Bad news - the summer is over, the short, cold, wet days are here and the nights are drawing in, but the good news is you can avoid all of that by flying for Caribbean Direct Airways (CDA). Come to the Caribbean where the sun always shines¹ and even better - you get paid to do it². Graham UKD140 has woken up our dormant franchise and created a set of routes to be flown with or without FSAirlines. Three planes have been painted in the CDA livery so far with more to come. The CDA webpage can be accessed by clicking here and will appear in the menu system shortly.
If you enjoy short trips in simple to fly aircraft with nice scenery or just fancy a change then buy a ticket to (TNCM) Princess Juliana Airport. Of course you can fly the big iron in and out of there, vintage jets, prop-liners and for the time being is the only base to fly the new Dreamliner - the Caribbean has it all!


Show your love for your favourite VA (UKDirect in case you forgot) on http://www.va-list.com/  The best supported VA’s get over a hundred votes each month but it typically only takes 5 or 6 votes to make the top 20 and get on the front page!
The count resets at the start of the month so please be sure to vote every month.

Newshound aka Mark UKD171


“Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground.“
Theodore Roosevelt

¹ Inbetween hurricanes, storms and other cloudy weather.
² Not real money! :)

Caribbean Direct Airways Hawker Siddeley HS.748  PJ-CDA climbing out

Do you have a screen shot you are proud of? Please send it in and share it with us.
To enter in the next e-magazine send your entries to Newshound: mark[at]planecrazy.me.uk 

Don't worry about editing pictures, sending them as a full size bmp is best and I’ll edit them for Directions

Top of page

The last few months have been dedicated to producing CDA repaints with a lot of experimentation going on. The HS.748 is based on the original CDA paint scheme (of 1999 vintage!) and went through 3 repaints to get to its current state and will be available in several colours. The more modern planes will be in the scheme below, this is inspired by several airlines but most notably Aero Mexico and Vueling.

The 787 is a complete package with an auto-installer for convenience so you just have to point it to the main FS folder.
The Tristar is a payware plane so only the textures are available and have to be manually installed. The textures for the HS.748 by Rick Piper are packaged to be installed by hand for now but when I get a moment I will make a full package including the aircraft.

This time you need to visit the CDA page to download them and if you experience any problems or have any questions please let me know.

Lockheed L1011-500 TriStar PJ-CDY Sint Maarten
Payware model by Just Flight.

Simulate an aircraft battery fire with the new Boeing 787-800 Dreamliner. Sunset flying with PJ-CDR

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
24 JUL 2014  McDonnell Douglas MD-83  Air Algérie   EC-LTV    C/n: 53190/2148   First flight: 1996

A McDonnell Douglas MD-83 passenger plane, operating on a flight for Air Algérie, crashed in the area of Gossi, Mali. All 116 died in the accident.
The aeroplane took off at night from Ouagadougou airport at about 1 h 15 bound for Algiers. During the climb, the crew made several heading changes to avoid a stormy area before reaching cruise level at FL 310. A few minutes later, the aeroplane’s speed decreased, it lost altitude, then dropped suddenly in a turn to the left. It struck the ground at high speed.  The last recorded data by the FDR was at 01:47:15 at an altitude of 1600ft, a speed of about 380kts.
This one is a mystery - ATC lost contact prior to the crash and no distress calls were made. The cockpit voice recorder was badly damaged and investigations continue.
http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20140724-0

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
05 AUG 2014  Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner  Thomson Airways   G-TUIE   C/n: 37227  

Thomson Airways flight TOM157 diverted to Lajes Airport, Azores Islands following an in-flight engine shutdown over the Atlantic Ocean.
The flight had departed Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic about 21:05 UTC and landed at Lajes about 03:18 UTC.
http://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/terror-on-board-thomson-airways-flight-tom157/story-e6frfq80-1227017895539

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
14 AUG 2014  DeHaviland DHC-8-400  Flybe  C/n: ?  

A Flybe DHC-8-400 passenger plane suffered a heavy landing when the pilot’s artificial arm became detached while landing the plane at Belfast City Airport, according to an investigation report.
On February 12, 2014, the aircraft was on a scheduled flight from Birmingham to Belfast City, U.K. with the captain in the left seat, as pilot flying. There were 47 passengers and four crew members on board. It was night, and although there was no low cloud affecting the airport, the wind at Belfast was a strong west-south-westerly, gusting up to 48 kt. Before the approach, the captain checked that his prosthetic lower left arm was securely attached to the yoke clamp which he used to fly the aircraft, with the latching device in place.

