Swiss Mountain Patrol Helicopter Photo

On a Swiss hiking trip in May. This helicopter and crew appeared out of nowhere. Not sure what they were doing but within minutes they working their carefully and slowly up the mountain in the background - basically tacking back and forth to gain altitude. Interesting break from the tranquility of this beautiful setting.

TAGS: aviation, switzerland

Picture - American Airlines Boeing 757

Boeing 757 at the ramp in Toronto. American Airlines added the Boeing 757 to its fleet in 1989. The 757 shares the same fuselage width as the earlier Boeing 707 and in many ways the 757 is really a much more efficient, twin-engine 707. Seating 176 passengers in a two-class configuration, American's 757s are used mostly on medium-haul or high-density routes. Behind the MD-80, the 757 is the second most numerous aircraft in American Airline's fleet. American operates 102 Boeing 757s. According to Boing Boing, American Airlines just returned to profitability after 5 years. Seems if you take away enough olives from the salad, taxi around on one engine and make parts from used vacuum cleaners, it's possible to survive in this tough business.

Serious RC Modeler

Cruising the web and came across this site, Pauls Plane Pics. Some serious radio control models here along with some great flying pics. Top pic is a Handley Page Victor. RAF nuclear bomber from the 50's. Very cool.

Air France A-340 Crash

This is the picture on front page of the Toronto Globe and Mail today. Article here. Good passenger stories. Bumpy landing through storm. Applause. Crash. Smoke. Panic. Get out into a creek. Walk to Canada's busiest highway. Phone mum and dad. Heard one lady on CBC who was on final leg from Bangkok. Had been up 35 hours when CBC interviewed her. Very wired and happy to be alive. CBC also interviewed a teenager. Got out of the plane. Took refuge from pouring rain in the back of a semi. Wind changed direction, filled the semi with smoke - they all had to be 'evacuated' from the semi. CBC announcer could barely contain his frustration as plane story became truck story. Good news all round except for the pilots and plane's insurance company!