#commuter airlines

[runwayrunway]

No. 20 - Amakusa Airlines

I read @sirigorn's request and immediately found my mood improved because of the phrasing here. There is something so delightful about the way you put this.

I was also very excited because this is an airline I've never heard of! And it's no surprise, since they, as you said, operate a fleet of just one ATR 42-600 (though I've seen inconsistent claims they have a second one on order), which makes them tied for smallest airline in the world by fleet size. They're a commuter airline based at Kumamoto Airport, which is technically an international airport but is still tiny, and mainly fly little puddle jumps between various destinations in Kyūshū (though they do have destinations in Honshu and a single one in Shikoku).

I wish someone had been around to hear the noise I made when I first saw her.

I love this plane. I love this plane so much I struggle to actually quantify the amount of love I feel for her. Just look at her. Oh my goodness just look at her. Look at this lovely blue girl. Not only is she smiling that delightful little smile and looking at me with those big ol' eyes which are shining with pure love, but so are both of her engines!! And the fact that they strategically drew her fins on by cleverly using the lighter color of the underbelly and the white of the empennage!! Oh my goodness!! Oh my goodness!!

A+

Thank you for this request. Knowing this airplane exists has improved my life. This is a type of joy I thought I wasn't capable of feeling anymore. This plane is a dolphin and I love her.

[nocternalrandomness]

"Dash Eight"

[pretty-little-fools]

[todayworldnews2k21]

High speed trains are racing across the world. But not in America | CNN

CNN  —  High speed trains have proved their worth across the world over the past 50 years. It’s not just in reducing journey times, but more importantly, it’s in driving economic growth, creating jobs and bringing communities closer together. China, Japan and Europe lead the way. So why doesn’t the United States have a high-speed rail network like those? For the richest and most economically…

[callme000]

why do I keep remembering things

[phonemantra-blog]

