it would have been most efficient, or in bad weather was impossible. To solve this Congress then funded these gi-normous arrow-shaped Airmail Beacons, some up to 70 feet long, to trace a route across the country.



The arrows were painted bright yellow and each was accompanied by a tower up to 50 feet in height. At the top of each tower was a powerful gas-powered light, and at the bottom of the tower, a shed to hold the gas.



The easily-discernible design made the arrows visible from a distance of ten miles, and each arrow pointed the way towards the next, some three miles distant. That's according to the Postal Museum; however, this blog claims the towers were 10 miles apart with a 40-mile visibility. It's possible the former is describing the earlier towers and the latter is describing updated versions.

What's not in dispute is that the beacon towers are all gone, the steel having been broken up and recycled for America's World War II effort. But the no-longer-used arrows remain, their paint long since worn off by the elements, the arrows themselves too difficult to make breaking them up worthwhile. And unless Omer Haciomeroglu sends his Concrete Recycling Robots into the American hinterlands, they'll likely be there forever.



©2014 Core77, Inc. All rights reserved

SpaceX Dragon V2 | Flight Animation

SpaceX Dragon V2 | Flight Animation

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 Likely Ran Out of Fuel, Report Says

May 27, 2014, 12:11 a.m. ET
Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 Likely Ran Out of Fuel, Report Says

By Daniel Stacey

SYDNEY--Analysis of the final ping transmission between Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 and an Inmarsat PLC satellite found the missing jetliner was likely descending after running out of fuel, according to Australian air-accident investigators.

Investigators remain confident Flight 370 crashed into a remote stretch of the southern Indian Ocean within around 25 nautical miles of the final ping transmission, despite an initial underwater search and lengthy air-and-sea hunt for floating debris failing to find any trace of the plane.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said its conclusion about the plane's likely location relied on calculations of how long it took the plane to descend plus a five nautical mile margin for error in the analysis of the satellite data. The bureau's conclusions--outlined in a series of reports on its website--come as authorities prepare to open up the hunt for the plane to private contractors through a public tender next week.

Flight 370's final digital handshake with the satellite didn't coincide with previous regular hourly transmissions. That is likely due to its electrical systems resetting when the plane ran out of fuel, the ATSB summary said, confirming earlier reports in The Wall Street Journal.

Modeling of fuel burn at various flight paths and aircraft speeds support the idea that Flight 370 ran out of fuel near the final ping arc, it said.

The ATSB also said for the first time that the search area intersects the only air route that passes down through the southeastern Indian Ocean, route M641, which travels from Cocos Island to Perth through four way points.

The overlap of the Cocos-Perth air route and search area may be a coincidence, with investigators still unsure about the plane's navigation during its final hours. Air routes are preprogrammed into flight computers and can be navigated without human intervention, raising the possibility that none of the crew were conscious when the plane crashed.

Authorities are also trying a new approach to help refine the search area: listening to audio captured by special underwater microphones spread across the ocean, which are typically used to monitor signs of illegal nuclear explosions. The microphones have long been deployed as part of the United Nations Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.

The Australian naval vessel Ocean Shield is due to give up the search on Wednesday, having scoured a narrow area close to where it detected electronic signals on four occasions in early April. Authorities believed those transmissions were consistent with locator beacons on an aircraft's black box flight recorders, raising hopes of a breakthrough in the hunt for Flight 370, which went missing en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur on March 8 with 239 people on board.

The Ocean Shield's departure will leave the Chinese survey vessel Zhu Kezhen alone in the search area, carrying out early work to map the seabed. The ATSB said it would take up to three months to map the entire area some 1,000 miles northwest of Perth, with an additional ship from a private contractor being deployed in early June to scan the ocean floor at depths of up to 6,000 meters.

The results will enable towed sonar equipment to be deployed without the risk of it banging into undersea ridges and mountains.

Write to Daniel Stacey at daniel.stacey@wsj.com


Copyright ©2014 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Solar-powered Citycopter could let commuters whizz from London to Paris in just two hours

Post by Daily Mail.

