Jonathan Money asked:


Flying an aircraft is a complicated task in and of itself.  Navigating from one point to another over unknown terrain can be even more complex, but trying to do both at once quickly becomes overwhelming.  This is why proper flight planning is such a necessity to any good pilot or airman.  Luckily in today’s world, flight planning software exists to help speed the process along while maintaining accuracy.  By entering such variables as wind speed and direction, aircraft weight, course and temperature, flight planning software programs can calculate a host of important information such as wind correction angle, true airspeed, runway crosswinds, and magnetic variation.  Great aviation websites like Student Flying Club even offer pilots a free online E6B flight computer!

For many new pilots, mastering the E6B flight calculator is one of the most complicated tasks to learn.  And although becoming a pilot requires learning how to use such a great tool, online flight planning software including an E6B can help speed up the learning process.   Any calculation that can be made on a manual E6B can usually be made on an online version of such flight planning software.  Temperature conversions from Fahrenheit to Celsius and wind chill calculations are possible, as well as density altitude, pressure conversion, heat index, dew point, and relative humidity percentages that help determine whether or not a flight is viable that day.  Magnetic variation calculations for flight planning also help determine course corrections by entering the latitude and longitude needed for different parts of the Continental US, Europe, and even Alaska.  In the past these figures needed to be calculated either manually or through a hand-held E6B calculator, but with new flight planning software this information is available with just a few short keystrokes.

Aside from the online E6B computer, pilots can take advantage of other pieces of flight planning software available to them as well.  Airport Distance calculators are a great tool for determining the distance and heading between two distinct airports.  Some of these distance calculators go through great lengths to maintain a large database of airports - not only those larger ones in class C and D airspace but also the smaller, non-tower controlled airports.  This helps student pilots in flight planning by allowing them to plot several different courses from their own home airport, regardless of how small it may be.  Learning to fly while based at a larger airport can be daunting, and most pilots get their private license flying out of smaller home airfields.

Online flight planning also includes takeoff and landing distance calculators, as well as complicated weight and balance charts.  These online flight planning tools take most of the manual mathematics out of the picture, allowing for less margin of error.  Aviation flight planning of course may also include the filing of an actual flight plan with local airport towers or FSS (flight service stations), and such a flight plan is required for IFR routes.  While there’s currently no direct online way to file a flight plan, some flight planning software offers helpful printable forms that can be filled out from your keyboard and then printed on paper.  Required fields and form checking help maintain that such  forms are properly filled out before being submitted to the proper authorities and filed as flight plans.

Finally, one of the most important aspects of planning a flight is the observance of up-to-date current weather conditions.  Flight planning software comes in extremely handy here, where most every website or application can now be easily linked to the NOAA’s National Weather Service.  Forecasting is still never an exact science, flight planning tools and applications can usually come pretty close to determining near-future weather conditions.  Immediate airport condition reports from across the US and even the world can be instantly collated into a central location and displayed for pilots right before a flight so they can make a go or no-go decision right before scheduled takeoff.  And as satellite-driven GPS technology becomes sharper and smaller, such GPS units become more readily available to today’s pilot.  He or she can fly their aircraft and get up-to-the-second weather information simply by looking at their externally mounted GPS units or even their glass cockpit displays.

Flight planning software has come a long way in a very short period of time, and there seems to be no limit to the amount of good it can do.  Technology has made today’s pilot a safer, more educated airman.  Planning a flight has been made easier and more error-free, and keeping track of flight plans has become a lot more manageable.  In the end, as long as technology continues to advance, piloting an aircraft will continue to be made safer.



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John Morris asked:


For people who would like to have the most privilege and the benefits in flying, he would normally choose a charter flight instead of taking the usual airline flights that many of us had experienced. Basically, charter flights refer to those flights that deviate from the normal course of flight activities and schedules. This means that with charter flights, you can personally decide the time, date, and the location according to your personal preference and necessity. Actually, in a simpler point of view, charter flights are specially created to provide convenient flying to people who do not have fixed schedules. It also provides expediency to people whose activities require frequent flying that take place usually out of the typical flight schedules.