The Ultimate Guide to Traveling from Las Vegas to LAX Traveling from Las Vegas to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is a popular route for many travelers. With its convenient location and various transportation options, it offers flexibility and ease for those looking to reach LAX from Las Vegas. In this comprehensive guide, we will provide English authors with all the information they need to plan their journey from Las Vegas to LAX. [caption id="attachment_62581" align="aligncenter" width="655"] Las Vegas to lax[/caption] Modes of Transportation When it comes to traveling from Las Vegas to LAX, there are several modes of transportation to consider. Air Travel If you prefer a quick and direct journey, air travel is the best option. Many airlines offer direct flights between Las Vegas and LAX, making it a convenient choice for travelers. Airlines such as American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and Southwest Airlines operate frequent flights with a duration of approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes. The frequency of flights ensures that you have plenty of options to choose from when planning your trip. Air travel offers the advantage of saving time and providing a comfortable journey. However, it is important to consider potential drawbacks such as the need to adhere to flight schedules and the possibility of flight delays or cancellations. Ground Transportation If you prefer a more flexible and scenic journey, ground transportation is a great option for traveling from Las Vegas to LAX. Driving from Las Vegas to LAX is a popular choice, with a distance of approximately 270 miles. The estimated travel time is around 4-5 hours, depending on traffic conditions. There are multiple routes you can take, including the I-15 S and I-10 W. Rental cars are readily available in Las Vegas, with popular car rental companies like Hertz, Avis, and Enterprise offering their services. Alternatively, shuttle services, buses, and trains are also available for those who prefer not to drive. These options provide a more relaxed and convenient journey, allowing you to sit back and enjoy the scenery. However, they may have limited schedules or longer travel times compared to driving or flying. Planning and Preparation Proper planning and preparation are essential when traveling from Las Vegas to LAX. Here are some tips to help you make the most of your journey: Preparing for the Journey It is important to plan and make the necessary reservations for your trip. Booking flights or rental cars in advance can help you secure the best deals and ensure availability. Additionally, check the travel requirements and documentation needed for your journey, such as passports or visas. Packing Essentials When packing for your trip, consider the specific needs of both air and ground travel. For air travel, make sure to pack essential items such as travel documents, a valid ID, and any necessary medications in your carry-on luggage. For ground travel, pack comfortable clothing, snacks, and entertainment options to make your journey more enjoyable. Accommodation Options If you have an early morning flight from LAX, it may be convenient to stay overnight in Los Angeles. Several hotels near LAX offer comfortable accommodations. Some recommended options include Hilton Los Angeles Airport, Hyatt Regency Los Angeles International Airport, and Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles Hotel. Exploring Las Vegas and LAX While traveling from Las Vegas to LAX, take the opportunity to explore both destinations. Here are some highlights: Las Vegas Highlights Las Vegas is known for its vibrant nightlife, world-class entertainment, and iconic casinos. Visit popular attractions like the Las Vegas Strip, where you can experience dazzling shows, indulge in gourmet dining, and try your luck at the casinos. Don't miss out on the famous Bellagio Fountains, the High Roller Observation Wheel, and the Fremont Street Experience. English authors may find inspiration in the city's unique atmosphere and creative energy. LAX Area Exploration Once you arrive at LAX, there are plenty of attractions and activities to explore in the surrounding area: Head to the beautiful beaches of Los Angeles, such as Santa Monica Beach or Venice Beach, where you can soak up the sun, take a stroll along the boardwalk, or even try your hand at surfing. Enjoy the bustling atmosphere and vibrant street performers at the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. If you're a shopping enthusiast, visit the famous Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, known for its luxury boutiques and designer stores. You can also explore The Grove, a popular outdoor shopping mall with a variety of shops, restaurants, and entertainment options. For those interested in culture and history, consider visiting the Getty Center, an impressive art museum with stunning architecture and breathtaking views of the city. The Griffith Observatory is another must-visit attraction, offering panoramic views of Los Angeles and the opportunity to explore the universe through its planetarium and telescopes. English authors seeking inspiration or research opportunities can explore the literary scene in Los Angeles. Attend book signings, author readings, or writing workshops at local bookstores like The Last Bookstore or Book Soup. You can also visit iconic libraries such as the Los Angeles Central Library or the Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens. Frequently Asked Questions Can I easily find direct flights from Las Vegas to LAX? Yes, many airlines offer direct flights between Las Vegas and LAX, making it a convenient option for travelers. How long does it take to drive from Las Vegas to LAX? The estimated travel time for driving from Las Vegas to LAX is around 4-5 hours, depending on traffic conditions. Are there any scenic routes between Las Vegas and LAX? Yes, there are scenic routes you can take, such as the I-15 S and I-10 W, which offer beautiful views along the way. What are the advantages of using ground transportation over air travel? Ground transportation allows for a more flexible and scenic journey, allowing you to enjoy the scenery and make stops along the way. Are shuttle services available from Las Vegas to LAX? Yes, there are shuttle services available that provide transportation from Las Vegas to LAX. These services offer convenience and comfort for travelers. What are the best months to visit Las Vegas and LAX? The best months to visit Las Vegas and LAX are typically during the spring (March to May) and fall (September to November) when the weather is pleasant and there are fewer crowds. Are there any budget-friendly accommodation options near LAX? Yes, there are budget-friendly accommodation options near LAX, such as motels and budget hotels. These options provide affordable and convenient stays for travelers. What are some must-visit attractions in Las Vegas for English authors? English authors visiting Las Vegas should explore the iconic Las Vegas Strip, attend shows and performances, and visit famous casinos for a unique cultural experience. Are there any writing-related events or workshops near LAX? Yes, some writing-related events and workshops take place in Los Angeles throughout the year. Check local event listings and writing organizations for upcoming opportunities. How can I make the most of my layover at LAX? If you have a layover at LAX, take the opportunity to explore the airport's amenities, such as shopping, dining, or relaxing in airport lounges. Alternatively, you can venture out and visit nearby attractions or take a quick trip to the beach. Conclusion: Traveling from Las Vegas to LAX offers convenience and various transportation options. Whether you choose to fly or take a scenic drive, proper planning and preparation are key to a successful journey. Take the time to explore both Las Vegas and the LAX area, as they offer unique attractions and experiences. English authors can find inspiration,

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Poor people pay higher time tax

Doubtless you’ve heard that “we all get the same 24 hours in the day.” Of course it’s not true: rich people and poor people experience very different demands on their time. The richer you are, the more your time is your own — not only are many systems arranged with your convenience in mind, but you also command the social power to do something about systems that abuse your time.

If you’d like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here’s a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/10/my-time/#like-water-down-the-drain

For example: if you live in most American cities, public transit is slow, infrequent and overcrowded. Without a car, you lose hours every day to a commute spent standing on a lurching bus. And while a private car can substantially shorted that commute, people who can afford taxis or Ubers get even more time every day.

There’s a thick anthropological literature on the ways that cash-poverty translates into #TimePoverty. In David Graeber’s must-read essay “The Utopia of Rules,” he nails the way that capitalist societies generate Soviet-style bureaucracies, especially for poor people. Means-testing for benefits means that poor people spend endless hours filling in forms, waiting on hold, and lining up to see caseworkers to prove that they are among the “deserving poor” — not “mooches” who are defrauding the system:

https://memex.craphound.com/2015/02/02/david-graebers-the-utopia-of-rules-on-technology-stupidity-and-the-secret-joys-of-bureaucracy/

The social privilege gradient is also a time gradient: if you can afford a plane ticket, you can travel quickly across the country rather than losing days to the Greyhound or a road-trip. But if you’re even richer, you can pay for TSA Precheck and cut your airport security time from an hour to minutes. Go further up the privilege gradient and you’ll acquire airline status, shaving another hour off the check-in process.

This qualitative account of time poverty is well-developed, but it’s lacked a good, detailed quantitative counterpart, and our society often discounts qualitative work as mere anecdote and insists on having every story converted to numbers before it is taken seriously.

