Couple married on Southwest flight

Last Tuesday, Pam and Jeremy joked that they should hop on a plane to get married in Vegas. It wasn't long before both realized that the other wasn't actually kidding, so they booked a flight for Sunday on one of our competitors, with a Vegas wedding chapel appointment Sunday night.

Come Sunday, the couple arrived to DFW from OKC, just to learn their connection to LAS was canceled. But that’s when their bad luck ended.

Chris, another passenger traveling to LAS from DFW, overheard Pam and Jeremy discussing how they might still get to Vegas in time for their appointment. Chris also happened to be an ordained minister and offered to marry the couple himself! The three went online, snatched up the last three seats to Vegas on a Southwest flight, and hurried together across town to Dallas Love Field. 

As they boarded the flight, their Pilot, Captain Gil, noticed Pam’s wedding dress and asked her about it (oh yeah, we forgot to mention: Pam and Jeremy were in full wedding attire, just for the fun of it!). Pam explained their story and joked with Captain Gil they should just get married on the flight. For the second time that week, Pam was surprised to hear the words, “Let’s do it!”

Our Flight Crew sprung into action with toilet paper streamers and a snack mix sash for Chris. Julie, one of our Flight Attendants, stood in as Pam’s Maid of Honor. A professional photographer on the flight pulled out her camera for official wedding photos. Another Passenger passed around an old notebook for the whole cabin to sign with well wishes and their seat numbers, which was given to the bride and groom as a makeshift guestbook. 

Congrats to the newlyweds on a memorable inflight wedding neither our Employees nor Passengers are likely to forget! We can't wait to welcome you back onboard the love airline.

PHOTO FROM SOUTHWEST FACEBOOK PAGE 

PHOTO FROM SOUTHWEST FACEBOOK PAGE

PHOTO FROM SOUTHWEST FACEBOOK PAGE 

PHOTO FROM SOUTHWEST FACEBOOK PAGE 

Self-driving Tesla crashes into private jet while being ‘summoned’

One of the self-driving features on a Tesla car is known as ‘smart summon’ and allows the owner to call the car remotely from around 200 feet (61 metres). Unfortunately, there’s sometimes an expensive private jet blocking the way. A video circulating around shows a Tesla crashing into a Cirrus Vision Aero Plane while it’s being summoned by its driver. The incident occurred at at Spokane-Felts Field (SFF/KSFF), Washington on Friday the 22nd April 2022.

The electric car knocks into the tail of the jet – which costs around $2 million (£1.5 million) – and pivots it 90 degrees before coming to a stop. The video looks like it was captured on a security camera and shows the white Tesla moving across a small airport. No visible damage is clear from the video but we’re willing to bet an awkward call to an insurance company ensued.

Tesla’s summon feature is operated through the company’s smartphone app and uses both the car’s and the phone’s GPS to bring the car to its owner’s location. In theory, the car’s on-board cameras are able to identify and steer around surrounding objects.

It’s not exactly clear why the car in this instance didn’t spot the plane. However, Tesla fans on Reddit have speculated that the cameras didn’t pick up the plane’s fuselage because it was in the air above the car, rather than directly in front of it.

As you can see in the video, the car’s bonnet passes under the plane before the roof catches the underside of the aircraft.

Earlier this year, Tesla was forced to recall thousands of cars because it’s self-driving software was rolling past stop signs.

The ‘rolling stop’ feature allows vehicles to go through junctions with stop signs at up to 5.6mph. But Tesla agreed to the recall after two meetings with officials from the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Aircraft Information:

Owner / Operator: Maverick Air V LLC

Aircraft: Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet G2

Registration: N369AR

Serial Number: 0210

Story sourced from here
Tesla on autopilot slams into £2.7million private jet before pushing it across Tarmac - Mirror Online

Flight that crashed killing all on board, was caused by pilot’s cigarette

A passenger jet that crashed killing all onboard was brought down by the pilot having a cigarette in the cockpit, an investigation has found.

The pilot onboard EgyptAir flight MS804 lit a cigarette in the cockpit, causing oxygen leaking from an emergency mask to combust.

A total of 56 passengers and 10 crew died when the Airbus A320 which was travelling from Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG/LFPG) France to Cairo International Airport (CAI/HECA), Egypt on the 19th May 2016 crashed into the Mediterranean Sea south of the Greek island of Crete in mysterious circumstances.