Space Oddity - Chris Hadfield video onboard ISS with Larrivée Guitar

Crosswind difficulties - winter 2013/14

Pilot's view of Wizz Air's low pass over the Danube

Drone Almost Hit Airliner Over Florida in March, FAA Says

Drone Almost Hit Airliner Over Florida in March, FAA Says
By Alan Levin May 10, 2014 12:00 AM ET
28 Comments Email Print


An unmanned aircraft almost struck a US Airways plane over Florida in March, a pilot told theFederal Aviation Administration, highlighting safety concerns as U.S. regulators develop rules for civilian drone use.

The Bombardier Inc. CRJ2 regional jet was about 5 miles from Tallahassee Regional Airport at an altitude of 2,300 feet (701 meters) when it passed by what appeared to be a remote-controlled aircraft, the FAA said in a statement yesterday.

American Airlines Group Inc. (AAL), which includes US Airways, is aware of media reports about the incident and is investigating, Casey Norton, a spokesman, said in an e-mail.

There have been at at least six other incidents since September 2011 in which pilots have reported close calls with what they believed were small unmanned aircraft, according to NASA’s Aviation Safety Reporting System, which logs safety issues. The FAA doesn’t allow drone flights, other than by hobbyists, unless it has granted a special permit.

The drone in March came so close to the airliner that the pilot “was sure he had collided with it,” saidJames Williams, chief of the FAA’s unmanned aircraft office, said in a speech May 8 at the Small Unmanned Systems Business Exposition in San Francisco. “Thankfully inspection to the airliner after landing found no damage, but this may not always be the case.”

The pilot said it appeared the drone was a high-end model built to look like a fighter jet and powered with a small turbine engine, according to the FAA. Such model planes are capable of reaching higher altitudes than drone copters and may cost thousands of dollars.
Hudson Miracle

The FAA investigated the Tallahassee incident and couldn’t locate the unmanned aircraft or the pilot, according to the statement.

The FAA has said it plans to propose rules by the end of the year governing civilian drones weighing less than 55 pounds (25 kilograms), which have grown in popularity as prices fall and the aircraft become more widely available.

An industry committee assisting the FAA on the rule has proposed these small drones be kept away from airports and populated areas and limited to no higher than 400 feet.

Williams, whose speech was posted to YouTube.com, compared the Florida incident to the Jan. 15, 2009, water landing in the Hudson River of a US Airways Group Inc. aircraft that struck a flock of geese. No one died in the accident known as the “Miracle on the Hudson.”

“Imagine a metal and plastic object, especially that big lithium battery, going into a high-speed turbine engine,” he said. “The results could be catastrophic.”
FBI Investigation

Williams also cited drone accidents, including a small helicopter that struck a woman participating in a triathlon in Australia this year.

The March incident highlights the need for the FAA to move slowly as it develops rules to ensure the safety of unmanned flight, he said. The current rules for pilots and air-traffic controllers preventing mid-air collisions become more difficult when the person flying the plane is on the ground, he said.

The FAA and law enforcement have investigated other cases in which drones got too close to traditional aircraft.

Pilots on an Alitalia SpA Boeing Co. (BA) 777 nearing New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport reported a drone helicopter came within about 200 feet on March 4, 2013. The Federal Bureau of Investigation opened an investigation.

An unidentified airline flight into LaGuardia Airport in New York flew about 500 feet (152 meters) above a small black drone in July 2013, according to an Aviation Safety Reporting Systemreport. The plane’s mid-air collision warning system didn’t alert them to the danger, the pilot reported. The other five incidents reported to NASA involved private aircraft.

