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Originally Posted by Hammerhands
1. I love the program Mayday. Most catastrophes seem to involve new planes or new situations but during the last episode I saw on NextGen they avoided that idea. I think when NextGen is introduced it will be two years before I get on a plane. What do you know about it and what are your opinions? Will it be up and running before you retire? [They said the old system of see and avoid was not feasible, but NextGen sounds like electronic see and avoid.]
I'm not completely sure what is meant by "NextGen"; is the 787 considered a NextGen plane? If so, it should be in service within the next couple of years (and that's before I retire).
As far as catastrophes involving new planes (and I assume you mean new
types of planes, not ones that are fresh from the assembly line), there is some truth in this to the extent that basic design flaws sometimes only become evident after the plane enters service. The Comet, Constellation and DC-10 come to mind in this regard. But modern aircraft design, incorporating extensive CAD/CAM, has greatly reduced this type of risk.
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2. They have a nifty program called Ice Pilots, DC-3's in the Arctic. Would you like to make your money that way?
I can barely stand the winters in D.C. No thanks.