I dunno that 757/767 flight is relevant to his question though.

quit being a pussy and take the lesson. i'd kill for one right about now.

I'm sure you would.....but would you take a flying lesson?

do you have to have a pretty good aptitude for science/math to be a pilot, or is it something that you think most average people are capable of if they just wanted it and put in the time, money, effort?

I don't think it's necessary to have any such aptitude to be able to learn to fly. It's a skill that can be learned by anyone motivated to do so. When I look back on the students I taught, I found that intelligence was directly related to ability to grasp the fundamentals and to appreciate the relationship between, for example, pitch, power and airspeed. So the learning curve for the smart student is steeper than for someone more...average. But that's probably true in most endeavors.

I did, however, have one guy who was almost too smart for his own good. He was very intelligent but couldn't see the forest for the trees and was always trying to figure things out to the detriment of actually just getting the hang of it. Learning to fly isn't a classroom exercise and much of it just has to be experienced until you get a feel for it.

What do you think of this?
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nati...he_caribb.html

My first thought was that using GPS to guide planes closer together would lead to an increased risk of collisions in the case of human error since the big sky rule wouldn't apply to any planes set on the same course.

But then again, maybe I'm just insane.

whats the cheapest way to get to nagoya?

(my friend qualified for the pro tour magic the gathering and wants to go to the tournament in nagoya)

He isn't a travel agent...

Swim? Kayak?

Kayak it is.

I'm willing to bet, though, that the route through the Aleutians will be much faster, if you don't mind the cold.

Winner!!!!

Cool Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=0ac0bXkxM3E

Hey W0X0F, just wanted to say what a great thread this is. I read the whole thread over the last few days instead of studying, so I'm blaming you if I fail my exams! I was wondering how often the average Jet engine is overhauled? And to what extent is it overhauled? Just an oil change or a complete rebuild? Before you board the plane who brings it to the departure gate? Is there a tech who has the whole plane set up ready to go before you board?

Hey w0X0f, I was on this flight from LAX to KOA.

Our flight was delayed because of the need to repair mechanical problems and left about an hour and a half late.

Maybe 45 minutes into the flight the pilot came on the intercom and said roughly this: "It is my extreme displeasure to announce that the sharp turn we just took was the plane turning around to head back to LA. We are leaking hydraulic fluid but the systems are redundant and we have 2 other functioning lines. This is not an emergency but we will not be able to make it to Hawaii so we need to go back to get this fixed."

Everyone was calm and thought it was no big deal and then right before we land the pilot comes on again and says, "The firetrucks and emergency crews will be at the runway, don't worry about them, they just need to have their excitement for the day."

We land without incident and watching the ambulances and firetrucks try to keep up with us as we land was sort of amusing, but then we sit on the runway for a while until we are informed by the pilot that the crews outside have confirmed that we are leaking fluid onto the tarmac and that we will now need to be towed to the gate because we no longer have enough fluid to steer?!

When we get back in LAX I check my phone and there are all these news articles about the "emergency landing" and then I start to wonder... Then they were going to try to fix the plane again and put us back on the same plane, which was not making people happy, but we ultimately ended up on a different plane as they decided the issue was not immediately reparable. Also, the resulting logistics snafu was pretty poorly managed, although the local staff kept blaming Atlanta HQ for the miscommunications which may or may not be true, but I know that's not your area, so here are my questions with regards to this incident.

First off, in your estimation how severe was the problem and is the endgame of the fluid leaking UA Flight 232 or is that different because of only one line being ruptured? I don't know anything about airplanes so as much layman's talk as you can, if possible. Here is a map of how far out into the Pacific we got, if that helps.

I have never been in a plane emergency before, are pilots trained to say that this "isn't an emergency"?

My girlfriend and I got 100 dollar travel vouchers and 12 dollars in meal comps. Is this standard?

Thanks a bundle for reading this long post, you are a great ambassador to the flying world for us uninitiated folk.

