Passenger with poor hygiene are the most disliked in aircraft cabins

Passenger with poor hygiene are the most disliked in aircraft cabins, according to Travelocity's 2009 Rudeness Poll that queried American and Canadian travelers.

About 44% of travelers selected passengers with poor hygiene as their top choice. Passengers who cough/sneeze came in second (31%), followed by large passengers (15%), chatty passengers (5%) and children (5%).

Kicking the seat (59%) and using profanity (56%) were considered the top two most rude behaviors.

Bringing larger than allowed luggage was cited as the most annoying behavior during boarding, with 29% of respondents selecting it as their top choice. It was followed by crowding the boarding line (20%), blocking the aisle (22%) and carelessly storing luggage (15%).

About 60% said attempting to deplane in front is the most annoying behavior when exiting the plane. It was followed by being careless with luggage and leaving seats before the light is turned off.

Now you can watch some illustrations how can one board a 150 seat airplane in less than 15 minutes:

http://leeds-faculty.colorado.edu/vandenbr/projects/boarding/boarding.htm

200 Birds Attack or Defense?

More than 200 birds were sucked into one of the engines as one of the pilots can be seen watching what was happening. The markings directly below him are believed to be pitot tubes which measure the speed of the aircraft as opposed to holes in the fuselage created by the birds

‘It was like a scene from the Hitchcock movie The Birds. One second all was clear, and the next thing you saw were these birds swarming over the plane,’ said an onlooker.

It is thought more than 200 starlings were sucked into the right engine as the Boeing jet approached 200mph.

Others dented the fuselage but thankfully did not pierce it. Their splattered remains could be seen on the plane later.

‘The pitch of the engine said it all,’ said plane-spotter Juergen Kienast, who took these dramatic pictures.

‘It was like sticking a bit of metal pipe into a blender.’

Once airborne, the pilot reported engine damage and circled for almost 45 minutes before landing safely.

No-one was hurt and the plane had only minor damage.

Brazilian Government - New Presidencial aircraft delivered

Modified E190 Delivered to Brazil

Embraer has handed over a VIP-configured E190 to the Brazilian Government. The Brazilian Air Force’s Special Transportation Group (GTE) will use the aircraft to transfer top government officials, including the president. The E190 is the first delivery as part of a two-aircraft order. The Air Force also signed a five-year support and logistics agreement with Embraer, including maintenance, material support, repairs and field engineers.

E190 Modificado Entregue ao Brazil

EMBRAER entregou uma [aeronave] E190 na configuração VIP para o Governo Brasileiro. O Grupo de Transporte Especial da Força Aérea Brasileira (GTE) usará a aeronave para o transporte de autoridades do governo, incluindo o presidente. O E190 é a primeira entrega como parte de um compra de duas aeronaves. A Força Aérea também assinou um acordo de suporte [técnico] e logística com a EMBRAER por cinco anos, incluindo manutenção, fornecimento de peças, consertos e engenheiros de campo.

 

Left: Brazilian Defense Minister, Nelson Jobim Right: Air Force Commander, Brigadier general, Saito

Aircraft handed over on September 25th, 2009

Regulatory Abuse by Airlines Threatens Aviation Safety

Investigations by AEI affiliates revealed that airlines are deliberately abusing aviation regulations in order to reduce costs. Recently AEI raised the issue of pilots not reporting aircraft defects as they occurred, but rather when convenient for the airline. These concerns were confirmed by both EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) and SAFA (Safety Assessment of Foreign Aircraft programme), yet despite this, affiliates continue to observe malpractice. This arrogant behaviour highlights both a total disregard for passenger safety and a belief by the operator that such dangerous behaviour generally carries no risk of any consequence.

With recent safety related events in the United States leading to an admission by the FAA (Federal Aviation Authority) that its oversight of airlines had not been to the required standard, AEI must, due to similar European incidents, pose the question whether EASA, the European Agency tasked with implementing the highest common standards, is actually "fit for purpose".


This is just one of the serious issues on the agenda when engineers from all over the world meet in Varna, Bulgaria, from the 23rd until the 26th September for Aircraft Engineers International's 37th Annual Congress.

AEI further believes that national aviation regulators must start to act instead of maintaining their current stand-off attitude. This would require an immediate halt to the current regulatory trend of appeasing operator’s demands for lighter regulation. National airworthiness authorities if genuine about safety being paramount must move away from paper auditing and become more hands on”.

Pilot Multitask as seen by observer on cockpit

FlightSafety International

Job in Canada for Crew - Citation 560XL

Citation 560XL Pilot


Job ID: 5916836

Position Title: Citation 560XL Pilot

Company Name: Air Partners Corp

Industry: Charter/Air Taxi

Job Function: Flight Crew

Location(s): Calgary, Alberta, T3C3X5, Canada

Posted: August 30, 2009

Entry Level: No

Job Type: Full-Time

Job Duration: Indefinite

Required Travel: 75-100%

We are looking for a qualified Co-Pilot to fly a Citation 560XL and contribute to the current and future needs of our business.

The successful candidate will have an Air Transport Pilots License (ATPL), Multi-Engine Instrument Rating, valid Class 1 Medical, a valid Canadian passport and a minimum of 2500 flying hours. Reporting to the Chief Pilot and Director of Flight Operations, the successful candidate will operate the aircraft safely and in accordance with all Transport Canada regulatory requirements, while providing on-going exceptional customer service to our guests and clients. Additionally, as directed by management, you will be expected to perform a variety of duties that will contribute to the Air Partners overall guest experience.

The successful candidate will be expected to work a 14/4 rotation whereby fourteen (14) days are “on-call” duty followed by four (4) days off. Air Partners Corp./Morgan Air Services L.P., will ensure that you shall have an opportunity to obtain at least eight (8) consecutive hours sleep in any consecutive twenty-four (24) hour period while on-call. During on-call rotations, you are expected to be within 1 hours driving distance to the Calgary International Airport at all times unless otherwise approved by management. Our scheduling needs are subject to changes within the parameters of CARs compliance.

If deemed necessary by Air Partners Corp., training will be provided in order for you to perform your job duties, conditional upon your agreement to sign the standard company Training Bond.

If you are interested in this opportunity, please forward your resume and letter of interest to HR@AirPartners.ca

Job Requirements

Legal entitlement to work in Canada

Current PPC to fly a Citation 560XL

Air Transport Pilots License (ATPL)

Multi-Engine Instrument Rating

Valid Class 1 Medical

Valid Passport

2000+ flying hours

Good Luck!