IMO arming every Police person would be a retrograde step

IMO arming every Police person would be a retrograde step.

It is something the Police Federation, Home Office and Parliament have to review if it thought necessary.

If they armed every Police person the ‘crazies’ would then arm themselves even more heavily and it would become like something out of movies e.g. Judge Dredd, Dredd 3D.

The tragedy in Manchester leaves me speechless as the Daily Telegraph shows massive ‘wanted’ displays in the City of Manchester with the picture of the ‘Cyclops’ before the tragedy.

How he managed to stay under cover is amazing but he must be the most hated man in the UK just now.

Here lies the crux of the matter as VeeOne puts it.

Here lies the crux of the matter as VeeOne puts it.

More senior pilots have said this about the AF447 tragedy than have said anything else.

I feel pilots of complex transport aeroplanes need to go back to basics when things go wrong…

A rating license should mean the holder should be able to fly the aircraft with or without many automatic FBW systems by using their experience, brains and working as a team (flight crew, cabin crew, ground voice support, other aircraft in vicinity).

It takes ‘dosh’ – training in simulators is cheaper for airlines/pilots than taking a real ‘bird’ up – maybe bending it and even in extreme cases breaking it beyond repair.

Simulators can only provide systems designed for events that have ‘gone before’. Unfortunately modern aircraft fly in all weathers, all altitudes and are made of different materials piloted by humans (with varying skills/experience) and the ensuing combinations of error are humungous.

In Sully Sullenberger’s own words – “The AF447 story will be a seminal case in airline, pilot and aircraft history” – here is just one extract from Sully on AF447 http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-500202_162-20067860.html

And here is the original quote from Sully from http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-18563_162-20067739.html “”This Air France accident is going to be a seminal accident that will be studied for years, and we need to ask ourselves as an industry tough questions about the way we’re designing airplanes, the way we’re displaying information to the pilots in the cockpit. And about whether or not making airplanes more complicated, more technologically advanced makes it more difficult for pilots to very quickly intervene and very effectively act when things go awry,” Sullenberger said. “

My take on this, IMHO (as a former pilot and mission critical systems tech now turned ‘bean counter’) is that until Systems Designers / Software Engineers stop living in their own coccooned world and actually fly aircraft they will continue to produce fallible systems (infallible in their opinions only).

Possible reaction to loss of West Coast Mainline franchise

Much of the Press reported that this was Branson’s reaction to “Virgin Trains loses West Coast Mainline franchise” http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19264614

Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t but the delays in security and baggage handling at airports will be excessive compared to the convenience of ‘walk on, walk off’ the train.

All good news – definitely going to Myrtle Avenue

All good news – definitely going to Myrtle Avenue.:D

Not so good news yesterday though about Qantas cancelling 35 x 787-9s:confused:

IMO the Capitalist model is simply shifting to the developing nations

IMO the Capitalist model is simply shifting to the developing nations. BRIC

Sadly though it is the lack of a ‘middle class’ in many of those nations that is profoundly tragic for the majority of people in these emerging nations.

If we stop buying we ‘cave in’ further and deeper into recession.