Airline Travel

Plane Loses It’s Tail As A Result Of Human Error

An Emirates plane that recently tried taking off from Melbounre, Australia had its tail massively damaged when someone entered its incorrect weight into a take-off computer.

Human error was the primary cause of the problem according to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau who said that it all came down to a miscalculation of the planes weight and the power it needed to lift. The accident did not injury any of the 251 passages on the Airbus plane but authorities are continuing their investigations. As a vital part of the plane’s in flight data recording gear was damaged as a result of the incident, much of the detailed information about the event has yet to be recovered.

The plane was heading down the runway at full speed just like it would during a normal take off. However, when the time came to lift the nose from the ground, it did not budge. The power to the engines was upped which raised the front end of the plane, but left the tail scrapping along the tarmac. A terrible noise accompanied extensive damage to both plane and runway, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in repairs. Numerous runway obstruction light signs were wiped out and all the rear beacon lights on the plane were lost.The plane only managed to get airborne when the captain decided to hit full thrusters and he managed to keep it climbing.  For safety reasons the planes fuel was dumped at sea and the plane returned to Melbourne airport.

Modern planes are fitted with lots of different computer systems and have miles and miles of habia cable that can go wrong. However, director of aviation safety, Julian Walsh has stated that it seems human error was the primary cause.”the flight information was not entered properly and was not checked over before take off” Walsh explained. Both pilots have now quit but they were praised for their calm and correct actions

Posted by holiday_travel - May 23, 2009 at 2:39 am

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Learn More about Gatwick Airport

BAA Gatwick Airport is the 10th busiest international airport in the world. Gatcwick is the UK’s second largest airport, behind Heathrow, and is considered to be the worlds busiest singe runway airport.

Opened by her majesty Queen Elizabeth II in June, 1958, Gatwick celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2008. The name ‘Gatwick’ is actually derived from two Anglo-Saxon words that mean ‘goat farm’.

Gatwick was the first UK airport to have a direct rail link and its own railway station. As the passenger numbers increased so the airport has expanded to accommodate them. In 1984 the airport opened a new air traffic control tower and a new non-stop rail service between Gatwick and Victoria was started. The new North terminal at Gatwick was opened by the Queen in 1988.

In 2000 the airport inderwent further expansion with an extension to the South terminal departure lounge and a similar extension to the North terminal departure lounge was completed in 2005. The South Terminal departure lounge underwent further work in 2008 with a further extension and a new security search area.

Gatwick currently supports over 80 airlines flying to more than 220 destinations worldwide. Some of the most popular destinations from Gatwick are actually closer to home with many passengers using Gatwick for domestic, European and Irish flights. Airlines including US operators Delta, Northwest and Continental now offer a huge selection of long-haul flights to all areas of the world. The airport has received numerous awards including the 2008 Travel Bulletin ‘Best UK Airport’ award for the fifth year running.

Travellers are spoiled with an abundance of Gatwick parking facilities or they can use the excellent train services running direct to the airport. The airport is jam packed with top class restaurants and a variety of high street shops. It looks like Gatwick will continue to grow in popularity as a major international transport hub.

Posted by holiday_travel -  at 2:39 am

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The Cost Of Air Travel In Europe

The price of air travel in Europe is going up, and some airlines are forced to cut some of their flights simply because they can not afford to fly them. These may be flights that are not always full and don’t seem to be worth the cost of sending them out. This problem with air travel in Europe could put a huge dent in your summer vacation plans.

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Posted by great-holiday-travel - December 21, 2008 at 7:32 pm

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