1. Nature Of Charter Flights

In most instances, charter flights are used during the peak season and holidays. That is why, most charter flight tickets are included in vacation holiday packages. These vacation packages include all the necessary items needed by an individual like the price of the ticket, accommodation, food, and other services. Even if charter flights are more manageable, however, the discretion is usually based on the preference of the passengers, it also entails some rules and regulations that must be observed at all times. Normally, charter flights will only take its course if it has a near 100% seating capacity or if the numbers of passengers are almost filling up the actual number of seating capacity of a certain charter plane. However, its actual number of seating capacity is lower than the usual number of commercial airplanes. On the other hand, not all charter flights are created perfect. Hence, there are instances that it also has its own flaws and drawbacks as well as its advantages and benefits.

2. Pros And Cons

Pros

- Charter flights can provide you with many flights, even up to ten times, as compared to what the traditional commercial planes can give you. - All you have to do is to pick your destination and the place of the airport where you want to land. - Charter flights give you the convenience of time because you decide your departure time. - With charter flights, you do not have to go through the tedious process of check-in and checkout requirements. - Charter flights give you the privilege of utmost convenience flying, away from the hustle and bustle of commercial planes.

Cons

- Charter flights cannot go anywhere around the globe. This is because there are some countries that do not allow the entry of charter planes. - As much as it can give you the convenience of flying, charter flights are susceptible to restricted flights and stiff schedules. This means that there are instances wherein charter flights cannot arrange or change some flights for you in the event that there are some changes in your schedules. - Payments for charter flights are usually in advance. This would mean that you are financially compelled to follow the rules, otherwise, you cannot hire their services. - As much as it can be safe, charter flights may not be capable of providing you with utmost security. However, this is still subject to some factors and that not all charter flights are created equal. That is why it is extremely important to choose a charter flight that is fully recognized and credited by the Federal Aviation Administration or the FAA.

3. Other Considerations

Indeed, charter flights may be applicable to some but not all. After all, the selection and the final discretion are always dependent on the person who will pay for the services. Just remember, in order to avoid any discrepancy or problems with regards to the services of your chosen charter flight agency, always do some background check first. As mentioned, be sure that the charter flight that you will use is duly credited and recognized by the FAA. Otherwise, any problem that may arise from your use of their charter flight services may be disregarded especially if the company is not authorized by the FAA. The bottom line here is that where your money goes, care and security must be observed at all times.



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Imaculate Johnson asked:


All of us have the itch to get away from the hustle and bustle of making a living and just go out and take a flight to some exotic destination. Annie Lennox couldn’t have said it any more clearly - I travel the world and the seven seas, everybody is looking for something. But traveling can be expensive, especially if you booking tickets at cost. If you want to save money, what you can do is to find the best last minute flight deals.

You can find last minute flight deals from the Internet, either from the airlines themselves, or from websites offering last minute flight deals. There are certainly a lot of choices that you can look up. You only need to look up “last minute flight” on search engines like Google.

The Internet Is Your Best Ally

Back when there was still no Internet, it was almost impossible to find last minute flight deals. But with the sophistication of the Internet, it is now possible to search for last minute flight deals and make your reservations with just a click of the button.

As far as airlines are concerned, all of them always want to sell empty seats before flights. They don’t necessarily advertise last minute flight deals on their website ALL THE TIME. And so what you can do is to call up the airline offices and ask for last minute flight deals.

Low cost travel sites are also one of the best places to find last minute flight deals. Do not believe that you need to book at least two weeks in advance in order to get the cheapest airfares. Many of these websites actually offer the best last minute flight deals.

Time To Think Over Your Best Options

To get the best last minute deals, you might want to consider taking time away from direct flights. Flights on connections cost cheaper than direct flights. If you stick to flights on connections, you will definitely save more money.

You can also save money if you stay one or two days at your destination. Of course, if you stay one or two more additional days, make sure you are staying with family or friends or have enough money to cover your hotel expenses.

