Category: Miscellaneous

Many users visit this Blog because of some specific questions they are looking for answers for.
Today I will address first of those questions to help you finding your answers quickly.

How many SU-37 does Russia have?
0! The SU-37 is a prototype aircraft and is not in production. Russia has not ordered any Su-37. In total only 2 fighters have been built. One of them crashed in 2002.

Is the A380 ready?
Yes! First delivery to Singapore Airlines will be on 15 October. Its first commercial flight will be on 25 October, to Sydney.

737-800 accidents
In total 7 so far. See http://aviation-safety.net/database/dblist.php?Type=103-8 for further information.

funny atc transcripts
Can be found at http://www.flightstory.net/gate2/4/ATC-Radio-Transmission

How old is Travolta’s Boeing?
43 years (built in 1964). See http://blog.flightstory.net/45/john-travoltas-boeing-707/ for more information.

Hong Kong Airport whilst waiting for flight?
You can do several things while waiting at Hong Kong Airport, world’s best Airport. Hong Kong International Airport has world class shopping, dining and entertainment facilities. There is also a free Airport-wide Wi-Fi Service! Following links may help you.
HKIA Terminal1: Skymart, Passenger Guide
HKIA Terminal2: Skyplaza, Passenger Guide

Is flight-mode in phones safe to use?
Yes. Using Flight-Mode all phone functions are beeing disabled, so it’s not interfering with the sensible aircraft systems. In Flight-Mode it’s not possible to make or receive phone calls or SMS/MMS. Using the Flight-Mode is also recommended for use in hospitals.

Is the F22 Raptor the best jet?
Depends on your personal opinion. 🙂 In fact it’s one of the best jet fighters available today. If you like you can join the discussion at f-22-vs-su-37-vs-su-30-vs-eurofighter

Why Kingfisher chooses only Airbus?
Because they are smart enough. 😀 Seriously, they do not operate only Airbus aircrafts, they also use 10 ATR 72-500’s (22 orderd). Not using any Boeing plane may have financial and/or operational reasons.

Where are the F-22 Raptors based?
Tyndall AFB, Florida (43d Fighter Squadron)
Langley Air Force Base, Virginia (1st Fighter Wing)
Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan
Eglin Air Force Base, Florida (53d Wing)
Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska (53d Wing)
Future bases:
Hickam AFB, Hawaii
Holloman AFB, New Mexico

Why Airbus A380 2 reverse?
The Airbus A380 only has thrust reversers on the 2 inboard engines. The reasons for that are that you simply don’t need additional 2 reversers to stop the aircaft, weight savings, because of risk of FOD (Foreign Object Debris / Foreign Object Damage) since the outboard engines are hanging off the paved portion of the runway.

Why using composites in planes
Composite materials have lighter weight than traditional materials which results in fuel savings.
But composites are hard to inspect for flaws, some of them absorb moisture. Dangerous hairline cracks can happen which could lead to a fatal crash if not discovered and repaired immediately. Composites are more expensive than traditionally used materials due to complex and expensive fabrication. Furthermore it has higher maintenance costs and the repair of damaged parts is much more complicated and more expensive.
Aluminum is a very tolerant material and can take a great deal of punishment before it fails. It can be dented or punctured and still hold together. Composites are not like this. If they are damaged, they require immediate repair. An airplane made entirely from aluminum can be repaired almost anywhere. This is not the case for composite materials.

How many Boeing 787 have been ordered
706 orders from 48 customers so far.

How many orders Kingfisher gives to Boeing
0 😀

China Airlines – Boeing 737-809 what you should do
Follow the instructions given by cabin crew, leave back your bulky hand luggage and run run run…. 😀

What was John Travoltas first airplane
As far as I know a Ercoupe 415

“Flightstory.net” is having a little break for the next 2 weeks!
For the “Flightstory – Aviation Blog” this means that no new aviation articles will be posted during this time. Newly made comments won’t be get approved until then. However commentating is still possible. New comments will be saved in system queue and approved at later date.
At the “Flightstory.net – Aviation Story Database” (main site) newly submitted flight stories, crew hotels and comments will also not be get approved. But submitting is still possible as well. All submissions will be saved properly!

Flightstory.net is not dead so don’t remove the feeds from your feed reader! It will be back with new hot aviation articles. If some important news may happen it will be added later. Some new features are planned for the not so distinct future as well.

In the meantime please vote on these 2 polls to help improving flightstory.net. 🙂 Thanks for taking part!

MSNBC published an unbelievable story about the ultimate flight from hell experienced by a flight attendant.

