Airline Paints Plane With Idiot’s Guide To Flying

South African low-fare airline, Kulula, have given one of their new Boeing 737-800s a re-branding, by covering the plane with funny remarks and a beginner’s guide to flying.

Some of the cheeky remarks include the captain’s window being marked as the big cheese (”captain, my captain!”), the co-pilot’s window as co-captain (the other pilot on the PA system) and the jump seat  as wannabe pilots.

In addition, the following descriptions of plane parts can be found:

• galley (cuppa anyone?)
• avionics (fancy navigation stuff)
• windows (best view in the world)
• wing #1 and #2
• engine #1 and #2 (26 000 pounds of thrust)
• emergency exit = throne zone (more leg room baby!)
• seats (better than taxi seats)
• some windows = kulula fans (the coolest peeps in the world)
• black box (which is actually orange)
• landing gear (comes standard with supa-fly mags)
• back door (no bribery/corruption here)
• tail (featuring an awesome logo)
• loo (or mile-high club initiation chamber)
• rudder (the steering thingy)
• stabiliser (the other steering thingy)
• a.p.u. (extra power when you need it most)
• galley (food, food, food, food…)
• boot space
• ZS-ZWP (OK-PIK) = secret agent code (aka plane’s registration)
• overhead cabins (VIP seating for your hand luggage)
• fuel tanks (the go-go juice)
• cargo door
• aircon ducts (not that kulula needs it… they’re already cool)
• front door (our door is always open … unless we’re at 41 000 feet)
• cockpit window = sun roof
• nose cone (radar, antenna, and a really big dish inside)

Via Flightstory

A Circular Rainbow

Since I began posting on this blog, I have seen and learnt about some extraordinary features of nature that I didn’t even know existed. You may remember a recent post about an upside down rainbow – well just as you thought rainbows couldn’t get any more unusual, they just have.

This is a picture of a rare circular rainbow that was taken from the window of a Thai Airways jet.

The aeroplane’s shadow can be faintly seen in the centre of the ring, with the colours fading from blue to red around it.

Rainbows are formed when sunlight strikes the curved inside of a raindrop at a specific angle and is reflected back through the water, creating a prism effect.

The apparent semicircle of a normal rainbow is only limited by the horizon. The full circle could be seen if the viewer were standing on a sufficiently high cliff, although it is more easily seen from aircraft.

Link

200 Starlings Caught In Passenger Jet Engine On Take-Off

Take a look at this picture which shows the moment 200 starlings were sucked into a Germania airlines flight to Kosovo as it took off from Dusseldorf airport with 80 on board.

The birds flew right into the path of the airliner, “like a scene from the Hitchcock movie”, one onlooker described it as.

Despite their small stature, these birds could have easily brought the plane crashing down in seconds, however once airborne, the pilot reported engine damage and circled for almost 45 minutes before landing safely.

Link

F18 Hornet Extremely Low Flyby

Take a look at this video which shows a man in uniform, standing completely still, with his hands on his hips as a fighter jet races through the sky, just a few feet above his head.

The jet can reach speeds of up to 1,600mph. That guy’s got nerves of steel.

Model Jet Plane Championships

I didn’t even know this was a sport. Extraordinary!

Dog flies business class for $32,000

An Israeli woman paid $32,000 so that her dog could travel with her in business class from Paris to Tel Aviv.

The woman, named Rivkah, 60, booked the entire business-class cabin to carry her, her boxer “Orchuk” and a vet on the four-hour flight. Airline El Al had to remove several seats to make room for Or’s cage.

I didn’t think for a minute to leave Or, my little Orchuk, with the cargo,” said Rivkah. “I’ve been raising him for eight years and four months in France.”

“He is my child, not a dog. And he deserves the best,” she said.

Reincarnated Fighter Pilot Book On Sale

This is a really fascinating story that really touched me when I first heard about it. It’s the story of a boy who is believed to be a reincarnated WWII fighter pilot.

James, now 11, from Louisiana, was obsessed with fighter planes from an early age, but when he turned 2 he began having horrific nightmares every night about a plane crash that he died in that happened over 60 years ago. The things James spoke of were so sophisticated and detailed that something just wasn’t right.

James’ parents are now traveling the world, sharing his experiences and promoting their book on the extraordinary life of their son. The book is called ‘Soul Survivor: The Reincarnation of a World War II Fighter Pilot’ and is available to purchase here.

So what are your feelings on this story? Do you believe in reincarnation or do you think that there’s a much more simple explanation to this tale? Let us know!

Ice From The Sky

The last thing you’d expect to see on a sunny day is a large icicle falling from the sky onto your lap. Well, that’s what happened to a man from Bristol, UK earlier this week.

David Gammon, 76, was having dinner on his patio, when he heard a whistling sound, swiftly followed by a grapefruit-sized block of ice falling onto his leg. Gammon had a lucky escape and was only left with a minor bruise on his leg, however others have had less luck. A woman from Loughborough, UK had her car crushed last week, as it sat in the parking lot, by a block of ice that fell from the sky, leaving a 2ft dent.

It is believed that the much of the ice that is reported as “falling from the sky” actually falls from the the toilets of airplanes flying above. Falling from over 2,000 ft, at such a speed, it is clear that the ice has potential to do hefty damage on impact.

Heads up for ice everyone!