Random News Items

[bigg jay]

On 2019-02-19 at 2:48 PM, Brandon said:

The long shot rumour I heard was movie theatre moving to Sears and the food court would be renovated/extended with more options...

Guess it's not a long shot after all!

[iHeart]

24 minutes ago, The Unknown Poster said:

Just dont get rid of the Arby's.

I hope they don't otherwise I'll have to get my mozzarella sticks from BK, Perkins, Applebees,etc.

[The Unknown Poster]

Just now, iHeart said:

I hope they don't otherwise I'll have to get my mozzarella sticks from BK, Perkins, Applebees,etc.

Arby's has the best mozza sticks.  I dont eat there often because its so far but it kinda makes it a special occasion.  Plus I always load up on food to make it worth the trip.  Too bad they stopped serving Dr Pepper.

Alas, I am now on a keto diet so no Arbys for me for awhile.

[Fatty Liver]

31 minutes ago, The Unknown Poster said:

Beating a dead horse here but I find this incredibly fascinating.

Here's an article (published after the Lionair crash but before the most recent crash).  It explains what the pilots likely faced.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/11/16/world/asia/lion-air-crash-cockpit.html?action=click&module=Top Stories&pgtype=Homepage

In essence the new MCAS system activated, trimming the plane nose down by raising the stabilizers located on the tail.  MCAS actived due to a fault sensor that indicated the plane was too high nose-up (which it wasnt).   The pilot's would instinctively pull back on the yoke to raise the nose.  This force causes the elevators on the tail to activate.  But the elevators provide weaker nose-up than the stabilizers provide nose-down.  So its basically a tug of war that the pilot cannot win.

There is a procedure to overcome this but, incredibly, it sounds like Boeing never shared this with pilots.  In fact, it seems Boeing never shared the existence of the MCAS system at all.  After the Lionair crash, they sent out a guide to over-come the MCAS trimming nose down but its a bit convoluted.

On the left side of the yoke is a switch that controls electrically powered trimming.  So when the MCAS wrongly trims the plane into nose-down, the pilot would have to recognize what is happening and use his left thumb to active this switch, over-riding the MCAS pull on the stabilizers.  But once the nose leveled and the pilot released the switch, MCAS would kick in again and go nose-down.

The pilot must flip two switches to kill electrical power to the trim system to cut off MCAS control and then use the manual trim wheel to adjust the stabilizers back to stable.

And apparently this MCAS was a cost saving move because Boeing engineers originally had plans to create larger stabilizers on the tail to off-set the increased size of the engines but that costs money (and might have caused the MAX planes to be given a new classification, rather then being considered 737's...new classification requires new certification for pilots).  Basically, Boeing said the MAX planes were basically the same 737 and required minimal training to operate.

I imagine Boeing is working on a software patch but there will surely be a push for a re-designed tail section and fleet-wide implementation before the planes fly again.

 

Doesn't bode well for "pilot-less" commercial flight anytime soon, flight has too many variables to manage and thousands of things that can go wrong and do.  The more complicated they make these airplanes the less chance a human has of correcting malfunctions while in panic mode.  It sounds like this system should have been integrated into "auto-pilot" with one big red button to turn it off or turn it on.  K.I.S.S. principle.

Edited March 14, 2019 by Throw Long Bannatyne

[The Unknown Poster]

1 minute ago, Throw Long Bannatyne said:

Doesn't bode well for "pilot-less" commercial flight anytime soon, flight has too many variables to manage and thousands of things that can go wrong and do.  The more complicated they make these airplanes the less chance a human has of correcting malfunctions while in panic mode.  It sounds like this system should have been integrated into "auto-pilot" with one big red button to turn it off, or turn it on. K.I.S.S. principle.

I thought the same.  Why not just get rid of MCAS and rely on auto pilot and human pilots to manage the angle of attack?  It made me think about the Air France crash which was pilos not realizing they were stalling...Im not sure if MCAS would have helped in that situation because i was an air speed issue and not an angle of attack issue.  But had the computer over-rode the pilots and put the plane into a nose-down, it might have saved the plane (I believe one pilot was pulling nose-up and one was nose-down, not until the main Captain returned to the cockpit and assessed things did he demand nose-down but it was too late).

So I wonder, if you could just switch it off, would pilots instinctively switch it off whenever it activated even if it was correct?  Wouldn't an angle of attack warning to the pilots to control be wiser?  Or treat it like auto pilot where, if the pilots touch the yoke, it automatically disengages.  But I suppose that defeats the purpose of having it at all...just get rid ot it.  Better yet, re-design the tail so the plane is stable.

