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atomicthumbs posted:barely being able to see the cable makes it look like the guy grabbed something hanging from the helicopter and pulled the copter to the ground Hold on, gotta dodge a chopper and help a pilot out. After speeding up the time until the accident happens of course.
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Nov 27, 2011 18:29
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Smirk posted:Flew on a Cathay Pacific A330 recently, every seat had them, at least in economy. I don't think they mentioned it in their safety literature or demonstration (can't be sure, the entertainment system died while we were taxiing), I would think that you wouldn't want to use certain brace positions with an airbag in your lap? You didn't miss anything. I'm a CX engineer and they didn't tell us much about those airbag belts other than don't gently caress with them. Just assume standard brace position and it'll pop when you hit the deck. Keeping the IFE running is one of the more stressful parts of a standard day. Each monitor is basically separate PC, so you can imagine how fickle they are. We found a good trick when one locks up is to disconnect the unit and throw it in the chiller for 10 minutes. Once it's cooled down, works like a charm, just like a PC. The transits are so tight that we almost never have a spare 10 minutes in any case.
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Nov 28, 2011 05:38
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smooth jazz posted:You didn't miss anything. IFE is job security and the bane of my existence all rolled in one.
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Nov 28, 2011 13:11
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I worked for a few years doing IFE service/repairs. Only got shocked once, but man, were some of those systems a pain. Most notably, the genius who thought to install components that frequently need replacement under the floor boards requiring an hour of work for a 5 minute remove and replace job deserves a night spent changing a whole bunch of them. He also deserves to grab the wrong LOPA and pull up the wrong floorboard whilst breaking a screwdriver bit on a stripped special Airbus screw followed by angry flight attendants/gate agents unhappy that a few rows will not work for the day. What was really crazy was the old systems that use Windows 3.0 with a little mix of Linux on a token ring network. Summer time was fun, too, due to the heat issues mentioned above and a system left on for hours with all the A/C doors closed.
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Nov 28, 2011 19:21
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So, are you glad or not glad that many airlines are phasing them out in favor of wifi (which is only a few boxes) and BYO iPad?
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Nov 28, 2011 19:38
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I've actually always wondered about that - I bet even providing a ipad per seat would work out much cheaper than an integrated system and make for a much better user experience. As for the built in systems the thing that annoys me most is the universally awful quality of the screens - no excuse for that when even a budget netbook is way better.
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Nov 28, 2011 22:02
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dissss posted:I've actually always wondered about that - I bet even providing a ipad per seat would work out much cheaper than an integrated system and make for a much better user experience. But how would I hack the 747's engines if all I had was an iPad?
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Nov 28, 2011 22:18
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the problem with systems like that is safety regulations. How do you pause everyone's movie when you want to make an announcement? How do you shut everyone's ipads off if there is an emergency? That is the reason all 200 screens have to be on a flaky intranet. Also (apologies to any IT types), the coders and designers simply don't understand time critical in an airline context. Never mind the poor quality screens (they were best-on-a-budget when the system was specced), what's unacceptable is the 10 minute minimum boot up time, make that 20 if one of the hundreds of components decides it's too warm and packs it in. without any details, I'm calling bullshit on that 747 link. What IFE system has any commonality at all with any AC system? There's an Arinc 612 link from the flight management to update the moving map, and depending on the aircraft, a bodge into the cabin systems (reading lights, PA keylines, etc,). Nothing on networks, not even on Embraers, which do run an ethernet.
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Nov 28, 2011 22:51
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Linedance posted:the problem with systems like that is safety regulations. How do you pause everyone's movie when you want to make an announcement? How do you shut everyone's ipads off if there is an emergency? That is the reason all 200 screens have to be on a flaky intranet. Considering half the people are probably watching movies on their own laptops/tablets/phones anyway I can't see its a big deal (regs aside of course). I know some of the budget carriers were doing portable DVD players a few years back with no central control.
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Nov 29, 2011 00:17
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Linedance posted:the problem with systems like that is safety regulations. How do you pause everyone's movie when you want to make an announcement? How do you shut everyone's ipads off if there is an emergency? That is the reason all 200 screens have to be on a flaky intranet. Also (apologies to any IT types), the coders and designers simply don't understand time critical in an airline context. Never mind the poor quality screens (they were best-on-a-budget when the system was specced), what's unacceptable is the 10 minute minimum boot up time, make that 20 if one of the hundreds of components decides it's too warm and packs it in. "There's an app for that".
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Nov 29, 2011 00:56
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Have a video of a flight of P-38s patrolling Central California... http://youtu.be/GdzF_i7mPgs
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Nov 29, 2011 00:59
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Ridge_Runner_5 posted:Have a video of a flight of P-38s patrolling Central California... Wow, the opposite rotating props are really distracting at the framerate they are using.
