In this era of technology, digital innovation is engaging customers and improving their experience worldwide; the same holds for the aviation industry as well. Notably, the airlines flight information provides details about the various flights operated by different airlines across the globe.
Specifically, the digitalization of flight tickets makes them popular among the travelers all over the world, as it enables them you to plan the trip and book flights accordingly.
The digitalized flight information of the modern times helps passenger through numerous ways:
- Pre-travel-online check-in and online reservation
- Baggage & security, validation and check-in
- Passenger-way finding and airport services
- Gates, lounges and boarding
- Assistance while on board
- Assistance during arrivals and immigrations
Digital signage hardware
To ensure proper functioning of the aviation industry, the digital signage hardware is of high importance. It controls messaging from a centralized location, influences the customer by triggering content based on viewer features, and combines their online strategy with in-store.
The hardware is effective in boosting sales by utilizing displays for the use of advertisement in several specific situations. Preferably, these include the time when the travelers are waiting in the departure hall, baggage claim area, in the bus and the train platform etc. It also integrates real time information like social media, special announcements, traffic info, weather, and more.
Digitalization in aviation industry
The digitalization is also crucial to track the passengers through their smart phones all through the airport journey. Whether it is departure gate, manage queue or car park, digitalization paved its way everywhere. It is equally effective in building new commercial opportunities through the competency to interact with travelers based on their respective locations.
The versatile digital signage offers one stop solution to collect the relevant information related to the airport services and the passengers. Some of the important information types include:
- Trigger / event and information regarding location
- Time-schedule information
- Individual personalized marketing / data relating to boarding pass information & age / gender information
- Passenger categorizing and counting
- A collection of all customer-based data in a central customer database for additional processing.
Airport app for flight information
The airport app is the need of the hour for the passengers who are longing for information regarding flight detail, tickets and other services. It prevents you to stand in the long queue and avail the desired information in a few seconds. Some of its beneficial features are as follows:
- Manage account and stepwise sign up
- Wi-Fi access on terminal
- Flight search, show and view flight information, include flight to private calendar
- Information regarding tickets, discounts and offers on off season
- Service catalog, buy and search services, incorporation of payment provider
- Deals, information and services on the basis of expected user location, memorized flights as well as other contextual information
- Virtual tour and maps
Flight Attendant Resource Guide
Are you interested in becoming a flight attendant? Does the desire to fly to places hither and yon excite the primal beast within? Okay, I am being a bit dramatic! Still, for 75 years flight attendants have been providing much needed passenger service and safety assistance on aircraft ever since the original eight women from Boeing Air Transport took flight on May 15, 1930.
Since then stewardesses, as they were originally were called, have flown to every destination imaginable on the planet. Read on for important resources available right online that can help you launch your airline career.
Airline Flight Attendant Room – Hosted as an MSN group, the Airline Flight Attendant Room is a place for veterans and wannabes to gather together to discuss the latest news on airline hiring, work conditions, passenger attitudes [ugh!], and so much more. This site also features a nifty list of companies that are currently hiring. Updated frequently too!
Association of Corporate Flight Attendants – For the private jet flight attendant based in Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Rim, the AOCFA is an organization dedicated toward furthering your area of interest. Visit AOCFA.org for details.
CabinCrew.Com – Based in Britain, this site has all the information you need about air carriers around the world. The site features a chat room, hiring information, and online courses you can take to help launch your career. In case you haven’t already figured out the web address it is: CabinCrew.com. Cheers!
Corporate Flight Attendant Community – For those of you aspiring to find work as a private flight attendant, this site is for you! Offering relevant articles, training information, job listings, an active forum, and a whole lot more. Flying on a private jet isn’t for everyone and the training standards and service level brings new meaning to the term, premium class. You can access the site at CorporateFlyer.net.
Flight Attendants Central – This is a password protected site, but new members are being accepted. The site operates similarly to the Airline Flight Attendant Room. One of the special features of this site is the multitude of airline specific forums available which can be a good way to measure what current crew members think of their company. You can access this site at FlightAttendants.org
Another site of interest is Air Crew Health at AirCrewHealth.com This site features health news and tips to help you stay well before, during, and after the flight. The website is managed by Dr. Bobbie Sullivan, an independent research psychologist based in Hawaii. Her primary research interest is the health and well-being of those who work in the aviation industry.