The usual badly-written, ill-informed junk that tends to get written about aviation incidents. Having said that, ultimately not having enough hydraulic oil to operate is not good news.

Haha, nice stock photo of the DL 737-200.

The plane looks a tad short for a 757

His RC abilities are impressive, but it's not the same as being in the plane and experiencing the g forces and potential for spatial disorientation.

If those 4 planes were associated with the flight school you are considering, it might be a good idea to shop around. Or were these just 4 random crashes? Were the crashes due to pilot error or were they mechanical in nature? Four crashes in the last few months is off the charts, but with the information you provide I can't say. In general, their mishaps have nothing to do with your flight but, like I say, if they were all planes from one flight school, I'd be looking elsewhere.

Is a pilot's certificate necessary to taxi the planes around the airfield e.g. Maintenance?

GPS provides enough precision that the closer flight paths aren't really an issue. They do require more monitoring by the pilots to ensure that there are no excessive deviations.

Airways defined by VOR allow up to 4 miles of deviation either side of the airway which is huge by GPS standards. That allowable error was due to the inherent signal reliability of VOR as well as that of the on-board receivers and, last but not least, the pilot's ability to track a VOR course precisely.

With GPS, we measure course deviation in tenths of a mile with 0.3 nm usually being the limit (but it's often less on an approach). In any case, we don't rely on the "big sky" theory when using approaches that require closely spaced flight paths. These are monitored carefully by both pilots and ATC.

In spite of your concerns, I don't think you're insane. Perhaps you have some mild paranoia, but I should point out that I am not a trained mental health specialist.

This - - Made me laugh.

bump for me flying today.

W0X0F,

So im flying toLouisville from Miami today, and i was actually fearful for my life. The turbulence was so bad at one point it everybody jumped almost a foot out of their seats and **** went flying everywhere. Can turbulence flip a plane make it spiral out of control? Is there a way to correct that if it does\can happen? Any stories about this? If you already addressed it earlier, im sorry. Thanks

As I left the plane last night here at LAX, I realized I didn't have my iPhone. I searched the cockpit and finally gave up, hoping my phone was somewhere in my little carry-on bag. I left my name and home number with the crew coming on in case they find it...so far nothing.

After getting to the hotel I dumped out the contents of my flight bag and small carry-on bag (which I carry in addition to my roll-aboard bag). No phone. Also no call from the other crew. The only thing I can think of is that somehow that phone got in to the trash bag we use for the flight. At the end of the flight, I collect all the paperwork we've accumulated (flight plan, fuel record, NOTAMs, weather briefing, ATIS and clearance printouts, etc) and I dump them in the bag which we hang on my seat's armrest. It's possible, I suppose, that I had the phone on the center console and grabbed it up with the paperwork and dumped it. I'm at a loss to figure out what else happened. (And I know I had the phone leaving Salt Lake for LAX last night, because I called my brother from the cockpit before the boarding closed to congratulate him on the Packers' win in the Super Bowl.)

Today I took the bus to an Apple store here in L.A. and was told the bad news: $699 to replace my phone, or I could wait until the end of my current contract (next January) to get the cheaper "upgrade" price. I can't cancel my AT&T contract without a hefty penalty, so what do I do?

I'm posting this in case there's someone with clout or connections on this board who might be able to help. Any suggestions?

[p.s. I apologize for this flagrant breach of the spirit of an "ask me" thread.]

No license is necessary to taxi the plane, at least in the airline world. They simply check out the mechanic on what's necessary to safely taxi. As far as I know, you only need the license to operate an airplane in the air.

However, to operate any vehicle at an airport with airline service (i.e. one that has secure areas), you have to have special training and authorization. When I was working at ACA at Dulles airport, I got the training so that I could drive a car on the airport. They give you a special endorsement on your airport badge for that. There's probably something similar for the non-pilots who taxi an airplane.