Tuesday, March 24, 2009
PMDG's New Secret Plane: Jetstream 41
Some shop Germany leaked this info, and Ryan from PMDG just confirmed it. The new "secret plane" from PMDG is going to be a Jetstream 41 turboprop! Ryan was rather displeased at the way this was revealed, but at least for me, it does not diminish my interest in the product in the least. I am looking forward to seeing what they have done with this one! Sounds great.
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2 comments:
hey chris,
as I was searching for info on fokkers I found your blog..
so, here's the problem..I'm a freaked out flyer..hate it hate it hate it. with that said I love to travel...
I will be flying out of Odessa Ukraine after a river cruise..on Malev Hungarian airlines..on you guessed it.. a little F*cker..I'm sorry, let me be more lady like a focker ..
in your opinion how safe is
a. the odessa Ukraine airport
b. Malev Hungarian Airlines
c. the plane
thanks for your time..
I'll check back on your blog, to see if you felt like responding or you can reach me through my website ourpassportstamps.com
Hi there,
I apologize for the delayed response to your comment! I have been interviewing for a new job this past week, and have not had time to check the blog.
I am envious of your travel plans! It sounds like you have a really neat adventure coming up. Unfortunately, I have never flown to the Ukraine nor with Malev, so I have no firsthand knowledge to share. However, based on what I have read, I don't think you have much reason to worry.
Malev is the national airline of Hungary. It was their former state carrier during the communist era, but it has been thoroughly modernized over the last 20 years or so in the free-market era. Hungary became a full member of the EU in 2004, and as such, its airlines have to comply with the EU's strict air safety regulations. As far as I know, Malev has only had one incident involving fatalities in its entire history, when a Soviet-made Tu-154 jet crashed in Lebanon in 1975. Its fleet has been completely modernized to all-western aircraft (especially Boeing 737s) now. I would consider Malev to be a very safe airline, and would not have any reservations about flying on it myself.
I honestly don't know much at all about the Odessa Airport. The airport seems especially popular with Eastern European airlines, although El Al also flies to it from Israel. The airport has one runway, over 9000 ft. (2800 m) long, which is ample enough to land even a 747.
The Fokker 70 is an older plane which is being phased out. This is not due to safety reasons, but simply efficiency reasons. With the skyrocketing fuel prices, many airlines have found it to be cheaper to replace older aircraft with newer, more fuel-efficient planes. The Fokker 70 (and 100, its bigger sibling) is actually not all that old -- it was only discontinued in the 1990s. It features some modern, computerized instruments in the cockpit. It has to be fully compliant with the EU safety regulations, or it would not be certified to fly.
I highly recommend checking out www.askcaptainlim.com sometime, if you have a chance! Captain Lim is a former Boeing 777 pilot, and he has set up a site where he answers all kinds of questions from nervous fliers about air travel. He does a great job of explaining all the safety features of the airplane, and the safety training and procedures pilots are required to undergo. I think you may find it very reassuring.
Good luck, and have a great trip! Don't worry, I used to be afraid to fly, too. My wife still hates flying.
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