Of course, visiting any particular airline’s home page will give you plenty of information about cabin crew requirements, interviews, training, hiring information, and more. Lots of rumors on the internet, so be careful what you read and ask the hard questions!
Load Control Duties
The purpose of load control is granting a safe operation of every flight in respect to the weight and balance of the aircraft. We must make sure that any dangerous goods and/or miscellaneous special loads are loaded according to regulations.
By correct loading of baggage, we ensure that passenger baggage is delivered on time after arrival and the transfer of baggage connecting to other flights is granted. Load control can be performed manually or on a EDP system.
Every load controller must be able to issue manual documents in case of system failure. Below you find the purpose of the documents which have to be issued for every flight.
Pre-Calculation
The purpose of the pre-calculation is:
– Calculation of the estimated volume and weight needed for loading the baggage and mail.
– Best economical offer to the cargo department about weight and volume available for cargo.
– Calculation of the estimated weight of the aircraft. The dispatcher or commander needs this information to calculate the amount of fuel needed for a flight.
– According to these calculation we can get prepared for eventual considerations to be taken in case of weight or volume problems we might encounter.
The pre-calculation is mandatory in case of manual load sheet, if the load sheet is calculated on an EDP system, it is optional.
Loading Instruction
The purpose of the loading instruction is to distribute the planned load for a flight making sure:
– The aircraft will be loaded according to our instructions.
– The centre of gravity will be within given limits.
– Tail tipping of the aircraft is avoided.
– Dangerous goods and miscellaneous special loads are loaded according to instructions.
– The load is loaded and offloaded in the correct priority sequence.
Load Sheet
The purpose of the load sheet is:
– Weight calculation of the actual load on an aircraft, making sure structural and operational aircraft weight limits are not exceeded.
– Centre of gravity calculation of an aircraft, making sure the balance of the aircraft is within given limits.
– Information to the crew about weight, balance and passengers on an aircraft.
– Statistics
Notification to Captain
The notification to the captain (NOTOC) shows all dangerous goods and miscellaneous special loads which are loaded on an aircraft. This information is important for crew in order to take the correct procedure considerations in case of incidents.
Messages
Dispatch of necessary messages after departure of the aircraft.
Responsibilities:
– Safety always has first priority!
– Priority sequence of economy punctuality and passenger comfort depends on the situation.
– Correct application of load control rules has priority over other station work, including punctuality.
Powered Flight – John Stringfellow Of Chard
55 years before Orville and Wilbur Wright made the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight on 17 December 1903, the first successful powered flight took place in England.
Chard
The first powered heavier-than-air flight took place in Chard, Somerset, England in 1848 and was the culmination of many years of experiments by John Stringfellow.
Stringfellow was born in Sheffield, England in 1799 and worked in Chard making bobbins and carriages for the lace industry.
Ariel Steam carriage
In 1842, Stringfellow and his friend, William Samuel Henson patented the “Ariel Steam carriage” which was designed to “convey letters, goods and passengers from place to place through the air”.
The following year, Stringfellow and Henson, together with Frederick Marriott, and D.E. Colombine, incorporated the “Aerial Transit Company” with the intention of constructing and operating a flying machine! With hindsight, this was somewhat premature as it would be another 60 years before a flying machine would leave the ground with a man on board but you have to admire the vision!
Henson built scale models of the Ariel Steam Carriage between 1844 and 1847 and tried to fly them but with no success. He and Stringfellow were carrying out experiments outside early in the morning to avoid prying eyes but this meant that the silk fabric got wet from the dew which added tremendous weight to the aircraft. Moreover, their early steam engines were too heavy.
Following these failures, Henson lost interest in the project and moved with his wife and family to United States in 1848.
Success
Stringfellow continued experimenting and built new designs including a lightweight steam engine with a paper-thin copper boiler which weighed only twelve ounces.
He took to holding his trials inside a disused silk mill as it gave greater stability and protection from wind and moisture.
In 1848, he achieved success when he flew a ten ft wing span flying machine powered by two contra-rotating propellers. The aircraft left a guide wire and flew straight and true for about 30 ft at ten to twelve miles per hour.
Crystal Palace Exhibition
In the years that followed, John and his son Frederick J. Stringfellow built a number of flying machines together and individually. In 1868 they both exhibited steam-powered flying machines at the Crystal Palace in London, England. John’s triplane was tested several times at the Crystal Palace and on occasions, it left the guide wire and flew.
