Shame Of A Nation: Passengers Taking Refuge Under The Aircraft In Abuja

The aviation system in Nigeria needs a total overhaul, its one day, one scandal and this is not good enough. At times you wonder what NACA, FAAN and other relevant agencies doing to curtail this menace.

Logistics issue is the last that should cause delay to an aircraft but to Aero, its a different ball game.

A user has taken to her Twitter to express her shock in Aero Contractors. According to her,

Passengers for Aero flight NG122 Abuja to Lagos taking refuge under the Aircraft as they wait 30mins for their checked-in bags to arrive for identification. How can an airline not handle the basic logistics of getting bags to the aircraft before its passengers?

Aero Contractors is being controlled by AMCON. It was reported that 40 percent of shares are owned by the Ibru family and 60 percent are owned by AMCON (Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria).

FG to buy 20 aircraft for aviation college

The Federal Government is to buy 20 aircraft to equip Nigeria College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) Zaria and make it a centre of excellence.

Mr. Hadi Sirika, Minister of State for Aviation, confirmed on Monday in Abuja that NCAT had also taken delivery of a brand new Diamond DA24NG.

The minister, who launched the new aircraft in Zaria said that the aircraft would improve the training capacity of the college.

He observed that the current aircraft in use were highly expensive to maintain, adding that the college would now be more competitive and dynamic in the global aviation industry.

Sirika lauded the efforts of the management of the college especially for introducing courses in line with the guidelines of International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

“I am aware of efforts by NCAT to run National Diploma and Higher National Diploma; be rest assured, you will have our full support and that of the president.”

The minister charged staff of the college to seek for more knowledge because the world had changed from resource based economy to knowledge-based.

Earlier, the Rector of the college, Capt. Abdussalami Mohammed, said the college currently has 29 trainer aircraft.

“These aircraft used for ab-initio training TB9, Trinidad TB20GT and Beech Baron 58 are old, the earliest being purchased 15 years ago and quite expensive to fuel and maintain,’’ he said.

The rector said the new trainer aircraft would significantly improve the flight training experience and reduce operating cost.

He added that the newly acquired aircraft was equipped with glass cockpit and garmin 1000, which would make it easier for graduating pilots to transit to new generation commercial aircraft.

Aeromobil Unveils New Flying Car Model Available for Pre-order This Year

Founded in 1990, Areomobile has long since been perfecting its flying car prototype, with the first version of the 3.0 model unveiled back in 2014. Yet it seems that this is the year that the air-to-sky vehicle will go from rendering to reality, with the company announcing that the new model will be launched at top marques Monaco on April 20th this year. the new model of aeromobil will be the company’s first commercially available vehicle and will be available for preorder within the year, with deliveries starting approximately two years later.

Aeromobil—which recently received $3.2 M in investment funding—have already revealed that the next-generation flying car will feature hundreds of improvements in both design and engineering compared to the original aerolmobil 3.0 prototype that was unveiled two and a half years ago in Vienna, Austria. in order to avoid any delays in getting the cars off the ground (quite literally), the vehicle has been designed in compliance with the existing regulatory frameworks for both cars and airplanes.

The aeromobil 3.0 is a completely integrated aircraft, as well as a fully functional four-wheeled car, powered by hybrid propulsion. the Slovakian company has always set out to make sophisticated flying cars commercially available, heralding a new era in efficient and exciting travel. By seamlessly combining the functionality of both cars and airplanes, the vehicle wants to offer users an unparalleled choice of transport, whether it be by road or sky.

The company–led by Juraj Vaculik, CEO and Douglas MacAndrew, CTO–aims to make personal transportation even more efficient and environmentally friendly by cutting wasted miles in allowing significantly faster door-to-door travel. The aeromobil flying car is designed with medium distance trips in mind and wants to allow users to get from a to b, regardless of where roads have been built. the flying car will be available for pre-orders during this year, and visitors to the top marques Monaco will get a real-life preview of the futuristic vehicle.

Watch the video below..

E-Volo Unveils Volocopter 2X, The 18 Rotor Flying Taxi Set for Use in 2018

Volocopter has long since been developing their 18 rotor multi-copters, and after six years in the making, the German startup has premiered the volocopter 2X at AERO in Friedrichshafen. the 2X model marks the evolution of the VC200 prototype towards everyday use, using a battery replacement system that allows for a quick swap between journeys. the 2X also sees the streamlining of the multi- copter's design, incorporating glazed doors and upholstered leather seats into the two-man cockpit below the delicate rotor plane. the craft can also be controlled via a remote and is even capable of flying completely autonomously.

