EasyJet Coats Airplanes With Ultra Thin Paint To Reduce Fuel Consumption

A high-tech coating used on military aircraft could make commercial planes more aerodynamic and allow them to fly more efficiently through the air. Budget airline EasyJet has applied the coating, invented by TripleO, to eight of its aircraft and will compare their fuel consumption to the rest of the fleet over the course of the year. If successful, all 194 of EasyJet’s aircraft will be coated. Experts say the coating could cut fuel costs by 2 percent, which would save EasyJet £20 million each year.

The nano-technology has been used on U.S. military aircraft, but this is the first time a U.K. airline has applied it to commercial planes. The coating, which is 100 times thinner than a human hair, smooths out microscopic bumps and nicks on a plane’s surface, letting it glide more easily when in flight, ultimately cutting fuel consumption and cost. It adds only 4 oz. of weight to the aircraft, and reduces the buildup of debris on the aircraft’s surface, thus reducing drag.

To work, the coating must be applied in two stages. First an aircraft is washed in a special solution to purge the plane’s pores and give it a positive electric charge. Then the main coating is applied with a negative charge. The oppositely charged molecules are pulled into any spaces and magnetically held there. The coating contains durable acrylic elements that create a perfectly smooth surface by filling the pores with a special resin. The coating also prevents the penetration of any contaminants or debris.

The fuel savings will result in a lower carbon footprint and lower costs, which will be passed on to airline passengers through ticket prices. Last year, EasyJet’s fuel cost was nearly £750 million, and with rising fuel prices, that could jump to £1 billion this year.

WHY THIS MATTERS

Airplanes use massive amounts of fuel, so any reduction in fuel consumption will result in less CO2 emissions, thus helping to curb global warming. If EasyJet’s trial with TripleO’s nano-technology coating is successful, more commercial airlines could start using it, meaning more airlines would reduce CO2 emissions.

Source:

http://inhabitat.com/easyjet-coats-airplanes-with-ultra-thin-paint-to-reduce-fuel-consumption/

For more information:

http://www.theengineer.co.uk/sectors/aerospace/easyjet-trials-nanotechnology-coating-on-its-aircraft/1007463.article

The captain of a Qatar Airways Airbus A330-300, flight QR645 from Ninoy Aquino International Airport(MNL) in Manila, Philippines to Doha Airport (DOH) in Qatar died of a heart attack during the flight, onWednesday morning, October 13.

The copilot took command of the aircraft, diverting to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL) inMalaysia, landing at 11:30 a.m. local time on Wednesday, October 13. Paramedics were unable to revive the man, who was described as an Indian national.

Another Qatar Airways flight crew flew the aircraft from Kuala Lumpur to Doha, the capital of theQatar, arriving 272 minutes late (4-1/2 hours), according to flight status tracking at FlightSmart.com

Qatar, which has an emirate-type government, is located in the Middle East, bordered by Saudi Arabia and separated by the Persian Gulf fromBahrain. It is rich in oil and natural gas. Al Jazeera, an international news network headquartered in Doha, was among the first media to report the incident.

Qatar Airways said in a statement that its priority"remains the comfort and safety of its passengers and staff". It did not confirm the cause of death, or if the flight was ever at risk.

While rare for a cockpit crew to become incapacitated aloft, according to the British Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), there were 32 incidents during 2009 when pilots were incapacitated during a flight. During 2008, such situations occurred 39 times, caused by food poisoning, nausea and fainting.

The last reported death by a flight crew while airborne happened on June 18, 2009 when a 60-year-old pilot aboard Continental Airlines (CO) flightFlight 61, a Boeing 777-200ER, from Brussels AIrport (BRU) to Newark Liberty International Airport(EWR) suffered a fatal heart attack at 10:30 a.m. EDT over the Atlantic. The first officer and a relief pilot took over control of the aircraft. None of the 247 passengers on board the plane were aware of the tragedy.

Many commercial aircraft and airports around the world have computerized heart paddle defibrillatorsavailable which can deliver a shock to help restore normal cardiac rhythm to persons suffering heart related incidents. It is not yet known whether such equipment was on board the Qatar Airways flight, or if it were deployed.