In “Examining inequality in the time cost of waiting,” published this month in Nature Human Behavior, public affairs researchers Steve Holt (SUNY) and Katie Vinopal (Ohio State) analyze data from the American Time Use Survey (AUTS) to produce a detailed, vibrant quantitative backstop to the qualitative narrative about time poverty:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-023-01524-w

(The paper is paywalled, but the authors made a mostly final preprint available)

https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/jbk3x/download

The AUTS “collects retrospective time diary data from a nationally representative subsample drawn from respondents to the Census Bureau’s Community Population Survey (CPS) each year.” These time-diary entries are sliced up in 15-minute chunks.

Here’s what they found: first, there are categories of basic services where high-income people avoid waiting altogether, and where low-income people experience substantial waits. A person from a low-income household “an hour more waiting for the same set of services than people from high-income household.” That’s 73 hours/year.

Some of that gap (5%) is attributable to proximity. Richer people don’t have to go as far to access the same services as poorer people. Travel itself accounts for 2% more — poorer people wait longer for buses and have otherwise worse travel options.

A larger determinant of the gap (25%) is working flexibility. Poor people work jobs where they have less freedom to take time off to receive services, so they are forced to take appointments during peak hours.

Specific categories show more stark difference. If a poor person and a wealthy person go to the doctor’s on the same day, the poor person waits 46.28m to receive care, while the wealthy person waits 28.75m. The underlying dynamic here isn’t hard to understand. Medical practices that serve rich people have more staff.

The same dynamic plays out in grocery stores: poor people wait an average of 24m waiting every time they go shopping. For rich people, it’s 15m. Poor people don’t just wait in longer lines — they also have to wait for understaffed stores to unlock the cases that basic necessities are locked behind (poor people also travel longer to get to the grocery store — and they travel by slower means).

A member of a poor household with a chronic condition that requires two clinic visits per month loses an additional five hours/year to waiting rooms when compared to a wealthy person. As the authors point out, this also translates to delayed care, missed appointments, and exacerbated health conditions. Time poverty leads to health poverty.

All of this is worse for people of color: “Low-income White and Black Americans are both more likely to wait when seeking services than their wealthier same-race peer” but “wealthier White people face an average wait time of 28 minutes while wealthier Black people face a 54 minute average wait time…wealthier Black people do not receive the same time-saving attention from service providers that wealthier non-Black people receive” (there’s a smaller gap for Latino people, and no observed gap for Asian Americans.)

The gender gap is more complicated: “Low-income women are 3 percentage points more likely than low-income men and high-income women are 6 percentage points more likely than high-income men to use common services” — it gets even worse for low-income mothers, who take on the time-burdens associated with their kids’ need to access services.

Surprisingly, men actually end up waiting longer than women to access services: “low-income men spend about 6 more minutes than low-income women waiting for service…high-income men spend about 12 more minutes waiting for services than high-income women.”

Given the important role that scheduling flexibility plays in the time gap, the authors propose that interventions like subsidized day-care and afterschool programming could help parents access services at off-peak hours. They also echo Graeber’s call for reduced paperwork burdens for receiving benefits and accessing public services.

They recommend changes to labor law to protect the right of low-waged workers to receive services during off-peak hours, in the manner of their high-earning peers (they reference research that shows that this also improves worker productivity and is thus a benefit to employers as well as workers).

Finally, they come to the obvious point: making people less cash-poor will alleviate their time-poverty. Higher minimum wages, larger earned income tax credits, investments in low-income neighborhoods and better public transit will all give poor people more time and more money with which to command better services.

This week (Feb 13–17), I’ll be in Australia, touring my book Chokepoint Capitalism with my co-author, Rebecca Giblin. We’re doing a remote event for NZ on Feb 13. Next are Melbourne (Feb 14), Sydney (Feb 15) and Canberra (Feb 16/17). More tickets just released for Sydney!

[Image ID: A waiting room, draped with cobwebs. A skeleton sits in one of the chairs. A digital display board reads 'Now serving 53332.' An ogrish, top-hatted figure standing at a podium, yanking a dollar-sign shaped lever looms into the frame from the right. He holds a clock aloft disdainfully, pinched between the thumb and fingers of one white-gloved hand.]

[dadvans]

5 boring things!

I was tagged by @havingbeenbreathedout to say Five Boring Things about myself. Thank you!

My most recent prized possession is a pair of MH40 wireless headphones in brown leather. I've been coveting them for years and finally bit the bullet and they're absolutely life-changing for office life + 3 hour commutes

I enjoy World War 2 history in a straight boomer dad kind of way

My dream job would be working at McMurdo doing literally anything during Antarctic winters

I am genuinely terrified of starfish

I collect airline safety manuals

Tagging: @thekookster (who has supplied me with so many wonderful airline safety manuals), @rcmclachlan, @newtkelly, @pnyng, @screamlet, @alchemistc, @door and anyone else who would like to :)

[bekolxeram]

Hi! I have 2.5 questions I was wondering about while thinking of a possible 802/803 disaster. Could you help clear a few things up for me?