The plane made violent swerves before falling into a “death spiral” over the Mediterranean.
Among the dead were 40 Egyptians, 12 French, 2 Iraqis, 1 Brit and 1 Canadian. Following a major search mission involving the US Navy, the plane’s black box was found in deep water close to Greece. At the time, Egyptian authorities claimed the plane was brought down in a terrorist attack, despite no group claiming responsibility.

It was claimed explosives were found on the bodies of plane crash victims, although this was later discredited. However, an official investigation has concluded that smoke from the pilot’s cigarette accidentally ignited oxygen leaking from an emergency mask.

Egyptian pilots would often smoke in the cockpit, and incredibly, the practice wasn’t banned at the time of the 2016 crash, according to a 134-page report produced by aviation experts.

The setting on the oxygen mask had been switched by a maintenance engineer from normal to emergency, the experts said. This caused the mask to emit oxygen, creating a highly volatile situation.
A hissing sound made by escaping oxygen was identified by investigators at around 2.25am on the morning of May 19, just minutes before the passenger jet crashed into the sea.

It isn’t known why the maintenance engineer had put the face mask into the emergency setting.
An experienced pilot said the plane’s captain Mohamed Said Ali Ali Shoukair should have detected the faulty mask ahead of takeoff.

“When we go into the cabin, among the various checks we make before taking off is to check the flow of oxygen in the masks,” Italian pilot Daniele Veronelli told investigators.

“If the switch is in the normal position, the flow of oxygen is on request. If it is on the emergency setting, it will release oxygen at a greater pressure to blow away the smoke that could be in the cabin if there’s a fire on board.”

Aircraft Information:

Airline: Egypt Air

Code: MS/MSR

Aircraft: Airbus A320-232

Registration: SU-GCC

Serial Number: 2088

Engines: 2 IAE V2527-A5

First Flew: 25/07/2003

Story sourced from here (with additions)

EgyptAir flight MS804 fatal crash caused by pilot Mohamed Said Ali Ali Shoukair's cigarette (nypost.com)

Remembering China Airlines 140

China Airlines Flight 140 was a regularly scheduled passenger flight from Taipei-Chiang Kai Shek International Airport (TPE/RCTP), Taiwan to Nagoya-Komaki International Airport (NGO/RJNN), Japan

On the 26th April 1994, the Airbus A300B4-622R was completing a routine flight and approach, when, just seconds before landing at Nagoya Airport, the takeoff/go-around setting (TO/GA) was inadvertently triggered. The pilots attempted to pitch the aircraft down while the autopilot, which was not disabled, was pitching the aircraft up. The aircraft ultimately stalled and crashed into the ground, killing 264 of the 271 people on board.

It was nighttime and Nagoya airport weather at the time was reported as winds from 280 degrees at 8 knots, visibility of 20 kilometers, cumulus clouds at 3,000 feet and a temperature of 20 degrees Celsius. During the initial phase of the approach, both autopilot systems (AP1 and AP2) were engaged as well as the auto throttles. After passing the ILS outer marker and receiving landing clearance, the first officer, who was the pilot flying, disengaged the autopilot system and continued the ILS approach manually. When passing through approximately 1,000 feet on the approach glidepath, the first officer inadvertently triggered the GO levers placing the auto throttles into go-around mode, which led to an increase in thrust. This increase in thrust caused the aircraft to level off at approximately 1,040 feet for 15 seconds and resulted in the flight path becoming high relative to the ILS glideslope. The captain recognised that the GO lever had been triggered and instructed the first officer to disengage it and correct the flight path down to the desired glide slope. While manually trying to correct the glide path with forward yoke, the first officer engaged the autopilot, causing it to be engaged in the go-around mode as well. As he manually attempted to recapture the glide slope from above by reducing thrust and pushing the yoke forward, he was providing pitch inputs to the elevator that were opposite the autopilot commands to the THS, which was attempting to command pitch up for a go around.

Passing through approximately 700 feet, the autopilot was disengaged but the THS remained at its last commanded position of -12.3 degrees. Also at this time, due to the thrust reduction commanded by the first officer, the airspeed decreased to a low level, resulting in an increasing angle of attack (also termed alpha, or AOA). As a result, the automatic alpha floor function of the aircraft was activated, causing an increase in thrust and a further pitch-up. The alpha floor function of the A300 is an AOA protection feature intended to prevent excessive angles of attack during normal operations. Because of the greater size of the THS relative to the elevator (approximately three times greater in terms of surface area), the available elevator control power or authority was overcome as the aircraft neared 570 feet on the approach. Upon hearing the first officer report that he could not push the nose further down and that the throttles had latched (alpha floor function engaged), the captain took over the controls unaware of the THS position.