This journalist was on a Northwest Airlines flight in 2007 from LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to Minneapolis(MSP), which had to return to the gate because a flight crew member had become critically ill. Our sympathies go out to the family, friends, and colleagues of the deceased Qatar Airways captain.

 The Qatar Airways pilot who died on a flight was a 43-year-old Indian national who worked with the airline for five years, according to a Qatari daily.

Ajay Kukreja suffered a massive heart attack shortly after he took off from Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport, and his co-pilot had to fly the plane (Flight No QR645), with around 260 passengers on board, to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) for an emergency landing.

After the pilot complained of a chest pain, the co-pilot requested permission from the KLIA authorities to land and asked that a medical team be on hand. The passengers on board were not told about the pilot’s condition.

However, the pilot was declared dead after the flight landed at KLIA.

The entire crew of the plane was changed, and it continued on its journey leaving Kuala Lumpur at 1.15pm and landing in Doha at 3.37pm, more than four-and-a-half hours behind schedule.

Meanwhile Kukreja’s body was taken to Serdang Hospital in Kuala Lumpur for a post-mortem. Reports said he died of cardiac arrest. He reportedly suffered a heart attack roughly an hour after the flight had left Manila.

Sources close to his family in Doha said he had no past history of heart problems. However, he was asthmatic and always carried an inhaler. His body will be flown to Mumbai directly from Kuala Lumpur, and Qatar Airways is also making arrangements to bring his family over.

Kukreja was from Delhi and had married woman from Goa, but his parents live in Mumbai. He has been living in Doha and working with Qatar Airways for five years. His widow teaches in a nursery in Doha, and the couple's two children, a 13-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl, are students.

BA flight to New York in emergency landing at Heathrow

The aircraft landed safely at Heathrow

A British Airways jumbo jet with 296 people on board had to make an emergency landing shortly after taking off from Heathrow airport.

The Boeing 747, destined for New York, was over London at 0920 BST when a light in the cockpit indicated that one of the doors was not completely closed.

Wimbledon residents reported a low-flying aircraft as the jet turned and headed back to Heathrow.

The flight, BA117, landed safely at the west London airport.

In total the plane was airborne for 11 minutes.

Passengers were being put on another flight thought to be departing at 1500 BST.

Hannah Evershed was on board. She said: "It wasn't fun. I fly a lot for work and I knew we were flying too low.

"The pilot alerted the cabin crew over the loudspeaker to answer his calls. It all happened quite quickly."

Ms Evershed added: "Other passengers were quite calm but I was nervous.

"I'm travelling with my fiance and he saw smoke under the wing.

"We're waiting for engineers and hopefully we'll be on another flight this afternoon."

A British Airways spokeswoman said a full investigation was taking place.

She added: "Obviously it takes a bit of time to find another aircraft but we are looking to do that as soon as possible."

A spokeswoman for Heathrow operator BAA said the problem had been traced to a faulty light.

The “Bermuda or Devil’s Triangle” is an invented spot situated at the southeastern side of Atlantic coast of the America, which is renowned for the number of incidence that mysterious losses of aircraft, yachts and small boats. The climaxes of this triangle are commonly established to be Miami, Bermuda, Fla., Puerto Rico and San Juan. On the other hand, The America. Board of Geographic names does not distinguish the Bermuda Triangle like an authorized name.

AMERICAN AIRLINES INC AIRBUS on August 28, 1991

Formulate emergency landing due to turbulence

Hamilton, Bermuda on Aug 28 – The Airlines of America Inc Airbus made a crisis landing in Bermuda at present after an air pouch sent the airplane dipping 1,000 feet, injuring about 30 passengers, people told. Regarding 170 passengers were in board Flight on 1473 from International Airport of New York (John F. Kennedy) to International Airport of San Juan (Luis Munoz Morin), Puerto Rico, when it strikes harsh turbulence over the Atlantic. About 30 passengers were indulgenced at hospitals of Bermuda for injuries, together with bruises and busted bones. The most severe cases implicated three patients who endured heart harms. One of them was tranquil in rigorous care in hospital about six hours later on, hospice spokesmen told. The captain of aircraft radioed Bermuda to aware land crews intended for a crisis landing following the aircraft lastly righted itself, airfield officials said. — .

