Space Weather: How Solar Activity Can Affect In-Flight Connectivity
The sun isn’t just a big, bright orb in the sky; it’s an active star, emitting all sorts of radiation and particles. A solar event might give us a beautiful Aurora, but it could also wreak havoc with ground-based power grids, radio, satellite communications, GPS navigation and even air traffic control operations.
Light Ideas From Boeing
Cabin ceiling projections of stars, clouds and colors; huge curved flat-panel in-flight entertainment (IFE) displays; advanced lighting systems; massive translucent cabin monuments displaying current flight status and moving maps. These are just some of the concepts being worked on by engineers in Boeing’s Commercial Airplanes Product Development group. “Airlines are telling us that they want to have interiors that have a wow factor, and set their cabin apart from [those of] their competitors,” says Mark Ellis, senior manager, Payloads Product Development.
The Aging Traveler
The clock keeps ticking. It really doesn’t matter what we try to do. Lotions and potions, exercise and nutrition, and even surgery won’t stop the calendar pages from flipping. Every day, we’re getting older, but that’s not stopping us – we’re traveling more than ever. We’re joined on our flights by millions and millions of other older travelers.
Nostalgia Trip
OK, I’ll admit it. I’m the one who arrives at the airport hours early. But I’m not worried about missing my flight, since I checked in online and know that it’s only going to take me a few minutes if I go through security on the mezzanine level at YYZ. No, I’m here because I love airports, aircraft and the process of travel. I’m a prepared passenger. I know my airport codes and airline abbreviations, and where in the plane I’ll be sitting.
Buffering Up
The appetite for binge-friendly streaming services like Netflix, Amazon or Hulu, over expensive cable or satellite TV packages, appears to be insatiable. “Streaming video has grown at such a rapid pace in North America that the leading service in 2015, Netflix, now has a greater share of traffic than all of streaming audio and video did five years ago,” says Dave Caputo, CEO of Sandvine, a broadband network solutions provider. Based on a recent Sandvine study, real-time entertainment streaming now accounts for more than 70 percent of evening Internet traffic in North America.
20 Signs You Might be an #AvGeek
AvGeeks and Plane Spotters wait for the British Airways A380 inaugural at YVR. Written for the Airline Passenger Experience Association - APEX.aero How do #AvGeeks show their love of aviation? Our regular contributor and resident AvGeek Howard Slutsken counts the ways… You look up every time you hear an airplane, and can positively identify the type. By its sound. The only reason you’ll spend time in an airport bar is [...]