I'm working away like a good little boy, and I hear a light aircraft approaching. I think to myself, "He sounds a little low" and look out the window.
Buzzing across Wellington just above the roof tops is a Spitfire.
I don't think I'll be able to get this grin off my face for a while :-) Such a beautiful machine, such a wonderful noise!
Showing posts with label aviation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label aviation. Show all posts
15 September 2010
30 June 2010
Journalists and research
Stuff has a news article about the Rousillon crash of an Airbus A320 in 2008, where five Kiwis and two Germans were killed.
About halfway into the article is the line, "Flight data showed that the pilots did not receive accurate angle of attack readings, meaning they did not know the angle the wings were to the ground. " It's a small thing, but angle of attack is the angle between the wing and the oncoming flow of air over the wing.
If a journalist and their editor can't get the small facts right, how can we expect them to get the big facts right?
About halfway into the article is the line, "Flight data showed that the pilots did not receive accurate angle of attack readings, meaning they did not know the angle the wings were to the ground. " It's a small thing, but angle of attack is the angle between the wing and the oncoming flow of air over the wing.
If a journalist and their editor can't get the small facts right, how can we expect them to get the big facts right?
06 March 2010
Another flight
Took a flight with the Wellington Aero Club today, courtesy of my mother-in-law (as a thank you for some help I'd given her with her computer). Spent about an hour in a two-seat Piper Tomahawk II mucking about around Wellington's south coast. Some glorious sights, but didn't get many photos as I was controlling the plane pretty much from the get go. Did the takeoff, cruising, a touch-and-go, and a full-stop landing with a little help from one of the instructors. Did get a chance to take a couple of pictures, plus some video clips.It's the second time I've done one of these flights, the first time was a few years ago.
22 April 2008
MiG-29 shooting down a drone
The Georgian government have released amazing footage taken from a UAV of its own last minutes (courtesy of the BBC).
It's clearly a MiG-29 "Fulcrum" firing an air-to-air missile at the drone as it flew along the Abkhazian Black Sea coast. However, neither Georgia nor (theoretically) the Abkhazian rebels have MiG-29s -- in fact, the only ones even close to the area with the type are the Russians, who have been supporting the Abkhazians (and the South Ossetians) in their attempt to break away from Tbilisi.
According to radar tracks, the MiG took off from an airfield in Abkhazia, flew over the Black Sea, shot down the drone, and then flew to Russia.
The Abkhazians claim it was one of their own L-39s that shot down the drone, but given the plane in the video is clearly a twin-tailed aircraft (as opposed to a single tail L-39), this claim is laughable.
But why would the Russians risk being filmed blatantly violating Georgian airspace. Two theories spring to mind:
It's clearly a MiG-29 "Fulcrum" firing an air-to-air missile at the drone as it flew along the Abkhazian Black Sea coast. However, neither Georgia nor (theoretically) the Abkhazian rebels have MiG-29s -- in fact, the only ones even close to the area with the type are the Russians, who have been supporting the Abkhazians (and the South Ossetians) in their attempt to break away from Tbilisi.
According to radar tracks, the MiG took off from an airfield in Abkhazia, flew over the Black Sea, shot down the drone, and then flew to Russia.
The Abkhazians claim it was one of their own L-39s that shot down the drone, but given the plane in the video is clearly a twin-tailed aircraft (as opposed to a single tail L-39), this claim is laughable.
But why would the Russians risk being filmed blatantly violating Georgian airspace. Two theories spring to mind:
- The drone was not in Georgian airspace -- but nobody's denied the drone's position.
- There was something else that the drone could not be allowed to film.
07 January 2008
It's not rocket science
After reading this, I think I'll be insisting on Airbus....
Honestly, did the designers wake up one morning and think, "Let's make the critical systems insecure. Nobody's going to try anything nasty..."
I should possibly reveal my Theory of Life: People are stupid. The beautiful thing about this theory is that everyday, someone, somewhere, proves me right.
Honestly, did the designers wake up one morning and think, "Let's make the critical systems insecure. Nobody's going to try anything nasty..."
I should possibly reveal my Theory of Life: People are stupid. The beautiful thing about this theory is that everyday, someone, somewhere, proves me right.
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