AMERICAN AIRLINES INC AIRBUS A300 on November 28, 1994

Decrepit by the clear air turbulence on Martinique

San Juan, PR on Nov 28 — in excess of 40 passengers were wounded, six critically, when their Airlines of America Inc Airbus A300 scuttled into unpredicted turbulence over the Caribbean at present. A orator for the Dallas-based airline told 212 peoples and 9 crew affiliates were on the board Flight 1218 at regarding 1830, EST (2330, UTC), when the airplane left the Bridgetown airfield, Barbados, meant for International Airport of San Juan, on the first leg of the tour to Boston. The airplane encountered a pouch of air turbulence or turbulence not reasoned by the squall, on top of the Martinique island, regarding three hundred seventy miles south-east of the San Juan, and plunged unexpectedly soon after reached its cruising elevation of 35,000 feet. “I collect a number of passengers and the flight followers were thrown roughly the cabin,” the airline orator Don Bedwell told, 46 passengers were taken to the three hospitals of San Juan for surveillance, cure of head injury and further wounds together with the coffee burns. The orator told about 6 passengers sustained severe, but not critical, wounds. — .

CONTINENTAL AIRLINES INC FLIGHT 207 on 1995, June 25

Flight suffered clear air turbulence

San Juan on June 25 — 22 peoples on an air travel toward Puerto Rico were wounded these days, when the air turbulence reasoned for vicious movements on the airplane in which those passengers were wandering. The Continental Airlines Inc plane 207, which was hauling 257 peoples from New Jersey of New York to San Juan, skilled turbulence at the middle of the journey. The Authorities inside the capital of Puerto Rican were recommending and crisis medical staffs were waiting at the airport of San Juan on the airplane advent to help in treatment to the wounded passenger. The chief of the Puert Rico Port Authority, Herman Sulsona told the trouble was reasoned by “apparent air turbulence, an observable fact of the turbulence, which can’t be envisaged for the reason that it doesn’t explain up on top of the radars.” The Sulsona told mainly 22 passengers injured, most of them children and the young adults, experienced only trivial bruises, but 4 people of them had neck wounded. Most of injured passengers were fetched to the San Juan hospitals. A people in the trip, Jose Rodriguez told that in information, when the airplane suffered the turbulence, it plunged abruptly and then rapidly climbed up again, sourcing peoples to fly as of their places.

INTREPID on 1996, October 14

A 65 feet ship was missing about 30 miles in Florida, off Fort Pierce after issue a rapid MAYDAY.

Miami on Oct 14 – There are 16 passengers were misplaced following reporting previous night that, they were discarding their dipping yacht Florida, off Fort Pierce, the coastline security told today. The coastline security told ship Intrepid, 65 feet in length, launch out a grief call telling, she was tumbling and everybody on the board was evading on a living raft. The coastline security told that 4

airplane seek for all night for the living raft and at present 2 airplane and a reaper were still waiting for her, regarding thirty  miles off Fort Pierce, in  east – north of Florida Palm Beach. The coastline security told the area in sea was bumpy among the waves up to 7 feet tall. — .

Reuters Miami on Oct 14 — The coastline security of America presented up the search this day for 16 passengers, who misplaced after description last night, they were discard the sinking ship Intrepid the Florida, off Fort Pierce, a coastline Guard orator told. The coastline security told the crew of Intrepid, launch out a grief call telling, she was tumbling and everybody on the board was evading on a living raft. They had no statement about the home port or nationality group of yacht. Lt. Robert Engle, the coastline Guard told the seek was perched delay in this afternoon, the following teams had investigated six thousand sq. miles in water regarding thirty miles off Fort Pierce east coast north of  Florida Palm Beach. — .

AMERICAN AIRLINES INC AIRBUS A300 on 1996, January 17

Strike by the serious turbulence inside the Bahamas

Dubai Plane Crash: Plane Down on Emirates Highway

A Plane Has Crashed On the Emirates Highway in Dubai on September 3

Al Arabiya TV is reporting that a plane, believed to be a Boeing 747, has crashed in the United Arab Emirates city.