To contact the reporter on this story: Alan Levin in Washington at alevin24@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Bernard Kohn at bkohn2@bloomberg.netRomaine Bostick

©2014 Bloomberg L.P. All Rights Reserved

Ford Tri-motor aerobatics Video #1

VFA-27's "Shoot 'Em If You Got 'Em" Cruise Video Teaser

Flying Fat Albert

US pilot believes he's found wreckage of missing airliner after searching through thousands of satellite images online

Is this MH370? US pilot believes he's found wreckage of missing airliner after searching through thousands of satellite images online - right where the flight vanished seven weeks ago
Michael Hoebel, from Tonawanda, New York spent hours trawling through pictures on TomNod.com, a website that shares satellite images
He has found images of what he believes to be the intact aircraft just off the northeast coast of Malaysia days after the crash

He has contacted the FBI and NTSB to share his findings
The search for the missing flight, which vanished on March 8, will now focus on the ocean floor, authorities have said

By LYDIA WARREN

PUBLISHED: 10:12 EST, 28 April 2014 | UPDATED: 11:45 EST, 28 April 2014

A pilot from New York believes he has found the wreckage of the missing Malaysia Airline Flight 370 off the coast of Thailand after searching thousands of satellite images online.

Michael Hoebel, 60, spent hours trawling through the images made available to the public on a crowd-sourcing website, TomNod.com, before coming across what he believes is the doomed plane.

The recreational pilot from Tonawanda said he was shocked to discover that the aircraft, which vanished two months ago, appeared to be in one piece beneath the water off the northeast coast of Malaysia, just west of Songkhla in Thailand. The image was taken days after the crash.





Is it the wreckage? Michael Hoebel is pictured showing an image of what he believes is the wreckage of missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. He found the image on a website that shares satellite images




+9

'The perfect size': He said he used a scale given by the website and compared it to the specifications listed on Boeing's website - and discovered that the figure in the water was the right size




Discovery: He said that the lighter markings on the image matched up with the design of the plane

He told WIVB that he used the scale at the bottom of the map on TomNod and compared them to the specs on Boeing's website to establish that the white figure he saw was the perfect size.


'I was taken aback because I couldn't believe I would find this,' he told the news channel.


+9

Where is the plane? A map shows where Hoebel believes the plane is, compared to its intended flight (red line) and suspected flight path (in blue)

He pointed to the image on his computer as he explained why he thought it was the missing airliner.


'The lighter skin where the wing attaches to the fuselage - you see that lighter skin,' he said, comparing the grainy image to a photograph of the make of plane.

And when WIVB reporter Ed Drantch questioned if the shadow could be a shark, Hoebel responded: 'That's a 210ft shark.'


TomNod allows members of the public to go through millions of satellite pictures in a bid to help investigate the crash.

It also allows other users to rate whether or not they agree with another user's theory - and so far, no one has disagreed with Hoebel's, he said.


No one else has noted finding the wreckage at the same spot, he added.

He said that he started searching for the plane because he wanted to aid the investigation to help the families who had lost loved ones.

He added that he has contacted the NTSB and the FBI with what he found - but so far they have not contacted him in response.

This weekend, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said surface search efforts for the plane have been scaled back because it is 'highly unlikely' clues will be found on the surface.




Certain: Hoebel said he looked through thousands of satellite images to find the potential wreckage



Hobby: The recreational pilot, 60, said that he felt deeply for the families who have lost their loved ones

Obama: Lessons must be learned from missing Malaysia flight



Instead, the search will enter a new phase with the focus on the ocean floor - despite there being no 'pings' from what was earlier hoped were the aircraft's black boxes.

Mr Abbott said that as the aircraft, which had 239 people on board, has been missing for 52 days, if there had been any debris from the aircraft it would have now sunk.

Malaysia's Prime Minister, Mr Najib Razak, has also conceded that investigators have made no substantial progress since March 8 - the date that the plane is believed to have crashed.


'That's all we have until today,' Mr Najib told the Wall Street Journal.




+9

No signs: Royal Navy submarine HMS Tireless concluded its work searching for the black box on Friday




+9

Are they looking in the right place? A map shows the planned search areas just west of Australia



+9

No answers: Relatives of some of the Chinese passengers on board the Malaysia Airlines flight comfort each other as they continued their sit-in protest outside the Malaysian embassy in Beijing


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2614932/U-S-pilot-believes-hes-wreckage-missing-Malaysia-flight-searching-satellite-images.html#ixzz30E6biIFo
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Cool Commercial - Turkish Airlines

Post by Pilot's Lounge.