To date, the accident remains the deadliest accident in the history of China Airlines, and the second-deadliest aviation accident on Japanese soil, behind Japan Airlines Flight 123. It is also the third-deadliest aviation accident or incident involving an Airbus A300, after Iran Air Flight 655 and later American Airlines Flight 587.

Aircraft Information:

Airline: China Airlines

Code: CI/CAL

Aircraft: Airbus A300B4-622R

Registration: B-1816

Serial Number: 580

Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney PW4158

First Flew: 30/10/1990

Airbus A300

There were 561 built
This was the 11th loss
This was the 4th fatal accident
This was the 2nd worst accident (at the time)
This is the 3rd worst accident (currently)

ANZAC Day 2022

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.

LEST WE FORGET

Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders "who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations" and "the contribution and suffering of all those who have served". Observed on 25 April each year, Anzac Day was originally devised to honour the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who fought at Gallipoli against the Ottoman Empire during World War I. (1914–1918) Anzac Day is also observed in the Cook Islands, Niue, Pitcairn Islands, and Tonga, and previously was a national holiday in Papua New Guinea and Samoa. Anzac Day marks the anniversary of the first campaign that led to major casualties for Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War. 

The acronym ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, whose soldiers were known as Anzacs. Anzac Day remains one of the most important national occasions of both Australia and New Zealand a rare instance of two sovereign countries not only sharing the same remembrance day, but making reference to both countries in its name. When war broke out in 1914, Australia and New Zealand had been dominions of the British Empire for thirteen and seven years respectively. World War One was one of the deadliest conflicts in the history of the human race, in which over 16 million people died. The total number of both civilian and military casualties is estimated at around 37 million people. The war killed almost 7 million civilians and 10 million military personnel. Two out of three soldiers died in battle, the rest died due to infections or disease. The Spanish flu also killed a lot of people in prisoner camps.

For Australia
The First World War remains the costliest conflict in terms of deaths and casualties. From a population of fewer than five million, 416,809 men enlisted, of whom more than 60,000 were killed and 156,000 wounded, gassed, or taken prisoner.

For New Zealand

The First World War was one of the most significant events of the 20th Century and had a seismic impact on New Zealand society. Just under ten percent of their then population of 1.1 million served overseas, of which more than 18,000 died. There were also over 40,000 hospitalisations due to injury or illness. Nearly every New Zealand family was affected by the impact of the war.

The Red Poppy

The red poppy has become a symbol of war remembrance the world over. People in many countries wear the poppy to remember those who died in war or are serving in the armed forces. In many countries, the poppy is worn on Armistice Day (11th November), but in Australia and New Zealand it is most commonly seen on Anzac Day, 25th April.

In Flanders fields
The red or Flanders poppy has been linked with battlefield deaths since the Great War (1914–18). It was one of the first plants to grow and bloom on battlefields in the Belgian region of Flanders. The connection was made most famously by a Canadian medical officer, Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae, in his poem, ‘In Flanders fields’.

                            LEST WE FORGET

All photos taken from the internet and story taken from different websites.

Spotting at Ballina Airport

Yesterday I called in the Ballina airport for around an hour for some plane spotting. 

Ballina Byron Gateway Airport (BNK / YBNA) is a small regional airport located at Ballina, New South Wales. It is owned and operated by Ballina Shire Council. It serves Ballina and the nearby famous town of Byron Bay, a 20-minute drive north. The airport is 5 km (3 miles) from the Ballina town centre. It has one Asphalt runway, 06/24, which is 1,900 mts long (6,234 Feet) and is 2 mts AMSL. This airport does not have a control tower so pilots are required to communicate via a Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF) to safely co-ordinate arrivals and departures.