The plane was on fire along with several cars on the highway. It has now been confirmed that the plane belonged to the company UPS. They have confirmed that one of their planes was involved in an accident.

It crashed about 20 kilometres away from Dubai's International Airport, near to a UAE army camp.

Witnesses said the UPS plane went down near Academic City & Global Village, on the intersection of the Al-Ain Dubai Highway.

 

Photos

Reports state everyone on board may have been killed, but that has not been confirmed. It is believed that between 3 to 6 crew members were on the plane at the time.

According to an offical that spoke to Al Arabiya, the plane was attempting to land at Dubai's Airport, when a technical problem on board caused the crash. A fire broke out on the plane as it was attempting to land.

The Khaleej Times is reporting however that the plane crashed two minutes after taking off from the Airport. 

The official United Arab Emirates WAM news agency is reporting that the aircraft came down in an unpopulated area, although it was near a residential district.

It is not known how many passengers were on board. 

QANTAS jet's mid-air drama

A Qantas jet bound for Sydney was forced to turn back to San Francisco after an engine problem punched a hole in the metal shell around it.

Flight 74, carrying 212 passengers and a crew of 18, left San Francisco for Sydney at 11.05pm on Monday local time (4.05pm AEST on Tuesday) and returned at 12.45am (5.45pm AEST), San Francisco airport duty manager Carol Spear said.

Photo: Channel Ten

 

About 15 to 20 minutes into the flight, the crew noticed "excessive vibration" in engine No. 4 of the Boeing 747-400, Qantas Airways spokesman Simon Rushton said in Sydney.

"After some initial troubleshooting, they made the appropriate decision to shut the engine down," Mr Rushton said.

"They also made the appropriate decision to seek priority clearance to return to San Francisco."

The pilot dumped fuel over the Pacific as a precaution, he said.

There were no injuries during the landing, Mr Rushton said, and the plane was able to pull up to the aerobridge at the terminal so passengers could get off the plane.

Engine failure a very rare event: Qantas

Mr Rushton said engine failures were "very rare events" and there was no fire. He could not say whether similar incidents had occurred to other Qantas planes.

"Engineers have determined the engine does need replacement, and they are checking to see what caused the problem," he said.

"We are ... dispatching a replacement engine early this afternoon to San Francisco along with a team of Qantas engineers who will also take the replacement and begin the investigations into what has happened."

But an engine surge can often cause what appear to be flames. The flames created a large hole in the engine cowling, the metal shell around the engine.

An aviation expert, John Nance, told the San Francisco Chronicle the incident was an "uncontained engine failure" that was "an extremely rare event".

He said Boeing 747s were designed to "lose three of four engines and still be able to get back".

Crew looked alarmed: passenger

Passenger Nolan Goldstein told local television station KTVU-TV she "heard a thud, a bump and the plane veered off to the left".

"It was very uncertain for a period of time until the captain announced that we had an engine that blew up. ... It was a real uncomfortable vibration at first and then the plane began to shake a bit."

"It wasn't turbulence," passenger Neil Dufty told KTVU. "It seemed that there was some pretty serious damage. People on the right-hand side of the plane seemed very shocked. Apparently, there were flames coming out of the engine.

Another passenger, Elizabeth Thomas said she heard a "very strange noise" that was "hard to describe".

"I don't travel that much but I knew it was very wrong," she told KTVU. "The staff looked a little alarmed and began to move very quickly."

Mr Dufty said the pilot "assured everybody that the plane was still relatively safe".

"There was serious damage in one of the engines. We jettisoned some fuel and turned around. The captain made a very good landing. We all cheered."

Mr Rushton said passengers were given hotel accommodation and meals.

"We are transferring them to Los Angeles to pick up Qantas flights to Los Angeles tonight to Australia."

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the US said Qantas will prepare a report into the incident for the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board.

"Whatever Qantas does is going to have to meet with our approval too," an FAA spokesman said.

"The bottom line is we want to make sure and know that that aircraft is airworthy when they are saying they want to put it back on line."