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Nov 29, 2011 01:06
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dissss posted:I've actually always wondered about that - I bet even providing a ipad per seat would work out much cheaper than an integrated system and make for a much better user experience. AA, on certain flights (AA 431 MIA-SFO on a 767 in 2009 is my experience) hands out hard-drive based media players pre-loaded with movies, TV, and music in first class; since these aren't part of the airplane they go through less engineering control (and are thus cheaper). They're kind of lovely compared to an iPad or a laptop though.
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Nov 29, 2011 01:09
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Ridge_Runner_5 posted:Have a video of a flight of P-38s patrolling Central California... Holy poo poo that's awesome. I had no idea that there were 5 flying Lightnings left in the entire world, so seeing them all together like that is just amazing. Thanks!
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Nov 29, 2011 02:51
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Ridge_Runner_5 posted:Have a video of a flight of P-38s patrolling Central California... i need to change my pants now... too bad the music is so atrocious. ack!
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Nov 29, 2011 03:35
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dissss posted:I know some of the budget carriers were doing portable DVD players a few years back with no central control. Alaska does this with a PSP-sized dealio, free for first class, otherwise you've gotta pay.
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Nov 29, 2011 03:48
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The Locator posted:Holy poo poo that's awesome. I had no idea that there were 5 flying Lightnings left in the entire world, so seeing them all together like that is just amazing. I thought the same thing...I figured maybe 3 or 4 left in the states.
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Nov 29, 2011 03:55
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I flew a couple weeks ago on Continental IIRC and they had DirectTV in every seat for like $7. I think they are testing it right now. Totally worth it. It had pretty much their entire channel lineup, but I think only the news channels were live.
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Nov 29, 2011 06:04
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revmoo posted:I flew a couple weeks ago on Continental IIRC and they had DirectTV in every seat for like $7. I think they are testing it right now. Totally worth it. It had pretty much their entire channel lineup, but I think only the news channels were live. ESPN/ESPN2/a couple of other sports channels were live as well (flew on Continental last week).
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Nov 29, 2011 06:28
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revmoo posted:I flew a couple weeks ago on Continental IIRC and they had DirectTV in every seat for like $7. I think they are testing it right now. Totally worth it. It had pretty much their entire channel lineup, but I think only the news channels were live. They had that in 2009; I watched "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" on FX between IAH and PDX.
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Nov 29, 2011 14:17
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Flew Continental a few times last week, it was on the 737-9s but not the -8s.
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Nov 29, 2011 16:23
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Virgin America's got sat TV in every seat, plus games, radio, chat, all that... for free. Check in is a breeze, planes are clean and nice. AND it's cheap? Seriously, best airline in the US as far as I'm concerned.
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Nov 29, 2011 18:29
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Cygni posted:Virgin America's got sat TV in every seat, plus games, radio, chat, all that... for free. Check in is a breeze, planes are clean and nice. AND it's cheap? Seriously, best airline in the US as far as I'm concerned. I'm partial to JetBlue but it's the same basic concept. edit: also for those living under a rock, AMR finally filed for Chapter 11
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Nov 29, 2011 18:47
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Cygni posted:Virgin America's got sat TV in every seat, plus games, radio, chat, all that... for free. Check in is a breeze, planes are clean and nice. AND it's cheap? Seriously, best airline in the US as far as I'm concerned. I was referring to them in my previous post but didn't want to name names. Most of those channels live Sat TV, but some are pre-loaded. One thing I thought surprising was the premium TV content they had. Shows like Hung and Dexter were available whole, no editing. There's a little disclaimer saying to be aware of your surroundings and content, but still weird to see those available in a public place. They're clean and nice at a price, too. One of the ground crew leads I was friends with got severely yelled at because a fingerprint was found on seat belt latch. They spent hours cleaning one VRD plane. Guess it's better than Air Tran, though, where mice were frequently seen. For aviation nerds and IFE, this lady has a nice blog about the latest and greatest: http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/runway-girl/
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Nov 29, 2011 19:24
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Cygni posted:Virgin America's got sat TV in every seat, plus games, radio, chat, all that... for free. Check in is a breeze, planes are clean and nice. AND it's cheap? Seriously, best airline in the US as far as I'm concerned. My favorite part: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHIdA5H0rRU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHIdA5H0rRU However, I've become incredibly lazy and don't want to make the (30 mile) trek to FLL most of the time, so I've only flown AA and DL the last few months.
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Nov 29, 2011 20:38
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BonzoESC posted:My favorite part: Ugh, just watching that gives me memories of the hangovers I've had from LAX-JFK flights. Those things with a group of fun people are downright dangerous.
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Nov 29, 2011 20:59
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CO....errr UA is installing DirectTV in all the 737's except for the -500s because they will be leaving the fleet soon. I've also read the 757-300 will be getting DirectTV as well. The 777s, 764s and 752s already have AVOD so those will not get it installed (they fly long haul anyways so it wouldn't work.)