If a plane were unable to land for some reason, how could it be brought down to earth without crashing?

Upon landing, a plane has to decelerate. Hypothetically, could there be a failure of some kind that would prevent the airplane from slowing down before it reaches the end of the runway? If so, are there any ways to help slow it down?

I’m sure there are plenty of answers available on the Internet, but I was hoping to get some more nuanced insights from you. If you don’t feel like answering, though, please don’t feel any pressure to respond. I can wait a few weeks before I find out what they came up with. 😅

Thank you! I love answering asks like this!

Full disclosure, I'm not a pilot, just an enthusiast. Everything I know about aviation is based on observation, years of consuming content about the industry and lurking on pilot forums. Please correct me if any professional happens to come across my posts.

This is NOT an argumentative piece against other theories or predictions for S8, just an opportunity to be curious about flying, maybe learn a cool thing or two. (Yes, on my part too.) If you don't care for this, please do not read further and block the tag #aviation realism.

To answer your first question, it depends on why landing is deemed riskier than staying airborne in that particular case.

If something happens to the flight crew, incapacitating both pilots, it actually would go pretty much like Airport 1975. Now, I have to point out how improbable this scenario is. The pilots in a flight crew are not allowed to be served the same crew meal on board in case of food-borne illness, some airlines even advise them against sharing a meal at the same restaurant shortly before a flight. Let's say there's some spy movies level sabotage taking out both pilots without damaging the aircraft or harming the passenger, the cabin crew would enter the cockpit and try to revive the pilots with oxygen and remove them from flight control, just as they're trained to. You don't want someone passed out against the yoke or control column and pushing the nose of the plane down. Then, the cabin crew would ask for medical professionals amongst the passengers, but they'd likely avoid openly requesting assistance with the flying itself unless absolutely necessary. A panicked cabin never helps surviving a serious aviation accident.

There was a Southwest flight last year with its captain fainted mid-flight. A member of the cabin crew should've stayed in the cockpit with the remaining pilot according to protocol, but an off-duty airliner pilot in full uniform commuting to his place of work was spotted, so the cabin crew invited him to help out with radio communication in the fight deck.

If both pilots in the cockpit are totally incapacitated and no one else is qualified to fly an airliner on board, the cabin crew would probably take over radio communication with ATC and ask for further instructions. Even if that particular airline doesn't train their cabin crew to operate the radio, they can always call their airline for help via onboard wifi or satellite phone. Exactly like what Nancy the stewardess does in Airport 1975.

The cabin crew would never ask a random passenger into the cockpit and fly the plane. Also, we unfortunately live in the post-9/11 world, where the cockpit door is locked during flight. Only the pilots in the cockpit and the cabin crew with a secret code can open the door, which is bullet proof. Except when there's a breach in the cabin section of the fuselage, resulting in an explosive decompression, the cockpit door would fly open by itself to balance out the pressure difference.

Continuing on the Airport 1975 theme, what if there's some significant damage to the cockpit, injuring even killing the flight crew? Well, modern airliners are built to be quite resilient. There were 2 different incidents involving a broken cockpit windshield and a partially sucked out pilot in the past, and they both managed to land safely with no serious injuries. The more recent Sichuan Airlines one was even flying over the high mountains of the Tibetan plateau, with multiple automated system, including autopilot, damaged by the rapid decompression and were inoperable. To completely incapacitate the whole flight crew, there has to be much more severe damages to the flight deck, but at the same time, not severe enough to make the whole plane uncontrollable and fall straight out of the sky.

Which brings me to your next question.

A passenger airliner has many components to decelerate the plane for a smooth and safe landing, namely the flaps to slow down the plane during descent and provide extra lift to keep it afloat at low speed, then once it hits the ground, spoilers to disrupt airflow, reverse thrust to turn the thrust backwards and good old brakes to stop the momentum by friction. So if keeping the plane in the sky is preferable to landing it as soon as possible, it could be due to issues with the aforementioned systems.

It can be a landing gear problem, maybe one or more gears fail to lock, or the whole thing completely fail to deploy. That would not be ideal, but modern airliners are designed to withstand a gear-up belly landing. The pilots might want to circle over the airfield to attempt troubleshooting and burn off fuel to reduce the weight of the aircraft first, but it can be done, and it has been done, quite a few times.

(Please be aware, laying firefighting foam on the runway in anticipation for a gear up/gear malfunction landing is no longer recommended. Studies show it doesn't really help with slowing down the plane, and it can take away valuable resources if the aircraft does catch on fire.)

In case of the nose gear wheel being locked in a horizontal position, rendering gear retraction impossible, like JetBlue 292 I mentioned before, it would be a significantly larger threat, but it's likely to be fine regardless. (That didn't stop the LAFD from mobilizing over 100 firefighters all over the city to LAX on standby anyway.)

