Jetsocks

Interesting article about two flights on the same day with smoke in their cabins. (I wonder if it was the same flight crew.) According to the BusinessWeek, aircraft deicing fluid is “definitely a possibility of what could have caused the smoke.”

I did a quick Google search and came upon Ken Walker’s account of a pilot giving an explanation that sometimes the deicing fluid comes in contact with hot engine parts, and that smoke makes it way in to the cabin. Reading here, looks like some airlines do a “runup” to prevent smoking after deicing, and some don’t. I would like to know what kind of equipment Mr. Walker was on as both of the aircraft in yesterdays news were Embraer 145s. Perhaps the 145 has a design that really needs a runup, while others are ok without it.

I’m fascinated by this video. Yes, all the air traffic is pretty amazing, especially the ebb and flow from different parts of the globe based on time of day. The most interesting part to me are the tiny specs moving in the less populated areas, such as the north pole.

Our local NPR station did a great piece on the Delta Heritage Museum (listen here.)

Listening to the conditions the passengers endured in the DC-3, it makes all those Indiana Jones scenes where he flies from the US to 5 points on the globe before he gets to his destination seem a tad less glamorous.

This weekend I had the privilege of observing operations at a couple of airports in the Southeastern United States. The weather in this region over the weekend was typical of this time of year. Relatively mild afternoons (high 40s fahrenheit) bracketed by crispy, cold nights that just barely make the freezing mark. We all know what this means for morning operations: frost. I was able to witness first hand a dozen airplanes cast in to the “delayed” category for nothing more than a than a slight lack of degrees during the night.

As we spread the word of the JetSocks Delay Prevention System (DPS), I have admittedly been looking forward to this fall’s first freeze coming my way, so I was ready to observe. It came and went and I was able to watch and learn just as I had hoped. Above all else there was one thing about the frost event that I witnessed this morning. Bare in mind that this very same event occurs all over the globe on far more mornings than I get to see and be a part of, but fortunately our solution works for every single one of them.

The scene is an outstation airport with no deicing capability. Departure scheduled for 9:30 a.m. and a really nasty layer of frost on everything sitting on the ramp, airplane included. So the crew did the only thing that they could do: wait. The temperature when the crew arrived at about 8:45 was reported at 29 degrees fahrenheit and there was a high overcast. The short version of the story was that the flight finally left at nearly 11 A.M, almost two hours late. Two hours. If you’re reading this then you know what two hours means to the rest of your day’s operations, but that’s not really what I want to point out about today.

Today was no different than dozens and dozens of other days at any given station. The story above makes it clear that a bad layer of frost can stick with you far into the morning; it doesn’t just magically vanish with the daybreak. Without JetSocks, your pre-dawn flights are obviously going to fall victim to frost like this, but let me ask you: how many departures do you have scheduled before 8:30 or 9:00 in the morning? Flights just like the one in our story that end up late because it can take hours, not minutes, for the sun to solve your problem. Were this particular flight protected by JetSocks it would have left on time. No ifs, ands, or buts. On time out, on time off, and on time in. And all with no extra ground crew.

There simply isn’t a need to accept these types of delays any longer. Let me put it this way: winter departures on time — no extra ground crew, no deicing fluid. Sound good? Contact us today to learn how we can save your company money. It really is that simple. Kind of exciting, isn’t it?

There is something ironic about Boeing’s Dreamliner: it needs an even bigger plane to haul it’s components around. Read about Boeing’s Dreamlifter here.

Boeing's Dreamlifter. It's big.

Can you imagine having to deice that baby?

Wow. The EPA is pushing a new rule that will make it harder for airlines to use ADF. Read more.