Although gusts over the crosswind limit for the aircraft were reported, the final wind report from ATC was within the limit, and the approach continued. The captain disconnected the autopilot and flew the aircraft manually. As he made the flare manoeuvre, with somewhat more than flight idle torque still applied, his prosthetic limb became detached from the yoke clamp, depriving him of control of the aircraft. He made a rapid assessment of the situation and considered alerting the co-pilot and instructing him to take control. However, because the co-pilot would have had little time to assimilate the information necessary to take over in the challenging conditions, the captain concluded that his best course of action was to move his right hand from the power levers onto the yoke to regain control. He did this, but with power still applied, and possibly a gust affecting the aircraft, a normal touchdown was followed by a bounce, from which the aircraft landed heavily.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
02 SEP 2014  Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner   Japan Airlines   JA832J ?    C/n: 34844/105   First flight: 1996

A Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, operated as JAL/JL784 from Tokyo-Narita to Honolulu returned to Narita due to failure of one of two air conditioning systems. The plane made a safe landing after four and a half hours from its takeoff. (The scheduled time of departure was 21:05 JST or 12:05 UTC). Another B787 was arranged next morning. The registration was checked by the Flightradar24.com records, but both registrations of the incident flight and the next morning's flight are identically displayed to be JA832J, though the ship should have been replaced. Thus, the registration, C/n and Msn may be misidentified.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
09 SEP 2014  Airbus A330-202  Air Europa   EC-JPF    C/n: 733

Air Europa flight UX41 from Madrid, Spain to Buenos Aires-Ezeiza, Argentina sustained damage after flying through a hailstorm.
The airplane was descending through FL250 towards Buenos Aires when the incident happened. A safe landing was made on Ezeiza's runway 11 at 07:58.
The Airbus A330 had sustained damage to co-pilots windscreen and the nose cone was punctured.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
26 SEP 2014  Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner    LOT   SP-LRB    C/n: 37894/78  

LOT Flight 4 from Chicago-O'Hare to Warsaw carried out an emergency landing at Glasgow, Scotland.
The airplane was en route over the Atlantic at FL410 when a descent was started at 10:50 U.K. time. The crew squawked 7700, indicating an emergency. Apparently the crew had received an indication of a possible smoke detection in the cargo hold.
A safe landing was made on Glasgow Airport's runway 23 at 11:21 local time. The airplane taxied to the apron, escorted by airport fire services.
An investigation revealed that there was no fire and that smoke detection system had had given a false warning.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
01 OCT 2014  Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner    Xiamen Airlines  B-2768    C/n: 41538/201  

A Xiamen Airlines Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, registered B-2768, sustained minor damage on a ground incident at Beijing Airport, China.
The airplane had arrived from Fuzhou, Chinas as flight MF8119 when the left hand engine contacted an air bridge at the parking position. The engine cowling was punctured.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
03 OCT 2014  Airbus A380-842   Qantas Airways  VH-OQL    C/n: 74   First flight: 1996

Aircraft was en-route from Sydney Australia to Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas when it suffered a failure of two fuel pumps in one tank over Fiji. Pilots choose to return to Sydney for repairs. The aircraft flew to Dallas the next day after a delay of over 25 hours.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
16 OCT 2014  Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner   All Nippon Airways ANA   JA823A    C/n: 42246/120  

Flight NH/ANA941 from Tokyo-Narita to Dusseldorf returned to Narita due to low oil pressure warning of No. 2 engine. The plane made a safe landing at 17:50 JST. The location of the incident was reported to be the boundary of Nagano and Niigata prefectures, however, it seems to be the boundary of Tochigi and Fukushima prefectures, i.e. about 30km northwest of Nikko, according to the Flightradar24.com record.
 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
24 OCT 2014  Boeing 747-412F   Great Wall Airlines   B-2433    C/n: 28027/1256  

A Boeing 747-412F cargo plane, registered B-2433, suffered a landing gear incident on landing at Shanghai-Pudong International Airport (PVG/ZSPD), China. Photographic evidence from the incident suggests that the right hand main (wing) landing gear had not fully deployed. The aircraft came to a stop on a taxiway when the right hand engines contacted the tarmac. The plane had arrived from Taipei as flight CK262A.
 

Time to get that grey matter working!. Email answers to mark “at” planecrazy.me.uk or use the message facility on FS Airlines.  Answers will be posted in the next Directions but if you email me your guesses I will reply straight away (in confidence - so no need to worry about embarrassment.

