Web: www.fishfoto.com -- E-Mail: fish@flyingwithfish.com
18/07/2008-The Weekly Round Up : US Airways Reduces Fuel On Planes : Bag Winners Announced : Airline Humour : New Airline Missile Defense System
US Airways has been cutting costs hand-over-first in recent months and shedding loyal frequent flyers in a pattern that could be only be described as an exodus from the airline. Now, in addition to frequent flyers being at odds with the airline, pilots at US Airways are troubled with US Airways' decision to reduce the amount of fuel loaded onto aircraft and take retaliatory measures against long-haul captains who order additional fuel for their aircraft as allowed by the FAA. You can about this clash between US Airways management and the pilots in this post: 14/07/2008 – US Airways Reduces Fuel On Aircraft To Reduce Fuel Expenses!
The entries have been read and Flying With Fish has selected three winners of 'The Great Mountainsmith Bag Give Away From Flying With Fish!' It was a difficult decision to narrow down some fantastic stories down to three, but it was great fun reading each and every entry. You can read the winning worst case scenario entries here: 16/07/2008 – Winners Announced For 'The Great Mountainsmith Bag Give Away From Flying With Fish'
We all need to laugh and the late comedic genius George Carlin created one of the best spoofs on airline announcements ever created. If you'd like to add some humour to your day (and you're not at work where everyone can hear your audio and/or your kids are out of ear shot) you can watch George Carlin's brilliant sketch by clicking here:
16/07/2008 – A Humourous View Of 'Airline Announcements'
This week saw the launch of the first commercial aircraft loaded with passengers fly with the JetEye Infrared Missile-Defense System, and the start of the final phase of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) 'Counter-Man-Portable Air Defense System (C-MANPADS). ' To learn a bit more about the JetEye anti-missile system check out: 16/07/2008 – Airline Missile Defense System Takes Flight With First Commercial Passenger Flight
It has been well documented that I am a fan of the AeroChannel web site, in turn it can easily be documented that the folks at AeroChannel enjoy Flying With Fish. So Flying With Fish and AeroChannel have decided to team up and begin creating 'TheHub Guide.' To find out more on 'The Hub Guide' check this post out: 16/07/2008 – Airline Missile Defense System Takes Flight With First Commercial Passenger Flight
That's it for this week......so Happy Flying!
Showing posts with label JetEye Infrared Missile-Defense System. Show all posts
Showing posts with label JetEye Infrared Missile-Defense System. Show all posts
18 July 2008
16 July 2008
Airline Missile Defense System Takes Flight With First Commercial Passenger Flight
Web: www.fishfoto.com -- E-Mail: fish@flyingwithfish.com
16/07/2008 – Airline Missile Defense System Takes Flight With First Commercial Passenger Flight
This morning an American Airlines (AA) Boeing 767-223 (762), departing New York's JFK International Airport (JFK), for it's 5-hour 34-minute flight to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The AA 762 slowly pushed back from Terminal 8's Gate #4, it made it's way to taxi-way 'Whiskey' then rolled to taxi-way 'Bravo' and then wound it's way to it's departure runway, it powered up its engines and lifted off into the sky................
What made this routine daily flight between JFK-to-LAX different than all others? This flight was the first ever U.S. passenger plane to complete a passenger flight with the BAE Systems created JetEye Infrared Missile-Defense System. The JetEye system detects a heat-seaking missile, and defends the aircraft by firing it's own laser that diverts the in-bound missile away from the aircraft.
With security experts fearing the use of a shoulder-launched heat seeking missile, such as those used in attacks on commercial aircraft in Baghdad and Kenya, this system can thwart potential attacks, if installed on 'high-probibilty-target' aircraft. It is unclear what determines a 'high-probibility-target' aircraft, however that is an entirely different subject to cover.
While the installing of the JetEye is not intended to be mandatory on commercial aircraft in the United States, American Airlines will be installing the system on two additional 762 aircraft. These 762 aircraft, like the one that flew today, will fly domestically only on daily trans-continental routes. These commercial passenger flights will be used by BAE Systems engineers to test the reliability and maintainability of the system.
Over the past few months tests of the JetEye system has been evaluated on an ABX Air aircraft 767-232F, as well as eleven FedEx MD-10F and MD-11F. The FedEx test aircraft have been flying with the JetEye system for over a year and logged more than 4,500 flights.
Of all the press literature release regarding the maiden commercial passenger flights, I think by far the best quote from an American Airlines spokesperson is this: "No missiles will be fired at these flights."
This quote leaves me with two questions
1) Who in their right mind would fire missiles at a flight full of passengers to test a weapons defense system?
2) If no missiles are being fired at these aircraft (not that missiles should be fired at the AA,ABX or FedEx aircraft) how does BAE Systems know that the system is reliable and maintainable?
A third question does come to mind.....if the missiles are diverted away from the aircraft, where is the missile redirected to?
The JetEye Infrared Missile-Defense System is the final phase of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) 'Counter-Man-Portable Air Defense System' (C-MANPADS). This program was established to test the sustainability of a commercial aircraft missile protection systems. The testing of these systems should run for a minimum of 7,000 flight hours.
Happy Flying!
16/07/2008 – Airline Missile Defense System Takes Flight With First Commercial Passenger Flight
This morning an American Airlines (AA) Boeing 767-223 (762), departing New York's JFK International Airport (JFK), for it's 5-hour 34-minute flight to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The AA 762 slowly pushed back from Terminal 8's Gate #4, it made it's way to taxi-way 'Whiskey' then rolled to taxi-way 'Bravo' and then wound it's way to it's departure runway, it powered up its engines and lifted off into the sky................
What made this routine daily flight between JFK-to-LAX different than all others? This flight was the first ever U.S. passenger plane to complete a passenger flight with the BAE Systems created JetEye Infrared Missile-Defense System. The JetEye system detects a heat-seaking missile, and defends the aircraft by firing it's own laser that diverts the in-bound missile away from the aircraft.
With security experts fearing the use of a shoulder-launched heat seeking missile, such as those used in attacks on commercial aircraft in Baghdad and Kenya, this system can thwart potential attacks, if installed on 'high-probibilty-target' aircraft. It is unclear what determines a 'high-probibility-target' aircraft, however that is an entirely different subject to cover.
While the installing of the JetEye is not intended to be mandatory on commercial aircraft in the United States, American Airlines will be installing the system on two additional 762 aircraft. These 762 aircraft, like the one that flew today, will fly domestically only on daily trans-continental routes. These commercial passenger flights will be used by BAE Systems engineers to test the reliability and maintainability of the system.
Over the past few months tests of the JetEye system has been evaluated on an ABX Air aircraft 767-232F, as well as eleven FedEx MD-10F and MD-11F. The FedEx test aircraft have been flying with the JetEye system for over a year and logged more than 4,500 flights.
Of all the press literature release regarding the maiden commercial passenger flights, I think by far the best quote from an American Airlines spokesperson is this: "No missiles will be fired at these flights."
This quote leaves me with two questions
1) Who in their right mind would fire missiles at a flight full of passengers to test a weapons defense system?
2) If no missiles are being fired at these aircraft (not that missiles should be fired at the AA,ABX or FedEx aircraft) how does BAE Systems know that the system is reliable and maintainable?
A third question does come to mind.....if the missiles are diverted away from the aircraft, where is the missile redirected to?
The JetEye Infrared Missile-Defense System is the final phase of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) 'Counter-Man-Portable Air Defense System' (C-MANPADS). This program was established to test the sustainability of a commercial aircraft missile protection systems. The testing of these systems should run for a minimum of 7,000 flight hours.
Happy Flying!
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