Finally, the blog team will be attending the Passenger Terminal Expo ‘10 at Brussels during Tuesday 23th and Wednesday 24th. This exhibition tries to gather airport-related companies such airport managers, airport owners, airlines, handling companies and consulting firms.

This year the main subject will be the Automated People Movers (a.k.a. APM), those automated trains that move hundreds of passengers from satellite terminals to the main terminals. Besides, some other issues will be discussed such sustainability, privatisation and passanger experience enhancing among others.

There will be several parallel events, like the World Airport Awards, giving some symbolic prices to the best airports in terms of performances, growing, passengers’ experience and even cleaningness!

We’ll post some pictures when we get back home, and hope to have a great time there.

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That’s what happened on Feb 22, 2010. Apparently, one of the JFK air traffic controller brought to work with him his son and his daughter (first day the son, next day the daughter). He was actually authorized to bring them to work. The fact is that the daring daddy allowed them to speak through the mic and control the airplanes, converting the JFK tower into a kindertower.

Finally, somebody recorded all the conversations via liveATC, and the video came out. Now this air controller is resting at home with his kids with no job and no money.

Check this video!

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The load & balance sheet (or the load sheet and the balance sheet) are two types of templates generally used in air transport. Their main goals are:

- To load the aircraft in a correct way, ensuring that the aircraft doesn’t exceed any operational limit (like MTOW, MZFW or MLW).

- To lay out properly the payload in order not to alter so much the center of gravity.

- To inform the captain about the payload distribution, as well as the center of gravity position.

With all this information (total load in compartments, passengers weight, cargo weight, moment index, %MAC), the captain should be ready to set the trim correctly, so the aircraft behaves in a same way whichever way the load has been loaded in.

Here you have an example of a loadsheet referring a flight from New York JFK to Geneva GVA. This document shows you the total passengers onboard, the load in compartments, the different weights depending on the flight stage and some other information.

On the other hand, we have the balance sheet from an Airbus A320. Once you have inputted all the pax and cargo weights, you get the moment index or the %MAC (Mean Aerodynamic Chord) that enables the pilot to set the aircraft trim in the proper position.

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There it goes!

Finally, the Seattle-born Boeing 787 Dreamliner is ready to go. After 2-year delay, the brand new B787 Dreamliner got his first flight at Paine Field, against Mother Nature. They completed all the basic flight tests to the main parts of the aiplane, including instruments and controls.

The Dreamliner will have room for 250 passengers (even though the airlines can actually modify the seating layout) and it will be able to fly up to 2800 miles (4600km) with any stopover. Boeing Co. has right now about 840 orders, giving them a worth of 140 billion US dollars.

Here is the first flight video. Notice the torsion of the wings because of the composite materials used in this bird.

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These two guys were trying to land at Gustaf III of Saint Barthélemy (a.k.a. St. Barth) (and the IATA/ICAO code is SBH/TFFJ) doing some jokes in one of the most difficult approach to an airport EVER!

Or are they Bert & Ernie?

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Hey there! Welcome back to CrossingTheSkies. We have been off since January, but we are back on the road again.

Today, I would like to show you an amazing guy, with an amazing car and an amazing skills. He is Ken Block, and he is a professional rally driver. But, in his free time, he usually drives his Subaru WRX STi, and makes the most brilliant stunts ever. If you put all this to Inyokern (IYK/KIYK), a municipal airport in California, you got the best show for sure.

The tv show, Top Gear, put their cameras and his host (Jeremy Clarkson) inside Ken’s car, to cast every move and every jum…well…let’s see the video. A whole lot of adrenaline.

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