Thank you to Randy Dill,, Quality Assurance Inspector. for Duncan Aviation for his presentation at Lincoln South Rotary on February 16. His topic was The Crowded Skies, How We Keep Them Safe.
We all enjoyed the photos that Randy shared - including photos of the world taken from the airplanes, to photos of various aircraft. Randy shared that he was interested in flying from a very young age - his father was a fighter pilot.
There were many facts and figures about general flying that Randy shared. We talked about what is inside a plane - and what is going on outside. At times it is 70 to 80 degrees below zero outside of a plane. Commercial airliners normally fly between 30,000 to 40,000 feet but some are certified at 51,000 feet. At those levels, the oxygen levels are greatly reduced, less air pressure, the planes use much less fuel.
Commercial aircraft fly at 400 – 500 knots (460 – 575 mph. He shared a short story of a time when it only took 29 minutes to fly from Rapid City to Lincoln.
Safety is the main concern of the Quality Control staff. They are concerned with:
- Crew Training
- Aircraft Equipment and Maintenance
- Air Traffic Control Centers
- understanding that pilot has ultimate responsibility
At any time there may be 5,000 planes over the continental United States. The photos Randy displayed with the number of planes and their locations was fascinating - truly congested.
One of the areas of concern is what is called RVSM - Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum - th acceptable space between aircraft vertically.
It was interesting to see a photo of a plane with monitoring equipment in place - various sensors are placed around the plane - inside and outside - to test the plane, the affects on the plane at various speeds and altitudes, etc.
Most of this was over the head of this writer - but it was fascinating! I found this blog for those wanting more information (click here).