jackspratt

I recently carried a helmet as carry-on (inside my cabin bag). This was on SQ from Australia to Bangkok. Not a problem.

OOOOOOOOOOOPS !

Not new, but reckon many do not know, or are aware of the mentally challenged personal in Arab States.

Unfortunately, the pix did not work with copy paste.

Read story first, then try this....

http://airlineworld.wordpress.com/2007/11/26/etihad-airbus-crash-pictures/

This brand spanking new Airbus 340-600, the largest

passenger airplane ever built, sits just outside its hangar

in Toulouse , France without a single hour of airtime.

Enter the Arab flight crew of Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies

(ADAT) to conduct pre-delivery tests on the ground, such as

engine run-ups prior to delivery to Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi

The ADAT crew taxied the A340-600 to the run-up area.

Then they took all Four engines to takeoff power with a

virtually empty aircraft. Not having Read the run-up

manuals, they had no clue just how light an empty

A340-600 Really is.

The takeoff warning horn was blaring away in the cockpit

because they had All 4 engines at full power.

The aircraft computers thought they were trying to take off,

but it had not been configured properly (flaps/slats, etc.)

Then one of the ADAT crew decided to pull the circuit

breaker on the Ground Proximity Sensor to silence the alarm.

This fools the aircraft into thinking it is in the air.

The computers automatically released all the Brakes

and set the aircraft rocketing forward.

The ADAT crew had no idea that this is a safety feature

so that pilots can't land with the brakes on.

Not one member of the seven-man Arab crew was smart enough

to throttle back the engines from their max power setting,

so the $200 million brand-new Aircraft crashed into a blast

barrier, totaling it.

The extent of injuries to the crew is unknown due to the

news blackout in the major media in France and elsewhere.

Coverage of the story was deemed insulting to Muslim Arabs.

Finally, the photos are starting to leak out.

Airbus $200 million aircraft meets retaining wall and the wall wins.

More pix at the earlier mentioned site, all enlargeable withh usual click.

If this had been, BA, Qantas, Thai or any western airline, the news would have been front page top on news on telly.

Hi

Don't you just feel for those sensitive camel jockeys!

TBWG

No, but I do feel sorry for the gullible fools who perpetuate this sort of racist nonsense without bothering to check it's veracity

http://www.snopes.com/photos/airplane/etihad.asp

I guess the old saying that you can tell the worth of people from the company they keep works both ways in this case.

Given that the Thai police seem happy to extradite this guy http://uk.reuters.com/article/domesticNews...E54K1GK20090521 to Dubai, one may ask why the Thai government wouldn't seek a bit of quid pro quo from the Dubains (?) in respect to Khun Thaksin.

Have now done the Sing - Melbourne leg.

Seats are no better or worse than other full cost carriers, including comfort, legroom and width.

Entertainment system and food better than SQ (generally my preferred choice) in my opinion.

Power point for laptop in every seat, although I didn't use mine - see comment above re entertainment system.

Flight was jam packed.

Return flight now completed. I must say my initial high praise based on the Sing - Mel leg is now a bit muted. I had all sorts of problems getting a beer after dinner - it was probably my 3rd or 4th. Ignored the call button, and in fact kept switching it off from the galley, rather than serve me. And no, I wasn't p1ssed

I have never had such a problem with SQ - or any other FCC for that matter.

Last year a warning of a new scam at swampy was issued. It said that because duty free from Europe had to be in clear bags ( which they are) there were spotters in the Airport looking for tourists flying in with more ciggies that were allowed. A pull from Airport security and low and behold your ciggies confiscated and a fine. I read this on several site's. Your Scammed here in Thailand before you even leave the Airport.

Hmm.........you seem to be describing the practice of the Thai Excise officers stationed at the airport who legally fine and seize cigarettes from those stupid enough to exceed their duty free allowances.

Hardly a scam

Suggest you get in touch with a guy named Emperor_Tud

that's great news but i booked my emirates flight to London a few months ago and it say 20kg on the ticket. do you think they will allow 30kg now? ................

Yes - have a look at their website.

I do think that Immigration got their point across to him and knew well ahead that the likely outcome would be a fine.

Then why not fine him on the spot, save him from three weeks in the snake pit, and let him board his flight. You know no such thing and nobody knows what would have happened if this case had not made the press.............

.........or if he had pleaded not guilty

It is quite simple to refuse deportation, you just renounce your citizenship. I assume that is what the guy basically did.

If he renounces citizenship, where are you going to deport him to, he is a citizen of no where?