Remembering John Houbolt, NASA's Voice In The Wilderness

Post by Popular Science.

Saudi Prince's $500 Million Airbus A380 Will Blow Your Mind

When people who are just a little bit rich travel, they fly first class. When you're really rich, you rent a private jet. When you're insanely rich, you fly on your very own private jet with your name painted on the wings. When you are a multi-billionaire Saudi Prince, you fly on a mind blowingly lavish$500 million customized Airbus A380. Recently it was revealed that Saudi Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, who has a net worth of $18 billion, purchased a $300 million Airbus A380 and is spending an additional $200 million remodeling the plane into a flying palace that makes Airforce One look like a hunk of junk….


Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal

Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal is one of the wealthiest people in the Arab world. Thanks to thousands of extremely shrewd investments, the Prince was able to turn a modest fortune into more than $18 billion. Through his investment firm Kingdom Holding, Prince Alwaleed has bought up large stakes in companies like News Corp, Apple, Citigroup, Twitter and more. He owns luxury hotels like The Savoy in London, the Fairmont in San Francisco, the Plaza in New York and the Four Seasons. He owns several yachts, more than 200 cars and three incredible palaces that cover a combined 5 million square feet. When Prince Alwaleed takes delivery of his $500 million Airbus, it will be one of four massive private jets. It will also be the largest and most expensive private plane in the world.


$500 Million Airbus A380

The base Airbus A380 costs $300 million and normally fits around 800 passengers. Prince Alwaleed's Airbus A380 is being completely stripped and remodeled with the following mind blowing luxuries:
- One parking space for his Rolls Royce
- Concert hall with grand piano, seating for 10 and stage for private entertainment
- Marble tiled steam room with spa treatments
- A "wellbeing" room complete with flat screen TVs on the walls and floors that shows passengers what they are flying over
- Five master bedroom with king sized beds, private bathrooms and showers
- 20 smaller private rooms
- Private elevator that connects the master bedroom to the tarmac for quick entrances and exits
- Boardroom with holographic monitors
- A prayer room with computer monitored prayer mats that automatically adjust to face Mecca






Get More Info: About Us | Advertise | Contact Us | Media Contact | Privacy Policy | DMCA | Terms of use
© 2014 CELEBRITY NET WORTH.

B-17 Skydiving

Post by Pilot's Lounge.

Properly Tracked and Monitored Boeing 777s Do Not Disappear, or Do They?

Properly Tracked and Monitored Boeing 777s Do Not Disappear, or Do They? By Staff April 11, 2014

 Garcia / Published April 11, 2014


Photo courtesy Aero Icarus, Creative Commons

A Boeing 777 in cruise flight, maneuvering and even at low altitude, transmits a robust, crisp, and clear primary radar signature to both civilian and military radars for almost two hours or perhaps even longer. This signature was evident to Thai, Malay and Indonesian radar operators, civilian and military the night and early morning of March 8th, 2014. As I write this piece, over one month has elapsed since this plane “vanished” or “disappeared” from radar as international media persuasively quotes.

It is factual that MH370 transponders, communications equipment (digital and voice) failed. Such an unusual event triggered an immediate alert from the men and women in the airline’s operations control center and the civilian air traffic control radars centers who, until then, were routinely tracking the flight. The presence of a primary radar signature should have also triggered an immediate chain of communications between the airline, civilian air traffic-radar controllers and their military counterparts. In fact, it seems that such actions were not taken or were not assertive enough to have triggered a military radar tracking and intercept, as prescribed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Document 9433, Manual Concerning Interception of Civil Aircraft. This is a globally accepted and mandated standard operating procedure for “strayed” aircraft, especially since the tragic events of 9-11 in the USA.

