The inanity of antimissile technology for airliners continues. It reminds me of nuclear deterrence. The only logical hope is that by having something, it will deter/persuade terrorists to pick a different target.
This approach was costly then and it is even more costly now. As a society, we continue to struggle with an understanding of risk management, cost/benefit analysis, etc., when it comes to security.
Unless this system is just as effective against rocket-propelled anything's (grenades for example), this is a complete waste of taxpayer revenue.
Why not spend $200M on making sure that FBI agents have email and others tools they need so they can track down terrorists before they have a target in their sights?
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Hooters Buffaloed by Messy Industry
Well, Hooter's Air is the latest casualty in the domestic airline travel industry. I thought the quote by Bob Brook's in the AP article is concise and brutally accurate. "The flying industry is in a terrible mess. ... I've got a fair amount of money, but I don't have enough to fix this animal."
Thursday, March 23, 2006
What's in your hangar?
As fate would have it, I converted a small windfall from some intangible paper shares with no market value into a tangible, flying asset.
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Pre- Sun N Fun FAA Bloopers
Reviewed the video today for the Sun N Fun event in Lakeland, FL (KLAL) next month. Two things struck me watching the video produced by the FAA:
1) The introduction is narrated by a pilot who jumps out of his airplane and hangs onto the propeller like that's a safe idea... and,
2) The arrival procedure includes (practically requires) low altitude overflight of a power plant. The FAA might want to review its own FDC NOTAM 04/0811. Or more logically, rescind the NOTAM since it very little, if any, deterrence or enforcement value.
1) The introduction is narrated by a pilot who jumps out of his airplane and hangs onto the propeller like that's a safe idea... and,
2) The arrival procedure includes (practically requires) low altitude overflight of a power plant. The FAA might want to review its own FDC NOTAM 04/0811. Or more logically, rescind the NOTAM since it very little, if any, deterrence or enforcement value.
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
NTSB releases Stafford, VA preliminary accident report
It took awhile, but the preliminary accident report for a recent fatal crash at nearby Stafford, VA in February has been published by the NTSB. Accident reports like this one are important, not for the morbid details they sometimes provide, but rather for what can be learned from these unfortunate circumstances. While we'll never know what exactly happened, there are points of fact in these detailed reports that allow one to perceive the circumstances from a first person perspective to gain some insight.
The temperature dewpoint spread was reported as 5/3. The expected, theoretical vertical visibility would have been 900 feet, but the reported visibility was only 500. It seems likely from the weather described by witnesses that heavy banks of fog were in the vicinity of the airport. There is a phenomenon that occurs in such conditions where straight up and down visibility doesn't tell the complete story. While the horizontal visibility was reported at 1.25 miles, the presence of heavy fog can render visibility near zero at any time. Such are the limits of automated weather reporting without human intervention. At towered facilities, the weather information is analyzed and augmented by human observers.
So, as an aircraft approaches the airport and makes visual contact with the runway environment to continue for a landing, the visibility can go from acceptable to zero in fog (illuminated by the landing light and made worse) as the aircraft gets closer to the ground. If this occurs close to the ground and the runway cues (i.e., lights, centerline, etc) are lost, the plane is now in a no-man's-land situation past the missed approach point. The airplane is slow, the flaps are likely set full down, and the outcome has changed instantaneously from one of assured landing to a total "Uh oh!" to say the least.
Power, pitch, flaps, positive rate, climb, flaps. Forget any of those and the airplane will not fly too well. Put the airplane into a 30 degree bank as reported (to fly the published missed approach procedure), and it doesn't climb as well either. It will be interesting to see if the NTSB can determine if aircraft similar to the accident aircraft can climb with full flaps in a 30 degree left turn at high gross weights. It will be interesting not because that may have been the cause of the accident, but because no one may have thought to know the answer to such a question.
The temperature dewpoint spread was reported as 5/3. The expected, theoretical vertical visibility would have been 900 feet, but the reported visibility was only 500. It seems likely from the weather described by witnesses that heavy banks of fog were in the vicinity of the airport. There is a phenomenon that occurs in such conditions where straight up and down visibility doesn't tell the complete story. While the horizontal visibility was reported at 1.25 miles, the presence of heavy fog can render visibility near zero at any time. Such are the limits of automated weather reporting without human intervention. At towered facilities, the weather information is analyzed and augmented by human observers.
So, as an aircraft approaches the airport and makes visual contact with the runway environment to continue for a landing, the visibility can go from acceptable to zero in fog (illuminated by the landing light and made worse) as the aircraft gets closer to the ground. If this occurs close to the ground and the runway cues (i.e., lights, centerline, etc) are lost, the plane is now in a no-man's-land situation past the missed approach point. The airplane is slow, the flaps are likely set full down, and the outcome has changed instantaneously from one of assured landing to a total "Uh oh!" to say the least.
Power, pitch, flaps, positive rate, climb, flaps. Forget any of those and the airplane will not fly too well. Put the airplane into a 30 degree bank as reported (to fly the published missed approach procedure), and it doesn't climb as well either. It will be interesting to see if the NTSB can determine if aircraft similar to the accident aircraft can climb with full flaps in a 30 degree left turn at high gross weights. It will be interesting not because that may have been the cause of the accident, but because no one may have thought to know the answer to such a question.
Monday, March 13, 2006
Night currency
Robby and I flew down to Culpeper (CJR) in the DV20 to try to grab a VAA stamp. Unfortunately CJR closed at 6 so no one was home. Being that it was night, we flew around the airport so I could update my night currency, and then it was back to JYO.
We received Bravo clearances both to and from CJR. Leaving JYO, we flew down the "Rt 15 transition" (below the IAD class B). Once clear of RWY 30, PCT cleared us to enter the Bravo. On the way back, the controller cleared us into the Bravo direct to JYO, but nearing Dulles at 138 knots, we were asked to descend below the Bravo. This meant flying the Rt 15 transition again, at night, but that was okay. Keep the red lights on the mountain to the left and the white lights of Rt 15 on the right.
Robby flew left seat and thought that the ride was a bit "bumpy" as we descended coming back to Leesburg. No stamp but night currency and we had a good time.
We received Bravo clearances both to and from CJR. Leaving JYO, we flew down the "Rt 15 transition" (below the IAD class B). Once clear of RWY 30, PCT cleared us to enter the Bravo. On the way back, the controller cleared us into the Bravo direct to JYO, but nearing Dulles at 138 knots, we were asked to descend below the Bravo. This meant flying the Rt 15 transition again, at night, but that was okay. Keep the red lights on the mountain to the left and the white lights of Rt 15 on the right.
Robby flew left seat and thought that the ride was a bit "bumpy" as we descended coming back to Leesburg. No stamp but night currency and we had a good time.
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