“The ATSB can confirm that it appears that part of an oxygen cylinder and valve entered the passenger cabin”.

Quantas have been ordered to recall and inspect all cylinders on its 747 fleet.

Australian investigatorshave indicated that an oxgen cylinder might have caused the hole in the fuelslage by exploding mid-flight.

The Qantas jumbo jet made an emergency landing in the Philippines with a 9ft holeon the July 25, 200.

Founded in May of 1912 the Royal Flying Corps was designed to serve as an over land air portion of the British military during World War I. They were to serve in support of the British army in areas of artillery cooperation and photo reconnaissance. Several years later however, the small, lightly made planes were engaging German fighter pilots over the trenches of World War I and bombing German airfields and Transportation bases.

The first leader of the Royal Flying Corps was Brigadier General David Henderson. He commanded three squadrons, which had grown to five by the beginning of the war. The first squadron consisted only of observation balloons which were used for reconnaissance on the Western front. The second, third, fourth and fifth squadrons consisted of the small rickety aircraft that were to become symbolic of the Royal Flying Corps. On August 12, 1912 the Royal Flying Corps saw its first action in World War I, with two planes providing aerial reconnaissance. It was during this time that the Union Flag was painted as the symbol of the Corps on the planes. It was realized soon enough however, that this symbol was being mistaken by troops on the ground as the cross painted on the German fighter planes, and the symbol was changed in short order.

As the war continued, the Royal Flying Corps continued to grow and evolve. In August of 1915 Hugh Trenchard was serving as the new Commander and by June of 1916, the Corps had grown to twenty seven squadrons from its original 3, equaling 421 aircraft. The BE-2 was the main fighter plane used by the airmen during this time, along with the Farman MF-7, Avro 504 and the Bristol Scout. There were now also 4 balloon squadrons with 14 balloons in action. These squadrons were subsequently organized into four brigades, each working with one of the British armies.

General Trenchard subscribed to a much more aggressive approach than did his predecessor General Henderson. As a result, the number of British casualties and loss of aircraft began to escalate dramatically. By the spring of 1917, the Royal Flying Corps was losing 50 aircraft a week. The arrival of improved fighter planes began to reverse this trend. The Bristol Fighter, Sopwith Pup and Sopwith Camel heralded a reduction in plane loss and casualties. By the end of 1917, the British had effectively established their dominance over the German air force, and the Royal Flying Corps, which had begun with 3 squadrons now equaled 150.

In 1918, the idea took hold that the British air service branches should come together, much in the way of the British army and Royal Navy. On April first of 1918 the Royal Naval Air Service and the Royal Flying Corps were merged to become the Royal Air Force. By the start of 1919 the Royal Air Force was comprised of 4000 aircraft and 114,000 personnel. This number represented quite a jump from the humble beginnings of the Royal Flying Corps back in 1912.

In the end, the Royal Flying Corps saw over 5,182 pilots in service, and 11 of their members received the Victoria Cross. They recently celebrated their 90th anniversary, and the service of the Corps members and their place in history will always be remembered.

Flying training is generally composed of two areas of study: ground training and flying time. The FAA determines exactly what you must learn and which skills you must achieve in order to attain a pilot’s license. There are three types of pilot licenses and each one differs in requirements as well as what restrictions you will have on your flying.

Ground school consists of the knowledge and theories of flying that are required to pass the written portion of the flight test such as airplane mechanics and flight theory. This knowledge is not difficult to learn, but there is a vast amount of it. There are several different methods to obtaining your ground training, you can attend a formal ground school, incorporate it one- on - one with your flight training, or choose to do it by self- study.

You must have a valid medical certificate in order to start your flight training. This is your student pilot’s license. The type of pilot’s license that you are applying for will determine how many minimum hours of flight training that you must have. The three types also vary as to the types of flying that you can do and the limitations placed upon your flying. A student may not be able to demonstrate competency in all required areas of flight training in the minimum hours. Plan for needing at least double the minimum number of required hours.

Recreational pilot- A recreational pilot must have fifty hours of flight training. A recreational pilot may only fly in the daytime and carry one passenger. The pilot does not have an instrument rating, therefore he is not able to fly above the clouds or if visibility is less than 3 miles. He may fly at speeds above 120 knots, but must stay within fifty miles of the airport.

