Lexus LFA

After the founding of the Dodge Brothers Company by Horace and John Dodge in 1900, the Detroit-based company quickly found work producing precision engine and chassis components for the city's growing number of automobile firms. Chief among these customers were the established Olds Motor Vehicle Company and the then-new Ford Motor Company. The first machine shop where the brothers worked together as parts suppliers for Olds and Ford was located at the Boydell Building on Beaubien Street at Lafayette in 1900. The location was replaced by a larger facility at Hastings Street and Monroe Avenue which is now a parking garage for the Greektown Casino Hotel. By 1910, the Dodge Main factory was built in Hamtramck where it remained until 1979. By 1914, John and Horace had created the new 4-cylinder Dodge Model 30. Marketed as a slightly more upscale competitor to the ubiquitous Ford Model T, it pioneered or made standard many features later taken for granted: all-steel body construction, 12-volt electrical system, 35 horsepower and sliding-gear transmission which the Model T would retain an antiquated planetary design until its demise in 1927. As a result of this and the brothers's well-earned reputation for the highest quality truck, transmission and motor parts they made for other successful vehicles Dodge Brothers cars were ranked at second place for U.S sales as early as 1916. Henry Ford decided to stop paying stock dividends for the construction of the new River Rouge complex. This led the Dodges to file suit to protect their annual stock earnings of approximately $1 million, leading Ford to buy out his shareholders; the Dodges were paid some US$25 million. As the Dodge brothers decided to produce their own vehicle John Dodge was quoted as saying "Someday people who own a Ford are going to want an automobile" and introduced their first car in 1914. Also in 1916 the Dodge Brothers's vehicles won acclaim for durability while in service with the U.S Army's Pancho Villa Expedition into Mexico. 1 notable instance was in May when the 6th Infantry received a reported sighting of Julio Cárdenas who was one of Villa's most trusted subordinates. Lt. George S. Patton led 10 soldiers and 2 civilian guides in 3 Dodge Model 30 touring cars to conduct a raid at a ranch house in San Miguelito in Sonora. During the ensuing firefight, the party killed 3 men. Patton's men tied the bodies to the hoods of the Dodges. Dodge Brothers cars continued to rank second place in American sales in 1920. The same year, tragedy struck as John Dodge was felled by pneumonia in January. His brother Horace then died of cirrhosis in December of the same year which was reportedly out of grief at the loss of his brother to whom he was very close. With the loss of both founders, the Dodge Brothers Company passed into the hands of the brothers's widows who promoted long-time employee Frederick Haynes to the company presidency. During this time, the Model 30 was evolved to become the new Series 116 although it retained the same basic construction and engineering features. Throughout the 1920s Dodge gradually lost its ranking as the third best-selling automobile manufacturer, slipping down to seventh in the U.S. market. Dodge Brothers emerged as a leading builder of light trucks. They also entered into an agreement whereby they marketed trucks built by Graham Brothers of Evansville in Indiana. The Graham brothers would later produce Graham-Paige and Graham automobiles. Stagnation in development was becoming apparent and the public responded by dropping Dodge Brothers to fifth place in the industry by 1925. That year, the Dodge Brothers company was sold by the widows to the well-known investment group Dillon, Read & Co. for no less than US$146 million. Dillon, Read & Co. offered non-voting stock on the market in the new Dodge Brothers Inc. firm, and along with the sale of bonds was able to raise $16 million, reaping a $14 million profit. All voting stock was retained by Dillon Read. Frederick Haynes remained as company head until E. G. Wilmer was named board chairman in November 1926. Wilmer was a banker with no auto experience and Haynes remained as president. Changes to the car, save for superficial things like trim levels and colors, remained minimal until 1927, when the new Senior 6-cylinder line was introduced. The former 4-cylinder line was kept on, but renamed the Fast Four line until it was dropped in favor of 2 lighter 6-cylinder models for 1928. To fit better in the Chrysler Corporation lineup alongside low-priced Plymouth and DeSoto which was medium-priced, Dodge's lineup for early 1930 was trimmed down to a core group of 2 lines and 13 models from 3 lines and 19 models just over a year previous. Prices started out just above DeSoto but were somewhat less than top-of-the-line Chrysler, in a small-scale recreation of General Motors's "step-up" marketing concept. As Plymouth cars were sold at Chrysler dealerships Dodge branded vehicles were sold as a lower cost alternative to DeSoto. Dodge took another step up for 1930 by adding a new 8-cylinder line to replace the existing Senior 6-cylinder. This basic format of a dual line with Six and Eight models continued through 1933, and the cars were gradually streamlined and lengthened in step with prevailing trends of the day. The Dodge Eight was replaced by a larger Dodge DeLuxe Six for 1934 but was dropped for 1935. A long-wheelbase edition of the remaining Six was added for 1936 and would remain a part of the lineup for many years. To enhance production, Chrysler built a factory in Los Angeles in California in 1932 where Chrysler, DeSoto, Dodge and Plymouth vehicles were built until the factory closed in 1971. The Dodge line was restyled along with most of the corporation's output in the "Wind Stream" look and was a mild form of streamlining, which saw sales jump remarkably over the previous year. Dodge never got the radical Airflow styling that was the cause of depressed sales of Chryslers and DeSotos from 1934 to 1937 although it was used on a commercial truck for a short time. Another major restyle arrived for the 25th-anniversary 1939 models which Dodge dubbed the Luxury Liner series. These were once again completely redesigned, with new bodies for 1940, again in 1941, and a refreshing for 1942. Just after the 1942 models were introduced, Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor forced the shutdown of Dodge's passenger car assembly lines in favor of war production in February 1942. The year before saw the introduction of Fluid Drive for Dodge cars, eliminating stalling or bucking if the clutch were released too quickly. This feature put a coupling in between the engine and the clutch, although the driver had to shift gears manually. Chrysler was prolific in its production of war material from 1942 to 1945, and Dodge was well known to both average citizens and thankful soldiers for their tough military-spec truck models and ambulances like the WC54. Starting with the hastily converted VC series and evolving into the WC series, Dodge built a strong reputation for itself that readily carried over into civilian models after the war. Civilian production at Dodge was restarted by late 1945 in time for 1946. The "seller's market" of the early postwar years which brought on by the lack of any new cars throughout the war meant that every automaker found it easy to sell vehicles regardless of any drawbacks they might have. Like almost every other automaker, Dodge sold lightly facelifted revisions of its 1942 design through the 1948 season. As before, these were a single series of 6-cylinder models with 2 trim levels, basic Deluxe or plusher Custom. From 1949 until 1954, Fluid Drive could be combined with "Gyro-Matic," a semi-automatic transmmission which reduced but didn't eliminate the need to shift gears. Styling was not initially Dodge's strong point during this period although that began to change by 1953 under the direction of corporate design chief Virgil Exner. At the same time, Dodge also introduced its first V8 engine – the Red Ram Hemi, a smaller version of the original design of the Hemi with the new 1953 bodies being smaller and based on the Plymouth. For 1954, sales dropped because of the stubby styling not going over well with the public. 1954 also saw the introduction of the fully automatic PowerFlite transmission. Chrysler borrowed US$250 million from Prudential to finance expansion, acquisition and updating the outdated styling of their car lines that was contributed to Chrysler failing to benefit from the postwar boom as General Motors and Ford were. Exner led creation of the new corporate "Forward Look" styling of 1955. With steadily upgraded styling and ever-stronger engines every year through 1960 Dodge found a ready market for its products as America discovered the joys of freeway travel. This situation improved when Dodge introduced a new line of Dodges called the Dart to do battle against Ford, Chevrolet and Plymouth. The result was that Dodge sales in the middle price class collapsed. Special and regional models were sold as well, including the LaFemme which was a white and orchid-trimmed hardtop marketed toward women, and the Texan, a gold-accented Dodge sold in the Lone Star State. 1957 saw the introduction of a 3-speed automatic transmission called TorqueFlite. Both PowerFlite and TorqueFlite were controlled by mechanical push-buttons until 1965. Dodge entered the compact car field for 1961 with their new Lancer which was a variation on Plymouth's Valiant. Though it was not initially successful, the Dart range that succeeded the Lancer in 1963 would prove to be one of the division's top sellers for many years. Chrysler did make a ill-advised move to downsize the Dodge and Plymouth full-size lines for 1962, resulting in a loss of sales. They turned this around in 1965 by turning those former full-sizes into "new" mid-size models; Dodge revived the Coronet nameplate in this way and later added a sporty fastback version called the Charger that became both a sales leader and a winner of NASCAR. Not only did this style dominate the racetrack for 4 years, but its aerodynamic improvements changed the face of NASCAR forever. After Dodge dealers complained about not having a true full-size car in the fall of 1961, the Custom 880 was hurried into production. The Custom 880 used the 1962 Chrysler Newport body with the 1961 Dodge front end and interior. The 880 continued into 1965, the year a completely new full-size body was put into production, the Polara entered the medium price class and the Monaco was added as the top series. The Polara and Monaco were changed mostly in appearance for the next 10 years or so. Unique "fuselage" styling was employed for 1969 through 1973 and then was toned down again for the 1974 to 1977 models. The 1973 oil crisis caused significant changes at Dodge as well as Chrysler as a whole. Except for the Colt and Slant Six models of the Dart, Dodge's lineup was quickly seen as extremely inefficient. In fairness, this was true of most American automakers at the time, but Chrysler was also not in the best financial shape to do anything about it. Consequently, Chrysler and Dodge moved more slowly out of necessity while GM and Ford were quick to begin downsizing their largest cars. At the very least, Chrysler was able to use some of its other resources. Borrowing the recently introduced Chrysler Horizon, Dodge was able to get its new Omni subcompact on the market fairly quickly. At the same time, they increased the number of models imported from Japanese partner Mitsubishi starting in 1971: first came a smaller Colt, then a revival of the Challenger in 1976 as a compact hardtop coupé with nothing more than a 4-cylinder under the hood rather than the booming V8s of yore. Bigger Dodges remained rooted in old habits. The Dart was replaced by a new Aspen for 1976, and the Coronet and Charger were effectively replaced by the Diplomat for 1977. While the Aspen got accolades for styling and handling, build quality was problematic, sullying the car's reputation at the time when sales were desperately needed. Meanwhile, the huge Monaco models hung around through 1977, losing sales every year until being replaced by the St. Regis for 1979 following a 1-year absence from the big car market. In a reversal of what happened for 1965 the St. Regis was a upsized Coronet. Buyers were confused and chose to shop the competition rather than figure out what was going on at Dodge. Everything came to a head in 1979 when Chrysler's new chairman requested and received federal loan guarantees from the United States Congress in a effort to save the company from having to file bankruptcy. With a Federal Loan in hand Chrysler quickly set to work on new models that would leave the past behind while reorganizing to pay the government loan which stood at 29%. The first fruit of Chrysler's crash development program was the K-Car, the Dodge version of which was the Dodge Aries. This basic and durable front-wheel drive platform spawned a whole range of new models at Dodge during the 1980s, including the groundbreaking Dodge Caravan. The Caravan not only helped save Chrysler as a serious high-volume American automaker, but also spawned a entirely new market segment that remains popular today: the minivan. Through the late 1980s and 1990s, Dodge's designation as the sporty-car division was backed by a succession of high-performance and/or aggressively styled models including the Daytona, the mid-sized 600 and several versions of the Lancer. The Dodge Spirit sedan was well received in numerous markets worldwide. The Omni remained in the line through 1990. Dodge-branded Mitsubishi vehicles were phased out by 1993 except for the Dodge Stealth running through 1996. In 1992, Dodge moved their performance orientation forward substantially with the Viper, featuring an aluminium V10 engine and composite sports roadster body. This was the first step in what was marketed as "The New Dodge," a aggressive-advertising campaign with a litany of new models with television ads narrated by Edward Herrmann that pointed out the innovations in the vehicles and challenged their competitors. Later that year, was the introduction of the new Intrepid sedan, totally different from its boxy Dynasty predecessor, and, in 1994, the Dodge Ram pickup was introduced with bold styling that departed radically from the boxy designs of trucks made by the big three for 2 decades prior. The Intrepid used what Chrysler called "cab forward" styling, with the wheels pushed out to the corners of the chassis for maximum passenger space. They followed up on this idea in a smaller scale with the Neon and Stratus. The Neon in particular was a hit, buoyed by a clever marketing campaign and good performance. In a move that never lived up to the expectations of its driving forces, Chrysler Corporation merged with Daimler-Benz AG to form DaimlerChrysler in 1998. Rationalizing Chrysler's broad lineup was a priority, and Dodge's sister brand Plymouth was withdrawn from the market. With this move, Dodge became DaimlerChrysler's low-price division as well as the performance division. The Intrepid update of the 1998 to 2000 timeframe was largely complete before Daimler's presence and Dodge's first experience of any platform sharing was the Dodge Magnum, which was introduced as a replacement for the Intrepid. The Magnum was a station wagon version of the Chrysler 300 manufactured at the same plant in Brampton in Canada. The Magnum was the last mid-size station wagon sold by a American automobile manufacturer in the United States, though Chrysler marketed the Chrysler 300 Touring variant in Europe and Australia. The Magnum had 4 engine options; the SE features the 190 hp 2.72 L LH V6, the SXT had the 250 hp 3.5 L V6, and the RT had the new 340 hp 5.7 L Hemi V8. The SRT-8 had a 425 hp 6.1 L Hemi engine. In Europe and Australia the Magnum was sold as the Chrysler 300 Touring. It was essentially the same as the U.S-market Magnum, but with the Chrysler 300C's front end and interior, and right-hand-drive for Australia and the United Kingdom. Further cost savings were explored in the form of a extensive platform-sharing arrangement with Mitsubishi, spawning the Caliber as a replacement for the Neon and the Avenger. The rear-drive chassis was then used to build a new Challenger, with styling reminiscent of the original 1970 Challenger. The Challenger was available with a powerful V8 engine like its predecessor with base models featuring a V6. In spring 2007, DaimlerChrysler reached an agreement with Cerberus Capital Management to dump its Chrysler Group subsidiary of which the Dodge division was a part. Soon after, the housing bubble began to collapse the American market and Chrysler and GM filed for bankruptcy in May 2 years later. Dodge's first experiments with anything like a sport utility vehicle appeared in the late 1950s with a version of their standard panel-truck - known as the Town Wagon. These were built in the same style through the mid-1960s. But the division didn't enter the SUV arena in earnest until 1974. The Ramcharger offered the then-popular open body style and the company's powerful V8 engines and was a strong competitor for trucks like the Ford Bronco and the Chevrolet Blazer. Dodge tried something new in 1997. Using the Dakota pickup's chassis as a base, they built the 4-door Durango SUV with seating for 8 people and created a new niché. Sized between smaller SUVs like the Blazer and the Ford Explorer, and larger models, like the Chevrolet Tahoe and Ford Expedition, the Durango was both a bit more and bit less of everything. The redesigned version for 2004 grew a little bit in every dimension by becoming a full-size SUV but was still sized between most of its competitors on either side of the aisle. For 2011, a new unibody Durango based on the Jeep Grand Cherokee was released. The Durango shrank slightly to size comparable to the original. In 2013, Dodge reintroduced a compact car based on a Alfa Romeo design called the Dart. The following year FCA announced a major restructuring in which Dodge would focus solely on performance vehicles and will be positioned between Chrysler and Alfa Romeo in the FCA lineup. This is a set up similar to PSA Peugeot Citroën which positions Peugeot as its conservative mainstream brand while Citroën is more performance-based, as well as Hyundai Motor Group having its two mainstream brands, Kia Motors and Hyundai Motor Company, focusing on performance and mid-luxury, respectively. Among the American press it has drawn comparisons to the decade-long set up of Chevrolet and the former Pontiac at General Motors before the phase out of the latter. Dodge will discontinue the Grand Caravan after 32 years and the Avenger as part of the restructuring, while launching a sporty subcompact below the Dart in 2018. Additionally, the SRT division was merged back into Dodge while the Ram division will remain separate and the Durango will remain in production as a Dodge. 