http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/train-driver-traumatised-by-death-on-tracks-fights-loss-of-compensation-9324556.html?origin=internalSearch

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David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

Bridge fire near Chicago

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David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

Woman driving on tracks looking for ATM

Check out what she blew on the breathalyzer.

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David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

No licence, no insurance & drunk, they should throw the key away! People like that cause serious accidents, people get killed yet they walk away without a scratch...

...seen it, involved in it & still wearing the T-Shirt.

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No licence, no insurance & drunk, they should throw the key away! People like that cause serious accidents, people get killed yet they walk away without a scratch...

...seen it, involved in it & still wearing the T-Shirt.

Drunk driving in California is taken very seriously, licenses are revoked, there are possibly heavy fine, I know there is jail and/or prison time for any action where someone gets hurt or killed. If one has the money to get drunk away from home, take a cab home or have someone you trust who's sober drive you home. Drunk drivers don't always walk away, sometimes they are put into a coroners van, before the undertaker gets them...

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

One lucky driver

but this is scary

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It seems like a ferry on that side of the world is sinking all the time with massive amounts of life. Profits at the expense of lives. I think you nailed it.

Confirmation of that fact...

Ferry overloaded

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Another train v.s truck match.

http://www.news.com.au/world/north-america/watch-video-train-carrying-military-vehicles-smashes-into-truck-in-california/story-fnh81jut-1226932610284

Cheers.

Another train v.s truck match.

http://www.news.com.au/world/north-america/watch-video-train-carrying-military-vehicles-smashes-into-truck-in-california/story-fnh81jut-1226932610284

Cheers.

ABC-30 is one of the local Fresno stations, Chowchilla is about 20 miles northwest of Fresno. Saw it on the late news this weekend. Glad nobody hurt.

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Donald
Infernal Optimist / Submariner, retired

Driver decided to serve early

2 lanes still closed due to after hours supping.

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If one uses personal transport instead of public, it's no longer safe to do even that...

Sorry, I overslept & wanted a fast way to work

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For those who like to fly around Europe, it seems that you have more to worry about, flights vanish from radar in Austria, but it seems that Austria isn't the only country that been effected. :-O

Cheers.

The biggest question I think is, what or who is causing the interference between the aircrafts' transponders and ground control radar?

Cheers.

This may be a silly question, but in the English channel, all the larger boats and ships have their own radar in addition to the French and British Coastguards, to monitor shipping movements. Can not aircraft have radar in addition to voice contact from flight control centres?[/quote]

I 4t that civilian aircraft like Boeing / Airbusses already had radar in their nosecones but could just be for showing what the weathers up to i'm not sure . But don't think it would be to much hassle to get them to show other aircraft around - it would cost but make the world a bit safer and the cost of it would be added to the price of a ticket

Now you are getting into my professional field. Let me offer a few comments.

The problem in Austria appears to be with a loss of transponder info in the ground station. There are a number of possible causes of this, both in the ground stations and in the transmission of the transponder info, but it should be remembered that there are other ways of separating traffic that remain effective:

1. "Block airspace" reserves a volume of airspace for each plane, based on its departure time and assumed speed and directions. Flight plans are not allowed that would result in blocks overlapping. These blocks would be updated over the span of a flight, based on radar data or information transmitted from the aircraft, such as when an aircraft descends and starts a landing approach for example.

2. TCAS, as an earlier poster noted, uses transponder info transmitted from each aircraft to detect upcoming collisions, and calculate avoidance maneuvers and alert the aircrew as required. No involvement from any ground station is required.

All this explains why the Austrian official said no aircraft were ever at risk.

About air to air radar, getting useful information from this requires very large and powerful (and therefore expensive) radars, and well trained aircrew. The required radar power actually becomes a health hazard to those outside the aircraft, leading to detailed operating procedures at military airports to prevent frying your ground crew. Imagine an airliner approaching the gate, having forgot to switch off the air to air mode! TCAS provides the same level of protection, with very little extra gear or extra training and without the health hazards.

Chris, your example of large ships in the Channel requires much less radar energy and sophistication for three main reasons. The targets are really big, they move slowly, and the problem is 2D (all the ships remain on the surface of the Channel). Detecting the other target at 2 miles range gives you lots of time to react. Two airliners in a head on approach at cruising speed would collide less than one minute after detecting each other at a 2 mile range. In that few seconds you have to determine if the 3D flight paths will cross (much number crunching, requiring multiple sets of data on relative locations and how they are changing over time), and then select and implement a corrective action (again, more number crunching, plus human reaction time). As a result, radars on commercial aircraft are useful for seeing weather, and maybe for ground mapping for navigation, but are not designed to be useful in detecting airborne targets.

Obviously, there are still possible flaws and mistakes we need to worry about, but a few minutes drop out in a European ground station doesn't worry me too much. Here is some of what does worry me when flying on airlines (nervous fliers may skip over this bit.)

TCAS relies on each aircraft having a functioning transponder. Over Europe and North America and some other parts of the world this does not worry me at all. Enforcement is very strict. Where it does worry me is over other parts of the world, where enforcement may be lax and equipment may be older and less well maintained, or near conflict zones, where high performance aircraft may be operating without transponders, or with misleading transponders, for tactical reasons. I will not be flying near the Ukraine/Russia border in the near future.

The various versions of block airspace require aircrews and ground staff to follow procedures. Again, this is very likely over some places like Europe and North America, and less likely in other places. I am very careful flying in some parts of the world, and will only fly on reliable airlines in these regions.

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I believe you are correct Mark.

Airliners dont have radars that can detect other aircraft, they only have weather radars that detect turbulence and windshears. TCAS (Traffic Collision Avoidance System) helps avoid the mid air collisions, but at times they might not be functional or the pilot might overlook its warnings. Only military aircraft have radar designed for locating other aircraft.

Earlier versions of TAWS used active radar, but the current generation uses a terrain database and GPS. The weather radar is the only active electro-magnetic sensor on an airliner.

This is similar to the case after missing flight MH370, for having transponders in all aircraft that cannot be disabled from the cockpit, and that will last for many weeks on batteries. The cost of retro-fitting will have to be borne by either the airlines or the fare paying public.

A battery for the transponder that will last 90 days, already exists, currently international organizations don't require this to be used, so the cheaper 30 day battery is used instead.

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

Thanks for the update Bill, very useful background.

@Vic - maybe likely to change after MH370!

We'll have to wait and see if any changes are made, the US can require it on all airlines entering US airspace, but that's all, beyond the State Department(Diplomats and such) that is.

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

How about that US air traffic controller who called a go around as a joke. He needs to get fired.

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[/quote]

Old James

How about that US air traffic controller who called a go around as a joke. He needs to get fired.

Oh yes he certainly was an idiot. I wonder if they immediately sent him off for alcohol and drug testing.

A serious job like that requires serious people.

Cheers.

A minor oopsie in Chicagoland today. I hear the road is now open again.

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David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.