Here is a humourous safety video (Hybrid Airplane: When Your Plane Runs Out of Gas) from the AOPA Air Safety Foundation that was posted on FlightSchoolList.com about a not so humourous subject: Fuel exhaustion. The AOPA video is a spoof about aircraft running on “hybrid” power but it also noted that that in an average week, three general aviation aircraft crash due to fuel management (or mismanagement) issues. That’s no small number and for the most part, such accidents are preventable if pilots follow proper procedures before taking off.
The 2011 Pilots Without Pants calendar
General Aviation News has recently noted what was probably the most fun aviation fundraiser of the year: The 2011 Pilots Without Pants calendar. All told, 14 pilots of the Antique Airplane Club of Greater New York agreed to shed their clothes to pose for it plus they also put together a fun “mockumentary” called “Pilots Without Pants – The Making Of The 2011 AACGNY Calendar.” Certainly, the calendar makes a great Christmas gift for any female pilots or pilot wives out there!
Top 25 engineer’s terms and expressions
Jon Ostrower, the blogger behind FlightBlogger, pointed out earlier this year that a good friend of his (who also happens to be an aerospace engineer) had passed along these top 25 engineer’s terms and expressions:
2010 Top 25 Engineer’s Terms and Expressions
(What we say versus what it means)
1. A number of different approaches are being tried.
We are still guessing at this point.
2. Close project coordination.
We sat down and had coffee together.
3. An extensive report is being prepared on a fresh approach.
We just hired three punk kids out of school.
4. Major technological breakthrough!
It works OK; but looks very hi-tech!
5. Customer satisfaction is believed assured.
We are so far behind schedule, that the customer will take anything.
6. Preliminary operational tests were inconclusive.
The darn thing blew up when we threw the switch.
7. Test results were extremely gratifying!
Unbelievable, it actually worked!
8. The entire concept will have to be abandoned.
The only guy who understood the thing quit.
9. It is in process.
It is so wrapped in red tape that the situation is completely hopeless.
10. We will look into it.
Forget it! We have enough problems already.
11. Please note and initial.
Let’s spread the responsibility for this.
12. Give us the benefit of your thinking.
We’ll listen to what you have to say as long as it doesn’t interfere with what we have already done or with what we are going to do.
13. Give us your interpretation.
We can’t wait to hear your bull.
14. See me or let’s discuss.
Come to my office, I’ve screwed up again.
15. All new.
Parts are not interchangeable with previous esign.
16. Rugged.
Don’t plan to lift it without major equipment.
17. Robust!
Rugged, but more so
18. Light weight.
Slightly lighter than rugged
19. Years of development.
One finally worked
20. Energy saving.
Achieved when the power switch is off.
21. No maintenance.
Impossible to fix
22. Low maintenance.
Nearly impossible to fix
23. Fax me the data.
I’m too lazy to write it down.
24. We are following the standard!
That’s the way we have always done it!
25. I didn’t get your e-mail.
I haven’t checked my e-mail for days.
More useful aviation acronyms or abbreviations
These useful aviation acronyms or abbreviations come courtesy of Captain Smithy who recently posted them on PPRuNe (Professional Pilots Rumour Network):
TARFUN – Things Are Really F’ked Up Now (Description of a major error or calamity, e.g. new EASA rules, a major navigational error, CAS bust, multiple engine failure etc.)
AFI – Another F’ing Inconvenience (Useful catch-all term expressing generic frustration, e.g. Bad weather, ATC delays, EASA, Volcanic Ash, Enviromental protestors turning up at the airport to chain themselves to the gates etc.)
FUMTU – F’ked Up More Than Usual (Usually the result of Volcanic Ash, new EASA directives etc.)
FUBB – F’ked Up Beyond Belief (Usually with reference to EASA, or the routine result of a license application to the CAA)
FIFI – F’ck it, Fly It (Stupidly heading off into the sky in the face of a number of negative factors whilst SUSFU, e.g. aircraft unserviceability, bad weather, lack of funds etc. – usually leads to a TARFUN or a FUBAR)
GTFO – Get The F’ck Out (A speedy retreat requiring rather quick ambulation in the opposite direction of hostility, e.g. the aftermath of a CAS bust, the aircraft catching fire on the ramp, a fall-out with the CFI, etc.)
CATFU – Completely And Totally F’ked Up (Similar as most of the above)
More useful aviation acronyms or abbreviations
These useful aviation acronyms or abbreviations come courtesy of Captain Smithy who recently posted them on PPRuNe (Professional Pilots Rumour Network):
SNAFU – Situation Normal, All F’ked Up (Usually referencing mainly to EASA matters)
TAUFU – Totally And Utterly F’ked Up (As above)
FUBAR – F’ked Up Beyond Any Recognition (Referencing the subject of an in-depth AAIB report, or perhaps the aftermath of a person/animal’s rather messy encounter with a moving propeller , etc.)
BOHICA – Bend Over, Here It Comes Again (Metaphorically speaking, what happens to pilots if something bad happens on a regular occurrence, e.g retribution from the CAA for busting CAS, EASA making more silly rules, landing fees/AVGAS increasing in price again, receiving a bollocking from the CFI after a bad incident, a bollocking from the girlfriend/wife for spending more time/money on flying than with her , etc.)
SUSFU – Situation Unchanged, Still F’ked Up (Again, usually applies to EASA matters)
Aviation acronyms
These aviation acronyms or abbreviations come courtesy of Pilot DAR who recently posted them on PPRuNe (Professional Pilots Rumour Network):
CAS I know this one! Calibrated Air Speed!
DCS (the "arm" switches the Six Million Dollar Man turned on just before he crashed)
LARS (Swedish guy?)
MAP (mist approach practice?)
ATS (a tough situation?)
CTR (caught turning right?)
CTA (clearly tough acronyms?)
LATCC (let all the chatter continue?)
SAM (surface to air missile?)
ACK (only half the anti aircraft fire?)
FAB (Lady Penelope)