I am sure in these cases, that if you renounced citizenship and then were stuck in limbo in an immigration jail, that your home country

would work with you to renew your citizenship under most circumstances, but they can't renew your citizenship if you refuse the offer, countries can't force citizenship on you, which I believe is what this guy was fighting.

In summary, it sounded if he was saying, unless Australia gives me a full passport, I am not going to accept citizenship.

Assuming Mr Hansch was born in Australia, it would not have been possible for him to "renounce" his Oz citizenship unless he was able to produce evidence that Thailand (or another country) would immediately accept him as a citizen, following the renunciation.

http://www.citizenship.gov.au/loss/renouncing-citz.htm

Power point for laptop in every seat, although I didn't use mine - see comment above re entertainment system.

Even in economy?

Nope not in economy, But the flight attendants will be more then happy to charge it for you....

There was what looked very like a 3 pin power point next to the screen for the inflight entertainment, both for my seat, and the seat next to me.

I assume it was for supplying power (it was even labeled "110 volts"), but did not plug the lappy in as I was happy with the ICE system.

http://www.emirates.com/sg/English/flying/...nomy_seats.aspx

Having read Mr Le Fevre's blog on a number of occasions now, I believe that as a journalist he makes a good disc jockey.

For example, "the country" (Thailand) is not under a state of emergency - it is Bangkok and surrounding areas. And perhaps in the south due to entirely different events.

I am still waiting for his answer to my question as to how he estimated several hundred thousand red shirts in the streets of Bangkok a couple of weeks ago - and then virtually challenged TV readers to prove him wrong

Have now done the Sing - Melbourne leg.

Seats are no better or worse than other full cost carriers, including comfort, legroom and width.

Entertainment system and food better than SQ (generally my preferred choice) in my opinion.

Power point for laptop in every seat, although I didn't use mine - see comment above re entertainment system.

Flight was jam packed.

The tariff is here http://igtf.customs.go.th/igtf/en/main_frame.jsp

Good luck in trying to interpret it (although it is in English).

Wasn't he allegedly seen at the Cambodian PM's residence? Something about that was in the news.

I wonder if Abhisit would invade Cambodia just to get Thaksin.

Jeez, what a guess... makes me speechless. How long have you been around here in Thailand?

/edit spelling

Thaksin is in Dubai. AJE had a face to face interview in a Dubai hotel the day after the crackdown. One that havent been talked too much about on this forum because Thaksin came across balanced and focused in that one.

Indeed, he comes across as someone who has been humbled, and is looking for forgiveness for what he has inflicted.

Make up your own minds.

Thanks for your quick responses.

My main concern, due to the seat configuration, was the width of the seats - 17". I then had a look at some other airlines - SQ, TG and MH, and they are all 17" in economy.

Booking done.

Emirates currently have a very good deal flying from Singapore to Melbourne.

However I have read some pretty bad reviews of the economy seats on their 777 - 300s, which are configured 3 - 4 - 3, whereas virtually all other airline's 777s are 3 - 3 - 3.

What are the impressions of TV members who have flown Emirates economy (specifically seating - I understand everything else is fine).

I am over 6ft tall, and close to 100kg.

Thanks

i was surprised when the yellow shirts said that the reds were not educated enough to vote, i thought they were elitist remarks and to be taken with a pinch of salt.

but having spent most of the past few days watching the news i have to say that those comments had more than just a grain of truth .

the reds are no more than a bunch of straw chewing village idiots (they even come complete with protruding teeth and silly hats.)

nasty, violent and rowdy troublemakers , full of anger, empty of reason , they were easily bought , easily convinced to do wrong, it is good to see them, at last, defeated with heads held low, boarding the cattle trucks and trains that will take them back to their miserable little villages.

abhisit ? after a slow and disappointing first half in pattaya, he came out after half time full of determination and played a wonderful tactical second half to win the game.

What an interesting perspective, and such insight - all gained from "watching the news" - tucked up safely in your condo no doubt.

Whilst I am certainly no supporter of the reds, after reading your comments I can fully appreciate that they have no monopoly when it comes to being a "straw chewing village idiot". Just take a random sample of posts on TV for instance - starting perhaps with the quoted post above.

Cattle trucks and trains - what marvellous and bigoted imagery. Particularly when you consider the vast majority would have travelled back to their homes by the perfectly normal avenue of bus.

