American Airlines has canceled hundreds of flights as it inspects its fleet of McDonnell Douglas MD-80 aircraft. The MD-80, a very distinct aircraft by virtue of its rear mounted engines and T-tail is the workhouse of the American fleet, comprising nearly half of the fleet (300 out of 655 aircraft).
CNN Article
Meanwhile, Boeing 737 aircraft are being inspected for a separate issue for older models, comprising of a bolt problem that may have caused the fire of the China Airlines 737 in Japan.
China Airlines Incident
Written by tb_neg on March 26th, 2008 with comments disabled.
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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced it has initiated action to collect a $10.2 million civil penalty from Southwest Airlines for operating 46 airplanes without performing mandatory inspections for fuselage fatigue cracking. Subsequently, the airline found that six of the 46 airplanes had fatigue cracks.
While Southwest has a great safety record, it is somewhat sad that even the possibility of not properly taking care of safety issues still happens in this era of excellent flight safety. If the fine is a done deal and Southwest was possibly negligent, this will cost them a lot more than $10 million in fines.
Other articles on the matter:
WSJ, Business Week, Airliners.net Post, CNN Money, WFAA w/ Video.
Written by tb_neg on March 6th, 2008 with comments disabled.
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Be sure to watch this incredible video of a Lufthansa A320 attempting to land in a strong cross wind on March 1st. Fortunately, there were no injuries and the plane is back in service.
Full Article.
Written by tb_neg on March 3rd, 2008 with comments disabled.
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British Airways Flight 38, despite losing power to both engines, was saved by an incredibly skilled flight crew, and managed to land the plane short of the runway with only minor injuries and no fatalities at London’s Heathrow airport. There is no official cause to the incident yet, but an official report and findings can take years of investigating. Some might call it a miracle, but I think that it takes away from the skilled crew that saved everyone’s lives.
Turbulence Forecast reminds you to pay attention during safety drills and help the flight crew do the job by following all instructions.
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Statement
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Photographer’s Statement
Written by tb_neg on January 18th, 2008 with comments disabled.
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Air Canada Flight 190 may have hit a very rare phenomenom called an ‘Atmospheric Bore’, a sort of tidal wave in the sky. They are exceptionally rare.
A rogue aerial wave known as an atmospheric bore may have thrown an Air Canada jetliner into a series of rolls and dives that injured 10 people and knocked out part of the airplane’s computer system this week.
University of Western Ontario physics professor Wayne Hocking, an expert in atmospheric turbulence, said conditions in the area where the Airbus A319 was thrown out of control Thursday morning were likely to produce the rare and powerful phenomenon, which he described as a high-altitude version of a tidal bore.
Globe and Mail Article
Written by tb_neg on January 15th, 2008 with 4 comments.
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To celebrate the opening of our Travel Forum, Turbulence Forecast will be giving away a free Turbulence Forecast T-Shirt to the member who posts the best travel report.
A Travel Report should give some insight into why you went where you did, where you stayed, what you did, and share interesting photos of your trip. Had a great meal at a restaurant in Chicago? Had a good time in Ireland? Bummed around Florida for a few days? We want to hear how it went.
Written by tb_neg on November 7th, 2007 with comments disabled.
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The Boeing 787, a revolutionary plane, has been delayed by six months while Boeing works out some supply chain issues. The plane, which is constructed with a composite structure, has special turbulence suppression systems that would make flights smoother in rough air.
With it’s special wind-gust system, the plane automatically moves in the opposite direction to make flights smoother. Previous planes have had a side to side gust suppression system, and the 787 is the first to have on that works in the vertical direction, which should help with those stomach turning drops.
This is a disappointing setback for visitors of this website, as Boeing’s planes handle a little bit better in turbulence; see this article on the A340 vs B777.
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Written by tb_neg on October 11th, 2007 with comments disabled.
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