Airport, Airline Weather System Updates To Save Time, Fuel, Eventually

by Chris Owen on

When unavoidable bad weather causes turbulence in the air, passengers can expect a rocky ride. In the past, while pilots have aimed to avoid turbulence, they have been limited in the number of available tools. Now, a new turbulence avoidance system promises to change that.

A smoother ride
Called the Juneau Airport Wind System (JAWS), it was developed by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and provides information pilots can use to route aircraft away from patches of potentially dangerous turbulence.

“By alerting pilots to areas of moderate and severe turbulence, this system enables them to fly more frequently and safely in and out of the Juneau airport in poor weather,” says Alan Yates, an NCAR program manager who helped oversee the system’s development in an R&D Magazine article. “It allows pilots to plan better routes, helping to reduce the bumpy rides that passengers have come to associate with airports in these mountainous settings.”

The system uses a network of wind measuring instruments and computational formulas to interpret rapidly changing atmospheric conditions. The Federal Aviation Administration accepted JAWS for operational use this year.

Just how bad can turbulence in the air be? Check this video:


Sliding in for a landing
In the works and delayed for several years, another system relies on satellites and GPS rather than the radar system developed in the 1950s to direct planes and jets from takeoff to landing.

Called the NextGen system, it will be initially used in Orlando, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, northern and southern California, Houston, Charlotte and northern Texas. The new system should allow planes to fly with less spacing between them on more direct routes, and allowing them to glide to a landing rather than following a step down pattern that is not fuel efficient.

The NextGen system has been compared to walking down a flight of stairs vs. sliding down the banister.

“In addition to improving safety and increasing capacity, this plan will allow for more direct routing for airplanes, less holding at the destination and better planning for constant descent arrivals mentioned above, resulting in less carbon emissions, fuel consumption, and noise.” said Gadling’s Kent Wien in Plane Answers: Airlines see green in appearing green back in 2009, just to show how long this one has been in the works.

This video tells the whole story:



Flickr photo by Ack Ook

Fake Pilot Arrested After Flying Across Europe

by Sean McLachlan on

Police in Italy have arrested a man for impersonating a pilot and fooling the crew and ground staff into letting him into the cockpit of a European flight, the BBC reports.

A man managed to pose as a pilot using a uniform and fake ID and fly in the cockpit of an Air Dolomiti flight from Munich to Turin on April 6. Reportedly he flew as a “third pilot” and did not touch the controls.

Police, who have not revealed the man’s name, say he is jobless. They are now investigating his motives. They’re also checking to see if he managed to become a “crew member” of any other flights. He was arrested at Turin airport and was found to be in possession of uniforms similar to those worn by pilots but lacking an airline logo, a fake ID and fake flight manuals.

The man used the alias Andrea Sirlo and even created a Facebook page for himself with fake flight attendants as friends.

The website Myflightbook lists Andrew Sirlo as the pilot on a Munich-Turin flight on October 23, 2011.

Bungling airport security seems to be a regular feature here on Gadling. We’ve covered a number of stories such as a child boarding an international flight without a ticket or passport, TSA workers claiming body scanners cause cancer, and an elderly woman being put on the wrong flight.

[Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons]

Faster-Than-Light Travel May Be Possible

by Chris Owen on

Faster-than-light travel was once seen as simply a key element in science fiction tales that made stories work. Faster-than-light warp drive made all that possible, at least between the covers of a good sci-fi book. In the real world though, travel to distant planets at speeds known to man, was thought to be impractical. Now, NASA is re-thinking warp drive with a focus on making fantasy into reality.

“Mexican physicist Miguel Alcubierre proposed the first warp drive in 1994, but found that the energy costs associated with such a device would be problematic,” says Zach Walton in WebProNews. “In fact, scientists peg the energy required to be about equal to the mass-energy of Jupiter.” Way too much.Checking in with NASA on the idea, a new space ship design from Harold White at NASA’s Johnson Space Center might be the answer. “The original warp drive was envisioned as a small ship that’s encircled by a flat ring that would warp space-time around the ship,” says Walton. The new design would be more like a donut and, if proven true, could lead to faster-than-light travel.

A trip to Mars in minutes? Exploration of the solar system? All in line with this video from National Geographic on the colonization of Mars.



[Flickr photo by Sweetie187]

Virgin America Elevates Car Service, On Demand

by Chris Owen on

As loyalty rewards go, Virgin America‘s Elevate frequent flier program has been on the cutting edge since its inception. Virgin America was among the first U.S. loyalty programs to offer guests the ability to redeem reward points for any unsold seat, on any flight, at any time. Now, Elevate has partnered with Uber, the on-demand personal transportation company, to offer members the ability to earn points riding with Uber.

The move should really come as no surprise. In the air, Virgin offers passengers unique features for their comfort including custom-designed seating, a cabin mood lighting system and power outlets near every seat. An advanced entertainment system is available for each passenger on their own seat-back touch-screen with 25 on-demand films, live TV, seat-to-seat chat and more.


Why not have a car meet at the airport for ground transportation too?
On demand – ordered from a smartphone.

Uber looks to be a perfect fit for Virgin America’s loyalty program. Their simple yet effective way of doing business is more expensive than a taxi, but offers higher quality service and vehicles for those who prefer to travel in comfort and style.

After signing up, users order service on their iPhone and Android smartphone apps in one of three ways. They can set their pickup location on the app’s map, go to m.uber.com and then type in the pickup address or, in the US and Canada, text an address and city to UBR-CAB (827-222).

Uber then dispatches the nearest driver for pickup, sends a text with the estimated arrival time and another when the car arrives.

After the ride, Uber will automatically charge the credit card on file, tip included.

To kick things off, Virgin America is awarding 800 Elevate points to new Uber customers who also are a part of the Elevate program along with $500 in cash and a free flight to one new Uber rider every week from now until October 2.




Flickr photo by vincentq

RelayRides: The Airbnb Of Transportation

by Jessica Festa on



We’ve seen travel sites like CouchSurfing and Airbnb that allow people to share their home, but a new nationwide cooperative site is allowing people to share their car.

While many programs exist that allow people to pay into being part of a group car-share program and rent vehicles for a cheap price, RelayRides takes a different approach, and is very useful to travelers without a vehicle. The cars and trucks for rent are already owned by someone, meaning you’re not actually adding a new car to the road. Additionally, renters are required to pass a screening process when signing up for the site. Based on this and reviews, car owners can choose who can rent their vehicle.

So, how does the car owner benefit? By getting paid. When someone rents, they are required to refill the tank and pay an agreed-upon fee set up by the owner. For the person renting, it’s often much cheaper than renting from a corporation, with some cars being less than $180 per week. Furthermore, it’s nice to help the local community instead of big corporations sometimes.

Through RelayRides, renters and owners are covered through insurance, and there is roadside assistance and customer support built in. For owners, the company also handles the billing. It is free for both owners and renters to sign up.

Would you loan your car to a traveler for money?