I thought Newin was banned from politics - rightly so, as he represents all that is wrong with local bully boys ruling like warlords. He was a disgrace to TRT, and he is a disgrace to the Dems! Suthep's obvious reliance on this thugs' mob to do his work in Pattaya, shows up the utter depths to which Abhisit will stoop to cling to power.

Yes, Newin is banned from politics. And everything you say about him is correct - of course, that didn't prevent pure as snow Thaksin from sharing a bed with him.

Actually I believe he may have been banned at the same time as Thaksin - the very Thaksin who is the subject of this thread "Ready to Tear the Country Apart"

Were the Reds violent before the army stepped in?

.................

Double Standard!!

Yes.

Were you asleep on Saturday when the mob rampaged through the Royal Cliff in Pattaya?

Selective blindness!!

For once I agree with you, comparing Thaksin with Abhi is like comparing a great director like Kubrick or Spielberg to a good looking but mediocre actor like Tom Cruise.

The PAD / democrat collaboration is the collaboration of the cowards. One is happy to fight but doesn't want responsability, the other one craves responsability but doesn't want to fight. No wonder people who supported them until now are giving up.

And in which foreign land is Thailand's supreme coward at the moment (tucked up safely with his family of course)?

I have no doubt Kubrick and Spielberg would stay on the set whilst their masterpieces are unfolding, unlike that mediocre tinpot absentee director you seem so fond of. And he ain't even good looking

Ok, i didn't see the words "Kill him" used by red leaders.

Was it "get him", "catch him"? I don't remember, it was on Nation's breaking news.

As if it makes any difference - it's treason either way.

And for anyone who's seen reds attacking his car and the dirver - "kill him" sounds like a proper description of their intentions. It was a lynch mob, no two ways to look at it, and you don't deal with it by holding elections - there must be respect for the law first and reds publicly abandoned it today. In fact I remember Nattawut reportedly telling them that they don't recognise the law in this coutrny anymore.

Thats better.

Its very wrong to accuse the Reds of saying they will kill him when they did no such thing.

They knew the car was empty, its said they smashed it up to retaliate against the force used on them.

So as they knew he was not in the car, how can there be any intent to "harm" someone who was not in it?

As one of the more rational, level headed (no pun intended) and unbiased contributors to this Forum, I am sure you are correct.

But just for posterity, can you please confirm this by posting your reliable source for this inside knowledge

<deleted> - if it had been a mob of yellow shirted idiots rampaging through the smashed front door of the Royal Cliff yesterday, what be the reaction of Thai Visa's red shirt admirers today?

Would they be debating whether or not it was a legal entry on to the property, and defending it as visitors just going about their lawful business?

They should have cracked a few heads last year, and a few more this past week - although the later may not have been needed if the former had occurred.

The power structures of Thailand are a bl00dy shambles, and god only knows where it will end up.

Oh good, here we go....

The big muscle coming in:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews/14...nt-to-muscle-up

Civil war unless Abhisit shows he has some diplomacy skills and stands down...

I am constantly bemused by those who can easily (despite some evidence to the contrary) connect the Aphisit government to the yellow shirts, but are intellectually incapable of separating Thaksin and the red shirts.

Sigh!

Give Kim Jong-il and North Korea a lesson on military dictatorship? They could learn something from Thailand.

When I read your posts the two thoughts that come to mind are silly and simplistic. I am still trying to work out in what order.

There are many posters on TV who may add absolutely nothing to the sum total of human knowledge - unfortunately you actually detract.

And now theres two of you Jackspratt. Leave rainman alone, at least he is passionate about his work, unlike you, a person who just hangs in the background and ridicules other posters. Jack, you detract from the human race.

Here we go again neverdie

I am happy for others to judge whether or not rainman posts with passion.What he obviously lacks is any intellect, so in that way I can understand you defending a like soul.

At the moment, Thailand is overwhelmed by passionate responses and actions, where some thought and caution is called for. I guess you are only capable of being a spectator in this process

Give Kim Jong-il and North Korea a lesson on military dictatorship? They could learn something from Thailand.

When I read your posts the two thoughts that come to mind are silly and simplistic. I am still trying to work out in what order.

There are many posters on TV who may add absolutely nothing to the sum total of human knowledge - unfortunately you actually detract.

What's weird is you haven't been reported by SJ yet Wait ... you're on the same side

It's only because I wasn't aware of this "B" Team version of a thread in General that is a duplicate thread to one in News Clippings Forum.

Unlike yourgoodself, mc2, someone, somewhere may be happy to own SJ. Alas, it will never happen for you.