Yet Malaysian Airlines MH 370 flew unchallenged with enough freedom, range and capability to have diverted, overflown, or crashed in very dense city centers such as Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Phuket, Bangkok, Jakarta and Singapore. Millions of innocent people were unbeknownst of the events transpiring literally over their heads.

I have flown a similar B 777-200 on the same route, airway and time of the night many times. I know the aircraft well and indeed, it does have the capability to fly fast and maneuver vertically with vigor. Yet, it cannot outrun an attentive military radar controller, much less a fighter jet on a well executed tactical intercept mission. A well monitored, tracked and intercepted, if necessary, Boeing 777 does not mysteriously vanish or disappear into vast uncontrolled oceanic airspace under the cover of the night.


—–
Oscar S. Garcia, Chairman and CEO of Interflight Global, is an expert advisor and consultant in the areas of strategy, business and economic development, organizational design and industry forecasting. He was formerly a pilot with major airlines in the US and Asia, flying several aircraft including B777-200/300 and B747-400.

He can be reached at: oscargarcia@interflightglobal.com

© 2014 all rights reserved. All photos are the property of Chris Sloan, unless otherwise noted, and may not be reproduced without consent.
Airchive.com - a division of 2CMedia

Emirates A380 Very Hard Landing at Munich Airport

Qantas Airways Airbus A380-842 [VH-OQD] HARD LANDING

Airbus A380 Hard Landing At Oshkosh 2009

OMG! Landing Wind Shear Airbus A380 Thai Airways

SpaceX - Falcon 9 Reusable (F9R) Rocket First Flight Test of 250m [1080p]

A man who was forced to give up his dreams of becoming a pilot has spent 15 years building a replica Boeing 747 cockpit in his bedroom

Monday, Apr 21st 2014

Boeing in my bedroom: Man who was forced to give up his dream of becoming a pilot spent 15 years and £20,000 building a replica cockpit in his home
John Davis, 54, constructed the Boeing cockpit at £92,000 Coventry home
Former graphic designer spent 15 years and £20,000 on amazing simulator
He now makes up to £3,000 a month hiring out the simulator
Available to plane enthusiasts, nervous flyers and even pilots to practise in
Replica features light deck panels, passenger chairs and auto-pilot system
Also includes six-foot screen with two monitors, creating panoramic view

By SOPHIE JANE EVANS

PUBLISHED: 10:45 EST, 21 April 2014 | UPDATED: 12:06 EST, 21 April 2014

A man who was forced to give up his dreams of becoming a pilot has spent 15 years building a replica cockpit in his bedroom.

John Davis, 54, forked out a staggering £20,000 constructing the life-sized Boeing 747-400 simulator at his £92,000 terraced home in Coventry.

But the amazing replica is not only for display as it is available to other plane enthusiasts, nervous flyers and even professional pilots to practice in.

Scroll down for video



+11

Amazing: John Davis has spent 15 years building a life-sized Boeing 747-400 replica cockpit in his bedroom




+11

Detailed: He forked out a staggering £20,000 constructing the simulator, which features a six-foot screen


+11

Terraced home: He built the incredible replica at his terraced home (centre) in Coventry. But it is not only for display as it is available to other plane enthusiasts, nervous flyers and even professional pilots to practice in


+11

Inside the cockpit: Luckily, Miss Mabey (right) does not have a problem with the lack of space in the bedroom

Mr Davis, who developed his aviation obsession as a child, said was forced to give up his wish to become a pilot as he was not good enough at mathematics.

Instead, he spent his time and money building the precise replica cockpit by hand - crafting it into the space he had in his spare bedroom at his two-bedroom home.

The Boeing 747-400 has now 'flown' at least 47,000 miles around the world - with Mr Davis earning up to £3,000 a month.

The former graphic designer, who mans the simulator full-time, said: 'I always longed to be a pilot but now I have the next best thing.

