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So everyone is back on the road again and I’ve also joined the crowd I managed to wrangle a conference in Rome and will do a quick trip there. Singapore airlines has become too expensive to afford a business class seat so I’ve had to choose an alternative and swiss air is part of Star Alliance so at a considerable saving and only one hour difference in arrival time, I have picked them. now that is also the issue as the transit time is only 70 mins so it’s cutting its close. However when I called the airlines they almost felt offended when I asked if it was sufficient and so the journey begins .. So they use the silverkris lounge at changi and it’s pretty impressive with a wide selection of food and drinks plus free toiletries now for the airline When you travel you see and feel a lot and this is one of the major benefits of travel. You also get to compare and see what’s really good Swiss air is well very swiss in efficiency but they don’t have the smiles and warmth. That’s not so bad but dinner was a real low. The cod was possibly the worst I’ve ever had … stiff and over cooked Luckily the eggs for breakfast and the machine prepared cappuccino was fine. Usually there is a basket of snacks and here the basket does not have any fruits, just crisps and some mineral water. The bed is a lie flat with no bedding and just a blanket. Length is ok and the pocket for your legs is larger than the SQ equivalent So the most glaring thing is their seat arrangement Not all seats get aisle access easily and when you are trying to cross another passenger it’s a real bother. They charge extra for the so called ‘throne’ seats but you are rewarded with an abundance of storage. Great for people like me who didn’t check in any luggage. On the hand if you only got the regular business class seat, there’s only a small shelf and another side cabinet. The headphone are nasty though.. acoustics aren’t great and I don’t think their noise cancellation works at all. The inflight entertainment system works fine with a large 16” screen that is touchscreen. The selection are up to date but far more limited than SQ. Whilst you may say it’s unfair to compare since SQ costs 30% more but travelers will do so since they cater to the same market. But it’s the same little stuff that makes SQ stand out like free wifi. Here it’s a chargeable cost. So you do get the trappings of a business class seat but little things are missing and so it’s not in your face but where that 30% extra cost goes to shows itself. I have a one hour transit in Zurich and they assure me it’s adequate for my next onward journey to Rome. And that’s their plus - Efficiency So the transit fears proved to be unfounded and I make it to my next flight without fuss and even time to spare for a coffee at the lounge. You need to clear passports prior to going from one area gate to the next, but it’s a 15-20 min walk depending on how brisk you walk. Bringing a trolley bag was a smart move. There’s no more baggage checks so I regret not bringing my unopened sparkling mineral water along. There’s wifi for free in the airport but when you’re rushing, it’s good to have data because you need to jump through a fair number of hurdles to get on. The second leg is short flight so you get the same seats as economy but there’s no one next to you. They serve warm meals in the lounge and for a machine, the coffee is good. Grabbed a banana for the road and I have some apples too. Somehow coffee tastes better when you’re not at work? Onward to Rome 👋

SINGAPORE: Singapore Airlines (SIA) will cut 96 per cent of its capacity that had been scheduled up to the end of April, said the airline on Monday (Mar 23). The decision was made after the further tightening of border controls around the world over the last week to stem the COVID-19 outbreak, SIA said in a news release. About 138 SIA and SilkAir planes, out of a total fleet of 147, will be grounded as a result. Scoot, the company's low-cost unit, will suspend "most of its network" and will ground all but two of its 49 planes. This comes amid the "greatest challenge that the SIA Group has faced in its existence", the company said. "It is unclear when the SIA Group can begin to resume normal services, given the uncertainty as to when the stringent border controls will be lifted," it said. "The resultant collapse in the demand for air travel has led to a significant decline in SIA’s passenger revenues." https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/business/covid-19-singapore-airlines-suspend-flights-coronavirus-12566248?cid=FBcna bad year for aviation

anyone knows where i can buy kites for flying? not those kinda stunt kites, but more of those simple ones below $10. also, what abt remote -controlled aeroplanes/ helicopters? anyone into those games? feel like buying one that runs on battery (rather than the expensive types that run on petrol).. any recommendation too?

