Every airline pilot who has ever left the cockpit on a long flight to stretch their legs while walking down the aisles, has heard this question: “Who’s flying the plane?” Well, due to a series of fatal accidents over the last few years, that might be a very valid question.
Since the dawn of aviation in the early twentieth century, there has been one thing which separated the good pilots from the mediocre ones. That is what is commonly referred to as “Stick and Rudder skills”. Simply put, the ability to make the aircraft do what you want it to do by manipulating the basic flight controls, the ailerons, elevator and rudder. All aircraft, from the smallest to the largest, have them. In addition to those, large swept wing jets added “spoilers”, which augment or replace the ailerons, especially in a high speed environment.
Over, the years, the development of “auto-pilots” reduced the work load in the cockpit by allowing a mechanical device to maintain altitude and heading. Gradually, these systems became more and more sophisticated, using ground based electronic transmitters to allow the aircraft to navigate from point to point and even make instrument approaches at the destination. Modern aircraft, using state of the art auto-flight systems are “on auto-pilot” from just after liftoff to when the aircraft “auto-lands” on the destination airport runway.
Some aircraft manufacturers, like Airbus Industries, have a design philosophy which attempts to basically “pilot proof” the airplane, giving the flight management computers the ability to override pilot inputs if the computer senses that they will violate design limits or protocols. But therein lies the problem. What if there is a faulty or erroneous sensor input to the auto-flight system? Who is in control then, and can the autopilot be disconnected, allowing the pilot to be in full control? More importantly, does he or she have the basic “stick and rudder” skills to hand fly the aircraft in an unusual or emergency situation? Continue reading Who’s Flying The Plane?
I had to get some additional grocery items on the morning of Thanksgiving Day.
At his 2010 State of the Union Address to Congress, then President Barack Obama chastised the Justices of the Supreme Court for a recent ruling they had made, which went against his wishes. Instead of stating that an action of this type was inappropriate in such a setting, Chief Justice Roberts later rewarded Obama for his disrespect by being the tie-breaking vote, which declared that “Obamacare” was Constitutional, because it was a “tax”, and as such allowed under provisions set down in that document. His logic was unexplainable, in that the framers of the “Affordable Care Act” specifically stated that it was not a tax.
The loss of control in the House of Representatives by the Republicans in November was largely due to the voting patterns among suburban white women, and that ever volatile group known as “independents”. Apparently, the major issue to them was the high cost of healthcare.
Ten to Twelve Million. That’s the number of illegal aliens in this country. We have been told that by at least three previous administrations, running all the way back to Bill Clinton. For this to be true, we would have to have had one illegal alien self-deport for every new one either overstaying their visa or entering our country illegally, mostly across our southern border. Does any reasonable person actually believe that is happening?
A recent ad for a particular brand of dinner rolls has “Grandma” sprayed with red dye when she sneaks down in the middle of the night to eat a few after being told they are being saved for a special meal.
Look at the map to the left. The total tabulations aren’t yet available, but you will see something very similar when the final count is in. Blobs of blue, mainly on the east and west coasts, and a sea of red in the middle.
I’ve pondered for a long time about what I don’t like about the “Progressive” movement. These people consider themselves to be “liberal”, so what does that mean?