On the other hand, I read of an incident where pilots attempted a go-around (due to failure of auto-throttle) and the settings for trim and their go-around thrust resulted in a crazy nose-up angle of attack and the plane nearly stalled.  One type of aircraft advises reduction in power when met with stall warning (to counter-act hard thrust pushing the nose up).

Interestingly, the MAX8 did not include an angle of attack gauge in the cock pit so pilots wouldn't know what their angle was.  That gauge was voluntarily installed on many fleets' MAX planes around the time of lionair.  

From what I am reading the base issue is Boeing trying to extend the life of the 737 which has been mostly unchanged for 50 years.  Larger, more power engines, moved forward on the wings without a re-design of the tail section to compensate.  One engineer I read said its the only commercial aircraft that is inherently unstable and requires software to compensate.  The Max was marketing to airlines as a cost effective way to upgrade because pilots on older 737's required little training and pilots of Airbus A320's (of which Air Canada had many) required less training than a whole new design).  

I also read that, in the wake of Lionair, Boeing was working on a software fix that was supposed to be in place in January but was extended to april due to disagreements over how much the fix should actually fix.  That dithering might have cost a lot of lives.

[Fatty Liver]

34 minutes ago, The Unknown Poster said:

I thought the same.  Why not just get rid of MCAS and rely on auto pilot and human pilots to manage the angle of attack?  It made me think about the Air France crash which was pilos not realizing they were stalling...Im not sure if MCAS would have helped in that situation because i was an air speed issue and not an angle of attack issue.  But had the computer over-rode the pilots and put the plane into a nose-down, it might have saved the plane (I believe one pilot was pulling nose-up and one was nose-down, not until the main Captain returned to the cockpit and assessed things did he demand nose-down but it was too late).

So I wonder, if you could just switch it off, would pilots instinctively switch it off whenever it activated even if it was correct?  Wouldn't an angle of attack warning to the pilots to control be wiser?  Or treat it like auto pilot where, if the pilots touch the yoke, it automatically disengages.  But I suppose that defeats the purpose of having it at all...just get rid ot it.  Better yet, re-design the tail so the plane is stable.

On the other hand, I read of an incident where pilots attempted a go-around (due to failure of auto-throttle) and the settings for trim and their go-around thrust resulted in a crazy nose-up angle of attack and the plane nearly stalled.  One type of aircraft advises reduction in power when met with stall warning (to counter-act hard thrust pushing the nose up).

Interestingly, the MAX8 did not include an angle of attack gauge in the cock pit so pilots wouldn't know what their angle was.  That gauge was voluntarily installed on many fleets' MAX planes around the time of lionair.  

From what I am reading the base issue is Boeing trying to extend the life of the 737 which has been mostly unchanged for 50 years.  Larger, more power engines, moved forward on the wings without a re-design of the tail section to compensate.  One engineer I read said its the only commercial aircraft that is inherently unstable and requires software to compensate.  The Max was marketing to airlines as a cost effective way to upgrade because pilots on older 737's required little training and pilots of Airbus A320's (of which Air Canada had many) required less training than a whole new design).  

I also read that, in the wake of Lionair, Boeing was working on a software fix that was supposed to be in place in January but was extended to april due to disagreements over how much the fix should actually fix.  That dithering might have cost a lot of lives.

As a cost savings measure this strategy is going to register as a huge fail on Boeing's  behalf, I expect their stock to tumble as more companies and countries reject the MAX 8.  Changing the flight characteristics of the original design and trying to compensate with gadgetry is a big no-no, I see the MAX 8 project as dead in the water.

[FrostyWinnipeg]

3 hours ago, iHeart said:

KP is getting an upgrade, getting a new theater and in the old famous players area is supposed to be an expanded food court

https://accesswinnipeg.com/2019/03/more-kildonan-place-mall-upgrades-coming-soon/?fbclid=IwAR28cuKIZOGWK2Xtud5WAIld0Vtx-pvcLIKs1esGovoVBn_Zis3T6x9cb_A

RIP last piece of green space there.

[Brandon]

I really hope they offer some decent new food court options.   The Chinese and Japanese places are absolutely horrible and the rest are extremely mediocre.    

I'll take a Jimmy the Greek ,  Chosabi,  Thai Express and 1 pizza place please. 