The volocopter 2X is a Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) craft powered purely by electricity, meaning the vehicle is emission free and makes very little noise in comparison to other VTOL aircraft. The ultralight aircraft is easy to manoeuvre, and following the granting of ‘multicopter’ certification, will be able to be flown by anyone with a sports pilot license. however, the those without a license need not miss out, since the volocopter plan to use the aircraft as flying taxis come 2018.

Although the design of the 2X also allows for remote-controlled or even completely autonomous flights, for the first flying taxi pilot projects, e-volo assumes the volocopter 2X will still be pilot-controlled due to currently applicable regulations. nonetheless, remote-controlled or autonomous taxi flights will be able to be carried out unmanned as necessary.

Following the granting of a ‘multicopter’ type certification that will be created under the new german UL category, the 2X is set to become available on the german market in 2018. E-volo also plan to work on developing a 4-seater copter with international approval.

Circular Runway Allows Planes to Take Off and Land in All Directions

’The endless runway’ is a new airport concept from dutch scientist Henk Hesselink, consisting of a 3.5 KM diameter round runway encircling the terminal building. the circular runway—which allows up to three planes to take off and land at the same time—would take up just a third of the space of a conventional airport. fed up with delayed flights due to wind conditions, Hesselink designed a runway concept that can be used independent of changing wind speed and direction, since there is always a point without a crosswind on the circular track.

Hesselink originally came up with ‘the endless runway’ after watching one too many scary crosswind plane landings on Youtube, and decided to take action to improve the situation. the circular shape of the banked runway would allow it to be used in all wind conditions, by allowing planes to take off and land at any point on the circle. in strong, blowy conditions, aircraft would land at the point where wind was at a minimum. with changing wind direction, the aircraft can move with the wind, preventing bumpy landings and costly operations for changing runway direction. the ring-shaped track also ensures that the planes always have headwind when they need to take off and land.

Alongside improving the flying experience for passengers, Hesselink also believes that making runways ring-shaped can have a positive environmental impact. since planes will not have to compete with strong cross winds, they will burn less fuel in the area around the airfield. planes will be able to fly in from any direction, giving the pilot greater control over where to fly, and where to avoid flying. the increased choice in take-off and landing direction would be a big step in managing air traffic conditions, which are increasing greatly as the airfield sector doubles in size every 15 years.

The circular runway is equivalent in length to three straight airstrips, but Hesselink's team have calculated that it would be able to handle the demands of four normal runways, allowing airports to occupy less land space. ‘the endless runway’ project is supported by the Netherlands aerospace center (NLR), along with DLR Germany and ONERA in France

Small and Affordable Emergency Helicopter Design For Hospitals

This seems to be good news to all medical personnel as help is on the way. Emergency Helicopter is an urban means for transportation concept that is specially designed to arrive quickly and perform as a rescuer from an accident spot. The compact helicopter can make room for two doctor crews, and a space to keep the wounded where the doctors can give them immediate medical attention. The injured person can board on the helicopter from the front side and remains equipped with a camera and built-in bad landing system. Both the tail rotor and main blade is designed in a more secured way for surrounding people. This copter would be very helpful for disaster situations.

 

 

Traveling by air for the first time? These tips will help you

Are you one of the few Nigerians that are boarding the plane for the first time? Do you know the rules and how things operate at the airport? Do you know that been late for 5 minutes may have your flight canceled and lots more? We bring to you some tips you must know if you are traveling for the first time, especially if you flying domestically. Read below...

1) If you must fly domestically, I recommend just Arik and Aero. Anything else is just too risky for me.

2) Ensure you get to the airport on time. Be there at least an hour before your flight. Domestic flights usually require you to check in before 45 mins to your flight but since this is your first time try to get there earlier than that.

3) On getting to the airport, go straight to the stand for your service provider to verify when check-in would begin for your flight. If you are there an hour before departure, the chances are that they have already begun.

4) Do not forget your means of identification and your booking ref. For online reservations, you can print out your online booking form. These would be needed to secure your boarding pass.

5) Try to travel light, if you must travel with all the bags and baggage in Nigeria, be prepared to pay extra. Hand luggage can be carried aboard the plane.

6) Creams and any liquid substance may not be permitted on board if they are not securely wrapped and sealed. Items like needles or any sharp objects ain't allowed.

7) After getting your boarding pass, go straight to the departure lounge. You can ask the ticketing officer for directions.

8.) Ensure you listen attentively to the announcer in order not to miss when your flight is expected to take off. There are usually two warning calls and the final call for boarding. The announcer would normally call on the airline name and then the Plane number. This is written boldly on your boarding pass.

9) In the plane, an Air hostess would usually guide you to your seat location (though this should be on your boarding pass), how to put on stuff like a seat belt, life jackets, and general safety tips.

10) Always ask questions when in doubt. It would help to be close to someone experienced and boarding the same plane with you. Don't form 'Mr. Know it all'.

11) Remember to relax and enjoy your trip.