Latest news with #WilburWright
The Guardian
28-05-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Stand up too early when your plane lands? That'll be £50, please
Name: Aeroplane etiquette. Age: Dates to 1903, when Wilbur Wright ceded his seat to his brother Orville for the first powered flight. Appearance: For the most part, long gone. What happened to it? Stress tends to make people less self-aware – and therefore less polite – and air travel seems to get more stressful with each passing year. I guess you can't force people to be courteous. You can try. The Turkish Directorate General of Civil Aviation has just announced compliance measures for passengers who stand up too early on landing. How early is too early? Before the plane has stopped taxiing. Well, obviously. That's dangerous, and anyway, you're not going to get anywhere at that point. But also, before it's your go. What do you mean, my go? According to the announcement, you may not 'stand up or proceed into the aisle before it is your turn to exit'. And what happens if you do? 'Passengers who do not comply with the rules will be reported to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation through a Disruptive Passenger Report, and an administrative fine will be imposed.' How much? According to some reports, 2,603 Turkish lira, or £50. Harsh. Then again, if it happened to a couple of people on my next flight it would brighten my day considerably. It's hard to travel these days without wishing punishment on others. What other breaches ought to incur hefty fines? As you can imagine, this is a hot topic, but two iron rules of plane etiquette crop up again and again. First, keep your shoes on. For the whole flight? At a minimum, wear socks. Absolutely no bare feet. And the second? The person in the aisle seat has the aisle, and the window seat passenger has the window. Therefore the person in the middle seat gets command of both armrests. What about reclining your seat? Yes or no? A matter of much dispute – some people believe that if your seat is reclinable, then it's your right to recline it. There's a certain logic to that. Others think it's always rude. But the dispute itself can get you into trouble. Last year, Cathay Pacific banned a couple for harassing a passenger who had dared to recline the seat in front of them. This is why I wear headphones. True – it's easier to be rude when you can't hear anything. Do say: 'Manners cost nothing, unlike business class.' Don't say: 'I will gladly pay £50 to get away from these people 40 seconds sooner.'
The Age
22-05-2025
- The Age
Think flying the plane is all done by computers these days? Think again
We all know the moment when dinner party or barbecue conversation drifts into discussions of what everyone does for a living, and there is always one question we know we will get about our jobs. For an airline pilot, that one question is almost always 'doesn't the autopilot do everything for you?' The response is generally 'well, not really …' before a proper explanation makes way for the questioner talking about that last time an airline lost their bags, and the moment is lost. Let's explore the autopilot myth. The first iteration of an autopilot was in 1914, only nine years after brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright took to the skies for the first time. The initial objective was to reduce the workload on the pilot, managing the pilot's fatigue, so all tasks associated with flying the aircraft could be safely carried out. That objective has never changed, but of course, as aircraft have become more complex, so too have autopilot systems. Today, they can land the aeroplane if needed. So how do the real-life pilots put their automated selves to use? With the technology still limited, pilots manually conduct the take-off manoeuvre. They use their feet on the rudder pedals to steer the aircraft on the runway centreline and when take-off speed is achieved (about 270-310km/h), the pilot pulls back on the control column or sidestick to make the aircraft fly. The rate of rotation is important to avoid the plane's tail striking the ground. On many take-offs, the ground clearance of the tail is a tiny 30-40 centimetres, so in gusty conditions the pilot needs all the manual finesse they have trained for to ensure a safe departure. Once the aircraft has passed an altitude of 400-500 feet, the autopilot can be engaged. Pilots will assess the conditions first because, on a beautiful day, there is nothing better than 'having a fly' up to about 10,000 feet before turning the autopilot on. Equally, if the weather is poor, the pilot may decide to engage the autopilot within a minute of take-off to allow them to better manage the increased workload needed to keep their passengers safe. In most jet transport in Australian skies, the autopilot system allows the pilots to not have to physically fly, but all pilots must have a healthy suspicion of automation. It is the responsibility of the pilot to constantly monitor the performance of the autopilot and to take manual control if it isn't doing what is wanted or expected. This happens often enough for complacency to never set in.
Sydney Morning Herald
22-05-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
Think flying the plane is all done by computers these days? Think again
We all know the moment when dinner party or barbecue conversation drifts into discussions of what everyone does for a living, and there is always one question we know we will get about our jobs. For an airline pilot, that one question is almost always 'doesn't the autopilot do everything for you?' The response is generally 'well, not really …' before a proper explanation makes way for the questioner talking about that last time an airline lost their bags, and the moment is lost. Let's explore the autopilot myth. The first iteration of an autopilot was in 1914, only nine years after brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright took to the skies for the first time. The initial objective was to reduce the workload on the pilot, managing the pilot's fatigue, so all tasks associated with flying the aircraft could be safely carried out. That objective has never changed, but of course, as aircraft have become more complex, so too have autopilot systems. Today, they can land the aeroplane if needed. So how do the real-life pilots put their automated selves to use? With the technology still limited, pilots manually conduct the take-off manoeuvre. They use their feet on the rudder pedals to steer the aircraft on the runway centreline and when take-off speed is achieved (about 270-310km/h), the pilot pulls back on the control column or sidestick to make the aircraft fly. The rate of rotation is important to avoid the plane's tail striking the ground. On many take-offs, the ground clearance of the tail is a tiny 30-40 centimetres, so in gusty conditions the pilot needs all the manual finesse they have trained for to ensure a safe departure. Once the aircraft has passed an altitude of 400-500 feet, the autopilot can be engaged. Pilots will assess the conditions first because, on a beautiful day, there is nothing better than 'having a fly' up to about 10,000 feet before turning the autopilot on. Equally, if the weather is poor, the pilot may decide to engage the autopilot within a minute of take-off to allow them to better manage the increased workload needed to keep their passengers safe. In most jet transport in Australian skies, the autopilot system allows the pilots to not have to physically fly, but all pilots must have a healthy suspicion of automation. It is the responsibility of the pilot to constantly monitor the performance of the autopilot and to take manual control if it isn't doing what is wanted or expected. This happens often enough for complacency to never set in.
