Fokkers may take to the skies again with a new and improved Fokker

by Scott Carmichael on

In 1996, Dutch aerospace company Fokker went bankrupt. It was the end of a company that had been building planes since 1912. Even though it wasn’t the end of the Dutch aerospace industry, no new Fokkers would be delivered, and thousands of people lost their job.

Fourteen years later, Dutch entrepreneur Rosen Jacobsen has found support (and money) from the Dutch government to bring Fokker back to life, and start making planes again.

The reborn company is currently called “Rekkof” (Fokker spelled backwards), and Jacobsen hopes to relaunch with a new version of the successful Fokker 100 called the 100 NG.

Whether or not the new Fokker will actually succeed depends on support from the European Union, and whether the immense amounts of money required to develop a new plane can be found.

The first 20 million Euros have already been found, which is a decent start. Rekkof hopes to have the first Fokker 100 NG in operation in just 5 years – which seems like an overly ambitious plan. For the new plane to become successful, airlines will need to order at least 40 of the new planes. I wish them a lot of luck.

I’ve got to say, I’ve never been a huge fan of Fokkers, but that may be related to the 100’s of trips I had to make on them between the UK and the Netherlands on Air UK. Still, saying “Fokker” as often as possible is a fun and juvenile pleasure.

Armed robbers grab $1 million from Berlin Grand Hyatt poker tournament

by Scott Carmichael on

On Saturday, a group of men armed with hand grenades and automatic rifles stormed into the Berlin Grant Hyatt in the middle of the European Poker Tournament. The men grabbed bags of money and left – leaving the participants and audience stunned.

In this live video clip, you can see one of the poker players react to the incident. Thankfully, nobody was injured in the heist, and no shots were fired.

According to German police, the thieves did not manage to grab all the prize money (reported to be about $5 million) and only managed to fill two bags before leaving the building. Once everyone had calmed down, the tournament continued, albeit with about a million Dollars less in the prize pot.

Hang with Hardy at writers’ workshop weekend in Britain

by Tom Johansmeyer on


If you’re a big fan of Return of the Native or Jude the Obscure, there’s a travel package that’s perfect for you. Built around the chance to hang with Thomas Hardy’s ghost – or, should we say, Thomas Hardy in ghost form? – Summer Lodge Country House Hotel is bringing four writers under its roof for a unique weekend of literary bliss. Guests will be able to learn how to make it as a writer from some heavy hitters, specifically Roger Collins, Marcelle Bernstein, Eric Clark and Jim O’Connor. Of course, there’s always the possibility that Hardy himself will weigh in with a few tips.

Roger Collins is an actor, broadcaster and writer, who counts his weekly International Herald Tribune column “The Frequent Traveler” among his claims to fame. Marcelle Bernstein is a novelist, nonfiction writer and journalist and has written Body & Soul and Sacred & Profane, both best sellers that later became feature films and television dramas. Eric Clark is an investigative journalist, and Jim O’Connor is an advertising copywriter who has pushed everything from forklifts to Australian rum.If you want to get in on the action, Summer Lodge’s Writers’ Weekend package includes two nights in a classic double room, a full English breakfast every day, champagne and canapés upon arrival and a three-course dinner Saturday evening. You’ll also be able to attend three writer workshop sessions over two days, sip tea and coffee during the events and receive a signed book by either Eric Clark or Marcelle Bernstein.

“Summer Lodge has close associations with Thomas Hardy,” says General Manager Charles Lötter. “He lived nearby and the hotel is at the very heart of the Wessex landscape he immortalized. The village pub, the Acorn Inn is featured in his novel Tess of the d’Urbervilles as The Sow & Acorn. What’s more, in his capacity as an architect, Hardy was asked to design the upper floor and the drawing room of Summer Lodge by the 6th Earl of Ilchester in 1893. So you could say the house is haunted by him – although I’ve yet to bump into him myself.”

National Geographic Traveler invites you to photograph your ‘peeps in places’

by Kraig Becker on

Who doesn’t love Peeps? You know, those overly sweet sugary-marshmallow concoctions that have just made their annual return to stores in time for Easter? Well, apparently someone over at National Geographic Traveler sure enjoys them, as they have launched their 2010 Peeps in Places photo contest, inviting us to snap photos of our favorite peeps in our favorite places, and submit them to the Intelligent Travel Blog.

The rules of the contest are quite simple. Take the best photos you can of the your Peeps out and about on some crazy adventures. Try to capture the essence of the place, while having fun with the experience. A sense of humor and a healthy dose of creativit go a long way as well.

Once you have your photos, head over to the Your Shot Page at NationalGeographic.com and either log in with your account info or create a new account. After you’re signed in, select your photos and upload them to the site, making sure to tag them as Peeps so the contest officials can find them. Over the course of the next few weeks, they’ll be sorting through the images to find the very best ones, with the winners receiving some prizes and having their photos shared on the website. Last year, some of the very best photos even made it on national television when they appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America.

For a little inspiration, check out this gallery of the top photos from the 2009 Peeps in Places contest. Many of them are as sweet as the candy itself.

BBC simulates Northwest Flight 253 bomb – plane survives

by Scott Carmichael on

The BBC enlisted the help of an explosives expert and a pilot with structural engineering and air accident experience, to determine the kind of damage the would-be Northwest 253 bomber would have caused.

On their site, you can see a video clip of the immense explosion, and the stresses caused to the outside of the plane. Thankfully, the experts concluded that the blast would not have destroyed the Boeing 747, and that the plane would have been able to land safely.

That isn’t to say that the explosion would have been a horrible thing to experience – the force of the blast would have killed the bomber and his seatmate, ruptured eardrums of many passengers, and blown body parts throughout the plane. The smoke, heat and noise would have made the whole thing quite traumatic.

Check out the BBC article for the video clip of this explosion, and an explanation of the kind of damage caused. The results of this test will be shared with governments and aviation experts around the world.

(As a commenter points out, the NW253 bomb was on an Airbus A330, not a Boeing 747)