Emirates wouldn't have more than one plane in Sydney at any given time, right? So if you were at the airport, and the plane wasn't at the gate, why weren't you on it?

That was the plane I was about to get on. It had just landed, and would occupy the gate from which the SQ A380 was being pushed back.

Emirates has two flights a day to Sydney. =D One is direct and goes on to Christchurch, and the other goes via Bangkok and then connects to Auckland.

I'm a bit surprised. I thought Emirates used Singapore as its focus city for flights into Australia/New Zealand. Has Bangkok followed Singapore and Dubai in allowing anyone to fly through?

I don't know! I don't *think* just anyone can fly through the UAE. I'm not sure about Singapore's and Thailand's policies.

We connect Singapore with Brisbane, Melbourne, and Auckland. It's only about two years since we started connecting Bangkok with Sydney.

Did you hear? EK will start direct service to LA on September 1st. But by then, nativeinformant will be in Texas!

I remember reading an agreement about fifth freedom policies involving Dubai and Singapore, but maybe it was just bilateral. I know some airlines fly elsewhere through Dubai (Biman comes to mind) and I'm pretty sure the city has been keen to expand airport traffic (at least back when it wasn't overcrowded) so the general concept at least made sense.

I'm surprised Emirates doesn't route all its indirect flights to Australia through the same city. I didn't know LA would start so early, and I didn't know about Vancouver at all until you mentioned it. Where will those flights stop?

nativeinformant said I have to visit her soon if I want to go to California. I'm still bummed she isn't going somewhere in Virginia instead.

> didn't know about Vancouver at all until

Whatwhatwhatwhat?!?

I missed that one!

Just a rumor! But one with credibility, I think. =)

I would be afraid that tree would pick me up and carry me off to Mordor

I'm not worried. :^)

dig the tree shot! :)

It's a great and photogenic tree.

Two of my favorites :)

Thanks!

Man. Two of the three A380s in commercial service have already been grounded? Good thing you're not planning to fly one regularly just yet.

Okay! So. Re two earlier discussions:

1) That BA 777-200ER that hit the ground short of the runway. I heard a theory today that the cause was cold (and/or frozen) fuel.

2) I asked a less pricky pilot whether one damaged spoiler (or failed reverse thrust in one engine) would make the aircraft veer off the runway (remember, the last pilot I asked just replied "It wouldn't happen"). This one said that in theory, it would happen, but the momentum of the aircraft, for one thing, would keep it going *fairly* straight, and the rudder would be used to keep the aircraft in a straight trajectory. So there's the answer! Rudder! (He was explaining to me that the rudder is how an aircraft can keep flying with one engine; I always wondered that.) And the wheel brakes are used, as well, so the spoilers and reverse thrust aren't the only brake systems.

Fuel can freeze while you're flying? Between Singapore and Sydney, at that? This worries me.

would keep it going *fairly* straight, and the rudder would be used to keep the aircraft in a straight trajectory
I wonder what sort of reaction time a pilot needs to figure out what's wrong and do something about it before the plane veers off the runway. I'm going to hope it doesn't happen often, but there is training for it anyway.

> Between Singapore and

Uh?

At the altitude these planes are flying at, the outside temperature is around -60°. The fact that it's in a tropical (vs. polar) region of the planet, really, makes a rather piddly amount of difference.

I mean, yes, it's rather surprising that the planes' insulation (or whatever) is not sufficiently designed as to prevent fuel freezing. But that's a different issue altogether from whatever effect that the part of the world would have on the fuel temperature.

Edited at 2008-03-30 09:41 am (UTC)

The fact that it's in a tropical (vs. polar) region of the planet, really, makes a rather piddly amount of difference.
Oh, I thought flying the polar route between continents would have had a larger effect. My bad.