116 years after Dodge was founded by Hoarce and John Dodge, Reagan Farmer uploaded Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, Bromsgrove and Six Flags Over Texas on 6 November to get his career as a YouTuber going again. He also uploaded the Six Flags Over Georgia version of Goliath on 22nd December and 5 days later uploaded Saint Helena Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, which caused Manchester City Football Club to change its name. As well as the fate of the Dua Lipa song "No Lie" feat Sean Paul to be decided for the following year Reagan announced that Dodge will make its debut with the Magnum and follow it up with the Ram. This version is a full-size pickup truck manufactured by FCA US LLC which was formerly Chrysler Group, and marketed as of 2010 under the Ram Trucks brand. Previously, Ram was part of the Dodge line of light trucks. The name Ram was first used in 1981 on the redesigned Ram and Power Ram following the retiring and re-badging of the Dodge D Series pickup trucks. Ram trucks have been named Motor Trend magazine's Truck of the Year 5 times; the second-generation Ram won in 1994, the third-generation Ram Heavy Duty in 2003, the fourth-generation Ram Heavy Duty in 2010, and the Ram 1500 in 2013 and the following year. Chrysler LLC attempted to keep the Ram competitive in the market through various developments for the 2009 model including a new 4-door cab style offering and the Rambox which is a new storage system that allows secure storage inside the truck’s bed walls. Later models have the Rambox system tied in with the remote keyless system. Since 2011, Ram trucks are marketed as having "class-exclusive" manual transmissions because of the competitors having stopped using manual transmissions. Chevrolet Silverado trucks discontinued the option of a manual transmission after model year 2006. Ford Super Duty trucks discontinued the option of a manual transmission after model year 2010. The option of air suspension became available on the rear of 2014 model year 2500 & 3500 pickup trucks. 1500 models added the option of a Eco-Diesel V6 with 2500 models now featuring coil spring suspension instead of leaf spring. The 4.7 V8 Chrysler PowerTech engine was discontinued. As of 2016, the Ram trucks are available in the United States and Canada as well as the several Middle Eastern countries. The Ram trucks officially sold in many Latin American countries are outfitted with UNECE WP29 lighting equipments including the tail lights with separate amber turn signal indicators. No right-hand-drive versions have been built for Australia, South Africa, and other countries where the rule of road is on the left. A thriving cottage industry in Australia and the United Kingdom has imported and converted Ram trucks to right hand-drive, being more common in Australia since LHD cars less than 30 years cannot be legally driven on Australian public roads unless they're granted a diplomatic or a research and development exception. The Ram logo features the head of a ram, which is formerly the logo used by Dodge. In February 2013, Ram unveiled the new Ram ProMaster at the Chicago Auto Show although Chrysler has not offered a large van in the United States or Canada. Dodge Trucks had offered a version of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van starting in 2003 and earlier the Dodge Ram Van. Based on the Fiat Ducato, the most significant difference between the ProMaster and the Ducato is the availability of a 3.6 L 24-valve V6 gasoline Chrysler Pentastar engine offered in conjunction with the Chrysler 62TE 6-speed automatic transmission as standard equipment. The Iveco 3.0 L 16-valve L4 diesel JTD engine is mated with the M40 6-speed automated manual gearbox. Ram does not manufacture a passenger ProMaster for the full-size van segment. It is estimated that the passenger version of the ProMaster will reach dealerships in North America in early fall 2014. This model will be used as a limousine and could also be used as a family van but while the ProMaster passenger van will come in different sizes and roof configurations the default version of the van is 3500. The Peugeot version of the Fiat Ducato is known as the Peugeot Boxer in Europe and is also available in Mexico, but with the "Manager" nametag. In 2012, UK production of the Vauxhall Vivaro totalled 36,982 and 16,483 for the Renault Trafic. A mild facelift saw the orange indicators swapped for clear ones more integrated into the headlamp housings in 2006. On the Opel and Vauxhall models the indicators were moved from the front bumpers to the headlamp housings, thus looking more similar to the Renault. The Nissan Primastar was also launched along with the Vivaro and the Trafic in 2001, and is available in panel van, combi, bus and chassis cab configurations. 2 wheelbases and 2 roof heights are available as well as diesel engines and a petrol. In 2014 the final Nissan Primastar rolled off the production line. It was replaced by the NV300 2 years later. Fiat also introduced a new van called the Talento which is based on the Trafic. Production moved to the Sandouville factory in France for Renault and Nissan; Opel/Vauxhall variants for the United Kingdom and mainland Europe continue to be manufactured at GM Manufacturing Luton, except for the high-roof variants which are manufactured at Sandouville. Renault Trucks discontinued the Mascott and sold the Master in chassis cab format only with payloads of up to 2.5 tonnes and in the UK the Vauxhall Movano is capable of transporting up to 4,000 kg. Volkswagen purchased Bentley from Vickers in 1998, and then decided to keep the Azure in production until 2003 then release a successor at a later date. Production of the Azure began for model year 2006. Now based on the Arnage platform, power came from the then-current variant of the Bentley V8 making 450 hp and 645 lb ft of torque. The Arnage was designed for the BMW 4.4-litre engine. Due to strained relationships between the 2 manufacturers, Volkswagen was forced to significantly rework the "original" 6.75-litre Rolls-Royce/Bentley V8 in 2001, including a switch from the old system to a modern setup, reducing lag and increasing horsepower output. A 6-speed automatic transmission fed power to the rear wheels. The Azure had no immediate successor because it was discontinued. In 2012, Bentley showed drawings of a convertible Mulsanne to a small number of customers during a event at Pebble Beach. No photos were allowed to be taken and no official images were released. Then CEO Wolfgang Shreiber cancelled the project. Wolfgang Dürheimer restarted the project but the Bentley Grand Convertible still had not been approved for production. Dürheimer, at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show, said, "We are eagerly awaiting the response of our customers to this car. We will ensure that this car - if it reaches the roads – will be a highly exclusive, extremely limited collector’s piece." In December, the Grand Convertible was displayed in Miami for Art Basel where Bentley had commissioned a large art display which simulated a car factory. The Lexus LFA features a new even firing V10 engine and a carbon fiber-reinforced polymer body. CFRP materials account for 65% of the LFA's body composition by mass. The LFA went into production in late 2010, with a base price of US$375,000. A circuit-tuned variant debuted in 2012 with a base price of US$445,000 which made it the most expensive Japanese car ever built. Production ended in December 2012, the final version being a model based on the Nürburgring in Germany. 4 years later Alain Uyttenhoven confirmed that there will not be a LFA replacement and that "the LFA is a icon now and possibly always will be. We don't need to replace it to keep that status. It is a car we can reference for another 25 years if we choose. Its status is assured." He went on to state, "It is possible that we will one day create another supercar, but in my view, a super-high-end machine is not what we need right now!" 5 years after the LFA was discontinued Reagan announced that Lexus had given him the resources for him to upload the LFA and that the song played after the pirates from the Wiggles Movie say "A pirate dance!" is "Touch" by Little Mix, which had been rumoured to appear in the Dodge Caravan and the Dakota. The song was taken from the Glory Days album and was so popular that it "became impossible for Lexus to use it in the LFA. The LFA is a striking car, it's beautiful, and it's the ultimate Lexus. There's only one word to describe it: Touch." Mark Templin, the Lexus CEO, approved the LFA project on 14th January after a disappointing trip to Birmingham for the Performance Car Show in association with Autocar and Pistonheads.com. The lack of cars at the show in Birmingham meant that Reagan gave it a 3 out of 10, although he did land a helicopter successfully on a helicopter simulator. X-Plane differentiates itself from other simulators by implementing an aerodynamic model called blade element theory. Traditionally, flight simulators emulate the real-world performance of an aircraft by using empirical data in predefined lookup tables to determine aerodynamic forces such as lift or drag which vary with differing flight conditions. These simulators sufficiently simulate the flight characteristics of the aircraft, but are not useful in design work and do not predict the performance of aircraft when the actual figures are not available. Blade element theory improves on this type of simulation by modeling the moments on a aircraft and individually evaluating parts, and blade-element theory and other computational aerodynamic models are often used to compute aerodynamic forces in real time or pre-compute aerodynamic forces of a new design for use in a simulator employing lookup tables. With blade element theory, a surface may be made up of many sections, and each section is further divided into as many as 10 separate subsections. After that, the lift and drag of each section are calculated and the resulting effect is applied. The aircraft flies similar to its real-life counterpart when this process is applied to each component. This approach allows users to design aircraft quickly and easily as the simulator engine immediately illustrates how a aircraft with a given design might perform in the real world. X-Plane can model fairly complex aircraft designs, including helicopters, rockets, rotorcraft, and tilt-rotor craft. Users are encouraged to design their own aircraft and design software is included with the programme which has created a active community of users who use the simulator for a variety of purposes. Since designing a aircraft is relatively simple and the flight model can help predict performance of real-world aircraft, several aircraft companies use X-Plane in their design process. The CarterCopter uses X-Plane for flight training and research. X-Plane also contributed to the design of the Atlantica. World Editor is a overlay editor with a graphic user interface to facilitate editing of airports. With the most recent update, this utility global resources to allow users to submit data to be included in X-Plane by default with each update. The primary purpose of this tool is to modify and correct airport layouts. World Editor can also read the geographical coordinates in GeoTIFF files. In version 1.3r1, a new feature was added to allow users to submit airports using default assets to a Airport Scenery Gateway. X-Plane can connect to other X-Plane instances via a UDP/IP or TCP/IP network for multiplayer flight simulation, net-worked multi monitor X Plane configurations or to plug ins such as Pilot Edge themselves which themselves communicate with other X-Plane instances. Microsoft Flight Simulator X marks the tenth version of the popular line of flight simulators. It was officially released to the US market on 17th October 2006. According to Microsoft's website for the game the standard edition features everything from navaids to GPS and airways. It also includes 28 detailed cities, 18 aircraft, and over 24,000 airports with the deluxe version featuring 24 aircraft and 38 cities. The player can fly anything from a small glider or a light experimental aircraft to jumbo jets. The game features a immersive air traffic control system and dynamic real-world weather conditions. The geography matches the part of the world that the player is flying in, and jetways and ground equipment are also included in the game. The landing approach using Runway 13 at Kai Tak Airport was spectacular and world-famous. To land on Runway 13, a aircraft first took a descent heading northeast. It would pass over the crowded harbour, and then the very densely populated areas of Western Kowloon. This leg of the approach was guided by a I G S after 1974. Upon reaching a small hill above Kowloon Tsai Park marked with a huge aviation orange and white checkerboard the pilot needed to make a 47° visual right turn to line up with the runway and complete the final leg. The aircraft would be just 2 nautical miles from touchdown, at a height of less than 1,000 ft when the turn was made. Typically, the aircraft would enter the final right turn at a height of about 650 ft and exit it at a height of 140 ft to line up with the runway. This unique and high-skilled manoeuvre has become widely known in the commercial-pilot aviation community as the Hong Kong Turn or the Checkerboard Turn. For many airline passengers on aircraft approaching and landing on Runway 13 it became referred to as the Kai Tak Heart Attack. Landing the Runway 13 approach was already difficult with normal crosswinds since even if the wind direction was constant, it was changing relative to the aircraft during the 47° visual right turn. The landing would become even more challenging when crosswinds from the northeast were strong and gusty during typhoons. The mountain range northeast of the airport also makes wind vary greatly in both speed and direction. From a spectator's point of view, watching large aircraft banking at low altitudes and taking big crab angles during their final approaches was quite thrilling. Despite the difficulty, the Runway 13 approach was nonetheless used most of the time because of the prevailing wind direction in Hong Kong. Because of the turn in final approach I L S was not available for Runway 13 and landings had to follow a visual approach. This made the runway unusable in low visibility. Runway 13 was the preferred departure runway for heavy aircraft because of the clear departure path which was opposite that of the Runway 31 departure. Heavy aircraft on departure using Runway 13 would commonly be observed using nearly the entire length of the runway during summer days because of the air temperature which became the subject of many popular aviation photographs published throughout the world. Hong Kong International Airport officially opened on 6th July 1998. All essential airport supplies and vehicles that were left in the old airport for operation were transported to the island of Chek Lap Kok in one early morning with a single massive move. After the last aircraft departed for Chek Lap Kok, Kai Tak was finally retired as a airport. The final flights were: Dragonair KA841, Cathay Pacific CX251 and Cathay Pacific CX3340. A small ceremony celebrating the end of the airport was held inside the control tower after the last flight's takeoff. Richard Siegel gave a brief speech ending with the words "Goodbye Kai Tak and thank you" before dimming the lights briefly and then turning them off. After a Cathay Pacific Airbus A340 took off from Kai Tak to the new Hong Kong International Airport, Kai Tak, after 73 years of operation, was closed. Its ICAO and IATA airport codes were transferred and Cathay Pacific Flight 889 became the first commercial flight to land at Chek Lap Kok. The airport had already started to experience some technical difficulties on the first day of opening. The flight information display system had suddenly shut down which caused long delays. Shortly afterwards, the cargo-communication link with Kai Tak went down. The airport had to turn away all air cargo and freight headed for and exported from Hong Kong except food and medical supplies while it sorted out the huge mess with Hong Kong International Airport not keeping up without a automated assistant computer system. For 3 to 5 months after its opening, it suffered various severe organisational, mechanical and technical problems that almost crippled the airport and its operations. Computer glitches were mostly to blame for the major crisis. Lau Kong-wah was quoted as saying that "This was meant to be a first-class project but it has turned into a ninth-class airport and a disgrace. Our airport has become the laughing stock of the world!" On 31st July 2000, Todd Salimuchai forced his way through a security checkpoint using a fake pistol, took a woman hostage and boarded a Cathay Pacific aircraft. He demanded to be flown to Burma which he claimed was his native country but had refused to admit him because of his lack of documents. He surrendered to police 2½ hours later. Officially opened in 2007 Terminal 2 is linked with the MTR Airport Express on a new platform. The terminal also features a new shopping mall, SkyPlaza, providing a large variety of shops and restaurants, together with a few entertainment facilities. Terminal 2 also houses a 36-bay coach station for buses to and from mainland China and 56 airline check in counters as well as immigration facilities. Hong Kong International Airport covers a area of 1255 hectares. The airport has a total of 90 boarding gates, with 78 jet bridge gates and 12 virtual gates which are used as assembly points for passengers, who are then ferried to the aircraft. 