If any of the other systems used to reduce an aircraft's speed on approach is inoperable (flaps, spoilers, thrust reverser, brakes), you may need a longer runway to stop the plane in time, but airliner pilots are still well trained for any of those situations. Just last week, there was a Virgin Atlantic A350 at LAX landing without thrust reversers due to a hydraulic problem. Yes, a lot of ARFF trucks were deployed. Yes, the brakes got a bit smoking hot, but it was landed alright.

So if you think you may have issues slowing down a plane on landing, just declare a mayday, look for the longest runway nearby with optimal weather, no rain or ice making the runway slippery, minimum crosswind blowing the plane sideways, and preferably strong head wind to help blow the plane backwards, enhancing braking performance.

You may ask, what if multiple deceleration systems or even all of them fail? It's highly unlikely, because there are 3 independent hydraulic systems in an airliner, and basic flight control can be achieved with just one.

There have only been 2 total hydraulic failure landing attempts I can think of so far, United 232 and the 2003 DHL attempted shootdown in Baghdad (JAL123 doesn't count, it lost its whole tail). The United one unfortunately crashed at the last moment, even with the help of a flight instructor onboard, but still, half of the passengers survived a statistically unsurvivable accident. The DHL A300 landing was much more successful. After a surface-to-air missile hit the left wing of the aircraft, it caught fire and all 3 hydraulic systems were lost, rendering the plane uncontrollable by usual means. The flight crew ended up steering the aircraft by differential engine thrusts, just like in the United 232 accident, and managed to land back at Baghdad International Airport after overshooting the runway and stopped at an area just outside of the airfield, filled with landmines. (Military personnel guided the flight crew to safety.)

The point is, well trained commercial airliner pilots have many tricks up their sleeves to stop their plane even in the most dire situation. On the other hand, modern airliners have so many automated systems in place that even a total amateur can land them with sufficient guidance from flight instructors on the ground. Tom Scott landed a 737 in a simulator with the help of a certified airline flight instructor for instant.

But if the show decides to combine the two in true disaster movie fashion, I can see how difficult it would be to land the plane safely. Hypothetically, the plane is not expected to be able to stop before the end of the runway, and the people in the pilot seats don't have any better idea, what can be done?

We can perhaps learn from aircraft carriers. Their runways are short, because well, they're ships, in the middle of the ocean, so to prevent fighter jets from overshooting and ending up in the drink, there is a mechanical system called arresting gear to physically catch the aircraft. Military aircrafts usually have a hook in the back to catch arresting cables when landing. It's not quite possible for a commercial airliner making an emergency landing, but there's also the barricade method, seen in Airport '79, with a sort of strong but elastic net erected at the end of the runway.

A lot of US civilian airports in real life actually have a kind of arrestor system installed to prevent catastrophic runway excursion, it's called the engineered materials arrestor system (EMAS). It's basically a kind of soft and energetically absorbent material laid down at the end of the runway. If an aircraft overshoots the runway and hit the EMAS, its landing gear wheels would sink into the material, and halting the aircraft pretty quickly. The landing gear might break off, the passengers might have a pretty tough ride, but it's better than slamming into something solid.

If we completely throw reality out of the way, I say we can't control the weather, the length and the incline of the runway, but we can control the wind. This will probably get me excommunicated from the avgeek community, but I say we put a giant 4 engine airliner at the end of the runway and just jet blast that baby, create the head wind it needs.

Oh, and you know we now have someone working on a big production, hit TV show? I say get a bunch of industrial strength giant fans for special effects and blow the plane backwards.

[phoenixyfriend]

Masterlist: Business and Economics

Navigation Post

Fun fact, tumblr allows 250 links on the old editor and 100 in the new. So. Network of masterlists.

Economics and Theory:

How rent should work

Ko-Fi prompt: Macroeconomics

Ko-Fi prompt: Some Basic Econ/Finance Terms

Ko-Fi prompt: A few tracts, primarily about the minimum wage

Ko-Fi prompt: Progressive Taxes

Ko-Fi prompt: The Myth of the Rational Actor

Ko-Fi prompt: Raising the Minimum Wage and Its Effects

Ko-Fi prompt: Stock Market Basics

Ko-Fi prompt: Stock Market Rant

Ko-Fi prompt: Why don’t Landlords have price wars? (demand inelasticity)

Ko-Fi prompt: Trickle-down economics

Ko-Fi prompt: Tariffs/VAT/Customs

How do we define a Healthy Economy?

The overlap and intersect of rent and commute costs against wages - The effective demographic against which this argument works

When watching political ads, always ask: which taxes?

