The Dreaded Turbulence

For many of us the worst thing about flying is also perhaps the most common. Mid-flight turbulence. As my buddy Adam appropriately stated recently, there's just nothing like flying smooth air, like you're just motionless floating in the sky. It's the best of flying, but usually only happens on flights over Arizona at about 5 PM on a clear late spring day. (although clear air turbulence is common too, and sucks.)

More commonly, you hear that mid-flight ding of the seat belt sign and end up white knuckling the bumps until either: 1) you land; or 2) the flight smooths out again for a solid block of 10-20 mins. and you can "relax" again.

One thing that does help is the knowledge that turbulence is ahead. It's the whole knowledge is power thing. When you know the cause of the bumps and shakes and about how long they will last, it's much easier to stomach them. The website Turbulence Forecast gives you that knowledge: http://www.turbulenceforecast.com/airmets.php. I'm tending to check out sites like this before I fly now, giving me the heads up that 1/2 way to Orlando we're going to be in for some rough air. The only sucky thing is when there is rough air before the forecast said it would occur. Super cell storm? hydraulics? Fuselage? That's when T passes me another Zanex.

Best/Scariest Airline Website Ever

Check this website out: http://avherald.com/h?list=&opt=0

For the fearful flyer this site could cut both ways. It could easily, freak you out by the number of air incidents that occur every day, or calm you to the fact that many of these pass unnoticed as the routine of airline travel. It's the equivalent of reporting every time someone gets a flat tire, busted axle, or has a puking kid in the back seat of your car...except this all takes place at 35,000 feet and it's big on landing gear malfunctions and bird strikes.

Anyway, after a verbal drubbing from my good friend in Ditmas Park about not posting, I'm attempting to restore the blog with regular updates. Nothing fancy just pumping out the info to all 2 of you that care.

Asleep at the stick

Well, I know I've been asleep at the stick for a while, but I'm back in the blogging groove, so here's a quick catch up to end the year in style.

Talk about asleep at the stick, this story is amazing and scary. I guess it's true when they say those auto pilots are so sophisticated that the planes can fly themselves!

On the flying and environment front, here's some good news! I'm waiting for the day that we run these things on old Chinese food oil. Imagine 10 hours with the delicious smell of General Tso in your nose.

Believe it or not the Airline Passengers' Bill of Rights is still not moving anywhere in Congress. Continuing to deny flying passengers the right to get off a plane after hours of waiting is insanely stupid and leads to story after story of needless inconvenience and annoyance. I just don't get why the same folks that can figure out how to safely fly millions around the world, can't figure out how to deplane a 100 people over the course of 9 hours. Somethings just not right about that.

Anyway, the blog will be back with more frequent updates in 2009, for all five of you reading!

New York traffic jams

Today's New York Times notes that despite restrictions on take offs and landings at the New York City airports, delays continue through this summer. While much of the article speaks to problems associated with weather and labor disputes, the real problem is buried in the last paragraph of the story. The only way to decrease the traffic jams in New York City is to build additional runways with new approach and departure routes. However, these advances are being blocked by communities worried about the noise. This NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) problem is pretty disgraceful, considering that catering to a few cranky New Yorkers' noise complaints ends up causing massive delays that ripple throughout the entire air traffic system. I like my peace and quiet just as much as the next guy (so much that I moved from New York to Vermont), but New Yorker's can't expect to have a first rate air system that is conveniently located and accessible, without enduring a rumble or two of an airplane every now and again. I mean what's the big deal, I grew up in the flight pattern of Burlington International Airport, and look at how well adjusted I am!

The future?

Interesting little piece about using solar panels on planes to lower fuel costs. This is the type of innovation that we need if we're going to break the strangle hold oil has over the airline industry, our economy and our lives. The sad thing is, we could have been developing innovations like this decades ago if folks had the political will to do it. Sad that it takes an economic crisis to make us realize that we have to look beyond our reliance on a fuel source that will some day run out.

What 30-300 million will get you

Sick of the constant hassles, the nickel and dimming, the old planes, the lack of amenities, the in-flight brawls between airline staff and passengers, well take a looksy at how the super-duper rich do it. We're not talking souped up Cessnas or ticked out Gulfstreams, we're talking entirely retrofitted 737s, 747, 777s, and A-380s! It's pretty incredible to think that any single person could actually own their own 747, and not many do, but as the rich get richer by the day, their toys get bigger and brighter and flashier, and I expect we'll see more and more private ownership of these super jets. In fact, all my google searching, gmail emailing, and blogger postings helped Larry Page and Serge Brin (founders of google) pay for their own Boeing jet. I have to say, I don't really care about getting rich, BUT, I wouldn't be sad at all if one or two of my friends happened to earn a Bill or two allowing me to hitch a ride on their modest 747 every now and again. So c'mon friends, get back to making those Benjamins!

"You never know when they're going to not work right"

That was the quote from American Airline spokeswoman rationalizing why an MD-80 had to make an emergency landing yesterday in Dallas. In an age when passengers are frustrated, annoyed, concerned, angry, basically anything but satisfied and happy travelers, it's not the best PR to tell us that at any time a plane could just stop working. How about something like this: at American we hold the highest standards for the maintenance of our planes, and are committed to doing everything we can to keep the traveling public safe. A simple statement that lets us know that when we strap in, the company has done everything it can to look out for us. Flippant statements like the one made by American really makes me question whether I would fly their airline. Passenger satisfaction has a lot to do with confidence in the airline, and while I'm sure that American and most airlines do a great job on maintenance at the end of the day the failure to let us know the steps they take to keep us safe is a failure unto itself.