The steam engine powering the aircraft won first prize at the Crystal Palace Exhibition. This flying machine is still in existence and is on display in the Early Flight Gallery of the National Air & Space Museum, Washington, D.C.
It was John Stringfellow’s intention to build a flying machine which would carry him aloft but he was prevented from building it due to age and illness. He eventually died in 1883.
Current Exhibits
A bronze model of the first aircraft to fly stands in Fore Street in Chard, England and signs on the roads entering the town remind visitors that this is the birthplace of powered flight. The Chard Museum contains an exhibition of early flight prior to the advent of the internal combustion engine which powered the Wright brothers’ 1903 flyer.
Inflight Entertainment: Wi-Fi Wherever You Fly
The Internet is such a crucial part of our lives. Most of us couldn’t fathom being disconnected from a wireless signal for a long time. A solid Wi-Fi connection is imperative when you are traveling for business. But even casual vacation travelers need Internet access for airport information, weather forecasts, currency exchange, and a thousand other daily conveniences.
When it comes to inflight entertainment, Stratos Jet Charters is seeing two emerging trends in Wi-Fi connectivity. The first is Ka-band wireless for the aircraft in our private jet charter network. The second is the growth of portable Wi-Fi routers, which are becoming very popular with travelers. Here is how you can stay connected wherever you go.
Inflight Entertainment And Connectivity
Right now, there are two ways to connect to Wi-Fi while on board a private jet charter. The first is air-to-ground Wi-Fi. It’s the original cell-phone transmission method most of us are familiar with. A tower transmits a signal to your device. The further you are from the tower, the worse the signal gets. Air-to-ground works for about 50 miles from the transmission tower, which is good for domestic flights because there is usually another tower nearby to connect to.
However, Ka-band satellite technology is rapidly replacing air-to-ground. A communications satellite can efficiently transmit a signal to an aircraft in flight, which then re-distributes the signal so passengers can connect their devices. It provides a superior experience, comparable to your home internet connection. However, improved technology comes at a price. Usually, it’s bundled into the overall private jet charter price, but some operators may charge an additional data rate for satellite service.
It’s always worth asking your Stratos Jet Charter agent which amenities are included in the inflight entertainment category, especially if you need to conduct teleconferences or stream presentations while on your private jet charter.
Portable Wi-Fi
This technological trend is growing with travelers in Europe and Southeast Asia. Free Wi-Fi is relatively unknown in these markets, with carriers competing aggressively for cellular customers. Personal Wi-Fi is a good alternative for travelers.
Essentially, you arrange to pick up your personal Wi-Fi router at the airport after your private jet charter flight or have it delivered to your hotel. Once you pair it with your phone, it connects with a 4G wireless network regardless of the carrier. You get a superior signal without having to buy a SIM card for your area.
Of course, personal Wi-Fi is limited by the country’s cell network infrastructure. It’s ideal for urban and inter-urban destinations. One of the smartest examples we’ve seen is the Pocket Wi-Fi from JapanRail. The device is about the size of a deck of cards, but once paired with your phone, it gives you unlimited high-speed Wi-Fi connection anywhere, on a train or off. JapanRail is just one of the agencies in the portable Wi-Fi market.
Other notables include Skyroam, TEP and Travel Wifi. Take a moment to read the details on their sites. Each has pros and cons and may have fine print regarding the countries they serve, rental fees and data restrictions.
Instrument Flight Training – Old Analogue Or New Glass
General Aviation in the twenty first century desists in pursuing the technology of it’s larger heavier cousins. affordable computers and new technology has now bridged the chasm between GA aircraft avionics suites and the glass cockpit behemoths of the sky, and to the private pilot, offers an exciting new dimension to flying.
There can be no doubt that such instrumentation offers extra safeguards with visual representation of terrain, moving maps and courses, you name it, it’s all there at a glance.
Everyone would agree that such instrumentation offers the VFR pilot a level of safety, never enjoyed before, and yet, some would argue (myself included) that the temptation of a glass presentation might encourage the pilot to push into an ever deteriorating situation that he or she may not have previously considered pushing had their aircraft been furnished with analogue gauges.