Take a tour around the replica Boeing in John's bedroom





+11

Realistic: Mr Davis, who developed his aviation obsession as a child, said was forced to give up his wish to become a pilot as he was not good enough at mathematics. Above, the replica cockpit in his bedroom




+11

Ready to fly: Instead he spent his time and money building the replica cockpit by hand. Above, the controls




+11


+11

Complex: The Boeing has 'flown' at least 47,000 miles around the world. Above, different parts of the cockpit

'The simulator is so life-like that I have lots of commercial airline pilots coming for a flight. I get to rub shoulders with professional pilots and it’s great that they are so impressed by my simulator.'

Mr Davis, who actually owns only a gliders licence, charges £75 for an hour-long flight, or £125 for two hours.


+11

Couple: Mr Davis , pictured with his partner, Allyson Mabey, charges £75 for an hour-long flight

He said customers visited his house up to seven days a week - saying: 'The simulator is very popular and we often have couples come for the experience.

'It’s amazing how the ladies respond to it. Many women come with their partners and bring a book, but by the end of the flight they want to have a go themselves.'

Luckily, Mr Davis's partner, Allyson Mabey, does not have a problem with the constant stream of visitors,, nor the lack of space in the bedroom.


'I will admit I was surprised when John first told me about the simulator,' said the 53-year-old nurse.


'It is very unusual and it’s not every day you meet someone who has a plane in their back bedroom.

'I was astounded when I first saw the simulator in real life. To look at John’s house you would never guess there was a plane in the back room.'

She added: 'I haven’t flown it myself as there are a lot of things to learn - I leave that to John as he is so passionate.

'But I have sat in it a few times and every time I am just fascinated by the simulator, because it’s so technical and intricate.'

In order to build his pride and joy, Mr Davis studied photographs of Boeing 747-400 cockpits online - and he managed to order most of the parts for the aircraft off the internet.

The light deck panels are made out of MDF wood, while the pilot and two passenger chairs are made out of old leather car seats.

He spent a large amount of his budget for the simulator on the electronics and high-tech equipment.




+11

Popular: Mr Davis said customers visited his house up to seven days a week - saying: 'The simulator is very popular and we often have couples come for the experience.' He added: 'It's amazing how ladies respond to it'

There is an auto-pilot system and a six-foot screen with two 19inch monitors - creating the all-important panoramic view of the simulated landscape.

'For me it is important to make the flight feel as lifelike as possible so I have invested in a great sound system with a subwoofer which vibrates so my passengers can get the experience of take-off and landing,' he said.


+11

At work: Mr Davis even uses his simulator to help people with a fear of flying, by letting them sit through a realistic flight experience

Mr Davis, who always wears his full pilot uniform when taking a flight, even carries out in-flight announcements telling passengers to 'fasten their seatbelts'.

'My passengers can fly from Birmingham International or London Gatwick to Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport to on their first flight and then progress further afield to the Canary Islands if they fancy,' he said.

'It does take a while to learn your way around the cockpit as there are 90 different switches and three sound systems.

'It has taken me thousands of hours in man power to create this craft and even more in money, but I am pleased to now be earning a living from it. It’s the best job in the world - after being a real pilot.'

Mr Davis even uses his simulator to help people with a fear of flying, by letting them sit through a realistic flight experience on his £125 two-hour flying awareness course.

'The aim is to help people who are nervous about flying by letting them get used to the feel and sounds of a real plane,' he said.


'Many customers want to browse my simulated airport database to find their holiday destination, and fly there on their own.'

The cockpit's software uses includes different landscapes from around the world, including the Alps and the New York skyline - and Mr Davis has a list of international airports that customers can fly to.

'Because I’m not a trained pilot I can’t actually teach people how to fly, but I can help flight enthusiasts feel like a pilot in control of their own jumbo jet and I get to be a captain every day, all from the comfort of my home,' he said.

Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd

Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group
© Associated Newspapers LtdContact us Advertise with us Terms Privacy policy & cookies


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2609512/Man-forced-dream-pilot-spent-15-years-20-000-building-replica-cockpit-home.html#ixzz2za9dxtWj
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

LUFTWAFFE 1946 (Would have happened if...) Full documentary!! By TRUF...

