robin1234

The novel is Marazan, by Nevil Shute. It’s his first published novel. Not sure how many he published, he was prolific, I’ve read quite a few of them. He was an aeronautical engineer by profession. His Second World War novels are all really good. In terms of authoritative sounding technical details & plot elements, he’s usually pretty believable but also introduces some slightly weird ones like this .. it obviously plays no part in the plot, he seems to have just written it in to have fun.

Finknottle

Engineer to the R100 airship - highly critical of the (ill fated) R101 project.

BristolUK

calman014

Now that you mention Boeing...

Finknottle

Boeing to Make Changes in Quality Control -

BristolUK

Remember when seeing a photo of a plane like this in the paper meant Hijack?

Pulaski

What's a "highjack"? ... You're showing your age!

Seriously though, they really went out of fashion after the 1980's, presumably due to increased airport security. Also after most countries started refusing to let a highjacked plane take off once it had landed, which I think was the policy in the UK from the time of the first hijacks - "once you're down, you're staying".

That said, the key part of your post is "seeing a photo" .... there's no reason to take a photo if something that isn't extraordinary, and when I first started flying from London Gatwick to Charlotte, NC (which was 1998) it wasn't uncommon to go to the departure gate at Gatwick, then, instead of walking down the airbridge onto the plane, passengers were directed through a side door, down a staircase, and onto a waiting bus. The bus then drove across the airfield to a remote parking area where the plane was waiting with a set of steps for passengers to climb to get onto the plane. That wasn't always the case, but after the Great Recession of 2008-2010, Charlotte flights were rerouted to LHR where AFAIK nobody gets bussed to a remote parking area to board their plane.

Finknottle

I do, this one, for example, 2000, Stansted, Afghan Ariana hijack -

BristolUK

Yes, that's exactly it. Most picture examples of planes are taking off, landing or up in the air. When we see one on the ground there are usually obvious signs of it being at an airport - terminal buildings, other planes, passengers getting off or on.

Don't recall it specifically but it has the hallmarks.

Finknottle

Another proposal for an electric commuter aircraft. A 76 tonner - of which 34 tonnes is battery, 90 passengers, range approximately 500 nms. Current equivalent, for example, is the Dash 8, 82 pax, maximum take off weight approx 32 tonnes, range 1100 nms.

Hmmm.

BristolUK

How much further if they collect all passenger cellphones?

markonline1

Plenty of remote parking at LHR

Pulaski

For reason of weight, battery power is never likely to be practical for aircraft unless/until a battery is invented that does not use large quantities of metal, and as of now, no such technology exists. Capacitors are a lighter way to store electricity, but cannot store anywhere near the amount of energy that a battery can.

Finknottle

"Chaos broke out on a flight after maggots began raining on to plane passengers from an overhead compartment.

The "absolutely gross" situation saw the Delta flight forced to make a U-turn about an hour into the nine-hour trip from Amsterdam to Detroit.

Passengers reported the back of the plane was left teeming with the larvae that it later emerged were emanating from a rotten fish".

No flies then!

BristolUK

No fly zone.