We should not forget that a VFR pilot with a thousand hours, is still just a VFR pilot, and only trained to that level, and is required to have their eyes on the natural horizon. With the introduction of glass cockpits in GA, there will be a natural tendency for those pilots to start spending more of their time inside the cockpit.
VFR pilots delighted with their new modern avionics will find themselves relying on it more and more and may result in getting into more trouble with it than if they were without it in the first place.
Without the correct training and guidance, the outcome could be disastrous, as the pilot will be have been lulled into a false sense of security thinking that they are equipped to deal with situations that will likely spiral out of control.
There are many varied types of pilots, but we can reduce them to two kinds. Visual pilots and number pilots. Most of you will fall into the visual category, the remainder of us are number pilots, and then there are the very few who are adept at both. My friend and colleague is a visual pilot but is a very accomplished IFR pilot also.
He uses a visual picture in his mind, but uses numbers to confirm his situational awareness picture. I myself am a number pilot, all the way, and do not use a visual picture at all, the numbers tell me everything I need to know. Number pilots I think, will make generally better IFR pilots than there visual counterparts.
It is important to clarify however, whatever kind of pilot you happen to be, neither one way or the other is right or wrong, ultimately, your training should be tailored for the way your mind processes information.
And so, we have reached the point and subject of this article. Adding the IFR rating to your certificate, old analogue or new glass?
As most of you know, GPS, EFIS systems employ satellites to compute a position in space, and presents that information to you on a colourful logical display, complete with terrain, intersections, and all manner of numbers in the form of a tape, like headings, courses, altitudes and the list goes on. Essentially, your being presented visual and numerical information.
The currant land based navigation system for pilots is usually in the form of V.O.R’s and N.D.B’s. Although N.D.B’s are officially being phased out, the V.O.R system will be with us for the foreseeable future and most GA aircraft use this type of navigation coupled with Distance Measuring Equipment.
(D.M.E) So, which system do you decide to use to acquire you IFR rating? Having spoken to a good cross section of people including D.P.E’s (Designated Pilot Examiners), FAA inspectors, other CFII’s it seems the general consensus of opinion is that it would be advantageous to the IFR candidate to learn the V.O.R based system first, acquire the rating and then transition to a glass system.
If you happen to be flying an aircraft that has both the analogue system and a say a Garmin 530 also, you will have to learn not only the analogue system but also learn to use the GPS system also, the rule states that you must be able to use the equipment that is in the aircraft.
This will add extra training hours to your rating. If your a renter, and wish to rent an aircraft that has analogue gauges, and you decided to learn on a glass system, odds are when you go to rent that aircraft, you will not be able to fly IFR with it. Simply put, you will be incompetent to fly that system. The final conclusion, you are, and always will be, so long as the old system is around, an incomplete, and sub-standard IFR pilot.
Case in point, an young airline pilot who visited Kona some time back, wanted to rent a Cessna 182, no GPS of any kind, could he file IFR, no he could not. Why? He learned on a E.F.I.S and was unable to fly IFR using the analogue gauges, he even admitted as such.
He was however willing to give it a whirl, I won’t bore you with the details, except to say he was not much better than a VFR pilot. The simple fact of the matter is, not to learn the land based V.O.R system of IFR puts you at such a disadvantage, it clearly is detrimental to your skills as an IFR pilot.
It will be far easier to advance to glass systems than to learn on a glass system and then go back, who goes back to old systems when you have learned a new one? Remember, once you have your ticket in hand, you can transition at your leisure to any glass system you want to fly.
In today’s world, everyone is after instant gratification, ten day Instrument Ratings, bare bones minimum standards as stated in the P.T.S and bare bones minimum hours, as little studying as possible. If that’s the kind of IFR pilot you want to be, good luck, fact is you will probably end up on a piece of government paper as another FAA statistic, because you just won’t be prepared to fly real solid IFR when the time arrives, and it will some day.
Any pilot with mediocre skill can fly IFR when all is hunky dory, it’s when you have an instrument failure or two, it’s night IFR, the weather is bad, visibility is nothing and the only company you have are the outside strobe lights and yourself, that’s when the true test of your instrument training will be revealed.
The simple fact of the matter is, your standard of IFR piloting will be considerably higher having mastered a analogue system first. One last note before I conclude this article, if you do have anyone else in the plane with you, you’re responsible for their lives, get the picture?