5 jet bridges are capable of handling the Airbus A380 of the 66, the current users of which are Emirates, which has 119 of them in service. In 2004 it was reported that the Government of Nepal had decided to sell 49% of the Nepal Airlines stake to the private sector and hand over management control whilst retaining a 51% share. This would provide the investment to get the airline out of significant debt. The following year Ramagya Chaturvedi was jailed for corruption. In September 2007, the airline confirmed that it had sacrificed 2 goats to appease a Hindu god following technical problems with one of its aircraft. Nepal Airlines said that the animals were slaughtered in front of a Boeing 757-200M at Tribhuvan International Airport. The offering was made to Akash Bhairab who is the Hindu god of sky protection, and whose symbol is seen on the company’s aircraft. The airline said that the plane completed a flight to Hong Kong after the ceremony. Raju KC was quoted as saying that "The snag in the plane has now been fixed and the aircraft has resumed its flights." The company did not say what the problem was, but reports in local media blamed a electrical fault. In 2013, Royal Brunei outlined plans to offer a Dream Liner service on all of its long haul routes. The airline at that time considered Southern India for its next airline expansion. Royal Brunei, operating 4 Airbus A320-200s and 2 Airbus A319s as of November, also planned to expand its short-haul aircraft fleet to double digits. The airline looked at plans to purchase current-generation Boeing 737s or Airbus A320s. These short-haul aircraft might also be used on flights to Australia as part of its future expansion plan with Royal Brunei resuming flights to Bali starting from July the following year. In 2014 Royal Brunei resumed flights to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam 4 times a week as it looked to use it to connect with key regional and international markets. The airline leased 2 new Airbus A320 aircraft which were delivered in September and November the following year to replace the 2 Airbus A319 aircraft and indicated the start of the programme to modernise the narrow-body fleet with up to 10 Airbus A320s to be delivered from the end of 2017. Royal Brunei's subsidiaries are companies that support its aviation business activities such as Royal Brunei Engineering, which is providing maintenance and overhaul of aircraft. Brunei and the United Kingdom agreed to allow more air services between the countries on 23 November 2007, enhancing the two countries's co-operation in the aviation sector. The agreement came into action with immediate effect. This came off the back of the latest tourism figures of 3,459 European holiday visitor arrivals from January–August according to Brunei Tourism. The agreement enhances air services and co-operation between the countries which allowed for the tourism industries and commerce of the countries to prosper. The UK is considered an important gateway for European tourists coming to Brunei. Royal Brunei operates daily flights between Brunei and London via Dubai. Royal Brunei is permitted to serve daily flights on routes between Bandar Seri Begawan and London without any restrictions regarding aircraft and seat capacity with the end of the previous arrangement. Royal Brunei is also allowed to launch 4 services per week on routes to Manchester if decided at a later date. Royal Brunei does not serve alcohol on board its flights because of the sale of alcohol being forbidden in Brunei. Passengers are however permitted to bring along their own alcohol for consumption on board. This reflects the Bruneian government's policy on the sale and importation of alcohol in Brunei. In 2015 Qatar Airways concluded an order for 4 Boeing 777Fs in a deal worth US$1.24 billion and also took purchase rights on 4 more aircraft of the type. In June, it was disclosed that Qatar Airways ordered 108 Boeing 777-8Xs for US$4.18 billion. In October 2012, Qatar Airways announced that it would be part of the One World alliance within the forthcoming 18 months. The entrance of the carrier into the alliance was mentored by British Airways. The joining ceremony took place in autumn 2013, with Qatar Airways becoming the first major carrier in the Persian Gulf to be part of a airline alliance. 4 years later Qatar Airways opened its new premium lounge within Terminal 1 at Charles de Gaulle Airport, which was its third after Dubai International Airport. In 2004 construction of Terminal 3 began as the second stage of phase 2 of the development with a estimated cost of around $4.55 billion. Completion was originally planned for 2006 but was delayed by 2 years. A topping out ceremony was conducted on 30th May 2008. The terminal became operational on 14th October with Emirates EK2926 from Jeddah being the first flight to arrive at the new terminal and Emirates EK843 to Doha being the first ever departing flight. Dubai's government has announced the construction of a new airport in Jebel Ali which is named Dubai World Central Al Maktoum International Airport. It is expected to be the second largest airport in the world by physical size although not by passenger metrics. It opened on 27th June 2010, however construction is not expected to finish until 2017. The airport is expected to be able to accommodate 160,000,000 passengers. Since 2012, there have been rumours that the Dubai Metro Purple Line is being postponed or even cancelled. Dubai International Airport has 3 passenger terminals. Terminals 1 and 3 are directly connected with a common transit area with airside passengers being able to move freely between the terminals without going through immigration while Terminal 2 is on the opposite side of the airport. For transiting passengers, a shuttle service runs between the terminals with a journey time of around 20 minutes from Terminal 2 to Terminal 1 and 30 minutes to Terminal 3. Passengers in Terminal 3 who need to transfer between Concourse A and the rest of the Terminal have to travel via a Automated People Mover although there is now a Automated People Mover between Concourse D and Terminal 3. Situated beside Terminal 2 is the Executive Flights Terminal, which has its own check in facilities for passengers. In 2013, Dubai Airports announced a major renovation for Terminal 1 and Concourse C including upgraded baggage systems, the replacement of check in desks and a more spacious departure hall. Arrivals will also see improvements to help reduce waiting times. The renovation was completed in the middle of 2015. The concourse includes over 17 food and beverage cafes and restaurants with the food court being located on the Departures Level. Also located in the concourse is a 5-star hotel and a 58,000 sq ft duty-free shopping facility. Other facilities include prayer rooms and a medical centre. Concourse C became part of Terminal 3 in 2016 after Concourse D opened. In August, Emirates Flight 521, a Boeing 777-300 registered A6-EMW arriving from Trivandrum International Airport, crash-landed and caught fire at 12:44. All 282 passengers and 18 crew on board survived although airport firefighter lost his life fighting the blaze. The aircraft impacted Runway 12L with its undercarriage in a partially retracted state. It first impacted with the underside of its rear fuselage and skidded about 2,600 ft along the runway with its landing gear partly retracted as it rotated to the right about 120 degrees. As the aircraft skidded down the runway, the #2 engine detached and slid along the wing's leading edge toward the wingtip. Firefighting appliances were at the aircraft after it came to rest and all 282 passengers and 18 crew were safely evacuated. 9 minutes after the aircraft came to a stop, there was a explosion. The explosion resulted in the death of a firefighter who was a Ras al-Khaimah resident named Jasim Issa Mohammed Hasan. 24 of the aircraft's occupants were injured including the the senior flight attendant who evacuated after the explosion. In addition, 8 firefighters and a policeman were injured with several of the firefighters suffering from heat stroke. The explosion resulted in the fire spreading to the aircraft's cabin, which took 16 hours to bring under control. Dubai International Airport was closed for 5½ hours following the accident with several flights being diverted to nearby airports such as Sharjah International Airport and Al Maktoum International Airport. The closure led Emirates and Flydubai to cancel several of their flights, and also affected 23,000 passengers at the airport. Dubai International Airport resumed operations at 18:30, at restricted capacity, utilizing only one runway and maximizing the use of the runways at Al Maktoum International Airport. Arriving aircraft were prioritized over departure flights. The damaged runway was repaired and reopened at 17:45 on 4th August, and the airport resumed normal operations on 6th August. Lufthansa Flight 2904 was cleared to land at Warsaw Chopin Airport Runway 11 on 14th September 1993. To compensate for the cross-wind, the pilots attempted to touch down with the aircraft banked to the right. Additionally they landed with a speed about 20 knots faster than usual. According to the manual, this was the correct procedure for the reported weather conditions but the weather report was not up-to-date. At the moment of touchdown, the cross-wind turned out to be a tailwind. Because of the tailwind of approximately 20 knots and the increased speed the aircraft hit the ground at approximately 170 knots and far beyond the normal touch down point with the right gear touching down 770 m from the Runway 11 threshold. The left gear touched down 9 seconds later which was 1525 m from the threshold. Only when the left gear touched the runway did the ground spoilers and engine thrust reversers start to deploy and the wheel brakes began to operate about 4 seconds later. The remaining length of the runway was too short to enable the aircraft to stop on the runway. Seeing the approaching end of the runway and the obstacle behind it, the pilot steered the aircraft off the runway to the right. The aircraft departed the runway at a speed of 72 knots and rolled 90 m before it hit the embankment and a LLZ aerial with the left wing. A fire started in the left wing area and penetrated into the passenger cabin. 2 of 70 occupants died in this accident, including the training captain who died on impact and 1 passenger who was unable to escape because of him losing consciousness. In 2005 Air France Flight 358 overshot the end of Runway 24L at Toronto Pearson International Airport in Canada and came to rest in a small ravine 980 ft past the end of the runway. All passengers and crew evacuated the aircraft successfully. 12 major injuries and no fatalities resulted from the accident. The rest suffered minor or no injuries. A post-crash fire destroyed the aircraft. The aircraft was cleared to land at 16:04 on Runway 24L which is the shortest runway at Pearson Airport at 9,000 ft in length. After touchdown, the aircraft did not stop before the end of the runway but continued for 980 ft until it slid into the Etobicoke Creek ravine on the western edge of the airport near the interchange of Dixie Road and Highway 401. The accident caused the cancellation or diversion of hundreds of flights with ripple effects throughout the North American air traffic system. That night, 4 of the 5 runway surfaces at Pearson were back in service although the flight and passenger backlog continued through the following day. Highway 401 is one of the world's busiest highways and is the main route through the Greater Toronto Area, and the crash occurred near the highway's widest point where 18 lanes of traffic travel between Highways 403, 410 and 427. Though the fire was extinguished within hours, there was considerable congestion on the highway for days after the crash because of motorists slowing down or pulling over to view the wreckage. This forced numerous traffic collisions to happen and the Ontario Provincial Police to increase patrols along that part of the highway, and was the first time a Airbus A340 was involved in a crash, ending its 14-year clean record. The aircraft involved, F-GLZQ, had entered service in 1999 and had its last maintenance check in France on 5th July 2005. It had made 3,711 flights for a total of 28,426 flight hours. In 2012, a autopsy was carried out after Dana Air Flight 0992 crashed into a furniture works and printing press building in the Iju-Ishaga neighbourhood of Lagos. The crash resulted in the deaths of all 153 people on board and 10 more on the ground. The crash of Flight 0992 is the deadliest aviation disaster involving a McDonnell Douglas MD-83 as well as the second deadliest after Inex-Adria Aviopromet Flight 1308. It is also the second-deadliest aircraft crash on Nigerian soil behind the Kano air disaster of 1973. The accident occurred after the crew reported engine trouble and declared a emergency 11 nautical miles from Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport. The MD-83 then crashed into a crowded neighbourhood near the airport and apparently landed on its tail and caused a large fire. In 2014 the Accident Investigation Bureau from Nigeria released a interim statement on the investigation into the crash. The AIB, releasing the statement, said, "Investigative reviews of the engine teardown especially the fuel systems are still ongoing. During this process a similar incident occurred on another MD-83 aircraft of Dana Air on 6th October 2013. AIB is currently investigating in-depth systematic and safety issues associated with this second incident vis-à-vis, the crashed 5N-RAM. The safety actions adopted by the operator to redress the findings are being monitored and analyzed." Dana Air set up a 24-hour hotline for relatives to call, and added a message to its website. On 5th September 2012, the suspension on the Dana Air operating license was lifted and the airline started recertification and retraining processes. The following year Dana Air had its license suspended once again. On 16th January 2017, a Boeing 747-412F operated by ACT Airlines on behalf of Turkish Airlines Cargo hit the ground amid thick fog, while trying to land at its scheduled stopover at Manas International Airport in Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan. 37 people were killed in the crash including all 4 crew members and 33 residents of Dacha-SU, which is a village located approximately 2 kilometres to the west of the airport. Initially it was reported that the aircraft crashed during a second landing attempt although Kyrgyz authorities later stated that the aircraft crashed in its first landing attempt. Manas International Airport was closed following the accident with all flights cancelled. Turkish Airlines released a statement on Twitter that neither plane nor crew were theirs, calling it a ACT Airlines accident. The flight was still operated under a Turkish Airlines flight number, making it a Turkish Airlines flight under IATA rules. The aircraft belonged to Istanbul-based company ACT Airlines which had acquired the aircraft in 2015 and had begun operating it on behalf of Turkish Cargo. The cause of the crash was not immediately clear with Kubatbek Boronov stating that it was foggy at Manas when the aircraft crashed and that weather conditions were not critical. By the afternoon of 16th January, one of the 2 flight recorders had been recovered. Deputy Prime Minister Mukhammetkalyi Abulgaziyev said that the cause may have been pilot error by noting that 11 aircraft had landed safely despite the same weather conditions. He added that the aircraft had attempted to land twice and damaged the landing lights. The Turkish Transportation Ministry said that it had sent 2 experts from its accident investigation board to Bishkek to assist Kyrgyz authorities. Many initial press responses stated that a Turkish Airlines aircraft was involved in the accident. In 2013, the media reported that a El Al flight returned to the gate after Inbar Chomsky misplaced her passport and was removed from the flight. Just before takeoff, her passport was found and the plane returned to the gate. El Al released a statement noting that "planes rarely return to the gate after departing, but when the passport was found on the plane a decision was made and the plane returned to pick up Inbar." El Al has Hebrew language voice-overs and Arabic language subtitles in its flight safety videos and another video comes on in English. After becoming airborne from Germán Olano Airport Puerto Carreño in Colombia on 20th December 2016 Aerosucre Flight 157 remained at very low altitude and crashed shortly afterwards. The flight was planned to go en route to El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá. It was reported that 4 members of the 6-person crew died on the scene. The crash of Aerosucre Flight 157 was the second aviation incident involving Aerosucre, the first being the crash of another Boeing 727 on 18 November 2006. The aircraft involved in the crash was a Boeing 727-200 registered HK-4544, with serial number 21105. It entered service in 1975, operating as a passenger aircraft for Air Jamaica until 1997. It was then converted into a cargo aircraft and began operating for Aerosucre 11 years later. On 14th January 2011, the Air Jamaica brand was relaunched at Norman Manley International Airport with the unveiling of a new livery. The Boeing 737-800 aircraft was registered in Trinidad and Tobago, and bore elements of Air Jamaica's original livery along with alterations to align the corporate identity with Caribbean Airlines. Each aircraft will bear a sticker of Caribbean Airlines's logo along with both Jamaican and Trinbagonian national flags. On 9th February 2016 Rayani Air Flight RN180 scheduled for Kuala Lumpur was cancelled because of a broken cockpit windshield. The next day, the airline issued a press statement apologising for the cancellation and attributed the shattered windshield to a night flight. Rayani Air said that they were investigating to see if the broken windshield was a act of sabotage and would liaise with relevant authorities to deal with this. 1 month later Rayani Air was plagued with numerous issues and complaints. Passengers complained that the airline frequently rescheduled flights, often up to 13 hours later. The airline also frequently cancelled flights without advanced notice and without compensation or assistance to affected passengers. The consumer complaints were highlighted in several media outlets. It was reported that pilots refused to fly because of the 2 Boeing 737's poor condition. Cyprus Airways closed on 9th January 2015 because of a ruling by the European Commission that state aid paid to the company by the Government of Cyprus was illegal and had to be returned by the company. This forced Cyprus Airways to go bankrupt on that day although the Cyprus Airways name could be revived through a licensing agreement, with Ryanair and Aegean Airlines mentioned as possible partners for a new version of the company, or simply a trading name for air