No income tax under [quantity]

Raising the Minimum Wage

Finance, and economics on the personal level:

Ko-Fi prompt: Anti-Inflation measures one can take with personal savings

Ko-Fi prompt: Green Stocks (are a marketing tactic and not a regulated term)

Being a business major who ended up a disillusioned leftist

Case Studies and Hypotheticals:

Ko-Fi prompt: Revenue and expenses for a sports stadium

Ko-Fi prompt: Going from shareholder-owned to employee-owned

Ko-Fi prompt: Thieves/Assassins Guilds

Ko-Fi prompt: Airline overbooking

Ko-Fi prompt: Car Dealerships

Ko-Fi prompt: Revenue and expenses for a concert venue

Raise Taxes on Golf - I may have a reputation

Employee Stock Options

Did you know women couldn’t have credit cards in the US until 1974?

[runwayrunway]

No. 21 - Amakusa Airlines 1999-2012

As a bit of an add-on to my Amakusa Airlines post, I wanted to point out that they did have a pre-dolphin livery. I thought I might as well discuss it in a short post, since Amakusa only has the two liveries but is very creative with them.

While it's true that Amakusa only has one airplane, perhaps surprisingly it wasn't actually always the same airplane. Pictured below is JA81AM, a Bombardier Dash 8 100 series and the inagural member of the Amakusa fleet.

JA81AM was delivered new to Amakusa in 1999 and served until the very beginning of 2016. If you think she looks like she's wearing the same livery as their current ATR 42, JA01AM, that's because she is. I honestly think the Dash 8 wears it better, which might be because of me preferring the tail design here or because of the Dash 8's very flat underbelly allowing for the fin on the side to be much more clearly visible. (This is just a fundamental difference in the shape of the airframes - as you can see in this picture where it's just barely poking out, the Dash 8 keeps its main gear in the same structure as the engines rather than having a dedicated bay in the bottom of the plane.) That said, the difference is negligible because of how perfect the livery is to begin with.

There aren't that many pictures out there of the airframe in service with Amakusa, but it seems like the modern livery was applied at some point in 2012. This means it's existed for about half the airline's lifespan. I could only find two photographs of the old livery, but that's still an entire two pictures.

This was the old livery. What do I think?

Obviously it's not as immediately stunningly perfect as the modern livery. That's lightning in a bottle. That's genuinely probably my favorite regional prop livery ever. But this isn't bad at all!

I like the different shades of blue being used. It's not as vivid as the modern one but this dusty blue and white color scheme is really nice and the bit of red is a lovely accent. I think this would be a great scheme for another airline to start using now that it's free.

I really like the tail design here - the three stripes of uneven width. On another livery I think this would be a lovely cheatline but even just as a tail stripe it looks fantastic. I love the dolphin logo as well. The way that the dolphins here leap out of the water is also a delightful nod to the association of dolphins and becoming airborne, adding another layer to the motif beyond the fact that everyone who is familiar with both airplanes and cetaceans kind of agrees that they're the same type of animal.

I actually think she looks even nicer from below. They really committed to making this a mural. This plane was always gorgeous even if I do prefer the new livery.

Ultimately, Amakusa just has really, really cute planes. I think my only critique is that the outlines for the water are a bit oddly placed and shaped and look more like clouds than waves sometimes.

She gets an A.

It isn't related to the design itself but I sort of love how much the white paint shows off the fact that the Dash 8 has a very sharp nose. I actually really love the Dash 8. That said, the decision to upgrade to the ATR was a completely reasonable one, as the larger capacity means more people get to ride in the lovely plane.

You may be happy to learn, however, that JA81AM is still in the air. From 2017 to 2018 she flew for Norwegian airline FlyViking, a similarly small airline with three Dash 8s, under the name "Gunnhild" and registration LN-FVC. And, since 2021, she has been the sole fleet member of Tanzanian airline Auric Air, who have registered her 5H-MFH. Let's all wish her well as she approaches her 24th year of service. She may not wear the Amakusa livery anymore, but she'll always be a lovely little dolphin jumping through the air to me.

[nocternalrandomness]

Dornier Do-328 climbing out of Berlin

[uboat53]

I just recently listened to a lecture by Grace Hopper, one of the pioneers of modern computing, and, while her discourse on computing was amazingly prescient even by today's standards, much less in 1982 when she gave it, I was particularly captivated by her monologue on young people.

I'm a teacher myself, a college professor, and too often I see older people simply writing off young people and forgetting that they themselves used to be young and what it was like. Given that, it was great to see a woman of 76 (at the time) delivering such a fantastic take. Honestly, I think she hit the nail on the head, and you should read it in full:

"I find we have a very bad habit of underestimating our young people. I think we totally fail to recognize how much more they know than we knew at the same age. I can make the comparison. They've had radio and television all their lives long for both information and misinformation. I didn't have a radio until I was a senior in high school, I built a crystal set. I didn't have a vacuum tube set until I was a senior in college, that was the year the superheterodyned circuit first came out. I knew man would never walk on the moon, they know he has. They know all about jet airplanes. They can't remember their first flight in an airplane, they were taken on a jet to visit their grandparents when they were babies. I didn't fly on an airplane until I was a sophomore in college. I spent 10 dollars, and that was a heck of a lot of money in 1925. I went up in an open cockpit biplane, built out of wood and linen and wire, and it went up about a hundred and fifty feet and floated along at eighty miles an hour. I'd be scared to death to go near it today. They know all about jets. I was reminded of this not long ago because I was walking out to take Allegheny city big commuter flight from Washington to Philadelphia - I guess it's ransom airlines now - and there was a young man beside me. He was looking up at that plane, finally he turned to me and he said 'is that thing safe?' and I said 'yeah, why not?' He said 'I've never flown in a prop plane before.' We have a whole generation that's never flown in prop planes. We've totally forgotten how much more they know than we knew at the same age. On the other hand, they are no more mature than we were at the same age. And they're looking for something which they cannot always put in words. And I've seen it across the country as I've talked to schools and colleges and to our young people. What they're looking for is positive leadership. I mean leadership in the in the old Navy sense. It's a two way street, it's loyalty up and loyalty down, it's respect for your superior and keep him informed of what you're up to and take care of your crew. We've forgotten that, we think leadership only comes from some guy up there at the top. It's everybody's job. It's everybody's job to take care of their crew. … I think we forget that the four and five year old's are learning arithmetic. A little professor. The six year old's are getting speak and spell. You better look out, there's going to be a generation coming that will know how to spell. The seven year old's, of course, are learning BASIC, running the computers. I know one man that bought a computer and took it home, his son is teaching him BASIC. His son is seven. Of course I know another guy that took a computer home, now he has to apply to his three children for computer time. They're tremendously bright and they're out there, the brightest youngsters we have ever had. … And yet somewhere in the last 30 years we lost that word 'leadership.' We went overboard for management, partly under the influence of Mr. McNamara, partly under the business schools. We concentrated on this quarter's bottom line, this year's fitness report. We forgot to look ahead for the next five years for any enterprise, and we lost that concept of leadership. Loyalty up and loyalty down, it's the one thing those youngsters are looking for. You can't do it all by management. If I had a Marine standing here beside me, what he would say would be, 'When the going gets rough, you cannot manage a man into combat, you must lead him.' And I think he would further add, 'you manage things, you lead people.' We need to bring that back very badly, not only in the armed forces, but in all of government, throughout business and industry. It's the one thing that those youngsters are looking for - good, positive leadership." Capt. Grace Hopper (U.S. Navy) in 1982

Source from 31:28 to 36:50

[airsllides]

airsLLide No. 19672: LV-YPA, McDonnell Douglas DC-9-41, Dinar Lineas Aereas, Buenos Aires-Aeroparque, November 30, 2000.

Argentinian Dinar focussed mainly on domestic flights from its base in Salta, but also flew selected leisure flights to destinations in Brasil and in the Caribbean. Founded in 1992 with two Fokker 28 leased from the Argentinian Air Force, it had switched to flying a mix of DC-9 and MD-80 aircraft by the year 2000. It enjoyed a high customer regard for its over-average service and punctuality, but was no less victim to the difficult economic situation in Argentina with its high inflation and uncertainty than its competitors ranked lower by the travelling public.

In October 2002, Dinar had to cease operations. Its remaining assets were acquired by American Falcon.

As a side note: The latest livery of Dinar, shown above, had a striking ressemblance to the livery of European commuter airline Crossair of the period. This applies especially to the two-colored 'blots' along the fuselage and in the tailfin that were red and blue with Crossair, as opposed to green and blue with Dinar. The similarity was however anything but a coincidence: In 1996, Dinar leased its first MD-82 from Crossair stock, later deciding to acquire more aircraft of the same type. In the initial deal, the CEO's of the two airlines were reported to have respected each other's concepts and ideas so much that they agreed on Dinar being allowed to adopt this livery as its own identity. The MD-80s were even painted accordingly by Crossair before their ferry to Argentina.

HB-INW, McDonnell Douglas DC-9-83 (MD-83), Dinar Lineas Aeres, Zürich, May 4, 1997.

Having returned from its seasonal lease with Dinar just the night before, HB-INW, the first MD-80 to operate for Dinar, returns to flying for its owner Crossair. Due to the immediate entry into service here, she does so still wearing the full colors and titels of the Argentinian carrier. She will be repainted into the standard Crossair livery within a few days time, keeping all the local photographers on their toes trying to catch her while she still is in her 'exotic' dress.

[boxeboxer]

SUN LEI

Origin: asalee

Status: posthuman, piloting a standard Class-1D civilian 2028 CHOSHI-II vessel (modern Delhi variant) distributed by OURO

Nationality/Ethnicity: Chinese-Japanese, living in Hunan-Hubei territory (east mainland China)

Age: 36 (date of birth 5/25/2006, transferred in 2029)

Occupation: museum curator and historian for the Qingdao Museum of Galvanism

About:

Sun Lei (addressed as Lei Sun in English) is a historian living in Qingdao, Hunan-Hubei. She is the eldest daughter of a once-prestigious Onmyodo-Wuxing (OW) family which specialized in weapons manufacturing. Her younger sister is Shui Sun.