Sydney Morning Herald
21-05-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
Air travel: Autopilot's capabilities, limitations and future
We all know the moment when dinner party or barbecue conversation drifts into discussions of what everyone does for a living, and there is always one question we know we will get about our jobs. For an airline pilot, that one question is almost always 'doesn't the autopilot do everything for you?' The response is generally 'well, not really …' before a proper explanation makes way for the questioner talking about that last time an airline lost their bags, and the moment is lost. Let's explore the autopilot myth. The autopilot, as depicted in 1980 comedy classic Flying High (AKA Airplane!), was not particularly accurate. The first iteration of an autopilot was in 1914, only nine years after brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright took to the skies for the first time. The initial objective was to reduce the workload on the pilot, managing the pilot's fatigue, so all tasks associated with flying the aircraft could be safely carried out. That objective has never changed, but of course, as aircraft have become more complex, so too have autopilot systems. Today, they can land the aeroplane if needed. So how do the real-life pilots put their automated selves to use? With the technology still limited, pilots manually conduct the take-off manoeuvre. They use their feet on the rudder pedals to steer the aircraft on the runway centreline and when take-off speed is achieved (about 270-310km/h), the pilot pulls back on the control column or sidestick to make the aircraft fly. The rate of rotation is important to avoid the plane's tail striking the ground. On many take-offs, the ground clearance of the tail is a tiny 30-40 centimetres, so in gusty conditions the pilot needs all the manual finesse they have trained for to ensure a safe departure. Pilots still manually perform take-offs. Credit: iStock Once the aircraft has passed an altitude of 400-500 feet, the autopilot can be engaged. Pilots will assess the conditions first because, on a beautiful day, there is nothing better than 'having a fly' up to about 10,000 feet before turning the autopilot on. Equally, if the weather is poor, the pilot may decide to engage the autopilot within a minute of take-off to allow them to better manage the increased workload needed to keep their passengers safe. In most jet transport in Australian skies, the autopilot system allows the pilots to not have to physically fly, but all pilots must have a healthy suspicion of automation. It is the responsibility of the pilot to constantly monitor the performance of the autopilot and to take manual control if it isn't doing what is wanted or expected. This happens often enough for complacency to never set in.
The Age
21-05-2025
- The Age
Air travel: Autopilot's capabilities, limitations and future
We all know the moment when dinner party or barbecue conversation drifts into discussions of what everyone does for a living, and there is always one question we know we will get about our jobs. For an airline pilot, that one question is almost always 'doesn't the autopilot do everything for you?' The response is generally 'well, not really …' before a proper explanation makes way for the questioner talking about that last time an airline lost their bags, and the moment is lost. Let's explore the autopilot myth. The autopilot, as depicted in 1980 comedy classic Flying High (AKA Airplane!), was not particularly accurate. The first iteration of an autopilot was in 1914, only nine years after brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright took to the skies for the first time. The initial objective was to reduce the workload on the pilot, managing the pilot's fatigue, so all tasks associated with flying the aircraft could be safely carried out. That objective has never changed, but of course, as aircraft have become more complex, so too have autopilot systems. Today, they can land the aeroplane if needed. So how do the real-life pilots put their automated selves to use? With the technology still limited, pilots manually conduct the take-off manoeuvre. They use their feet on the rudder pedals to steer the aircraft on the runway centreline and when take-off speed is achieved (about 270-310km/h), the pilot pulls back on the control column or sidestick to make the aircraft fly. The rate of rotation is important to avoid the plane's tail striking the ground. On many take-offs, the ground clearance of the tail is a tiny 30-40 centimetres, so in gusty conditions the pilot needs all the manual finesse they have trained for to ensure a safe departure. Pilots still manually perform take-offs. Credit: iStock Once the aircraft has passed an altitude of 400-500 feet, the autopilot can be engaged. Pilots will assess the conditions first because, on a beautiful day, there is nothing better than 'having a fly' up to about 10,000 feet before turning the autopilot on. Equally, if the weather is poor, the pilot may decide to engage the autopilot within a minute of take-off to allow them to better manage the increased workload needed to keep their passengers safe. In most jet transport in Australian skies, the autopilot system allows the pilots to not have to physically fly, but all pilots must have a healthy suspicion of automation. It is the responsibility of the pilot to constantly monitor the performance of the autopilot and to take manual control if it isn't doing what is wanted or expected. This happens often enough for complacency to never set in.
