Model Airplanes

Finally, some good news about airplane travel: If you’re on a plane with a sick passenger, you probably won’t get sick.

That’s the conclusion of a new study that looked at how respiratory viruses spread on airplanes.

Researchers found that only people who were seated in the same row as a passenger with the flu, for example — or one row in front of or behind that individual — had a high risk of coming down with the illness after the flight. All other passengers had only a very slim chance of getting sick, according to the findings, which were published today (March 19) in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.  

Media reports have not necessarily presented accurate information about the risk of transmitting infections on an airplane, said Dr. Amesh Adalja, a spokesperson for the Infectious Disease Society of America and a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, who was not involved in the new study. [27 Devastating Infectious Diseases]

These new findings, however, should provide reassurance to airplane passengers that only the people in the immediate vicinity of an infected person may be exposed to respiratory infections and that it won’t affect everyone on the plane, Adalja told Live Science.

Prior to the new study, little was known about the risks of directly transmitting common respiratory viruses, such as the flu or common cold, on an airplane, the researchers said. So, to evaluate the risks of infection, the study team flew

Article source: https://www.livescience.com/62060-respiratory-viruses-airplane-transmission.html

KODIAK, Alaska (AP) — The Coast Guard is upgrading its fleet of multipurpose airplanes at an air station in Alaska to a newer model, officials said.

The current fleet of five C-130H airplanes at Coast

Article source: https://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Coast-Guard-to-upgrade-Kodiak-air-fleet-with-new-12761021.php

Airbus SE is considering building a freighter version of its slow-selling A330neo widebody, spurred by requests from potential customers Amazon.com Inc and United Parcel Service Inc., according to people familiar with the matter.

The interest from Amazon and UPS could rekindle a competition between Airbus and Boeing Co. as the global air-cargo market rebounds from a decade-long slump. Production of the popular Boeing 767 freighter has been restricted as the U.S. manufacturer focuses on a military tanker variant that is more than a year behind schedule, the people said.

If Airbus moves ahead, the cargo model could help lift sales of the A330neo, a re-engined version of the European planemaker’s smallest widebody, which has struggled in the marketplace. The aircraft has garnered 214 orders and lost a sale this month after Hawaiian Airlines switched to Boeing’s Dreamliner.

Airbus and Amazon declined to comment. “UPS studies possibilities for acquiring new and used aircraft as a matter of routine business. However, anything you may be hearing is speculation,’’ Glenn Zaccara, a spokesman for the Atlanta-based courier, said by email.

Airbus has already been exploring ways to boost sales of the A330, including a pitch to increase the jet’s maximum takeoff weight and range. Both Amazon and UPS are asking Airbus to consider stretching the A330-900’s fuselage to enable it to carry more cargo while flying a shorter range, the people said.

KODIAK, Alaska — The Coast Guard is upgrading its fleet of multipurpose airplanes at an air station in Alaska to a newer model, officials said.

The current fleet of five C-130H airplanes at Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak will be replaced with the C-130J Super Hercules model over the next two years, the Kodiak Daily Mirror reported.

Besides moving cargo and personnel, the military transport airplanes are used for search and rescue and law enforcement operations, said Charly Hengen, a Coast Guard public affairs officer.

The C-130J model, built by the Lockheed Martin Corp., has been updated with newer technology. It’s also equipped with capabilities allowing it to ascend higher and faster, and take off and land on shorter runways.

The first new aircraft is expected to arrive at the air station this summer. The rest of the fleet will be replaced by 2020.

The air station has begun construction on projects to support the new aircraft, including building a liquid oxygen facility, Hengen said. The airplanes are not pressurized, so liquid oxygen is carried to provide air. The current planes use compressed oxygen gas.

Hengen said the new planes require a support staff of 19, who will be either trained on base or swapped out with current service members

The air station expects to add five personnel to the base as a result of the upgraded aircraft. About 1,000 service members operate on the base.

This article was from The Associated Press and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher

Article source: https://www.military.com/daily-news/2018/03/19/coast-guard-upgrade-kodiak-air-fleet-newer-model.html