[Fatty Liver]

Not news but I don't know where else to post this.   Quite by accident I stumbled upon a movie on You Tube recently entitled "Barbarians at the Gate" and was  surprised to find out it's about former Winnipeger and U of M grad.  F.  Ross Johnson, a name I've never even heard  before.   Johnson was C.E.O. of  RJR Nabisco (tobacco and food) in the early 80's and tried to pull off a leveraged buyout of the company which is the basis of the movie.   

For anyone wanting to watch, this movie is easily located on You Tube by searching "Barbarians at the Gate", fairly cheesy for a 1993 film but it stars James Garner as Johnson, so not all bad.

Here is his obit. from the NY Times, sounds like he was  a real character and a bit of a shyster as well, maybe that's why he's not celebrated as a local hero.

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/31/business/f-ross-johnson-dead-rjr-nabisco.html

 

Anybody heard of him or aware he was originally from Winnipeg?

Edited March 15, 2019 by Throw Long Bannatyne

[FrostyWinnipeg]

2 hours ago, Throw Long Bannatyne said:

Not news but I don't know where else to post this.   Quite by accident I stumbled upon a movie on You Tube recently entitled "Barbarians at the Gate" and was quite surprised to find out it's about former Winnipeger and U of M grad.  F.  Ross Johnson, a name I've never even heard  before.   Johnson was C.E.O. of  RJR Nabisco (tobacco and food) in the early 80's and tried to pull off a leveraged buyout of the company which is the basis of the movie.   

For anyone wanting to watch, this movie is easily located on You Tube by searching "Barbarians at the Gate", fairly cheesy for 1993 but it stars James Garner as Johnson, so not all bad.

Here is his obit. from the NY Times, sounds like he was both a real character and a bit of a shyster as well, maybe that's why he's not celebrated as a local hero.

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/31/business/f-ross-johnson-dead-rjr-nabisco.html

 

Anybody aware this guy was originally from Winnipeg?

Was not but i remember that film. HBO. Won awards that i remember.

 

[JCon]

18 minutes ago, FrostyWinnipeg said:

Was not but i remember that film. HBO. Won awards that i remember.

 

Yes, I remember this movie quite well. It was very good. 

 

He was a paperboy, if I remember correctly? 

Edited March 15, 2019 by JCon

[FrostyWinnipeg]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2019/mar/15/christchurch-shooting-injuries-reported-as-police-respond-to-critical-incident-live

[The Unknown Poster]

Burton Cummings ‘bullying’ women’s fitness class allege members

https://www.dailyjaw.com/2019/03/14/burton-cummings-bullying-womens-fitness-class-allege-members/?fbclid=IwAR3UVSeEpK4ihri5TfYe-R6HC-7kExDNOKqMiKpJgBHyyUKkrWH8pFKpFsc

[iHeart]

On 2019-03-14 at 12:28 PM, FrostyWinnipeg said:

RIP last piece of green space there.

what does that even mean?

Edited March 16, 2019 by iHeart

[iHeart]

is cummings in the "get off my lawn" phase in life?

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/burton-cummings-guess-who-star-moose-jaw-tenant-1.5059224?fbclid=IwAR3NBmj94t_LzC0bzrv6P95r9GMxd1CLHYjrKjQVPUKYQn5jUu2iHuYd0O8

[The Unknown Poster]

1 hour ago, iHeart said:

is cummings in the "get off my lawn" phase in life?

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/burton-cummings-guess-who-star-moose-jaw-tenant-1.5059224?fbclid=IwAR3NBmj94t_LzC0bzrv6P95r9GMxd1CLHYjrKjQVPUKYQn5jUu2iHuYd0O8

Dude lives in Moose Jaw now. He’s probably pretty grumpy 

[FrostyWinnipeg]

2 hours ago, iHeart said:

what does that even mean?

Link

 

 

Edited March 16, 2019 by FrostyWinnipeg

[SpeedFlex27]

On 2019-03-16 at 9:11 AM, The Unknown Poster said:

Dude lives in Moose Jaw now. He’s probably pretty grumpy 

He can live anywhere he wants. Why Moose Jaw?

[FrostyWinnipeg]

10 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

He can live anywhere he wants. Why Moose Jaw?

Really good jerky.

[The Unknown Poster]

10 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

He can live anywhere he wants. Why Moose Jaw?