services to Cyprus. Air connectivity rose by 15% compared with a increase of 3.6% in 2015 when Cyprus Airways went into bankruptcy. The following year the Government of Cyprus announced that the Cypriot start-up carrier Charlie Airlines had been the winning bidder in a competition carried out by the finance ministry about the usage of the Cyprus Airways brand for a period of 10 years. Charlie Airlines has been built by a consortium of Cypriot investors that hold 60% of the airline and Russia's S7 Airlines that holds 40% as a joint-venture. S7 is currently Russia’s largest domestic carrier and transported 10.6 million passengers the previous year. S7 CEO Vladislav Filev said that the Charlie name was inspired by the nickname handed to expatriated Cypriots that had left the island. S7 will provide 2 Airbus A319-100 aircraft to start operations to destinations in the United Kingdom, Greece, and Russia. Charlie filed a application to receive a local Air operator's certificate and acquire the right to use the Cyprus Airways trademark for 10 years for the sum of €2.04 million. At about 4:30 on 12th October 1967 Cyprus Airways Flight 284 departed Ellinikon International Airport on the regular Cyprus Airways flight to Nicosia in Cyprus with 59 passengers and a crew of 7 on board. About 45 minutes into the flight, control of the aircraft was transferred from air traffic controllers at Athens to their counterparts at Nicosia. The crew contacted Nicosia's controllers by radio, but when ATC replied there was no response from the aircraft. The flight was due to go on to Cairo after Nicosia. Suddenly, a explosive device detonated in the cabin. Cyprus Airways Flight 284 crashed in the Mediterranean Sea and all 66 passengers and crew members on board died. Investigators concluded that the aircraft had suffered some form of damage during the initial radio call to Nicosia ATC and had broken up in flight and estimated the aircraft's wreckage to be scattered on the seabed over a area of 35 square miles at a depth of 10,000 ft below the surface. After a drop tank was recovered from the sea, investigators hypothesised that the aircraft had crashed because of a mid air collision with a military aircraft. Searchers also found a seat cushion from one of the de Havilland DH106 Comet 4B's passenger seats floating on the surface of the sea, on examination found to have evidence of a explosion. Analysis of the cushion showed traces of a military plastic explosive. After this find, the mid-air collision theory was discarded and a decision was made not to retrieve any wreckage. Seconds From Disaster begins with a chronological reenactment of the disaster which is always cut into several scenes displaying critical moments in the unfolding of the disaster with a clock appearing at the beginning of each scene. After the sequence of events, the show winds back the scenes to analyse the causes and events leading up to it. The series uses blueprint-formatted CGI in every episode to reveal the structures involved and the anatomy of the disaster but the blue formatting of the CGI is not used on the background in season 3 and is replaced by a white background. From season 4 onwards, a sepia-like background was used. The show concludes with the original disaster scenes being rewound and played again but this time the clock is replaced by a countdown timer and the conclusions reached from the analysis being put together with the sequence. Most often the show finishes with sentimentality. Seconds From Disaster is characterised by a emphasis on chronological sequencing in accordance with the show's name which is the use of CGI technology and its blueprint like CGI format. The show has little or no dialogue for the actors in the reenactments but instead is almost entirely dominated by the narrator. Destroyed in Seconds goes into commercial either at the moment of impact or before it or a little afterwards if a destruction is horrible or results in many injuries. When the show starts again, it reviews what happened and then explains what started the incident. South African Airways Flight 201 took off for Cairo at 18:32 under the command of Captain William Mostert, and climbed rapidly towards its cruising height of 35,000 ft on 8th April 1954. The crew passed through the altitude of 7,000 ft and reported over the Ostia beacon at 18:37. The weather was good, but with a overcast sky. Another report was made from the aircraft, first at 18:49 where it reported climbing through 11,600 ft and another at 18:57 when it reported passing a beam of Naples. At 19:07, the aircraft contacted Cairo on the long range HF radio while still climbing and reported a Estimated Time of Arrival of 21:02. This was the last message heard from Yoke Yoke. G-ALYY disintegrated in the night sky at around 35,000 ft and killed everyone on board. Since its formation in 1974, British Airways's aircraft have carried a Union Jack scheme painted on their tail fins. The original tail scheme was changed in 1984 as part of a new livery designed by Landor Associates. In 1997, there was a controversial change from the use of the former British Airways branding which incorporated stylised elements of the Union Jack to a new livery which was intended mainly to reflect the diversity of places served by the airline – so-called World Images. This version involved a range of different designs appearing on tail fins and elsewhere although the bodies of all the aircraft would use the corporate colours, but the exception was the Concorde fleet which would have a new tail fin design based on a stylised fluttering Union Flag. What became known as the "ethnic images" included Delftware or Chinese calligraphy related to countries on the company's network of routes. This was reported to have caused problems with air traffic control. Previously, controllers had been able to tell pilots to follow a British Airways aircraft but they were now harder to visually identify. Several people spoke out against the change including the former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who covered the tail of a model Boeing 747. Virgin Atlantic took advantage of the negative press coverage by applying the Union flag to the winglets of their aircraft along with the "Britain's national flag carrier" slogan. In 1999, the CEO of British Airways announced that all aircraft would adopt the tail fin design of the Concorde while Richard Branson announced that The Spaceship Company would partner with Boom Technology to develop supersonic jets capable of travelling between London and New York in 3½ hours. He confirmed that Virgin Atlantic had options on 10 of the aircraft. In 2013, British Airways Flight 34 hit a building at O. R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg after missing a turning on a taxiway. The starboard wing was severely damaged but there were no injuries amongst the crew. 4 members of ground staff were injured when the wing smashed into the building. The aircraft was officially withdrawn from service in February 2014. British Airways Flight 2276 aborted its takeoff at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport on 8th September 2015 because of the uncontained engine failure of the #1 General Electric GE90 engine, which led to a substantial fire. After noticing what the pilot later described as a "catastrophic failure of the engine" well before takeoff speed the flight crew aborted the takeoff by using the aircraft's brakes and ordered a evacuation of the aircraft, and all passengers and crew escaped. The aircraft is thought to have reached a speed of approximately 90 mph when the decision to abort was made; far below the take-off speed of the aircraft. The Federal Aviation Administration indicated that the fire was caused by failure of the #1 General Electric GE90 engine which was one of 2 fitted on the aircraft. The aircraft came to a halt upwind, causing the fire to be blown towards the fuselage; the aircraft sustained localised, but major, structural damage as a result. The aircraft was equipped with suppression systems although the systems did not extinguish the fire. Runway 07L was closed for 4 hours and several inbound flights were cancelled. The aircraft involved in the incident was a Boeing 777-236ER registered as G-VIIO, almost 17 years old at the time of the incident. The aircraft was delivered new to British Airways on 26th January 1999. In 2015 British Airways announced that a team of engineers from Boeing had assessed the aircraft and determined that the damage was limited and suitable for repair. As a result, it was announced that the aircraft would be repaired and returned to service. A team from Boeing completed the repairs in February 2016. Airworthiness tests were conducted on the aircraft on the 25th. G-VIIO was flown to Victorville the following day where it was repainted. The aircraft was then flown to Cardiff in Wales on 15th March for a routine C check. Finally, it returned to the London Gatwick base and resumed passenger service on 24th March. On 26 November 2008, Delta Air Lines Flight 18 from Shanghai in China to Atlanta in Georgia experienced a "uncommanded rollback" of 1 engine while in cruise at 39,000 ft. The crew followed manual recovery procedures and the flight continued without incident. The National Transportation Safety Board assigned 1 of the investigators who worked on the British Airways Flight 38 investigation. On 5 November 1997, after numerous attempts to shake free the jammed main landing gear of a Airbus A340-300 failed the aircraft en route from Los Angeles to Heathrow Airport made a emergency landing, and sustained major damage to the undersides of 3 engines, which made contact with the runway surface during landing. The runway surface was also damaged and several runway lights were broken as the right main landing gear wheels broke up during the deceleration. The aircraft was evacuated safely although 2 crew members and 5 passengers sustained minor injuries during the evacuation. The damaged aircraft was retired from the Virgin Atlantic fleet in 2003 and 4 years later a Airbus A340 was damaged beyond repair during ground testing at Airbus's facilities at Toulouse Blagnac International Airport. During a pre-delivery engine test, multiple safety checks had been disabled, the non-chocked aircraft accelerated to 31 knots and collided with a concrete blast deflection wall. The aircraft was written off and was later used at Virgin Atlantic's cabin crew training facility in Crawley and was due to be delivered to Etihad Airways. 2 years later Emirates Flight 407 departed from Melbourne Airport as planned at 22:30 using the nearly 12,000 ft runway. 3,422 ft before the end of the runway and travelling at a speed of 168 mph, the captain ordered the first officer to rotate. As the aircraft pitched upward, it failed to leave the ground and the tail section struck and continued to scrape along the runway and the captain took over the controls and applied maximum thrust on all 4 engines by using the Take Off/Go-around detent. After exhausting the entire length of the runway, the aircraft failed to become airborne and did not leave the ground until 486 ft beyond the end of the runway. Subsequently, the aircraft hit a strobe light at the end of the runway and continued to climb with difficulties. At 1148 ft beyond the end of the runway, the landing gear hit and damaged the 6 ft high localiser antenna array operated by Airservices Australia. At 1640 ft beyond the end of the runway, the aircraft barely missed the 7 ft tall airport perimeter fence. It was reported that the aircraft cleared a small brick building by only 50 centimetres after clearing the airport perimeter. The Airbus A340-541 eventually climbed away over Port Phillip Bay and the first officer then discovered something; he had understated the aircraft's weight by 262.9 tonnes instead of 362.9. This meant that a incorrect flex temp was applied which had resulted in a lower than necessary engine thrust and consequently insufficient acceleration and airspeed. The pilots finished dumping fuel over the bay by 23:27, and they subsequently received a report of smoke in the cabin. They requested a immediate return which ATC granted, and they returned to the airport at 23:36 without further incident. The first ever fatal Airbus A330 accident occurred on 30th June 1994 near Toulouse in France on a test flight when a Airbus-owned A330-300 crashed while simulating a engine failure on climb out, killing 7. Airbus subsequently advised A330 operators to disconnect the autopilot and limit pitch attitude in the event of a engine failure at low speed. The aircraft had completed a landing after the captain had performed 2 simulated engine loss go-arounds. The second takeoff would be made with the aircraft's center of gravity located in an extreme aft position. The aircraft was flown by the co-pilot while the actions to shut off the engine and hydraulic circuit and engage the autopilot were carried out by the captain. The takeoff was completed successfully and the captain shut off the engine and hydraulic circuit. 3 attempts were needed to engage the autopilot and the aircraft started to ascend to 2,000 ft. The aircraft climbed too steeply, decreasing airspeed to 100 knots, below the minimum 118 knots required to maintain control. The aircraft started to roll and the crew reduced power on the operating engine although the aircraft pitched down 15 degrees and crashed. On 13th April 2010, Cathay Pacific Flight 780 from Surabaya Juanda International Airport to Hong Kong landed safely after both engines failed because of contaminated fuel. 57 passengers were injured. Its 2 pilots received the Polaris Award for their heroism. 1 year later Gulf Air Flight 270 skidded off the runway on landing in Cochin because of pilot error. The weather was poor with heavy rain and strong winds. The aircraft was badly damaged and 7 passengers were injured. In 2015 a Delta Air Lines Boeing 747 was badly damaged by hail while flying to Incheon International Airport in South Korea and was taken out of service. Flight 159 was about 2½ hours from landing when the pilot warned the passengers to buckle up. The captain told them that he was unable to get permission from Chinese air traffic controllers to fly around the weather. Hail forms in thunderstorm clouds, particularly those with intense updrafts, high liquid water content and where a good portion of the cloud layer is below 32°F. Like other precipitation in cumulonimbus clouds hail begins as water droplets. As the droplets rise and the temperature goes below freezing, they become supercooled water and will freeze on contact with condensation nuclei. A cross-section through a large hailstone shows a onion-like structure. This means that the hailstone is made of thick and translucent layers, alternating with layers that are thin, white and opaque. Former theory said that hailstones were subjected to multiple descents and ascents, falling into a zone of humidity and refreezing as they were uplifted. This up and down motion was thought to be responsible for the successive layers of the hailstone which will keep rising in the thunderstorm until its mass can no longer be supported by the updraft. This may take at least 30 minutes based on the force of the updrafts in the hail-producing thunderstorm, whose top is usually greater than 10 km high. It then falls toward the ground while continuing to grow until it leaves the cloud. It will later begin to melt as it passes into air above freezing temperature. 1 of the more common regions for large hail is across mountainous northern India which reported one of the highest hail-related death tolls on record in 1888. China also experiences significant hailstorms. Central Europe and southern Australia also experience a lot of hailstorms. Popular regions for hailstorms are southern and western Germany, northern and eastern France and southern and eastern Benelux. In south-eastern Europe, Croatia and Serbia experience frequent occurrences of hail. Hail is most common in the area where Nebraska meets which is known as Hail Alley. Hail in this region occurs between the months of March and October during the afternoon and evening hours, with the bulk of the occurrences from May through September. Cheyenne in Wyoming is North America's most hail-prone city with an average of 9 to 10 hailstorms per season. The largest hailstone in terms of diameter and weight ever recorded in the United States fell in Vivian in South Dakota on 23rd July 2010. It measured 7.9 inches in diameter and 18.62 inches in circumference, weighing in at 1.94 pounds. This broke the previous record for diameter set by a hailstone which was 7 inches diameter and 18.74 inches circumference which fell in Aurora in Nebraska on 22nd June 2003, as well as the record for weight, set by a hailstone of 1.67 pounds that fell in Coffeyville in Kansas in 1970. Hail growth becomes vanishingly small when air temperatures fall below -22°F as supercooled water droplets become rare at these temperatures. Around thunderstorms, hail is most likely within the cloud at elevations above 20,000 ft. Between 10,000 ft and 20,000 ft, 60% of hail is still within the thunderstorm, though 40% now lies within the clear air under the anvil. Below 10,000 ft, hail is equally distributed in and around a thunderstorm to a distance of 2 nautical miles. Hail is one of the most significant thunderstorm hazards to aircraft. When hailstones exceed 0.5 inches in diameter, aircraft can be seriously damaged within seconds. The hailstones accumulating on the ground can also be hazardous to landing aircraft. Hail is also a common nuisance to drivers of cars, severely denting the vehicle and cracking or even shattering windshields and windows. Massive hailstones have been known to cause concussions or fatal head trauma. Hailstorms have been the cause of costly and deadly events throughout history. 