For the aviation fans

[DJR]

And today I got to see them. Pretty and noisy. [emoji108]

the Armed Forces Day celebrations ate ongoing. With a night shoot at Muizenberg on Monday and Tuesday. I assume the Gripens will be part of this as they have apparently been practicing there this week.

 

I happened to pass a group of about 40 SANDF members in uniform at the SS Mendi Memorial at UCT on my Friday commute home. They were having a memorial service for all who died in the sinking of the Mendi and I joined and had a chat. I learnt something new - the reason for the Mendi Memorials' odd location on the UCT campus, is that that is the spot where they last gathered before embarking! I also had flyovers several times the last week, I suppose some practice runs.

[PhilipV]

I happened to pass a group of about 40 SANDF members in uniform at the SS Mendi Memorial at UCT on my Friday commute home. They were having a memorial service for all who died in the sinking of the Mendi and I joined and had a chat. I learnt something new - the reason for the Mendi Memorials' odd location on the UCT campus, is that that is the spot where they last gathered before embarking! I also had flyovers several times the last week, I suppose some practice runs.

Armed forces day is on 21 Feb yearly to commemorate the sinking of SS Mendi.

[Spokey]

 

Sunrise from the “office” somewhere over India earlier this month.

[dev null]

Hopefully the ROI means that they will need to stay in operation for some time.

 

Worked out that I spent more than 300 hours on the A380 last year, and it’s really made the commute bearable. The smoothness of the flight and noises levels are amazing.

 

 I am going to the GOTO Java conference in Copenhagen in November this year, so hopefully I will be able to fly in one of those.

[Lotus]

White, blue and gold - still one of the most striking colour combinations. Think of the Rothmans Racing or BOAC colour scheme.

 

https://twitter.com/i/status/1097421199267823616

 

(how do I get these Twitter links to show an image?)

Edited February 18, 2019 by Lotus

[Lotus]

Is this a good idea?

 

Seems to me it could either increase costs (e.g. 3x duplicated functions), or make it easier to cull unprofitable business lines.

 

https://businesstech.co.za/news/business/300158/saa-to-be-split-into-three-units/

[Ed-Zulu]

How not to do a cross wind landing (in a A380)

 

Goeie bliksem! They actually bounced that beast...

[Long Wheel Base]

[Lotus]

Dang, it would make for a good Leon Schuster stunt - in a bus.

[Long Wheel Base]

Is this a good idea?

 

Seems to me it could either increase costs (e.g. 3x duplicated functions), or make it easier to cull unprofitable business lines.

 

https://businesstech.co.za/news/business/300158/saa-to-be-split-into-three-units/

Same people at the top=Same issues, doesn't matter what their role. Doesn't matter how we restructure, the bad apples will still be bad. IMHO.

[Lotus]

Same people at the top=Same issues, doesn't matter what their role. Doesn't matter how we restructure, the bad apples will still be bad. IMHO.

So just re-arranging deckchairs on the Titanic?

 

I hope Pravin can find time to get SAA some professional help. So many good people there, notwithstanding.

[Long Wheel Base]

Dang, it would make for a good Leon Schuster stunt - in a bus.

We have to do live tests from time to time on these things(Usually when they test the slides it's in a workshop and test it in a way that the whole thing doesn't open). They set up video cameras to record it and time it. It is amazing to watch in real life. For something that big to unfold that quickly is mind boggling, especially when you see how small the canister is. It is also very noisy. Imagine when a bird flies, it is silent but when 100 doves all take off at once it is noisy.

We have also had guys deploy them by mistake. They become very famous. When the door is armed there is meant to be a flag or light or pin or something red(depending on the aircraft type) to show it is armed but some people still open the doors without disarming the slide.

[Lotus]

Goeie bliksem! They actually bounced that beast...

What the bikers would call a "tank slapper".

 

The shock loads on those tyres are beyond belief.

[Robbie Stewart]

Goeie bliksem! They actually bounced that beast...

 

I am reminded of a time I was watching a Kulula 737 make a cross-wind approach into runway 27 at George. There was a stiff berg wind blowing that day, and it looked like the bo(e)ing was coming in to land with the port wing pointing at the runway.

 

I stopped driving to watch this spectacle. For those who are unfamiliar with George, there is a road going around the airport runway, just outside the perimeter, where one can stop and watch planes take-off and land. Anyway, on this day, the plane came in sideways crabbing, and passed the threshold right in front of me, straightening out for touchdown, except it kept on going...(I suspect the pilot managed to get himself into ground-effect) 

 

I thought this is interesting, as I was about to witness him do a go-around maneuver. Except, he didn't. He kept going to past third of the way down before mashing that bird straight down into the runway, and proceeded to employ reverse-thrust and braking all the way to the end, where he turned off onto the taxiway (90 degree right) leading to the terminal. As he was turning, he still had reverse thrust going. By this time, I was standing on the roof of my car, as I was convinced I was going to watch a plane go down in George...

 

Methinks there was plenty of soiled underwear disembarking that flight.

[Long Wheel Base]

So just re-arranging deckchairs on the Titanic?

 

I hope Pravin can find time to get SAA some professional help. So many good people there, notwithstanding.

Yes that is a good way to put it.

 

 

I only have 12 years service here and have seen so many changes ito restructuring and it doesn't matter what they do we always have the same issues. We pay auditors a lot of money to tell us what is wrong and when they don't like the answer they go onto the next auditor. They can ask us guys on the floor for free what is wrong.

We have gone through CEO's like my twins go through nappies and even the better ones that do actually try are just puppets. The current guy is really not bad, he has no ties with the ANC(or so we have been lead to believe) but he has no support from the board. The rest of the guys before him either got fired because they were trying to do the job properly and the board didn't like them or they got a very nice golden handshake for doing bugger all. 

Privatizing technical will be the best thing to happen. We loosing customers left right and centre due to politics. If technical was separate then we can rely on "3rd party" work and won't be under the same "SAA" umbrella.

[DJR]

Is this a good idea?

 

Seems to me it could either increase costs (e.g. 3x duplicated functions), or make it easier to cull unprofitable business lines.

 

https://businesstech.co.za/news/business/300158/saa-to-be-split-into-three-units/

Like with Escom, if you cut a turd into 3 pieces, what do you have? ................. Or to put it a different way, you cannot make a chicken sandwich from chicken sh*t!

Edited February 18, 2019 by DJR