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Nov 29, 2011 23:46
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I wonder if chAApter 11 will slow down AA's wifi installs, or if they're already going so slow that it won't matter.
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Nov 30, 2011 00:19
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BonzoESC posted:So, are you glad or not glad that many airlines are phasing them out in favor of wifi (which is only a few boxes) and BYO iPad? I don't know how reliable the system will be, but there will be loving hell to pay if we're unable to rectify a u/s wifi network. It'll happen. CX is getting wifi next year so hope for the best, plan for the worst as they say...
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Nov 30, 2011 01:05
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BonzoESC posted:I wonder if chAApter 11 will slow down AA's wifi installs, or if they're already going so slow that it won't matter. I'm more curious how they're going to get loans on the fleet they just ordered. Bankruptcy really needs to stop being a business strategy.
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Nov 30, 2011 01:06
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Ahahaha like 6 days after I buy tickets for St. Maarten AMR files bankruptcy this owns so hard 
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Nov 30, 2011 01:07
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Epic Fail Guy posted:Ahahaha like 6 days after I buy tickets for St. Maarten AMR files bankruptcy this owns so hard You'll be alright. They aren't going anywhere. Hopefully they come out of this a less shittier airline.
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Nov 30, 2011 01:32
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Advent Horizon posted:Bankruptcy really needs to stop being a business strategy. It worked for DL, NW (same day as DL), US (twice in three years, so maybe it didn't work), and UA. Chapter 11 is based on the company being more valuable in business than it would be liquidated, allowing them to pay employees and suppliers (continue operating) while turning some debt (usually owed to banks or funds that can insure it against default) into nothing, other debt into ownership, and ideally in the long run, keep the business operating and generating value for its owners and debtors and the public at large. "If you want to be a Millionaire, start with a billion dollars and launch a new airline." - Richard Branson
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Nov 30, 2011 01:38
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Advent Horizon posted:I'm more curious how they're going to get loans on the fleet they just ordered. One of the biggest reasons why they went Chapter 11 is because they're hamstrung by a pile of very expensive leases on some very inefficient aircraft (their MD-80 fleet). By doing this, they can walk away from the worst of these leases, for all intents and purposes. It isn't uncommon for an airline to declare bankruptcy after making a huge new aircraft order for this very reason.
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Nov 30, 2011 02:07
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I'm pretty sure financing on all the new aircraft has already been secured, and like Mr. Chips said, it's a good way to walk away from their least efficient aircraft. They're also using the bankruptcy to wring concessions out of their employees in the grand tradition.
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Nov 30, 2011 04:14
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BonzoESC posted:
I'm well aware of the purpose of Chapter 11. The problem is, ever since Worldcom, it has become a potential business plan. Spend a ton of money, file, emerge without having to pay for all the stuff you bought (but you still have it). AA is also filing because they STILL haven't worked out the labor agreements with TWA, whose pilots have had a lawsuit going for a while. This marks at least the 4th airline my uncle (a former TWA and Pan Am pilot) has worked for when they filed. AA couldn't afford to buy new planes and it couldn't afford to operate the exisiting fleet. It's a very competitive market, which means there is plenty of duplication and no reason they need to exist as a going concern. This is coming as someone who has a pair of tickets on American, too. Edit: I love that Sir Richard quote. I'm pretty sure Alaska's CEO has flat out stated it's a bad idea to invest in any airline and Warren Buffet has a policy not to.
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Nov 30, 2011 05:37
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Advent Horizon posted:I'm well aware of the purpose of Chapter 11. The problem is, ever since Worldcom, it has become a potential business plan. Spend a ton of money, file, emerge without having to pay for all the stuff you bought (but you still have it). What choices do businesses in highly-competitive low-margin industries have? Don't take big risks, competitors take your business. Take big risks, sometimes 9/11 happens or gas prices go up.
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Nov 30, 2011 16:12
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i done heard a USAirways - AA tieup rumor today and my reaction to that is lol
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Nov 30, 2011 17:27
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:i done heard a USAirways - AA tieup rumor today and my reaction to that is lol That sounds more like a suicide pact than a "bigger, stronger airline."
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Nov 30, 2011 19:29
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Advent Horizon posted:Edit: I love that Sir Richard quote. I'm pretty sure Alaska's CEO has flat out stated it's a bad idea to invest in any airline and Warren Buffet has a policy not to. I was reading some essay by Warren Buffet and I do remember him saying every* airline has eventually declared bankrupcy at least once as an example how an entire industry can have pretty poor returns, or in this case, no returns. *I have no idea how that is qualified. All American airlines, all airlines you can invest in (IE exclude Aeroflot...)
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Nov 30, 2011 19:31
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