Messerschmitt Me 262 / engine start / original sound

A Swarm of Nano Quadrotors

F15e & F15c Low level flying in the Mach-Loop

Virgin Atlantic 747 Appears Like Out Of Nowhere.

Thunderbird 5 Solo Out

Post by U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds.

F 14 Tomcat VF-101 Demo - Ft Lauderdale

Crosswind difficulties - winter 2013/14

1011 Captain Engine Start Guide

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 now clearly a government cover-up.

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 now clearly a government cover-up: All evidence contradicts official story.


Monday, March 24, 2014
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
Editor of NaturalNews.com (See all articles...)
Tags: Malaysia Airlines, official story, government cover-up


(NaturalNews) The "official" story of what happened to Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 is now a blatant cover-up. After an endless stream of wild incompetence from the Malaysian military and government concerning the radar signature of the missing flight, we are now told by the Malaysian government that the flight "went down over the southern Indian Ocean" and that all lives are lost.

This explanation smacks of an obvious cover-up for several crucial reasons, all of which are now being utterly ignored by the conventional press:

#1) If the plane went down in the ocean, it would have broken up on impact and debris would be easily spotted

A Boeing 777 does not -- and cannot -- survive impact with the ocean and remain intact. It simply does not have the structural integrity to survive such an impact, which is a lot like hitting a cement wall at terminal velocity.

If Flight 370 hit the ocean, it would have been broken into tens of thousands of pieces, many of which obviously float on water (such as the seat cushions) and would be witnessed washing up on regional shores or easily spotted by search teams.

The lack of such debris is strong support that Flight 370 did not crash into the Indian Ocean as we are now being told.

#2) The plane continued broadcasting data to Boeing for 4 - 7 hours

Remember the fact that the airplane was broadcasting data for at least 4 hours after the transponder was turned off? This fact is now suddenly being dumped from history and from our memories as if it never happened.

We already know Flight 370 flew for 4 - 7 hours after diverging from its planned flight course. We already know this could have taken the plane to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran or even North Korea. (Click here to see my map showing possible destinations.) The fact that the plane broadcast this data for hours is not in dispute!

Wall Street Journal: "U.S. investigators suspect that Malaysia Airlines 3786. Flight 370 stayed in the air for up to four hours past the time it reached its last confirmed location, according to two people familiar with the details, raising the possibility that the plane could have flown on for hundreds of additional miles under conditions that remain murky."

The Guardian: "MH370: Missing plane could have kept flying four hours after disappearing, US investigators say... Engine data shows plane could have kept flying for four hours after disappearing"

Washington Post: " the plane may have flown for at least four hours after it dropped from civilian radar, U.S. officials said Thursday. A senior U.S. official said the information came from data sent via a satellite communications system by Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370. That data has convinced U.S. officials that the plane’s engines continued to run for at least four hours after all other communication was lost."

So how does the Malaysian government now explain this? They don't. They simply gloss over this fact and hope we all forget it. They claim the plane went down in the Indian Ocean without flying very far at all. This makes no sense whatsoever and cannot be reconciled with the flight broadcast data received by Boeing.

#3) There is ZERO evidence the flight crashed into the Indian Ocean

What is the Malaysian government's evidence that Flight 370 ended in the Indian Ocean and "all lives are lost?"

They have no evidence. They have no bodies. They have no debris, no flight recorders, no sightings and no radar signatures that would put the aircraft in the Indian Ocean.

They have zero evidence. So they are now floating a cover-up to try to put this issue to rest in order to distract from their own incompetence and their bizarre failure to track the radar signature of an aircraft flying well within the range of their radar.

In fact, the only debris floating around right now is made of all the fragments of the Malaysian government's inept cover-up attempts that smack of a true "rookie attempt" to roll out a cover-up that's full of holes.