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/burton-cummings-moose-jaw-1.4948061

Quote

The former Guess Who frontman says he decided to move to the mid-sized Saskatchewan city — population slightly under 34,000 — just over a year ago, after decades living in the United States.

"I was in Los Angeles for 40 years — the big city — and you know, I'm getting a little older now," said Cummings, who is about to turn 71. "Now that I'm over 40 I'd like to slow down a little bit, and I really do like Moose Jaw."

He said the city is "small" and "sane" compared to southern California.

"There's very little violence here, very little traffic. I've been very comfortable here."

Cummings is originally from Winnipeg, but became quite familiar with Saskatchewan early in his career.

"When I first joined The Guess Who I had just turned 18, and we spent the whole summer of 1966 in Regina at the Westward Inn," he said, easily rattling off some of the small communities he remembers.

"Every night we would drive out to some place like Katepwa or Estevan, or one of the smaller places, and we'd play for four hours, drive back to the Westward Inn in Regina and do it all the next day."

The only drawback for Cummings is that Moose Jaw doesn't have an international airport.

"You can't fly in and out, and I fly so much," he said. "I have to drive to Regina and then fly out of there."

Now, after a year living in his new home, Cummings likens Moose Jaw to Mayberry, the fictional North Carolina town where The Andy Griffith Show was set.

"I know half the people here and I really enjoy it," he said.

And, even though the weather can't compare to Los Angeles, Cummings said Moose Jaw's "temperate" climate is also a reason he's grown fond of the city.

"I grew up in Winnipeg where it's always 100 below zero. Moose Jaw's very mild."

Funny he doesnt mention that he lived in Winnipeg recently.  He likes to make it sound like he lived in L.A. the whole time.  He had a place on Park Ave for many years but the impression I get was it was to be close to his mom.  When she died, he sold the place.

He was a regular at the hotel I worked at and I've been to his home many times.  One of my co-workers dated him and another was his house-sitter when he was away. 

[The Unknown Poster]

In regards to the first Max 8 crash, this is pretty damning:

Quote

When Lion Air flight 610 fell into the sea just twelve minutes after take off, there had been problems with the plane for days.

“Problems related to airspeed and altitude” were logged on each of the four flights the aircraft took over the previous three days.

“Various maintenance procedures were carried out, but the issues remained on each successive flight,” according to official records.

Two days before the crash, a sensor was replaced and tested but pilots continued to experience issues with “erroneous airspeed data” and a feature named “automatic nose down trim” unexpectedly kicking in, which pilots were forced to counter manually.

The problem is, most of the pilots operating the new aircraft hadn’t been trained in how to override MCAS. Worse still, most of them weren’t even made aware of its existence.

Flight 610 was the fifth time in four days pilots of the doomed plane experienced issues with the MCAS feature.

As with the previous flights, the plane slipped into automatic nose down trim, which pilots this time attempted to counter by manually triggering a nose up trim. They were able to maintain this oscillation for ten minutes before the plane crashed into the sea, killing all on-board.

So obviously, several other pilots figured out how to deal with it.

I think the end result is going to be Boeing bearing the brunt of criticism for not highlighting this new feature but the aircraft itself will be considered safe.  I saw the FAA is under scrutiny for certifying the plane too.  The idea being that the Max is different enough from previous versions that it required more intensive training.  Which is why Boeing would not highlight the major changes.

[The Unknown Poster]

This is a hell of a read 

 

[SpeedFlex27]

3 hours ago, The Unknown Poster said:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/burton-cummings-moose-jaw-1.4948061

Funny he doesnt mention that he lived in Winnipeg recently.  He likes to make it sound like he lived in L.A. the whole time.  He had a place on Park Ave for many years but the impression I get was it was to be close to his mom.  When she died, he sold the place.

He was a regular at the hotel I worked at and I've been to his home many times.  One of my co-workers dated him and another was his house-sitter when he was away. 

Thanks for the info. If he likes Moose Jaw then more power to him. The comment about it being milder than Winnipeg is a bit puzzling. 

[JCon]

3 hours ago, The Unknown Poster said:

He was a regular at the hotel I worked at and I've been to his home many times.  One of my co-workers dated him and another was his house-sitter when he was away. 

You obviously worked at the Palladium (Get-laid-ium)? 

[The Unknown Poster]

2 minutes ago, JCon said:

You obviously worked at the Palladium (Get-laid-ium)? 

Sure did!
 

Best job I ever had 😉 

Edited March 18, 2019 by The Unknown Poster