1 of the earliest known incidents occurred around the 9th century in India where 200 to 600 nomads seem to have died of injuries from hail the size of cricket balls, which has been known as the worst hailstorm. In 2004 Emirates began flying non stop to New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport using their new Airbus A340's. These flights meant the resumption of non-stop air services between the United Arab Emirates and the United States after Delta Air Lines withdrew its flights 3 years earlier and restarted again in 2007. In the same year, Emirates signed a £100 million deal with Arsenal which includes naming rights to its new stadium for 15 years. The following year Emirates ordered 42 Boeing 777s in a deal worth $9.7 billion, which is the largest Boeing 777 order in history. Emirates has been steadily capturing the traffic from South Asia to North America by allowing passengers to bypass the traditional hub of Heathrow Airport which is the home base of British Airways with a transit stop at Dubai International Airport instead. South Asia has remained an important region for the Emirates network. Pakistan was the first country to receive flights and Emirates operates to 5 destinations in the country. India was the second country to receive flights from Emirates, and continues to expand a extensive network there. Emirates is the largest airline operating internationally in India and operates over 185 flights a week across 10 cities. Similarly, Emirates competes with Cathay Pacific, Middle Eastern rivals Etihad Airways Saudia and Qatar Airways and other airlines on the London to Sydney Kangaroo Route. Emirates was also a sponsor of British Formula One racing team McLaren in 2006. It is also the Formula One official airline sponsor. In 2013, Emirates announced at a press conference at the Dubai Airshow that they were placing a order for a additional 50 Airbus A380's which brought the overall order total to 140. The order signing was witnessed by Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al-Maktoum who is the Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Fabrice Brégier who is the Airbus President and CEO. The following year Emirates and Airbus announced that the former will cancel all 70 orders for the Airbus A350 XWB, which had been rumoured for some time. In 2004 Noël Forgeard confirmed the consideration of a new project during a private meeting although he did not give a project name nor say whether it would be a entirely new design or a modification of a existing product. The airlines were not satisfied, and Airbus committed €4 billion to a new airliner design. The original version of the A350 superficially resembled the A330 because of the common fuselage cross-section and assembly. A new wing, engines and a horizontal stabiliser were to be coupled with new composite materials and production methods applied to the fuselage to make the A350 a almost all-new aircraft. On 10th December, the boards of the EADS and BAE Systems, then the shareholders of Airbus, gave it a "uthorisation to offer and formally named it the A350. The following year Qatar Airways announced that they had placed a order for 60 A350s at the Paris Airshow. In September 2006, the airline signed a memorandum of understanding with General Electric to launch the GEnx-1A-72 for the aircraft. Emirates sought a more improved design and decided against ordering the initial version of the A350. Airbus targets a 98.5% dependability by the end of 2016 and to match the mature A330 reliability by early 2019. The A350 features new composite wings with a wingspan that is to be surpassed by the Boeing 777X. In 2013, there were reports about a A350 variant for short haul market with maximum takeoff weight reduced to around 250 tonnes and engine thrust reduced to around 70,000-75000 lb. The variant was called A350-900 Regional which was said to be optimized for routes up to 6,800 nautical miles, and Etihad Airways and Singapore Airlines were said to be ordering the A350 Regional. There has been no further information or announcement about this variant since then. In 2014 the European Aviation Safety Agency approved the A350 for Extended Operations 370 which allows it to fly more than 6 hours on 1 engine and made it the first airliner to be approved for ETOPS Beyond 180 Minutes before entry into service. Later that month, Airbus received regulatory approval for a Common Type Rating for pilot training between the A350 XWB and the A330. On 12 November 2014 the A350 received certification from the US Federal Aviation Administration. The first delivery to Qatar Airways took place on 22nd December. The first ever commercial flight was made the following year between Doha and Frankfurt. Qatar has faced strong criticism because of the treatment of foreign workers involved in preparation for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, with Amnesty International referring to forced labour and stating that workers have been suffering human rights abuses despite worker welfare standards being drafted in 2014. The World Cup final was played on 18th December 2022, which is known as Qatar National Day. Accusations of corruption have been made relating to how Qatar won the right to host the event. FIFA completed a internal investigation into these allegations and a report cleared Qatar of any wrongdoing, but Michael Garcia has since described FIFA's report on his inquiry as "materially incomplete and erroneous!" In 2015 Swiss federal prosecutors opened a investigation into corruption and money laundering related to the awarding of the World Cup 4 years earlier and the 2022 World Cup. In June, it was announced that Qatar would no longer be eligible to host the event if evidence of bribery was proven. Domenico Scala, the head of FIFA's Audit and Compliance Committee, said, "Should there be evidence that the awards to Qatar and Russia came only because of bought votes, then the awards could be cancelled!" The first 5 proposed venues for the World Cup were unveiled at the beginning of March 2010. The stadiums aim to employ cooling technology capable of reducing temperatures within the stadium by up to 36°F and the upper tiers of the stadiums will be disassembled after the World Cup and donated to countries with less sports infrastructure. All 5 stadium projects are Albert Speer & Partners designed. Leading football clubs in Europe wanted the 2022 FIFA World Cup to take place from 28th April to 29th May rather than the typical June and July staging, which had been due to concerns about the heat. According to a report from April 2013, the organizers in Qatar requested FIFA to approve a smaller number while Bloomberg.com said that Qatar wishes to cut the number of venues to 8 or 9, which was from the 12 originally planned. In 2015 a crew from the BBC was arrested and held for 2 days after they attempted to report on the condition of Qatari workers. The reporters had been invited to visit the country as guests of the government. Sports Illustrated reported on 18th February 2015 that the 2022 FIFA World Cup will be staged from mid-November to mid-December, which was due to the climate in Qatar. In 2013, a task force was commissioned to consider alternative dates and report after the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. 2 years later the FIFA Task Force proposed that the tournament be played from late November to late December 2022, which was to avoid the summer heat between May and September. The notion of staging the tournament in November is controversial since it would interfere with the regular season schedules of domestic leagues around the world. Commentators have noted that the clash with the Western Christmas season is likely to cause disruption whilst there is concern about how short the tournament is intended to be. It would also force the postponement of the Africa Cup of Nations to 2023. Frank Lowy said that they would seek compensation from FIFA if the World Cup were moved to November and thus upset the schedule of the A League. Richard Scudamore stated that they would consider legal action against FIFA because a move would interfere with the Premier League's Christmas and New Year fixture programme. More suspicions emerged in 2014 when it was discovered that Jack Warner and his family were paid almost $2,000,000 from a firm linked to Qatar's successful campaign. At the inaugural Africa Cup of Nations in 1957, there were only 3 participating nations: Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia. South Africa was originally scheduled to compete but were disqualified because of the apartheid policies of the government in power. The 2015 Africa Cup of Nations was scheduled to be held in Morocco although they refused to hold the tournament on the allotted dates because of the concerns of the Ebola outbreak. The tournament was then moved to Equatorial Guinea. On 29th January 2011, the Confederation of African Football executive committee decided that Morocco would host the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations while the 2017 edition would be held in South Africa. Due to the Libyan Civil War, Libya and South Africa traded years. In 2012, the final kickoff time for the Africa Cup of Nations was originally 8:00 UTC however due to logistical reasons it was pushed back, which saw Zambia win after a penalty shootout. Organisers said that 70% of tickets had been sold out for the final in Libreville with Zambia contesting their third final at the Stade de l'Amitie as they seeked to win their first ever title and Ivory Coast seeking their second continental title, which was 20 years after their last triumph. Because of the cancellation of Morocco being hosts of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations the national team of Morocco were originally banned by CAF from entering the Africa Cup of Nations although the ban was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport meaning that Morocco may enter the tournament. 3-time champions Nigeria did not qualify. The seedings approved by the Organising Committee of the Africa Cup of Nations at its meeting on 26th September 2016 at the headquarters in Cairo in Egypt was determined taking into account the performance of the qualified teams during the Africa Cup of Nations as well as the qualifiers for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, which saw Germany win the title. Because of the withdrawal of Chad during qualification for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations Chad are banned by CAF from entering the Africa Cup of Nations in 2019, which was scheduled to be hosted by Cameroon. The country was stripped of hosting the Africa Cup of Nations in 2018 because of delays in the delivery of infrastructure and the Boko Haram insurgency and the Anglophone Crisis. Instead, Cameroon was given the right to host the next edition of the Africa Cup of Nations in 2021. On 8 January 2019, Egypt was chosen by the CAF Executive Committee however Ramadan meant that the tournament was moved to 21st June for the group stages and 19th July for the Final. Athens was chosen as the host city during the 106th International Olympic Committee Session held in Lausanne on 5th September 1997. Athens had lost its bid to organize the 1996 Summer Olympics to Atlanta nearly 7 years before on 18th September 1990 during the 96th IOC Session in Tokyo. 1996 coincided with the 100th anniversary of the first modern Olympics, which were also held in Athens. The success of Athens in securing the 2004 Games was based on Athens's appeal to Olympic history and the emphasis it placed on the pivotal role that Greece and Athens could play in promoting Olympism and the Olympic Movement. Unlike their bid for the 1996 Games which was largely criticized for its overall disorganization and arrogance, the bid for the Games was lauded for its humility and earnestness. Athens easily defeated Rome in Italy in the 5th and final vote after leading all voting rounds. Cape Town in South Africa, Stockholm in Sweden and Buenos Aires in Argentina were the 3 other cities that made the IOC shortlist although they were eliminated in prior rounds of voting. 6 other cities submitted applications but their bids were dropped by the IOC in 1996. These cities were Istanbul in Turkey, Lille in France, Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Seville in Spain and St. Petersburg in Russia. Trans World Airlines' worst accident occurred in July when TWA Flight 800 exploded over the Atlantic Ocean near Long Island and killed all 230 people on board. TWA Flight 800 was scheduled to depart John F. Kennedy International Airport but the flight was delayed until 8:02 because of a disabled piece of ground equipment and a passenger baggage mismatch. After the owner of the baggage in question was confirmed to be on board, the flight crew prepared for departure and the aircraft pushed back from Gate 27 at the TWA Flight Center. TWA 800 then received a series of heading changes and generally increasing altitude assignments as it climbed to its intended cruising altitude. Weather in the area was light winds with scattered clouds, and there were dusk lighting conditions. The last radio transmission from the airplane occurred at 8:30 when the flight crew received and then acknowledged instructions from Boston Center to climb to 15,000 ft. 1 month before TWA Flight 800 exploded and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, the crew of Eastwind Airlines Flight 517 lost rudder control but was able to land successfully. 1 flight attendant suffered minor injuries. No damage occurred to the aircraft as a result of the incident. The flight crew of the Boeing 737-2H5 were Captain Brian Bishop and First Officer Spencer Griffin, and Flight 517 experienced loss of rudder control while on approach to Richmond International Airport in Richmond in Virginia. The aircraft's airspeed was about 250 knots and it was flying at an altitude of about 4,000 ft MSL. The crew experienced unexpected movement of the rudder which caused the aircraft to roll to the left. They applied opposite aileron input to keep the aircraft from rolling over and 30 seconds later the aircraft righted itself back to leveled flight. As the crew performed the emergency checklist, the aircraft again rolled over, this time to the right. After another 30 seconds, the aircraft snapped back to leveled flight. The crew declared a emergency and landed safely in Richmond. On 8th September 1994, USAir Flight 427 crashed while approaching Runway 28R of Pittsburgh International Airport located in Findlay Township in Allegheny County in Pennsylvania, which was the largest hub for the airline at the time. The aircraft entered the wake turbulence of a Delta Air Lines Boeing 727 that it was sequenced behind and there were 3 sudden thumps and clicking sounds and a louder thump; the 737 began to bank and roll to the left and the aircraft stalled and rolled upside down. Captain Peter Germano exclaimed "Hold on" numerous times, while First Officer Charles B. "Chuck" Emmett III said "Oh s\*it." Germano exclaimed, "What the hell is this?" As air traffic control noticed Flight 427 descending without permission, Germano keyed the mic and stated "427, emergency!" The aircraft then rolled back upright but after a few seconds on its side the aircraft continued to roll while pitched nose-down at the ground. Emmett shouted "What the hell!" and the air traffic controller heard this. In a 80-degree nose-down position banked 60 degrees left and traveling at 300 mph the 737 slammed into the ground and exploded at 7:03. All 127 passengers and 5 crew members were killed. The 737 crashed onto a private gravel driveway and hillside on Pettita Lane in a area protected against trespassing. A memorial has been placed at the site of impact and US Airways ceased using Flight 427 as a valid flight number. Flight 427 was the second fatal USAir crash in 2 months with the other being USAir Flight 1016 at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte in North Carolina in July 1994. The flight was uneventful until the approach to Charlotte where heavy thunderstorms were in the vicinity of the airport. At 18:38, Flight 1016 was cleared by the tower for an instrument landing system approach to Douglas Airport's Runway 18R, now Runway 18C. The aircraft was flown by the first officer and approached the runway in heavy rain conditions. The flight switched over to the local tower controller handling landings for Runway 18R, and the tower controller gave Flight 1016 clearance to land. The captain asked the tower controller for a weather report from the aircraft ahead of Flight 1016 which was a Fokker 100 that had just landed on Runway 18R. The tower told Flight 1016 that the Fokker pilot reported smooth sailing. At 18:40, a tower controller issued a windshear warning to all aircraft but on a different radio frequency than that used by Flight 1016. About a minute later, as Flight 1016 was on final approach, the captain realized that the aircraft was in a serious predicament and attempted to abort the landing by instructing the first officer to "take it around, go to the right." The captain then radioed the control tower and stated "USAir 1016's on the go." The tower acknowledged the missed approach and cleared Flight 1016 to climb to 3,000 ft. The aircraft struggled to climb because of the severe weather conditions and veered to the right and rapidly descended. The flight crew desperately tried to control the aircraft as it plummeted toward the ground. At 18:42 Eastern Standard Time, the DC-9 touched down in a field within the airport boundary, about 0.5 miles from the threshold of Runway 18R. It then crashed through the airport fence and impacted several trees and broke apart while skidding down a residential street that was on the airport boundary. The aircraft broke into 4 major sections; the front 40 ft of the aircraft came to rest in the middle of Wallace Neel Road while the rear section of the fuselage came to rest in the carport of a house. Of the 52 passengers on board, 37 died because of blunt force and/or fire while 14 suffered serious injuries and 1 had minor injuries. Of the 5 crew members, both pilots suffered minor injuries, 2 flight attendants were seriously injured and the remaining flight attendant sustained minor injuries. No one on the ground was injured. Because of the short runway at Trenton-Mercer Airport Eastwind Airlines served Philadelphia for a short time before it consolidated its flights back to Trenton in early 1999 after Delta Air Lines terminating their contract to handle ground services. By 1999, the airline was in dire straits, facing some performance concerns as well as severe financial trouble. In July 1999, the airline terminated several senior managers including its CEO. The airline's financial situation deteriorated when 2 new Boeing 737 aircraft were purchased in 1997. Service issues created tension with its customers which resulted in large numbers of complaints filed with the Federal Aviation Administration. 2 passengers in Greensboro who feared being stranded in Greensboro refused to get off a aircraft, which forced the captain to call authorities. 