airplanes

This afternoon, just before I left work, I spent a few minutes on Twitter asking a question of fellow foreigners in China when I saw a tweet about a possible air plane crash on the Thai island of Koh Samui. I know this island well as I spent Chinese New Year there two years ago [...]

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Challenges

May 3, 2009

in Aviation, China, Expat Life

Since moving to China, aviation has become a big part of my life. I’ve learned more than I ever wanted about engines, airfoils and flight controls. Were I to be stuck in an airplane with a dead pilot, (like that guy in Florida), I think I might be able to land the thing, with a [...]

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Like any good pilot’s wife, I am learning about airplanes and how they fly… with the help of my Paper Airplane a Day Calender… Oh yes, they really do fly! There are orange ones… Blue ones… And even green ones. I feel my aviation education is very well-rounded. Either that or I need more hobbies.

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Even though aviation seems more and more depressing by the day, I thought I would share some Chinese planespotting with you. Chinese Y-5 When I first saw this airplane parked at Linyi’s airport, I was pretty surprised. Being an airplane ignoramus, I believed that biplanes, (airplanes with two sets of wings), had gone out with [...]

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It’s Over in a Flash!

February 25, 2009

in Aviation

What’s amazing to me is the calm and professional tone both Captain Sully and the ATC use here. I just read that the controller believed the Hudson ditching was doomed. You’d never guess that from the audio! This is such a great teaching tool! And is it just me or did this all happen in [...]

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I realize this blog has degenerated into a collection of rants on my recent flying experiences, but I can’t help myself. The saga continues. Last Saturday I flew from Tulsa to Houston and then on to Victoria, Texas. It was probably the most unpleasant flight I’ve ever had in my life. (And I am blogging [...]

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Ner⋅bu⋅lent

January 16, 2009

in Aviation, Travel

/ˈnɜrbyələnt/ -adjective 1. Being in a state of anxiety, especially over the possibility of turbulence. 2. Scared to fly. My new contribution to the English language! By now I am sure you have all heard about the US Airways A320 that “landed” in the Hudson River. What a fantastic example of how to ditch an [...]

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Clipped Wings

August 30, 2007

in Aviation, China

*Update* Unfortunately, when I first posted this article I did not include a link to the original. I apologize for that oversight. It was originally published in the South China Morning Post on 29 August 2007 and written by Joey Liu. Access to the article online is restricted to subscribers, thus the article is presented [...]

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Over the seven months I’ve been in Shijiazhuang, I’ve seen this airplane parked at the airport 3 or 4 times. Today it showed up again. Usually it is under guard by a group of Chinese soldiers. A Chinese-built Mig was observed being loaded into it on its last stay here. What sort of military hardware [...]

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