Lei has bounced around career paths throughout her life. She formally studied architecture in college, but is now focused on archiving historical documents and data preservation, as well as hosting Japanese language classes. As the curator of the QMG, she does research on alchemical practices from antiquity to the present day. She hopes to revive the lost art of OW and her family’s heritage.

Lei is blunt, and tends to take things personally, thus she holds many petty grudges against people, whether they know it or not. She often is the loudest person in the room without realizing it. A perfectionist that cannot keep still, she considered to be an annoyance amongst her colleagues (who she constantly bothers). She wears her emotions on her sleeve and loves to talk, including to herself. She comes across as prissy or arrogant, when in reality, she’s a worrywart that wants everything in her life to play out the way she sees it in her head. Lei enjoys fancy teas, watching old cinema, and putting together complex outfits.

Background:

As the daughter of a Hunan-Hubei political ambassador and a Japanese weapons manufacturing mogul, Lei was born and raised in Japan, but frequently spent time in mainland China growing up. Despite their wealth, their parents lived frugally as to not spoil their daughters.

Lei attended college in Hunan-Hubei, and graduated with a degree in architecture. She then moved back to Japan in order to be with her longtime partner, Chihiro, but trade embargoes and food shortages brought upon by the Tangent War forced them to make plans to flee back to Hunan-Hubei shortly after.

Lei, who discovered she was newly pregnant, and Shui, afflicted by a waterborne illness and rapidly deteriorating, were placed on one of the last flights still commuting to Korea via a bribe from her parents to the airline. Most planes had been grounded due to a heavy increase in military presence in the surrounding waters. Chihiro and Lei’s parents stayed behind in hopes they could find another escape route once Lei and Shui were safe.

As their flight reached the edge of the Korean coastline, a nuclear warhead touched ground in Japan, the shockwave of which damaged the plane and caused it to crash. Lei and Shui survived the initial impact and were rescued, but Lei was later put on life support and not expected to make it through the night. In a rare act of diplomacy, Hunan-Hubei transferred her consciousness to a posthuman body before she died. Shui was paralyzed from the waist down from a spinal cord injury, but otherwise made a full recovery. Lei’s unborn child could not be saved. All who remained in Japan were declared deceased.

Lei occupies herself with her work and being a carer for Shui. Her and Shui have a close, but strained relationship, as Lei coddles her due to her disability and treats her like a child sometimes—Lei was transferred when she was 23 years old, and Shui, her little sister, is now older than her. It’s her way of coping with that and the loss of her child, albeit not a healthy one. They live together in Qingdao.

[covid-safer-hotties]

Full List of Democrats Who Voted to Ban Mask Mandates - Published Oct 26, 2023

Republican Senator J.D. Vance received support from 10 Democrats as part of a successful amendment prohibiting the Department of Transportation from using any federal funds to enforce future mask mandates.

The amendment to the Senate minibus appropriations bill passed Wednesday by a 59-38 margin and prevents federal mask mandates on passenger airlines, commuter rail, rapid transit buses, and any other transportation program funded through the 2024 fiscal year.

These are the 10 Democrats who voted for the amendment: Tammy Baldwin (Wisconsin); Michael Bennet (Colorado); Sherrod Brown (Ohio); Tim Kaine (Virginia); Mark Kelly (Arizona); Amy Klobuchar (Minnesota); Joe Manchin (West Virginia); Jacky Rosen (Nevada); Jean Shaheen (New Hampshire); and Jon Tester (Montana).

Three senators—Democrats John Fetterman (Pennsylvania) and Alex Padilla (California), and Republican Tim Scott (South Carolina—did not vote. Of the three independent senators, Kyrsten Sinema (Arizona) was the only one to vote in favor.

"This is a massive victory for personal freedom in this country," Vance said in a post-vote statement. "We saw countless abuses of authority throughout the COVID pandemic, and the American people were justifiably enraged by unscientific mask mandates.

"Today, the United States Senate took an emphatic step toward common sense and individual liberty. I'm proud of what we've accomplished here and look forward to continuing the fight."

"With the COVID pandemic behind us, the federal government doesn't need to be requiring masks for travel when that could hurt tourism and Nevada's economy," Rosen told Newsweek via email. "Anyone who chooses to wear a mask still has that option, but we've reached a point where a federal mask mandate is no longer necessary for travel."

In September, Vance, who represents Ohio, introduced the Freedom to Breathe Act—a bill intended to prevent the reimposition of federal mask mandates across the entire United States, in response to some businesses and colleges and universities reimposing mask mandates in the summer due to upticks in COVID-19 cases.

In September, the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in Ohio announced that all staff will be required to wear masks on the premises beginning September 25.

"This decision was made to promote the safety of our patients, families, visitors, and employees, based on evidence that masks are effective in reducing the spread of respiratory illness," the hospital said in a statement.

Read the rest and get a link to the original at the link above!