3 creditors filed a petition for involuntary bankruptcy in a effort to force Eastwind Airlines to liquidate while the management refused to file for bankruptcy in October 1999. Eastwind Airlines ceased all operations shortly afterwards. The two 737's were acquired by Southwest Airlines and Shanghai Airlines respectively while the 200s were withdrawn from the fleet and permanently retired. 11 years later Allegiant Air purchased 6 used Boeing 757 aircraft as part of plans to begin flights to Hawaii, with deliveries from early that year to the fourth quarter of a year later. It gained the approval for type with the FAA in July 2011, and then worked with the FAA to obtain the ETOPS rating in order to be able to serve Hawaii. Allegiant currently operates non-stop Boeing 757 service to Honolulu in Hawaii from Las Vegas in Nevada. Allegiant has since announced that it will end its Hawaii service in 2016 and remove all Boeing 757 aircraft from its fleet. Although it does not fly to Canada Allegiant advertises extensively there and flies from about a dozen small airports near the Canada–US border. Many of its customers at airports such as Syracuse in New York are Canadians. In February 2011, Allegiant proposed to sell two types of tickets to passengers which are advance tickets at a fixed higher rate and time-of-departure tickets that are less, but may have fees added based on the price of aviation fuel. In 2012, the US Department of Transportation banned the practice as part of wider regulations that also require taxes and fees to be included in air fares. Allegiant sued the DOT to overturn these new rules. The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled on 24th July 2012, and the US Supreme Court denied certiorari the following year. Allegiant took over charter service to Wendover Airport for Peppermill Casinos Inc 1 year earlier to shuttle customers to Peppermill's casino in West Wendover in Nevada, which is known as the Rainbow Wendover. Allegiant had a contract to supply charter flights from Miami to 4 cities in Cuba beginning from June 2009. One aircraft was committed to the contract. The contract was for fixed-fee flying which meant that all the airline was required to do was provide the dry aircraft and the flight crew. The contractor was responsible for all other costs including fuel. Allegiant ended this service in August. Allegiant maintains control over pricing by offering flights exclusively through its website which also sells these ancillary products. It has no toll-free phone number and does not use Internet travel agencies. The airport director in Worcester in Massachusetts felt that Allegiant reneged on a commitment to serve the airport for 5 years given the use of federal grants to assist its startup. The airline responded that the market was immediately unprofitable and that starting service there was a poor decision; flights were reported to be 80% full. Allegiant Air offers service to 114 destinations throughout the United States which are mostly to smaller non-hub regional airports and all usually only a few times each week. 2014 saw Thomas Cook Airlines move to Orlando International Airport after almost a decade of serving Orlando Sanford. Icelandair later moved to Orlando International Airport the following year. Orlando Sanford was also a small focus city for the travel marketer Direct Air until the company's demise in 2012. At the beginning of March, Direct Air cancelled all of their charter flights throughout the United States. On 13th March 2012, a statement issued by Marketing Manager Ed Warnek indicated that Direct Air flights would resume on 14th March. Flight cancellations were attributed to a missed fuel payment, with further news releases indicating that flights will not resume until May. The Department of Transportation issued a statement indicating that "The company has announced that it intends to restart operations as of 15th May 2012. But the company doesn't have authority to do so!" Direct Air issued a press release stating that it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on 16th March. The public address on its home page was also modified to remove any indication that they would resume operation on 15th May. Chapter 7 liquidation commenced on 12th April 2012, and 5 months later it was announced that the former Direct Air had racked up $9.6 million in federal rules violations during the spring, when it abruptly cancelled about 350 flights. Between 15th March and 24th March Direct Air cancelled 144 flights, and another 206 flights between 25th March and 11th April, violating federal rules that are aimed at protecting passengers according to a filing made by the Department of Transportation, the US-based department who regulates charter operators such as Direct Air and tallied the civil penalties that Direct Air isn't allowed to cancel flights less than 10 days before the scheduled departure according to federal rules unless it is physically impossible to fly as it is what Direct Air did through 24th March. Direct Air should have also notified passengers who were scheduled to fly on 206 flights from 25th March to 11th April when Direct Air's initial Chapter 11 bankruptcy case was converted to Chapter 7 liquidation and that their flights had been cancelled. Federal rules require that charter operators notify passengers in writing within 7 days after the cancellation but not less than 10 days before the scheduled flight. "No circumstances of physical impossibility existed during that 10-day period that would have prevented Direct Air from performing the scheduled flights," said the DOT. The civil penalty of $9,625,000 could be adjusted to a higher penalty after the DOT received flight information from Sky King and the DOT is also looking into Direct Air's handling of a required escrow account that officials say is underfunded, which is also another violation of federal law. On 29th September 2012, the Sun News wrote a article which said that the former Sky King Inc had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization. The company's president blamed Direct Air for the Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing and said that Direct Air owes Sky King $1 million which is according to a report in the Lakeland Ledger. Frank Visconti said that Direct Air owed them a significant amount of money when the fuel company cut Sky King off. Sky King was one of 8 carriers that flew Direct Air's routes for them. 1 of the other carriers who flew Direct Air's routes was fined $180,000 by the United States Department of Transportation in July because it abruptly cancelled flights without proper notice. In 2013, JetBlue announced that the TrueBlue frequent flyer programme's points will never expire for any reason. The current policy states that if members book a flight online, they can earn double with 6 points per dollar. Flights bought elsewhere result in 3 points per dollar spent. In February 2007, a Valentine's Day storm triggered a organizational meltdown leading to a extremely high level of cancellations and controversies. For example, some passengers were held on board their aircraft awaiting clearance for takeoff for nearly 11 hours before they returned to their gate and the flight was cancelled. United Airlines Flight 811 was scheduled to operate from Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles to Sydney Airport in Australia on 24th February 1989, with intermediate stops at Honolulu International Airport in Honolulu in Hawaii and Auckland Airport in Auckland in New Zealand. Flight 811 operated without incident on the first leg of its scheduled flight, from Los Angeles to Honolulu. A crew change occurred upon arriving at Honolulu. The previous flight crew reported no difficulties with the aircraft during their flight to Honolulu. Flight 811 departed Honolulu International Airport at approximately 01:52 HST with 3 flight crew, 15 flight attendants and 337 passengers aboard. During the climb, the crew made preparations to detour around thunderstorms along the aircraft's track; anticipating turbulence, the captain kept the passenger seatbelt sign lit. After the plane had been flying for approximately 16 minutes and was passing from 22,000 ft to 23,000 ft, the flight crew heard a loud "thump" which shook the aircraft. The forward cargo door blew out 1½ seconds later. The door swung out with such force that it passed its normal stop and slammed into the side of the fuselage, bursting the fuselage open. Pressure differentials and aerodynamic forces caused the cabin floor to cave in, and 10 seats were ejected from the cabin. 8 passengers seated in these locations were killed as was Anthony Fallon in seat 9F, whose seatbelt failed. A gaping hole was left in the aircraft, through which a flight attendant in the business-class cabin was almost blown out of the aircraft. Passengers and crew members saw Laura Brentlinger clinging to a seat leg and were able to pull her back inside the cabin although she was severely injured. Brentlinger hung on to the steps leading to the upper deck and was dangling from them when the decompression occurred. The pilots initially believed that a device had gone off inside the aircraft as this accident happened just 8 weeks after Pan Am Flight 103 was blown up over Lockerbie. To reach a altitude where the air was breathable they began a emergency descent while also performing a 180-degree turn to fly back to Honolulu. The aircraft returned to Honolulu where it landed safely. 1 year earlier Aloha Airlines Flight 243 suffered extensive damage after a explosive decompression in flight but was able to land safely at Kahului Airport. There was 1 fatality, flight attendant Clarabelle C.B. Lansing, who was ejected from the aircraft. The aircraft departed Hilo on 28th April 1988 with 5 crew members and 90 passengers and was bound for Honolulu. No unusual occurrences were noticed during the pre-departure inspection of the aircraft. The aircraft had previously completed 3 round-trip flights from Honolulu to Hilo, Maui, and Kauai. The captain was 44-year-old Robert Schornstheimer. He was a experienced pilot with 8,500 flight hours. 6,700 of those were in a Boeing 737. The first officer was 36-year-old Madeline "Mimi" Tompkins. No unusual occurrences were reported during the takeoff and ascent. Around 13:48, as the Boeing 737-297 reached its normal flight altitude of 24,000 ft about 23 nautical miles south southeast of Kahului in Maui, a small section on the left side of the roof ruptured with a "whooshing" sound. The captain felt the aircraft roll left and right and the controls went loose. The door to the cockpit was gone and the captain saw blue sky where the first-class ceiling had been. The resulting explosive decompression tore off a large section of the roof, consisting of the entire top half of the aircraft skin extending from just behind the cockpit to the fore wing area. Clarabelle C.B. Lansing was thrown out of the aircraft while standing near the fifth row seats. She was a veteran flight attendant of 37 years at the time of the accident. 8 others suffered serious injuries. All the passengers were in their seats and belted during depressurization. The crew performed a emergency landing on Kahului Airport's Runway 2. Upon landing, the crew deployed the aircraft's emergency evacuation slides and evacuated passengers from the aircraft quickly. Tompkins assisted passengers down the evacuation slide. 65 people were reported injured, 8 seriously. Maui had no plan for a disaster of this type although the injured were taken to the hospital by the tour vans from now-defunct Akamai Tours driven by office personnel. Air traffic control radioed Akamai and requested as many of their 15-passenger vans as they could spare to go to the airport to transport the injured. 2 of the Akamai drivers were former medics and established a triage on the runway. After the accident, a write-off of the aircraft happened. Paradise Airlines Flight 243 is a inter island flight from Honolulu to Hilo in the 1990 television film Miracle Landing with a return to Honolulu the same day and takes off over Hilo and nothing out of the ordinary occurs, but soon after David Kornberg, a young boy travelling with his mother Michelle, calls C.B. Lansing and asks her about the crack appearing in the ceiling. Chaos breaks loose and the entire front and top half section of the aircraft blows off in a clean separation. In the mess, Michelle Honda falls to the floor and clings to a passenger's seat while C.B. is blown from the aircraft. The tower is able to alert Kahului Fire and Rescue personnel and they arrive before the crippled Paradise Airlines Flight 243 lands. Mimi and Bob are able to figure out a plan for the emergency after several tense minutes. After some time, the aircraft lands but with difficulties in the brakes and hydraulics. The pilots were worried that the landing might result in a broken aircraft although their landing resulted in no deaths. 7 years earlier NLM CityHopper Flight 431 encountered severe weather minutes after takeoff from Rotterdam Airport and crashed 15 miles south-southeast of Rotterdam. 17 occupants of the aircraft perished in the accident. During the weather briefing 44 minutes before take-off, the crew was apprised to a area of strong thunderstorms with 37.5% sky coverage of cumulonimbus at a base of 1,000 ft and south-southwest winds 15 to 25 knots strong, and 5 kilometres visibility at Rotterdam Airport. The aircraft took off from Rotterdam Airport at 5:04. The crew noted heavy rain in thunderstorms on the aircraft's weather avoidance radar at 5:09 and received clearance to avoid the area. The aircraft entered a tornado while flying through clouds at 5:12. The weather system the aircraft entered into was apparently the same tornado-like system that Zeeland locals described as being responsible for considerable property damage. Meteorologically, these vortices are indeed tornadoes and the aircraft was seen exiting cloud cover. A police officer photographed the tornado and smoke from the burning aircraft. A investigation concluded that a sharp increase in altitude registered on the altimeter was not a change in altitude, but a pressure drop associated with the tornado. A tornado is a violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground, either pendant from a cumuliform cloud or underneath a cumuliform cloud, and often, but not always, visible. For a vortex to be classified as a tornado it must be in contact with both the ground and the cloud base. Tornadoes have been observed and documented on every continent except Antarctica with the majority occurring in the Tornado Alley region of the United States, although they can occur nearly anywhere in North America. There are several scales for rating the strength of tornadoes. The Fujita scale rates tornadoes by damage caused and has been replaced in some countries by the updated Enhanced Fujita Scale. A F0 tornado damages trees, but not substantial structures. A F5 tornado rips buildings off their foundations and can deform skyscrapers. The similar TORRO scale ranges from a T0 for extremely weak tornadoes to T11 for the most powerful known tornadoes. Doppler radar data may also be analyzed to determine intensity and assign a rating. TORRO claims that it differs from the Fujita scale in that it is purely a wind speed scale, whereas the Fujita scale relies on damage for classification but damage is utilised almost exclusively in both systems to infer intensity. That is because such a proxy for intensity is usually all that is available, although users of both scales would prefer direct, objective, quantitative, measurements. The Fujita scale is the primary scale used in North America. At the 2004 European Conference on Severe Storms Dr. Meaden proposed a unification of the TORRO and Fujita scales as the Tornado Force or TF Scale. 3 years later the Enhanced Fujita Scale replaced the original Fujita Scale from 1971. It made substantial improvements in standardizing damage descriptors through expanding and refining damage indicators and associated degrees of damage as well as calibrated wind speeds of a tornado although only the United States and Canada have adopted the EF scale as of 2014. Unlike the F scale, no analyses have been undertaken at all to establish the veracity and accuracy of the T scale damage descriptors. The scale was written in the early 1970s, and does not take into account changes, such as the change of type of railway locomotives. Fujita ratings sometimes also have extra qualifications added which are made by investigators who have experience of many similar tornadoes and relating to the fact that the F scale is a damage scale, not a wind speed scale. Tornadoes are rated after they have passed and have been examined, not whilst in progress. Since the Fujita scale is based on the severity of damage resulting from high winds, a F6 tornado is a theoretical construct. Structural damage cannot exceed total destruction which constitutes a F5 although a tornado with wind speeds greater than 319 mph is theoretically possible, and the 1999 Bridge Creek-Moore Tornado may have been such a event but no such wind speed has ever been recorded. The Fujita scale was introduced in 1971 as a means to differentiate tornado intensity and path area and assigned wind speeds to damage that were educated guesses. Fujita and others recognized this immediately and intensive engineering analysis was conducted through the rest of the 1970s. This research showed that tornado wind speeds required to inflict the described damage were actually much lower than the F-scale indicated. Although the scale gave general descriptions for the type of damage a tornado could cause, it gave little leeway for strength of construction and other factors that might cause a building to receive higher damage at lower wind speeds. Fujita tried to address these problems somewhat in 1992 with the Modified Fujita Scale, but by then he was semi-retired and the National Weather Service was not in a position for the undertaking of updating to a entirely new scale so it went largely unenacted. The Fujita scale was decommissioned at the beginning of February 2007 in favor of what these scientists believe is a more accurate Enhanced Fujita Scale which replaces it. The meteorologists and engineers who designed the EF Scale believe it a improvement on the F-scale on many counts; it accounts for different degrees of damage that occur with different types of structures, both man-made and natural. The expanded and refined damage indicators and degrees of damage standardize what was somewhat ambiguous. It is also thought to provide a much better estimate for wind speeds, and sets no upper limit on the wind speeds for the strongest level, EF5. Several countries continue