This utter lack of evidence did not prevent the Malaysian government from announcing, "we have to assume beyond any reasonable doubt that MH370 has been lost and that none of those on board survived." (USA Today)

#4) Another crucial fact: It's clear that the transponder was manually turned off in order to hide the plane's new flight path

If the pilot of Flight 370 was suicidal and wanted to fly the plane into the ocean, there would be no need to switch off the transponder before doing so.

In fact, there would be no need to make all the complex, intentional flight maneuvers which Flight 370 clearly took as has been widely reported.

The fact that the transponder was manually disconnected followed by the plane making deliberate maneuvers that put it on a new flight path is near-absolute proof that the persons controlling the aircraft had no intention of flying the plane into the ocean. It's also strong evidence that they did not want governments to track their new flight direction and destination.

Without question, they intended to take the plane somewhere else and land it somewhere else, which is exactly why the aircraft continued broadcasting flight performance data to Boeing for 4-7 hours.

The Malaysian government is now hoping you forget all these facts in believing their bizarre cover-up explanation.


Malaysia's 9/11 official storyFlight 370 is now Malaysia's 9/11, complete with nonsense "official" stories and attempts to memory hole all the facts that originally came out in the mainstream media.

We are soon going to be told outrageous lies like "Oh, Boeing never received any flight data broadcasts from the aircraft, didn't you know?"

Anyone who now cites all the facts which have already been reported in support of the theory that Flight 370 continued on to another destination will be called "conspiracy theorists" and kooks.

The mainstream media will start scrubbing stories and retroactively altering its reporting to match the "official" government story. We've seen this before. It's how governments and media outlets sweep 239 lives under the rug and try to discredit anyone who asks skeptical, scientifically-sound questions based on the actual evidence.

In truth, the Malaysian government's bizarre new claim that Flight 370 "ended in the Indian Ocean" is the biggest conspiracy theory of all. It's sheer lunacy to reach such a conclusion without compelling evidence to support it, especially in light of all the other evidence that Flight 370 continued on for hours after the transponder was intentionally disabled.


Most likely explanation at this point: The aircraft is being turned into a weaponBased on the Malaysian government's obvious cover-up attempt (which is incredibly transparent and childish as far as cover-ups go), it now seems increasingly likely that the Flight 370 aircraft has, indeed, been delivered to a rogue nation where it is being transformed into a weapon.

Malaysia has already proven that it is so incompetent that it cannot track huge aircraft flying across its airspace. This means a weaponized Boeing 777 is essentially a "stealth aircraft" to the Malaysian military -- a shocking revelation about military incompetence and lack of national security readiness in that nation.

Apparently, this same Boeing 777 can also fly undetected across the airspace of other nations -- most likely by "shadowing" existing flights while turning off its own transponder.

Whoever took control of Flight 370 now has a massive stealth weapon which an incredibly long flight range. This aircraft can now be outfitted with nuclear weapons and dispatched to almost any desirable target anywhere in the world, including cities like New York and Washington D.C., unfortunately.

I was the first journalist in the world to suggest that Flight 370 had been captured and turned into a weapon. That same story was also the very first story to suggest Flight 370 passengers may still be alive.

I still believe Flight 370 passengers may have survived the flight and the landing at the new destination, but now that world governments are rolling out their "official" stories, there is no question in my mind that they will do anything to support those official stories, even if it means discarding the lives of all the passengers. Sadly, I am now forced to recalculate the odds of Flight 370 passengers being found alive at no better than 1 in 5. (It was previously as high as 1 in 2.) But it is not zero! There is a realistic chance the passengers are being kept alive as some sort of international bargaining chip.

You can now expect the governments and media outlets of the world to start scrubbing their archived stories and statements, altering the "news history" to fit this new Malaysian government cover-up.

I wouldn't even put it past these people to now secretly sink some aircraft debris in the Indian Ocean so they can "find it" and thereby complete the cover-up.

If there's one thing I've learned in all my years as an award-winning investigative journalist, it's that you should never trust official stories... especially when they contradict all the earlier evidence.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/044430_Malaysia_Airlines_official_story_government_cover-up.html#ixzz2wzW6YeZA