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Top Document: FAQ: Air Traveler's Handbook 4/4 [Monthly posting] Previous Document: [4-4] Complaints and Compliments Next Document: [4-6] Other Sources of Information See reader questions & answers on this topic! - Help others by sharing your knowledge Fly-by-wire aircraft Fly-by-wire aircraft use a computerized control system that decides how to best control surface movements, engine fuel-flow rates, and so on. There is no direct connection between the pilot and the flight control surfaces in this kind of setup. Instead, the pilot gives instructions to the computer which interprets them, hopefully correctly. The computer is able to update the settings hundreds of times per second, something human pilots can't do, and in theory results in a more efficient, smoother, and safer flight. Some more recent planes are even able to land themselves. The controversy with such planes concerns their failure modes. If the computer conks out for some reason, it may not be possible for the pilot to dead-stick the plane in for a landing, since some of the more efficient control surfaces must have their parameters updated very frequently to remain airborn. Also, some early fly-by-wire planes may have had programming bugs that caused unexpected behavior. Finally, the Airbus A320, a fly-by-wire aircraft, has been perceived as accident-prone, allegedly because of the fly-by-wire system, though this has never been proven. Currently the only fly-by-wire commercial airplanes are the Airbus A320 and A340, with the A319, A321, A330, the Boeing 777 and the Tupolev TU204 entering production shortly. Many military aircraft have been fly-by-wire for years. (For further discussion of fly-by-wire aircraft, see the extensive RISK archives on this topic.) "Glass-cockpit" aircraft Such aircraft are not fly-by-wire. They display several flight instruments on a CRT screen in the cockpit, and have an integrated flight management system (sophisticated autopilots) but still have a direct connection between the cockpit control column and the control surfaces. The MD-11 and some MD-80s are examples of glass-cockpit planes that aren't fly-by-wire. Overbooking The airline practice of selling more tickets than there are seats on the aircraft. Airlines like to fly full flights, the fuller the better. Since on any given flight there are likely to be one or two no-shows, the airlines tend to oversell the flight to compensate. If more people show up than there are seats, the airline will first ask for passengers to voluntarily give up their seats in exchange for an incentive of the airline's choosing (e.g., typically a free round trip ticket), and then if there aren't enough volunteers, the airline will involuntarily bump some of the passengers. DOT rules specify how the airlines must compensate involuntarily bumped passengers. Blackout Days during which a special fare does not apply. Usually days with heavy traffic, such as the day right before a holiday. DOT US Department of Transportation Codes Every scheduled airline has a two character code, and most also have a three-character code. For example, United Airlines is UA, USAir is US, and Southwest is WN. Most charter airlines have two- character codes, and some have three-character codes. Some airlines share their two-character codes, and some airlines have more than one code. Airports have three-character designations, with BOS for Boston, PIT for Pittsburgh, and EWR for Newark, among others. Code-sharing Some airlines have "code-sharing" agreements with other airlines, in which each airline may list flights on the other airline under their own "code". Thus, when consumers purchase tickets from an airline, the actual flight (or some segments of the flight) may be on an entirely different carrier. These agreements typically arise as special arrangements linking the routes of a US airline with a foreign carrier. For example, United Airlines and Lufthansa, USAir and British Airways, American Airlines and South Africa Airways, etc. Travel on code-share flights is eligible for frequent flyer miles on either airline. ARC Airline Reporting Company. A travel agency must be ARC approved before it can issue tickets. When a customer pays a travel agent for tickets, the travel agent sends the money to the ARC, which acts as a clearinghouse for the airlines. User Contributions: 1 cheap viagra Feb 25, 2021 @ 2:14 pm https://genericviagragog.com buy viagra without doctor prescription Comment about this article, ask questions, or add new information about this topic:Top Document: FAQ: Air Traveler's Handbook 4/4 [Monthly posting] Previous Document: [4-4] Complaints and Compliments Next Document: [4-6] Other Sources of Information Part1 - Part2 - Part3 - Part4 - Single Page [ Usenet FAQs | Web FAQs | Documents | RFC Index ] Send corrections/additions to the FAQ Maintainer: mkant@cs.cmu.edu
Last Update March 27 2014 @ 02:12 PM
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