to use the original Fujita Scale. In 2012, the National Hurricane Center expanded the Category 4 wind speed by 1 mph to 130-156 instead of 131-155. The NHC and the Central Pacific Hurricane Center assign tropical cyclone intensities in 5 knot increments and then convert to mph and km/h with a similar rounding for other reports. So a intensity of 115 knots is rated Category 4, but the conversion to miles per hour would round down to 130 mph making it appear to be a Category 3 storm. Likewise, a intensity of 135 knots is 250.02 km/h which according to the definition used before the change would be Category 5. To resolve these issues, the NHC had been obliged to incorrectly report storms with wind speeds of 115 kn as 135 mph and 135 kn as 245 km/h. The change in definition allows storms of 115 kn to be correctly rounded down to 130 mph, and storms of 135 kn to be correctly reported as 250 km/h, and still qualify as Category 4. Since the NHC had previously rounded incorrectly to keep storms in Category 4 in each unit of measure, the change does not affect the classification of storms from previous years. The Saffir–Simpson hurricane scale separates hurricanes into 5 different categories based on wind. The NHC classifies hurricanes of Category 3 and above as major hurricanes, and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center classifies typhoons of 150 mph or greater as super typhoons. Most weather agencies use the definition for sustained winds recommended by the World Meteorological Organization which specifies measuring winds at a height of 33 ft. Tropical cyclones of Category 3 and higher are described as major hurricanes in the Atlantic or Eastern Pacific basins. These storms can cause some structural damage to small residences and utility buildings, particularly those of wood frame or manufactured materials with minor curtain wall failures. Buildings that lack a solid foundation, such as mobile homes, are destroyed, and gable-end roofs are peeled off. Manufactured homes usually sustain severe and irreparable damage and flooding near the coast destroys smaller structures while larger structures are struck by floating debris and a large number of trees are uprooted or snapped and isolate many areas. Additionally, terrain may be flooded well inland. Near-total to total power loss is likely for up to several weeks and water will likely also be lost or contaminated. Category 4 hurricanes tend to produce more extensive curtainwall failures with some complete structural failure on small residences. Heavy, irreparable damage and near complete destruction of gas station canopies and other wide span overhang type structures are common. Mobile and manufactured homes are often flattened. Most trees are uprooted or snapped except for the heartiest and isolate many areas. Category 4 storms cause extensive beach erosion while terrain may be flooded far inland. Total and long-lived electrical and water losses are to be expected. The 1900 Galveston hurricane was the deadliest natural disaster to hit the United States and peaked at a intensity that corresponds to a modern-day Category 4 storm. Other examples of storms making landfall at this intensity include Hurricanes Cleo, Iniki, Charley, Dennis, Gustav, Ike, and Joaquin. Category 5 is the highest category of the scale. These storms cause complete roof failure on many residences and industrial buildings, and some complete building failures with small utility buildings blown over or away. Collapse of many wide-span roofs and walls, especially those with no interior supports, is common. Very heavy and irreparable damage to many wood frame structures and total destruction to mobile and manufactured homes is prevalent. Only a few types of structures are capable of surviving intact, and only if located at least 3 to 5 miles inland. They include office, condominium and apartment buildings and hotels that are of solid concrete or steel frame construction, multi-story concrete parking garages and residences that are made of either reinforced brick or concrete cement block and have hipped roofs with slopes of no less than 35 degrees from horizontal and no overhangs of any kind and if the windows are either made of hurricane-resistant safety glass or covered with shutters and the absolute destruction of a structure is certain unless all of these requirements are met. Historical examples of storms that made landfall at Category 5 status include Hurricanes Camille, David, Gilbert, Andrew, Dean, and Felix. No Category 5 hurricane is known to have made landfall in the eastern Pacific. After the series of powerful storm systems of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season a few newspaper columnists and scientists brought up the suggestion of introducing Category 6, and they have stated pegging Category 6 to storms with winds greater than 174 to 180 mph. Only a few storms of this intensity have been recorded. Of the 31 hurricanes currently considered to have attained Category 5 status in the Atlantic, only 16 had wind speeds at 175 mph or greater and only 6 had wind speeds at 180 mph or greater. Of the 15 hurricanes currently considered to have attained Category 5 status in the eastern Pacific, only 5 had wind speeds at 175 mph or greater, and only 3 had wind speeds at 180 mph or greater. Most storms which would be eligible for this category were typhoons in the western Pacific such as Typhoon Haiyan. According to Robert Simpson there are no reasons for a Category 6 on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale because it is designed to measure the potential damage of a hurricane to man-made structures. Simpson stated that "when you get up into winds in excess of 155 mph you have enough damage if that extreme wind sustains itself for as much as 6 seconds on a building, it's going to cause rupturing damages that are serious" no matter how well it's engineered. 31 hurricanes were recorded at Category 5 strength between 1924 and 2016. No Category 5 hurricanes were observed officially before 1924. It can be presumed that earlier storms reached Category 5 strength over open waters, but the strongest winds were not measured. The anemometer, a device used for measuring wind speed, was invented in 1846. During major hurricane strikes the instruments as a whole were blown away. Hurricanes Dean and Felix each attained Category 5 status twice during their lifespans. Hurricanes Allen and Ivan reached Category 5 intensity on 3 separate occasions. No Atlantic hurricane has reached Category 5 intensity more than 3 times during its lifespan. The November 1932 Cuba hurricane holds the record for most time spent as a Category 5 although it took place before satellite or reconnaissance, so the record may be somewhat suspect. For the fourth time in its 45-year history the Walt Disney World Resort was closed for Hurricane Matthew. Its theme parks, water parks and Disney Springs were closed at 5:00 on 6th October 2016 and did not open on 7th October. This was the first time since 2004 that the parks have closed because of hurricanes which were all instances at the time. Other Orlando-area theme parks including Universal Orlando and SeaWorld Orlando were also closed. The Southeastern Conference football matchup between the LSU Tigers and Florida Gators was scheduled for 8th October but was cancelled. The hurricane washed out NASCAR racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway on 7th October and 8th October, with the Drive for the Cure 300 race in the Xfinity Series originally scheduled for 7th October and the Bank of America 500 race in the Sprint Cup Series originally scheduled for 8th October, both postponed until 9th October. Winds reached 80 mph at the Kennedy Space Center while a gust of 136 mph was observed atop a 500 ft tower. The facility suffered several million dollars-worth of damage although overall impacts were less than anticipated. The roof of Operations Support Building II broke and rainwater damaged the interior. Air conditioning was lost throughout Launch Complex 39 while the planned launch of GOES R as well as the launch of the Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System were delayed. The CGNSS programme was scheduled to launch on 12th December and then observe 2 hurricane seasons. Problems with a pump on the launching aircraft prevented this first launch but a second launch attempt successfully took place on 15th December. On 7th October Hurricane Matthew brushed the east coast of Florida. 6 people were killed as a result. By Friday night, Matthew was downgraded to a Category 2 but left over a million people without power. Barack Obama urged anyone still in the area to leave after 2 women were killed while trying to go through the storm. Because of the effects in the United States the name Charley was retired from the rotating lists of tropical cyclone names in spring 2005 by the WMO. As a result, the name will never be used for a North Atlantic hurricane again. The name was replaced by Colin for the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season. Names including Katia and Ophelia will be used for named storms that form in the North Atlantic in 2017. Retired names, if any, will be announced by the WMO in spring 2018. The names not retired will be used again in 2023. This version includes the name Rina for the first time and is the same list used in 2011, with the exception of the name Irma which replaced Irene. In advance of the latter hundreds of thousands of people evacuated near coastal areas, and hundreds of shelters were prepared. Many gasoline stations in the region reported shortages because of the preparations for Irene. 6 Major League Baseball games were postponed or moved and a National Football League preseason game was postponed. The Barclays golf tournament was shortened and 3 Major League Soccer games were postponed. The forecast arrival of Hurricane Irene caused the postponement of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial dedication ceremony while Philadelphia International Airport closed at 10:30 on Saturday. The dedication ceremony was originally scheduled for 28th August 2011, the 48th anniversary of the I Have a Dream speech that Martin Luther King Jr. delivered from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963, but was postponed until 16th October. Neil Tennant cites Dusty in Memphis as one of his favourite albums, and leapt at the suggestion of using Dusty Springfield's vocals for "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" She also appeared on the promotional video. The single rose to #2 on both the US and UK charts. It appeared on the Pet Shop Boys album Actually and on both artists's greatest hits collections. Springfield sang lead vocals on the Richard Carpenter song "Something in Your Eyes" which was recorded for his album, Time. Released as a single, it became a US #12 adult contemporary hit. Springfield recorded a duet with B. J. Thomas called "As Long as We Got Each Other" which was used as the opening theme for the US sitcom Growing Pains in Season 4. Thomas had collaborated with Jennifer Warnes on the original version although it was neither re-recorded with Warnes nor released as a single. It was issued as a single and reached #7 on the Adult Contemporary Singles Chart. Springfield felt ill while recording her penultimate album called A Very Fine Love in Nashville in Tennessee in January 1994. When she returned to the United Kingdom a few months later her physicians diagnosed breast cancer. She received months of chemotherapy and radiation treatment and the cancer was in remission. Springfield set about promoting the album which was released in 1995 but the cancer had returned by mid-1996, and in spite of vigorous treatments Dusty Springfield died in Henley-on-Thames. Her induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland in Ohio had been scheduled two weeks after her death. Elton John helped induct her into the Hall of Fame declaring that "I just think she was the greatest white singer there ever has been. Every song she sang, she claimed as her own." Springfield's funeral service was attended by hundreds of fans and people from the music business including Pet Shop Boys. It was a Catholic funeral which took place in Oxfordshire at the ancient parish church of St. Mary the Virgin in Henley-on-Thames where Springfield had lived during her last years. A marker dedicated to her memory was placed in the graveyard. Springfield was cremated and some of her ashes were buried at Henley in accordance with her wishes, while the rest were scattered by Tom Springfield at the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare in Ireland. The Barclays was usually played during June of each year, either the week before or the week after the U.S. Open. It had its greatest attendance in 2001 when Tiger Woods participated, although 2 days of heavy rains disrupted play. It had one of its more exciting finishes in 2005, when Pádraig Harrington eagled the par-5 18th hole with a 65 ft putt to win the title. The most frequent winner of the tournament is Vijay Singh with 4 trophies. In 2011, Hurricane Irene shortened the tournament to 54 holes which was played at the Plainfield Country Club in Edison. The tournament ended by noon on Saturday 27th August which allowed time for players and spectators to evacuate the course. The Greenbrier Classic made its debut in 2010 and replaced the long-standing Buick Open in Flint in Michigan on the tour schedule. It was extended to 7,287 yards 3 years later. Prior to 2012, the 6 year contract was extended another 6 years although the effects of severe flooding 6 years later meant that the tournament was cancelled. PGATour.com, mentioning the cancellation, said, "PGA Tour and Greenbrier Resort officials announced today that The Greenbrier Classic, scheduled for 7-10th July, has been cancelled because of the devastating flooding caused by record rainfalls throughout West Virginia. Greenbrier County has been particularly hard-hit by torrential rains. The Old White TPC, the host course of the tournament, suffered extensive damage from the flooding and is beyond reasonable repair to conduct the tournament, Tour officials said. 'We are heartbroken by the devastation that the residents of West Virginia are experiencing at this time and the reports of lives lost due to the terrible flooding,' said Tim Finchem. 'Cancelling The Greenbrier Classic is certainly the most prudent course of action as our foremost concern is the well-being of those who are having to live through this tragic situation. Our thoughts and prayers are with them.' 'All of our focus needs to be on helping all of the people of our great State. So many have lost loved ones, their homes, and have no place to go,' said Jim Justice. The Greenbrier Classic was introduced in 2010 through a 6-year agreement with the resort. Just 2 years later, The Greenbrier signed a 6-year extension, carrying the commitment to host the tournament through 2021. 'This is a tremendous partnership and we've received unbelievable support from golf fans throughout the region,' said Finchem. 'We know we will have the opportunity to return again next year and we look forward to that time. But for now, that is of secondary concern. The priority is safety of the residents and their recovery from this disaster.' 'We love the PGA Tour and our partnership with these fine people. All of us are united with only one common goal to help the people through this terrible time,' added Justice." The Barracuda Championship was given the honor of awarding entry to the Open Championship to the leading non-exempt player. On 13th April 2013, Tiger Woods was up for disqualification from the Masters over claims that he took a illegal drop after his third shot on the par-5 15th hole had bounced off of the pin and into the water. After further review, a 2-stroke penalty for the drop was given and Woods was not disqualified. The following year The Greenbrier Classic became one of the events that guaranteed entry into the Open Championship with slots for up to 4 players not yet qualified. Ángel Cabrera overcame a final-round 61 from George McNeill although the Greenbrier Classic was cancelled after the Old White TPC in West Virginia sustained damage in a flood 2 years later. It had been scheduled for 7-10th July and was part of the Open Qualifying Series. The Greenbrier Resort was closed indefinitely although available rooms were offered free-of-charge to flood victims in need of shelter. By 28th June, about 200 people displaced by the flood were staying at the resort. Awareness of New Orleans's vulnerability to hurricanes dates back to the early Colonial era. A major hurricane hit the city in September 1722, leveling many of the buildings in the city. 1794 was perhaps as dreadful a year for New Orleans as it was hit by 2 hurricanes, in addition to a major fire. About 8:10 on 22nd April 2011, a EF4 tornado struck Lambert–St. Louis International Airport's Terminal 1, destroying jetways and breaking more than half of the windows. 1 aircraft from Southwest Airlines was damaged when the wind pushed a baggage conveyor belt into it. 4 American Airlines aircraft were damaged including 1 that was buffeted by 80 mph crosswinds while taxiing after landing. 