SKYLINE AVIATION GROUP ROBINSON R44 VH-ROO (MSN 0407)

AIRWAYS AVIATION CESSNA 172N SKYHAWK VH-MNF (MSN 172-70780) 

AIR GOLD COAST CESSNA 172RG VH-OUA (MSN 172RG-0534) 

QANTAS BOEING 737-838 VH-XZN (MSN 44575)
QF1168 ARRIVING FROM MELBOURNE (MEL)

NSW RESCUE LEONARDO AW135 VH-ZXA (MSN 31727)
WESTPAC ONE ARRIVING FROM PORT MACQUARIE (PQQ)

NSW RURAL FIRE SERVICE BELL 412 VH-VJD (MSN 8157

NSW RURAL FIRE SERVICE CESSNA 560 VH-VJO (MSN 560-0232)

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA BOEING 737-8FE VH-YFV (MSN 41030)
VA1139 ARRIVING FROM SYDNEY (SYD)

FLY PELICAN BAe JETSTREAM 32 VH-OTQ (MSN 975)
PE512 ARRIVING FROM NEWCASTLE (NTL)

PIPER PA-24-260 VH-YER (MSN 24-4924)

Spotting at Gold Coast Airport

As I was heading to a place in New South Wales called Byron Bay on holidays, I thought I would call into the Gold Coast Airport for about an hour as it was on the way.

AUSTREK AVIATION BEECH B200 VH-ZGD (MSN BB-1412) 

AIRWAYS AVIATION CESSNA 172 VH-SPQ (MSN 172S-1895)

AUSTRALIAN WINGS ACADEMY CESSNA 172 VH-EWW (MSN 172-80090)

QANTAS B737-838 VH-VZA (MSN 34195)
QF598 ARRIVING FROM SYDNEY (SYD)

CESSNA 525 VH-CDG (MSN 525-0163)

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA BOEING 737-8FE VH-YIJ (MSN 39924)
VA1687 ARRIVING FROM CANBERRA (CBR)

ALLIANCE E190AR VH-UYW (MSN 19000174)
QF1966 ARRIVING FROM ADELAIDE (ADL)

AIR NEW ZEALAND A321-271 ZK-NNF (MSN 08839)
NZ188 OFF TO AUCKLAND (AKL)

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA BOEING 737-8FE VH-VUO (MSN 36601)
VA736 OFF TO MELBOURNE (MEL

ROBINSON R22 VH-MFH (MSN 2266)

JETSTAR A320-232 VH-YXQ (MSN 5618)
JQ423 OFF TO SYDNEY (SYD)

CESSNA C310R VH-DZX (MSN 310R0294)

Woman survived plane crash and falling 33,000 feet

This is the incredible story of an air hostess who holds a truly terrifying Guinness World Records: the highest fall survived without a parachute.

Vesna Vulović was 23 at the time of her horrific ordeal, and in a cruel twist of fate wasn’t even supposed to be on the plane that ended up plummeting out of the sky. The airline confused Vesna with another flight attendant of the same name, meaning she ended up being rostered with the crew manning the ill-fated flight.

She was the only one of the 28 passengers and crew members to survive.
Vesna told security training firm Green Light Limited in 2002: “My colleagues had a feeling that something would happen to them. The captain was locked in his room for 24 hours. He didn’t want to go out at all.”

On the 26th January 1972, Vesna boarded JAT Yugoslav Airlines Flight 367 in Copenhagen, Denmark heading to Belgrade, Serbia. The plane exploded over the village of Srbska Kamenice in what is now Czech Republic (Czechoslovakia at the time).

While other passengers were reportedly sucked out of the plane by the change in air pressure, Vesna found herself jammed in place by the food cart, trapped in the plane’s broken fuselage as it hurtled 33,000 feet to the ground. Vesna’s physicians later determined that her low blood pressure meant she quickly passed out as the cabin depressurised, which saved her heart from bursting as the plane hit the ground.

The plane also landed in a wooded area with thick snow, which also helped save Vesna’s life. She has no memory of the incident. She sustained heavy injuries from the mind-bending fall – suffering a skull fracture, broken vertebrae and legs, several broken ribs and a fractured pelvis.

She was found screaming inside the aircraft’s wreckage by Bruno Honke, a former World War Two medic, who was able to provide life-saving first aid. Vesna fell into a coma for several days and has amnesia from one hour before the incident until one month after.

Speaking to Green Light, she said: “The first thing I remember is seeing my parents in the hospital.
“I was talking to them asking them why they were with me in Slovenia. I thought I was in Slovenia because I was just in Ljubljana before going to Copenhagen.”

Vesna was temporarily paralysed from the waist down, but was able to walk again after 10 months.