1>  The pitot tube is part of what system?
 
a)        Hydraulic
b)        Engine
c)        Instrument
d)        Control surface


2>  What does the N1 gauge indicate?

a)    The rotational speed of the wheels
b)    The temperature in the first stage of the engine
c)    The air pressure in the cabin
d)    The speed of the engine compressor


3>  Which of these systems/equipment is not found on aircraft?

a)     Hydrofoils
b)     Hydraulic fuses
c)     Transformer-Rectifier
d)     Fuel heaters


 

Answers to last Directions quiz:

1. What is the purpose of VASI lights by the runway?
   a)        Assisting the transition from instrument to visual flight.
2. What angle is commonly used for the glide slope angle?
   c)       3 Degrees
3. What is usually decided at the Decision Height?
   d)      All of a, b and c! Confirm the runway is free and can be landed on, ensure visibility is sufficient for landing, and decide whether one will make the landing or is too high.

Top of page

A few jokes

As an airplane is about to crash, a female passenger jumps up frantically and announces, "If I'm going to die, I want to die feeling like a woman." She removes all her clothing and asks, "Is there someone on this plane who is man enough to make me feel like a woman?" A man stands up, removes his shirt and says, "Here, iron this!".


A child asked his father, "How were people born?" So his father said, "Adam and Eve made babies, then their babies became adults and made babies, and so on." The child then went to his mother, asked her the same question and she told him, "We were monkeys then we evolved to become like we are now." The child ran back to his father and said, "You lied to me!" His father replied, "No, your mom was talking about her side of the family."


I never wanted to believe that my Dad was stealing from his job as a road worker. But when I got home, all the signs were there.


Johnny was at school and the teacher said, "Someone use fascinate in a sentence." Sally answered, "The zoo was fascinating." The teacher said, "Sorry, Sally, I said to use fascinate in a sentence." Maria suggested, "I was fascinated at the zoo." Once again the teacher said, "No, Maria, I specifically said to use fascinate in a sentence." Johnny said, "My sister has ten buttons on her sweater, but her boobs are so big she can only fasten eight."


A man who is just married is flying to the Florida Keys for a business trip. His new bride is to accompany him the next day. When he gets there, he e-mails his wife to let her know he made it there safely. When he sends the e-mail, he mistypes the address. In Boston, a grieving widow, whose husband has recently passed away, receives the e-mail. She reads it, screams, and faints. Hearing her grandmothers cry, the granddaughter runs into the living room to see the computer on, with a message that reads, "Dear love, I just got here. Preparing for your arrival tomorrow. Can't wait to see you. PS. Sure is hot down here."



 

LETTER FROM A RETIRED AIRLINE PILOT TO HIS PEERS:

Here is a home study simulator course for those who still hunger for the romance and adventure of airline flying. That "Romance and Adventure" will all come back to you if you follow the steps of this "practice trip" at home:

1. Stay out of bed all night.

2. Sit in your most uncomfortable chair, in a closet, for nine or ten hours facing a four foot wide panoramic photo of a flight deck.

3. Have two or three noisy vacuum cleaners on high, out of sight but within hearing distance and operating throughout the night. If a vacuum cleaner fails, do the appropriate restart checklist.

4. Halfway through your nocturnal simulator course, arrange for a bright spotlight to shine directly into your face for two or three hours, simulating flying an eastbound flight into the sunrise.

5. Have bland overcooked food served on a tray midway through the night.

6. Have cold cups of coffee delivered from time to time. Ask your spouse to slam the door frequently.

7. At the time when you must heed nature's call, force yourself to stand outside the bathroom door for at least ten minutes, transferring your weight from leg to leg, easing the discomfort. Don't forget to wear your hat.

8. Leave the closet after the prescribed nine or ten hours, turn on your sprinklers and stand out in the cold and "rain" for twenty minutes, simulating the wait for the crew car.

9. Head for your bedroom, wet and with your suitcase and flight bag. Stand outside the door till your wife gets up and leaves, simulating the wait while the maid makes up the hotel room.

10. When your spouse inquires, "Just what in the hell have you been doing?" just say, "Recalling the allure of all night flying to romantic places." as you collapse into bed.

11. If you are a purist, make this a two-day trip instead of a turn-around, and do this two nights in a row.

Hope you enjoy your sim session.

http://www.b737.org.uk/index.htm