1 aircraft was moved away from its jetway by the storm with passengers still aboard. The Federal Aviation Administration closed the airport at 8:54, then reopened it the following day at temporarily lower capacity. The C concourse underwent renovations and repairs which were completed and reopened in April the following year. The Transportation Security Administration declared Lambert Airport its "Airport of the Year" for "exceptional courtesy and high-quality security" and the excellent response by airport officials during and after the tornado. Since then, the airport has been classified as a medium-sized airport in terms of passengers and is currently the busiest in this category. The airport serves as a hub for Air Choice One and Cape Air, a focus city for Southwest Airlines, and was a former hub for Trans World Airlines and later for American Airlines. It is the primary airport serving the St. Louis area, with MidAmerica St. Louis Airport serving as a secondary metropolitan airport. The 2 airports are connected by the St. Louis MetroLink. In 2012, American Airlines announced the discontinuation of the AmericanConnection brand with all operations integrated into the American Eagle brand. Chautauqua Airlines, a subsidiary of Republic Airways Holdings and the only operator of AmericanConnection flights at the time of the announcement, opted not to renew its contract. All AmericanConnection flights ended in 2014 with AmericanConnection Flight 5329 from Westchester County to Chicago O'Hare being the final flight. American Eagle Flight 4184 flew into severe icing conditions and lost control and crashed into a soybean field on Halloween 1994. The flight was en route from Indianapolis International Airport in Indianapolis in Indiana to O'Hare in Chicago in Illinois. Bad weather in Chicago caused delays, prompting air traffic control to hold Flight 4184 over the nearby LUCIT intersection at 10,000 ft. While holding, the plane encountered freezing rain, a dangerous icing condition where supercooled droplets rapidly cause intense ice buildup. Soon after, they were cleared to descend to 8,000 ft. After this descent, the pilots were ordered to enter another hold. During the descent, a warning sound indicating a overspeed warning because of the extended flaps was heard in the cockpit. Flight recorder data showed that the aircraft subsequently went through at least 1 full roll after which Orlando Aguiar and Jeffrey Gagliano regained control of the rapidly descending aircraft. Another roll occurred shortly thereafter. Contact was lost at 3:59 as the ATR-72 crashed into a soybean field near Roselawn and killed all 64 passengers and 4 crew on board. The disintegration of the plane indicated extreme velocity and data recovered from the flight data recorder showed that the plane had an indicated airspeed of 694 km/h at impact. There was no explosion or post-impact fire. Flight 4184 was the first loss and also the highest death toll of any aviation accident involving an ATR 72 aircraft as Aero Caribbean Flight 883 also crashed in 2010 and had a equal death toll until Yeti Airlines Flight 691 crashed 29 years later. Robert A. Clifford, a Chicago airplane accident attorney, represented 16 of the victims. As the trial was ready to begin, the defendants agreed to a settlement of a record $110 million. In 1983 Ozark Airlines Flight 650 struck a snow plow while landing on Runway 03 at Joe Foss Field in Sioux Falls in South Dakota. The aircraft struck the snow plow with its right wing, immediately killing the snow plow operator and causing the aircraft to swerve off the runway. The probable cause was inadequate control tower service. All passengers and crew on the aircraft survived. 6 years later United Airlines Flight 232 crashed at Sioux Gateway Airport while attempting a emergency landing. 111 passengers and 1 crew member were killed while 174 passengers and 10 crew members survived. The accident was one of the most famous aviation disasters in American history because of the skill of the crew in saving many of the occupants and because the crash was captured on videotape by a news crew. The actual footage of the crash was used 3 years later for the making of the Charlton Heston and James Coburn made-for-TV movie "Crash Landing: The Rescue of Flight 232" about the beginnings and the ultimate test of the Woodbury County Disaster Services programme. Witnesses reported that the aircraft cartwheeled end-over-end but the investigation did not confirm this because of misinterpretation of the video of the crash that showed the flaming right wing tumbling end-over-end and the intact left wing rolling up and over as the fuselage flipped over. British Midland Flight 92 was on a scheduled flight from Heathrow Airport to Belfast Airport when a fan-blade broke in the left engine which disrupted the air-conditioning and filled the flight-deck with smoke. The pilots believed that this indicated a fault in the right engine since earlier models of the 737 ventilated the flight-deck from the right, and they were unaware that the 400 used a different system. During the final approach to East Midlands Airport more fuel was pumped into the damaged engine to maintain speed, which caused it to cease operating. The flight crew attempted to restart the right engine by windmilling but the aircraft was by now flying at 115 mph which was too slow. Just before crossing the M1 motorway, the tail struck the ground and the aircraft bounced back into the air and over the motorway and knocked down trees and a lamp post before crashing on the far embankment and breaking into 3 sections approximately 475 metres short of the runway's paved surface and approximately 630 metres from its threshold. Remarkably, there were no vehicles traveling on that part of the motorway at the time of the crash. The Highways Agency is expected to detrunk the A5 through Dunstable when the A5-M1 Link opens to the public in early 2017. As part of the Dunstable Town Centre Masterplan Central Bedfordshire Council is building the 2.9 km Woodside Link to connect the new Junction 11A to the industrial areas of Dunstable and Houghton Regis. Most of the road will open to traffic in autumn 2016 with the remaining section connecting to Junction 11A when it opens. The A5 M1 Link aims to alleviate traffic congestion in Houghton Regis and Dunstable, which reduces journey times. 6 years earlier a 7 mile stretch of the M1 motorway was closed between Junctions 1 and 4 because of a fire at a scrapyard underneath the motorway. The road was fully re-opened early on 21st April with a 50 mph speed limit in force. Work was in progress to make major changes to Junction 10A of the M1 at the end of the Luton spur from the main M1 to relieve congestion which had increased since the completion of the Luton East Corridor. A exhibition of options was held in September 2009, with work beginning in January 2014. At the exhibition it was revealed that Luton Borough Council plan to implement a 3-roundabout interchange area for traffic which was completed in April 2015. There are plans to widen the M1 to dual 4-lane or dual 5-lane between Junctions 21 and 21A and construct a new link road between the M1 and the M69 including a new road bridge to take southbound M1 traffic over the motorway to connect to the M69. During this work, the Leicester Forest East services would be closed. In 1995, there was a proposal to widen the section close to Heathrow Airport to 14 lanes. This version attracted fierce opposition from road protesters opposing the Newbury Bypass and other schemes, and it was cancelled shortly afterwards. In 1997, the Department of Transport announced new proposals to widen the section between Junction 12 for the M3 and Junction 15 for the M4 to 12 lanes. At the Terminal 5 public inquiry, a Highways Agency official said that the widening was needed to accommodate traffic to the proposed new terminal, however the transport minister said that no such evidence had been given. Environmental groups objected to the decision to go-ahead with a scheme that would create the widest motorways in the United Kingdom without holding a public inquiry which was again deferred. A decision to go-ahead was given for a 10-lane scheme in 1998, and the £148 million 'M25 Jct 12 to 15 Widening' contract was awarded to Balfour Beatty in 2003. The scheme was completed in 2005 with dual 5 lanes between Junctions 12 and 14 and dual 6 lanes from Junctions 14 to 15. Construction of the M26 began in 1977, although a route on a similar alignment was originally proposed in the Greater London Plan in 1944. The M26 starts at Junction 3 of the M20 and heads west, encountering almost immediately the single junction along its length where it has a interchange with the A20. This junction is numbered 2A to reflect its proximity to the M20's nearby Junction 2 which also connects with the A20 and is a short distance to the north-west. 8 miles to the west the M26 merges with the M25 at Junction 5. There is no exit from the M26 at Junction 5 meaning that all traffic must join the M25. The M25 junction is 10 miles west at Godstone so traffic joining the M26 at Junction 2A cannot leave the motorway for 18 miles, which is the longest distance between motorway exits in the United Kingdom. The main carriageway continues directly on to the M26 at Junction 5. To remain on the M25, traffic must turn on to the slip road which connects to the M25 spur coming north from Sevenoaks which is multiplexed with the A21. The awkwardness of Junction 5 is a result of the history of the 2 motorways's planning and construction. High Speed 1 runs parallel to the M20 as it continues to the north of Bearsted and crosses the Swanley to Ashford, via Maidstone East, Line, then out into the countryside alongside Leeds Castle. Proceeding south of Lenham and Charing it is crossed by the Ashford and CTRL railway lines before becoming the Ashford bypass. Travelling past Brabourne Lees it is once again joined by the CTRL and the East Stour. Just north of Saltwood, it reaches the Channel Tunnel terminal and is crossed by HS1 for the last time. Deutsche Bahn carried out evacuation trials in the Channel Tunnel on 17th October 2010 with two 200 m-long ICE3 trains, and displayed one of them at St Pancras station on 19th October. The current Velaro ICE3 sets do not meet the fire safety requirements for passenger services through the tunnel but the Siemens Velaro D sets on order include the necessary additional fire-proofing. In March 2011, the European Rail Agency decided to allow trains to operate in the Channel Tunnel with distributed traction. DB is planning 3 services a day to Rotterdam and Amsterdam. This had originally planned to be 2013, but has been delayed because of the availability of the Channel Tunnel version of the Siemens Velaro D trains. High Speed 2 would be the second high-speed rail line in Britain after HS1. The line is to be built in a "Y" configuration, with London on the bottom and Birmingham at the centre as well as Leeds at the top right and Manchester at the top left. Work on the first phase is scheduled to begin in 2017, reaching Birmingham by 2026, Crewe on the left leg of the "Y" by 2027 and fully completed by 2033. The project is to be built in 2 phases which are Phase 1 from London to the West Midlands and Phase 2 from the West Midlands to Leeds and Manchester. Phase 2 is split into 2 sub-phases. Phase 2A is from the West Midlands to Crewe while Phase 2B will extend from Crewe to Manchester, and the West Midlands to Leeds. The decision will go through the parliamentary process for approval. The spur to Heathrow Airport was dropped from the whole scheme in 2015 while the Crewe Hub was added to the scheme. The sections either side of the Pennines are open to amended design to accommodate High Speed 3 using sections of HS2 track. At the 2016 Budget George Osborne greenlit the general proposals by the National Infrastructure Commission for a high-speed line between Manchester and Leeds with a aim of reducing journey times to 30 minutes. £60 million of funding was provided to generate plans for a route by 2017. In December 2010 the government announced that a high-speed connection with Heathrow Airport would be built as part of the second phase of the project and that until then connections would be made at Old Oak Common, where HS2 would have a interchange with Heathrow Express. In 2015 the transport minister Patrick McLoughlin stated to the House of Commons that the Heathrow Spur would no longer be considered a part of either Phase 1 or Phase 2 of the HS2 scheme. Should proposals for the north south Crossrail 2 achieve funding Transport for London have expressed a interest in constructing this to mitigate the distribution of arriving passengers from HS2 at London Euston. TfL have examined route options for Crossrail 2 which could potentially incorporate a direct link to HS2, and the Mayor's Office stated that a direct link between HS1 and HS2 could be achieved by modifying the Crossrail 2 route proposals and providing a direct rail link between the termini for the 2 high-speed rail lines at London Euston and London St Pancras stations. As a consequence of Crossrail 2 coming to London Euston major modifications would need to be made to the current redevelopment plans for Euston, geared solely to HS2 which does not provide sufficient capacity to deal with the additional passenger demand from it becoming a stop of Crossrail 2. In 2014 TfL announced that the site of the art-house Curzon cinema in Soho had been identified as a area that may be required to enable the construction of a Crossrail 2 ticket hall. The following year Benedict Cumberbatch and Stephen Fry protested against its redevelopment as part of the Save Soho campaign group which was chaired by the latter. Fry called the development deeply worrying. Leslie Hardcastle also raised concerns about a local pub while Guy Hamilton and Colin Vaines have also joined the campaign. There is a campaign against the proposed Kings Road Chelsea station. The current plans for Wimbledon station involve the demolition of large parts of Wimbledon town centre, including the Centre Court shopping centre. This has attracted significant concern from locals and Merton Council has issued a 7-page cross party objection to the current plans. In March 2016 the National Infrastructure Commission said that Crossrail 2 should be taken forward as a priority and recommended that a bill should pass through Parliament by 2019 with the line opening by 2033. Heathrow Terminal 1 closed on 29th June 2015 to allow the second stage of Heathrow Terminal 2's expansion. Ahead of its closure, all remaining flights were moved to other terminals. Several airlines had already left Terminal 1 ahead of this date during 2014 and the year after. The last tenants alongside British Airways were Icelandair, El Al, and LATAM; the third one moved to Heathrow Terminal 3 on 27th May. The final flight to ever depart Heathrow Terminal 1 was British Airways BA0970 to Hanover in Germany which departed at 21:30. British Airways was the last airline to operate out of Heathrow Terminal 1 with flights to Amman-Queen Alia, Baku, Beirut and Cairo which all have moved to Heathrow Terminal 5, and to Bilbao, Hanover, Luxembourg, Lyon and Marseille which all have been relocated to Terminal 3. Terminals 2 and 3 are within walking distance of each other. Transfers to Terminals 4 and 5 are by Heathrow Express trains. Heathrow Express and Elizabeth Line services between Heathrow Central and Terminals 4 and 5 are free of charge. Local buses throughout the airport area are provided free of charge under the "Heathrow FreeFlow" scheme; passengers should tell the driver their destination to ensure that they are not charged a fare. On 3rd July 1968, the port flap operating rod of G-AMAD failed because of fatigue thereby allowing the port flaps to retract. This resulted in a rolling movement to port which could not be controlled during the approach, causing the aircraft to contact the grass and swerve towards the terminal building. It hit 2 parked British European Airways Hawker Siddeley Trident aircraft, burst into flames and came to rest against the ground floor of the terminal building. 6 of the 8 crew died as did 8 horses on board. G-ARPT was written off, and G-ARPI was badly damaged, but repaired, only to be lost in 1972 in what became known as the Staines Air Disaster. 34 years later Garuda Indonesia Flight 421 encountered severe thunderstorm activity during approach to its destination, suffered flameout in both engines and ditched in a shallow river, resulting in 1 fatality and several injuries. As the Boeing 737-3Q8 aircraft was on approach to Adisucipto International Airport in Yogyakarta, the pilots were confronted with substantial thunderstorm activity visible ahead and on their onboard weather radar. They attempted to fly between two intense weather cells visible on their radar. They later entered a thunderstorm containing heavy rain and hail. 90 seconds later both CFM International CFM56 engines experienced a flameout as the aircraft was descending through 19,000 ft, which resulted in the loss of all generated electrical power. As the aircraft descended the pilots decided to ditch in the Bengawan Solo River with the flaps and gear retracted. The ditch procedure was successful, leaving the aircraft settled down on its belly in the shallow water, with the fuselage, wings and control surfaces largely intact. There was no fire. After evacuation, the pilot contacted the Jogja Tower via cellphone and reported the emergency landing and location. The rescue team arrived about 2 hours later and all remaining passengers and crew were taken safely to a hospital. Garuda Indonesia still uses flight #421 although it is now used on the Denpasar-Jakarta route operated by a Airbus A330 or a Boeing 777. Garuda Indonesia also funded local road construction nearby the accident area and also built a multi purpose hall and reservoir facility in return of local villagers assistance when evacuating. As Southern Airways Flight 242 ran out of altitude and options and glided with a broken windshield and no engine power on 4th April 1977, the crew made visual contact with the ground and spotted a straight section of a rural highway below. They executed a unpowered forced landing on the road, but during the rollout the aircraft collided with a gas station and grocery store. The pilots and 60 passengers were killed by impact forces and fire but 20 of the passengers survived. 8 people on the ground were also killed. 1 passenger initially survived the crash but died on 5th June 1977. The crash was revisited in January 2015 when Reagan uploaded RF06 VEM which was the first video to include the flight attendant shouting "Brace for impact!" The scene was so popular that it made appearances between January and October 2016 before a copyright strike put a end in the scene's 1-year regime. Not to be outdone, Reagan launched a new YouTube channel which was essentially the same as the original but with new cars which he felt would give him new possibilities. He started his 2017 dominance with The Riddler Revenge at 7:59 and followed it up with the Avtoros Shaman at 8:16. This was followed by 22 more videos that gave him a total of 24. The second day of the year saw him upload 9 videos with 1 that involved ITV 3 HD following on 6th January. 5 days later Reagan uploaded Lance Stroll, the BMW 5 Series, the Lincoln Continental Mark VII, the Kia Stinger and the Subaru Legacy. This was followed by "Raven" which was a video that incorporated the design cues of the Legacy and the Stinger. Raven also marked the first appearance of the word "Right!" which was repeated in the Philadelphia Eagles and the Baltimore Ravens. Afriqiyah Airways also marked the appearance of the word after Pulsar and the Porsche Panamera. In the latter, Noddy had already made his last appearance the previous year but did make a few cameos, and the Panamera was no exception