Word: takeoffs
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NASA needed the triumph. To the dismay of space officials, the maiden launch of Discovery had been postponed three times. The original takeoff date of June 25 was put off when a back-up computer refused to answer a command. The next day a fuel valve faltered 4 sec. before blastoff, again delaying the mission. Then, on Aug. 28, the day before the third scheduled launch, a NASA engineer discovered that the computer charged with the last-minute double-checking of equipment might miss some critical signals. Blast-off was deferred for 24 hrs., as computer programmers scrambled to write...
Although commercial-airline ads make lavish promises, "frequent flyers," as harried business passengers are called, know that three things are rare in the air: an on-time takeoff, a good meal and the use of a telephone. While the airlines work on promptness, the third problem will soon be remedied. Next month several American Airlines and TWA flights will begin carrying telephones for passenger...
...spur faster action, the Federal Aviation Administration said last week it was preparing to dictate takeoff and landing schedules on a minute-by-minute basis at the airports that account for 76% of the delays-New York City's Kennedy and La Guardia, Atlanta, Chicago, Denver and Newark. In Denver, for example, there are 58 scheduled landings between 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., although the airport's maximum is 30. The Government threat infuriated some carriers, which place much of the blame on shortages of fully qualified air-traffic controllers. One FAA official likened the airlines...
...provide more than excellence, since mere proficiency presumes existing standards of performance, and some athletes set wholly new standards. "I began to run slowly," Jesse Owens recalled. "Then faster, gaining speed with each step. My legs were moving at top speed now. I came closer and closer to the takeoff board. At the last moment I shortened my stride and hit the board with a pounding right foot. I felt my body rise in the air, and I scissors-kicked at the peak of it, flying 15, then 20, then 25 ft. through the air?straining closer and closer...
...Angeles last week, Anthony Skirlick, 36, was one of hundreds of angry passengers delayed for two hours on the runway at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, awaiting takeoff clearance from air-traffic controllers. Most travelers do not know precisely who is to blame for such holdups. But Skirlick, who is an air-traffic controller at the busy Palmdale, Calif, traffic center, lays the responsibility squarely on the doorstep of his employer, the Federal Aviation Administration. Says he: "They are simply trying to do more work with fewer people, and the technology is not keeping...