Sport Pilot- A sport pilot must have 40 hours of flight instruction and may carry 1 passenger. The sport pilot has no instrument rating, therefore he is restricted to daytime flying, he may not fly above the clouds, in visibility under 3 miles, and must stay at speeds lower than 120 knots.

Private pilot- A private pilot must have 60 hours of flight instruction and may carry unlimited numbers of passengers. He / She has an instrument rating, can fly day or night, and can fly at speeds above 120 knots. He may also fly above the clouds and with less than 3 miles of visibility.

The student pilot must pass the ground test, which is a 60 question multiple choice test with questions chosen from a 700 question test bank. The student pilot must then pass his flight test to earn his license.

Navy and air force pilots must learn to fly in stressful situations and at high speeds. Navy pilots are given the tools to do the job, but it is up to them to decide how to use them to execute enemy targets. The air force however, has a plan for how everything is done and the plan is not deviated from. Military and corporate pilots both study the same basic principles that private, recreational and sport pilots do, but with job specific skills included.
No matter what your ultimate dream in flying is, being a civilian pilot is a great place to begin.

By definition, a co-pilot is the second pilot in a two-pilots, commercial aviation aircraft. They can also be the second in command aboard a military level aircraft, however, they may be designated with different names. He or she can also at times be referred to as the first officer. These individual are second-in-command, answering to the Captain, who is the first and legal commander. If for some reason the Captain should become unable to continue his duty as first pilot, the co-pilot takes over.

In general terms, the Captain and the co-pilot share control of any aircraft that they fly. Duties are shared equally, however, one will be designated as the “Pilot Flying”, while the other is the “Pilot Not Flying”. The Captain always remains in full responsibility for the crew, the passengers, and the aircraft, regardless of who is the designated flying pilot. In the every day operations of flying, the essential tasks are fairly equal between the two. For example, the Captain may do all of the actual flying while the co-pilot handles all of the radio traffic, navigation, auto-pilot controls, and so forth. They also have some very specific duties to perform when it comes to control and engineering issues during different phases of flight. For all of these reasons, it is generally a good idea to have two pilots in any given flight when possible.

Many of the major airline carriers choose to promote pilots to a Captain’s position from within, with priority being given based on seniority rather than on experience. It is possible that the co-pilot may have more actual flying hours than his or her Captain, such as through their experience in the military or through other airlines. Still, when filling an available Captain’s position, airlines most often will pass by the co-pilot in favor of someone who has been with their company for a longer period of time.

When there are two pilots inside of the cockpit, there is a set seating arrangment. The first officer or co-pilot will always sit on the right when aboard a fixed-wing aircraft. When two pilots are inside of a helicopter, the co-pilot will sit on the left.

A co-pilot is as important, if not more important, than the actual flying pilot. After all, it is the co-pilot’s duty to report on all weather conditions, provide accurate navigational directions, assist the pilot with communications, and keep a careful eye on any number of other important tasks. If the co-pilot should fail to do his or her job accurately, the flight could easily be put in jeopardy. The co-pilot must be always ready to take control of an aircraft with little notice, being fully aware of all surrounding conditions. They must be able to think on their toes, react quickly, and conduct themselves responsibly. Many flights have been saved from doom due to the quick and skillful actions of a co-pilot.

Co-piloting as a profession is a noteworthy career. It is highly enjoyable, carries great prestige, and tends to pay well.

Thunderstorms come in a variety of shapes and sizes and offer different threat levels for instrument-rated pilots versus thos flying visual flight rules. For pilots who are flying an instrument flight plan, embedded thunderstorms are found hiding in what appears to be simply a formation of stratus clouds. While flying through a generally smooth area of clouds, an embedded thunderstorm sees cumulus clouds springing up unexpectedly. The pilot may not see this hidden weather hazard until their plane is actually being affected by the turbulence of the condition. Being unprepared for an embedded thunderstorm can lead to deadly consequences.

Although VFR pilots should never find themselves a victim of an embedded thunderstorm situation, squall lines can also be dangerous. Although a pilot on a visual flight plan may see a clear air space between two thunderstorms, this tempting short cut, rather than diverting to the end of the thunderstorms, can also be deadly. An aircraft slipping between the two storms may be caught off guard by a new and rapidly growing storm, with extreme levels of turbulence.

However, the most dangerous thunderstorm a pilot can experience is a supercell. Supercells not only buffet aircraft with the most extreme turbulence, even at high altitudes, but also can be the producer of heavy rain, tornadoes, large hail that can damage aircraft bodies and break aircraft windows, but also produce microbursts, which can be deadly when aircraft are near a runway.