As for the cause of the plane crash, it is believed a bomb in a suitcase exploded in the baggage compartment. No arrests were ever made, but Croatian terrorist group the Ustashe were suspected to be behind the attack.

Vesna died in 2016 at the age of 66. When she was asked if she felt she was lucky to have survived the 33,000 feet fall, she said: “If I were lucky, I would never had this accident, and my mother and father would be alive.

The airplane departed Stockholm, Sweden on a flight to Belgrade, Yugoslavia (now Serbia) with en route stops at Copenhagen, Denmark and Zagreb, Yugoslavia (now Croatia). After an uneventful first leg, the flight took off from Copenhagen at 15:15 UTC with a planned arrival time at Zagreb of 17:00 UTC. En route altitude was 10.050 meters (FL330).
Shortly after entering Czech airspace, an in-flight explosion in the forward cargo hold of a homemade bomb caused the DC-9 to break up and crash.
The bomb had likely been placed on the aircraft by the Croatian extremists organization 'Ustashi'.

Aircraft Information:

Airline: Jugoslovenski Aerotransport - JAT

Code: JU/JAT

Aircraft: McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32

Registration: YU-AHT

Serial Number: 47482/592

Passengers on Aer Lingus were told to brace for a water landing

Passengers on Aer Lingus flight EI343 were told to brace for a water landing on final approach to Dublin.

Passengers on an Aer Lingus flight from Zurich (ZRH/LSZH) to Dublin (DUB/EIDW) on Saturday were told the aircraft was going to make an emergency landing into the sea.

“I was sitting down near the back with my son, who had headphones on,” said a passenger who lives in Zurich and was on the flight. As best he could remember, the pre-recorded message said: “Ladies and gentlemen, this is an emergency. Please prepare for a ditched landing.”

He said there was very little reaction to the announcement, possibly because so many people had headphones on. He did make eye contact with one woman who was sitting nearby and minding children.

The flight attendants were behind the curtains at each end of the aircraft, and no-one came rushing out to tell passengers what to do, which is a good sign.

However about two minutes later the passengers were told to ignore the announcement, which was made when the flight was over the sea.

A spokeswoman for the airline said that during Aer Lingus flight from Zurich to Dublin an incorrect pre-recorded announcement was played on board.

“A follow up announcement was made advising passengers of the error. 

At no point during the flight was there any risk to the safety of the aircraft or those on board.”

The Airbus A320 landed without further incident on schedule at Dublin Airport, soon after midday.

Aircraft Information:

Airline: Aer Lingus

Code: EI/EIN

Aircraft: Airbus A320-214

Registration: EI-DEP

Serial Number: 2542

First Flew: 16 September 2005

Brisbane Spotting

I had to go to the airport yesterday to collect my daughter from a flight. While we waited, I thought I take a few shots and practice my panning shots as well.

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA BOEING 737-8FE VH-YQR (MSN 41011)
VA909 ARRIVING FROM SYDNEY (SYD)

QANTAS BOEING 737-838 VH-VZV (MSN 34189)
QF935 OFF TO PERTH (PER)

QANTAS BOEING 747-838 VH-VZB (MSN 34196)
QF604 ARRIVING FROM MELBOURNE (MEL)

QANTASLINK BOEING 717-2BL VH-NXN (MSN 55095)

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA BOEING 737-81D VH-YFC (MSN 39413)
VA605 OFF TO MACKAY (MKY)

ROYAL FLYING DOCTORS BEECH KING AIR 350 VH-FDF ( FM-63)

JETSTAR A320-232 VH-VFP (MSN 5775)
JQ930 OFF TO CAIRNS

ALLIANCE EMBRAER E190AR VH-UYB (MSN 19000012)
QF1903 OFF TO CANBERRA (CBR)

QANTASLINK DASH 8 Q400 VH-LQG (MSN 4376)
QF2322 OFF TO BUNDABERG (BDB)

ALLIANCE EMBRAER E190AR VH-UYI (MSN 19000053)

LIFEFLIGHT BOMBARDIER CHALLENGER 604 VH-URR (MSN 5439)
AM604 OFF TO SYDNEY (SYD)

SINGAPORE AIRLINES AIRBUS A350-941 9V-SHI (MSN 322)
SQ256 OFF TO SINGAPORE 

AIR NIUGINI BOEING 767-341 P2-PXV (MSN 30341)
PX3 ARRIVING FROM PORT MORESBY (POM)