SQ16 was accelerating for takeoff at 120km/h when a Korean Air Airbus plane KE929 unexpectedly taxied onto the runway. SQ16 did an emergency braking following instructions that were received from air traffic control, damaging its tyres. The two planes were about 1.7km apart when both came to a complete stop, SQ16's departure was delayed for about 19 hours as the plane's tyres had to be replaced. KE929, meanwhile, was diverted back to the apron and took off about two hours after the incident. Its pilots were said to have ignored earlier instructions from the air traffic controller. South Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is investigating and is expected to release its report in 2 to 3 weeks. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/planes-landing-gear-damaged-during-7928326 http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/singapore-airlines-plane-in-near-collision-at-south-koreas-incheon-airport

Hi bros thinking of starting on RC planes... how to start and where to start? Looking at buying this http://www.nitroplanes.com/mq9.html and buying FPV kit hook up to glasses

Spending on defence is always a dead-weight loss, with no contribution to our GDP ... why spend so much on these planes when the economy is already in recession ??? http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/sin.../387475/1/.html

Do Singapore need more advance fighter planes?

Due to the increase in fuel prices, even airlines now tighten their belts on fuel usage. source: http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNew...0423-61315.html --------------- Authorities expressed concern that some of the incidents may be prompted by fuel-saving measures. -AFP Wed, Apr 23, 2008 AFP WASHINGTON, US - A REVIEW by federal authorities has revealed a sharp increase in planes, particularly from Continental Airlines, flying into the New York area with so little fuel that they demand an emergency landing. In a report on minimum and emergency fuel declarations into Newark airport last year, the US Department of Transportation (DOT) expressed concern that some of the incidents may be prompted by fuel-saving measures. 'We are concerned that fuel-saving measures may have contributed to the low fuel declarations because of two pilot bulletins issued by Continental Airlines in 2007,' the report said. In the notes to pilots, in February and October 2007, Continental expressed concern with the number of fuel stops pilots were making on flights from Europe into Newark, which is based in New Jersey, and urged a reduction. According to the DOT report, the airline's second bulletin 'further stated that adding fuel indiscriminately without critical thinking ultimately reduces profit sharing and possible pension funding.' The DOT expressed concern that 'these types of bulletins might put pressure on pilots to either not stop for fuel when needed or to carry insufficient amounts of fuel.' Emergency fuel declarations alert controllers on the ground that flight crews need priority in landing because their fuel levels are dangerously low. The majority of the minimum or emergency fuel declarations made into Newark last year - some 66 per cent - were on transatlantic flights, and Continental accounted for 64 per cent, or 96 of the 151 total incidents, the report said. By comparison, 72 such incidents were recorded at Newark's airport in 2006 and 44 in 2005. No similar trends have been noted at other US airports. The report cited the case of a Continental flight from Barcelona in which pilots made minimum fuel declarations to Newark 23 times in 2007. Continental Airlines issued a statement assuring that Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rules were not violated, and that 'safety was not compromised in any of the situations' evaluated by DOT. 'Neither the DOT nor anyone else has suggested that Continental Airlines has contravened any regulations in its aircraft fuelling procedures,' company spokesman Dave Messing said in a statement. 'Continental uses FAA-approved flight planning programs to ensure that every flight has more than enough fuel to reach its destination,' he said, adding that 'none of the flights studied had less than a 45-minute reserve on board when they landed.' The review, which was prompted by Senator Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey, found the majority of flights making the emergency declarations came from Europe and involved twin-engine Boeing 757s, which were not originally planned for transatlantic services. 'We found that minimum and emergency fuel declarations had increased on flights into the Newark area,' DOT inspector general Calvin Scovell wrote in a letter to Lautenberg. 'However, there were no instances where aircraft landed with fuel levels below those required by the FAA.' Mr Messing said all of Continental's Boeing 757s have been fitted with 'winglets, which increase their fuel efficiency by approximately five percent,' and that the airline was the first to make such modifications to that aircraft type. -- AFP