“Trips from hell — everyone has a horror story about a bad flight on an airplane. I’ve been a flight attendant for 18 years and I’ve had some really bad flights, believe me — everything from truly terrifying weather to sickness and deaths on board. But one flight stands out in my memory for sheer misery. Here it is:
We arrived at the gate about 5 p.m. for our 11-hour flight back to the United States, only to discover that we had a half-hour mechanical delay. The other flight attendants and I immediately became suspicious, because in the world of air travel, the words “half hour” and “delay” seldom occur in the same sentence.
Still, we were asked to board the airplane and perform our preflight checks. We would be told later when passenger boarding would commence. Exactly half an hour late” … Continue at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20053546/

NOTE: If you experience a similar story, please post it on www.flightstory.net – The Aviation Story Database.

Passengers landing at Gatwick airport are being greeted by a giant naked pole dancer. The 9,000 sq m (100,000 sq ft) image is painted on grassland under the incoming flight path.

The advertisement is nearly invisible from the ground but can be seen from air. A Tandridge District Council spokeswoman said the ad was painted on the field without proper permission and that the council would take legal action if it was not removed.

Sports Media Gaming Ltd., the company behind the ad, said the council had no grounds for removing it. “I think they’re unsure about their own regulations to be honest,” director Stephen Pearson said. “We’re not going to remove it all.”

The Council to Protect Rural England said that the display was “a tacky advert which set a nasty precedent”.

This isn’t the first time that the company’s ads have appeared near the airport. In 2005, an ad for Lynx deodorant featuring a man fondling two naked women was washed off a nearby field after Unilever PLC decided to pull it, Pearson said.

// Comment: And I thought so prude are only the Americans. Come on, it’s just a drawing! It’s ridiculous.

A drunken British man who had sex with his girlfriend in an airplane toilet before forcing the flight to be diverted when he became abusive was jailed today.
Trevor Blake, 44, and his partner Nicola Fitzgerald, 27, had to be restrained on board a British Airways flight from Gatwick to Kingston, Jamaica.

The couple later sold their story to a national newspaper for £3,000, in which they boasted of how they twice made love on the Boeing 777.

A member of the cabin crew had first noticed the pair was acting drunk. Fitzgerald gyrated her hips on Blake’s groin as they sat on a seat reserved for cabin crew.
Blake flew into a rage with the cabin-crew member, Ian Walker, when they were told they were not being served with any more alcohol. They had downed two cans of beers and eight quarter sized bottles of wine.

Daniel Robinson, prosecuting at Hove Crown Court, said: “Mr Blake took great exception to being spoken to in this way. He became aggressive and rather obnoxious in his dealings with Mr Walker.

“He swore at him and said, ‘Who the fuck are you to tell me when I’m drunk?’ He called Mr Walker a fucking cunt and was rather voluble and aggressive in the way he spoke to Mr Walker.”

Mr Robinson said that Mr Walker tried to deal with the situation calmly and returned to the galley to speak to a colleague, Gillian Park, before Blake entered.

“They spoke about Mr Blake and he came into the galley and started to abuse Miss Park in an awful way…” Mr Robinson said.

“It seems that having said his piece, Mr Blake turned on his heels and went back to his seat.”

When Blake was issued with a final warning on a piece of paper about his behaviour, he scrunched it up and threw it at the member of cabin crew who had handed it to him.

Mr Robinson said at this point, the plane started to go through turbulence and seat-belts signs flashed up. But Blake and Fitzgerald instead got up to go to the same toilet together.

He said: “Mr Walker told Mr Blake once more not to walk around the plane when the seatbelt signs came on, and Mr Blake swore and screamed at him.”

Blake raised his hand at Mr Walker, and he was promptly restrained in handcuffs and leg restraints, but continued to direct abuse at Mr Walker.

Fitzgerald then became aware of the commotion at the back of the plane and she, too, became abusive, leading to her becoming restrained as well, Mr Robinson told the court.

The plane was later diverted to Bermuda. The couple, of Luton, Bedfordshire, were taken off the plane and sent back to the UK, where they were arrested and charged following the incidents on December 5, 2005.

Blake admitted affray and Fitzgerald pleaded guilty to drunkenness on an aircraft. The total cost of diverting the plane amounted to more than £12,000. Recorder Christopher Morris-Coole jailed Blake for 12 months and handed Fitzgerald a three-month prison term, suspended for 12 months. She will also have to complete 100 hours’ unpaid work.

In addition, the couple were ordered to pay £3,000, the sum of money they received for selling their story.
(guardian)