Whereas a tornado finds thunderstorms twirling air upwards from the ground, microbursts find thunderstorms blowing wind down to the ground. Any powerful wind that comes down from a shower storm or thunderstorm is deemed a ‘downburst’; however, microbursts are more specific. If the strong winds can actually cause damage, and are limited to a region of less than 5 kilometers, they are known as a microburst. Winds, in a microburst, can reach speeds of more than 240 kilometers per hour. Damaging winds in an area greater than 5 kilometers is known as a macroburst, and when a line of thunderstorms is experienced where downbursts are found to occur one after the other, these are referred to derechoes and can be especially dangerous.

Lastly, icing is another aviation weather condition that pilots need to be wary of. With water droplets 30 to 300 micrometers across, when supercooled, they can quickly freeze to an aircraft’s wings and tail and create an uneven surface that can disrupt airflow and decrease lift significantly. Drops in this size range freeze quickly because they are small, yet have enough water in them to create a significant chunk of ice on the air foil. Smaller drops do not have enough water to be of concern and are more likely to be carried away by the airflow under or over a wing. Larger drops of water create ice; however this ice is smoother in nature, due to it being carried back by the airflow before freezing. Icing danger is most prominent in temperatures between -10 to 0 degrees Celsius, and with air that is rising at a rate of approximately 10 centimeters per second.

In the end, all weather affects the operation and performance of an aircraft. A smart and safe pilot takes the unique weather conditions he’s facing into consideration when planning his flight plan. However, weather conditions such as thunderstorms, microbursts, and icing are of particular concern and should be watched and planned for when the conditions present themselves.

It is well-known that the Wright brothers, Wilbur and Orville, were the first men to fly on December 17, 1903. But others had actually flown before them. The Wright brothers, however, did accomplish the first human flight which was powered, controlled, and sustained.
One of the earliest pioneers in human flight was British inventor and aviator Percy Pilcher. He was the most famous British pilot of unpowered aircraft at the turn of the century. He died in a hang glider accident in 1899 before having the opportunity to test some of his aviation inventions.
Following World War I, British aviator Alan Cobham became a test pilot and, in November 1925, he flew from London to Cape Town, one leg of his eventual 27,000 mile journey during which Cobham proved the reliability of future flight despite the dangers of flying over hostile and foreign lands.
Breaking the race and gender barrier of flight, “Queen Bess” or Bessie Colman became the first African American woman in the world to earn her pilot’s license. Unable to gain acceptance to any flight schools in the U.S., Colman received her pilot’s license on June 15, 1921, from Federation Aeoronatique Internationale after attending flight school for only seven months at the Caudron Brothers School of Aviation in Le Crotoy, France. Her subsequent talent as a barnstormer turned Colman into a role model for women and for African Americans.
The most famous of all aviators, Charles A, Lindbergh, flew the Spirit of St. Louis nonstop from New York to Paris in 1927 at the young age of 25. Lindbergh had learned to fly quite young and barnstormed the country thrilling crowds with wingwalking. His personal tragedy when his son was kidnapped and murdered clouded the rest of his life.
Wiley Post is another familiar name in aviation. He set two trans-global speed records and invented the first practical pressure suit enabling him to explore high-altitutde flight. He was hired as a pilot by popular comedian and philosopher Will Rogers for a trip to Alaska but a tragic accident on take-off killed both men in 1935.
1936 brought the world Beryl Markham who was the first to fly solo east to west across the Atlantic Ocean. She was the first woman to earn a pilot’s license in her native Kenya and became a famous bush pilot there.
The most famous woman to pilot a plane was Amelia Earhardt. While attempting to fly around the world from Miami, Florida, Earhardt disappeared, possibly in a storm, as she tried to find Howland Island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on July 2, 1937, at the age of 39.
Wartime pilots were exceptionally brave and James H. Doolittle was among the bravest. He executed the first outside loop in 1927, which was thought to be impossible due to aerobatic stresses on the plane. During WWII, Doolittle’s squad completed a daring bombing mission over Tokyo in 1942 only to have it end with tragic results.
Modern heroes of aviation include test pilot Chuck Yeager who broke the sound barrier, billionaire Howard Hughes who created one of the largest aviation companies, Hughes Aircraft, and the pair Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager who together circumnavigated the world nonstop and without refueling their experimental aircraft the Voyager in 1986.