Consider Memberships To Last Minute Travel Clubs

Now if you are NOT ready to really stretch yourself just to come up with creative ways to save money on your travel, consider becoming a member of last minute travel clubs.

Aside from giving you deeply discounted last minute flight prices; there are other perks to memberships. Frequent traveling earns you loyalty points which you can use to “buy” other tickets for traveling - that are sure savings for you.

Since travel clubs usually have tie-ups with hotels, you can stay at hotels at discounted rates instead of the published rates. Sometimes the discounts can be as high as 65%. In choosing which travel club to join, it always pays to do your research as with anything else. Find a travel club that offers discounts to an extensive network of hotels in many major cities nationwide.



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Europelowcost asked:


General information on low cost airlines

Low cost airlines and their fares deeply changed the flight sector. A low cost (or no frills, or low fares) is an airline company that offers flights at very competitive prices (Cheap Flights) by not offering or by selling most of passenger services (like on-board meals, seats bookings, etc.). Cheap flights were born in USA in 1971 with Southwest Airlines, and started spreading in Europe at the beginning of the ’90s with Ireland’s Ryanair.

Statistics and history in brief

To point out the strong growth of low cost flights we will show a few stats: in 1994 about 3 million passengers flew low cost, most of them with Ryanair, and in 1995 they reached 17,5 million.

In 1995 British Airways founded their cheap flights division named Go, operating from London Stanstead airport in 1998. The same year Go started operating form London Luton as well. In the year 2000, Go was sold to EasyJet.com with an operational loss of over 21 million Pounds. In 2000 KLM also entered the low cost world with Buzz, which was bought over by Ryanair in 2003 with very high losses. Currently EasyJet.com and Ryanair are among the most successful European low cost airlines, and operate over several hundred routes.

Today’s market situation sees a strong and constant growth of the cheap flights sector, new routes being opened every day by all main airlines, In the future a strong growth of low cost companies it is foreseen also in the long range flights segments.

Why low cost flights are such

Low cost airlines are very flexible and efficient organizations with a cost structure that is very different from the one of traditional airlines. Cutting many costs allows them to offer very competitive prices.

Costs are optimized mainly in the following areas:

- Tickets sales are direct, Internet being the main channel. By shortening the intermediation chain, costs can be deeply reduced.

- Smaller and cheaper airports are used, that are also less jammed by traffic.

- On-board services and crews. No meals are served. Fewer crew members are used, and airplanes need less cleaning.

- Full usage of aircraft capacity. Airplanes always fly full charge and fly more often to amortize costs. They have faster load/download times (25/35 minutes vs. 2 hours of traditional companies).

- Newer and all equal aircraft. Low cost companies fleets are made all of the same make of planes, all new ones and easy to service, in order to have them all at maximum efficiency.

Characteristics of low cost companies

To operate cheap flights, airlines must have specific characteristics to allow them to keep prices as low as possible. The basic ones are:

- A single passenger class, with free choice of the seating place.

- A single airplane make (in order to optimize service costs), such as Airbus A320s or Boeing 737s (for instance: Ryanair uses Boeing 737 series, EasyJet favors both Boeing 737s and Airbus A319s).

- Airplanes have more seats (for instance, Lufthansa’s Boeing 737s carry 132 passengers, EasyJet’s ones carry 148).

- Lower weight allowance for both hand carried and stored luggage.

- No free meals or beverages are served on board, but they are available to buy.

- Crew members fulfill multiple tasks (mainly stewardesses and stewards).

- Intensive use of airfleets. For instance, EasyJet flies an average of 10.7 hours a day, while British Airways flies 7.1 hours. Airport stops are shorter (with a faster turnover, usually 25 minutes between flights), and flights are shorter too.

- Connections are made using convenient secondary airfields, often far away from town centers, without slot restrictions, little air traffic and lower airstrip fares.

- Straight peer-to-peer connections without luggage transfers to other coincident flights (separate check-in and check-out), no coordinate flight plans with other airlines.

- Expenditure savings trough direct ticket sales, especially trough the Internet and outsourced call centers, automated check-ins and, occasionally service fees.

- Certain offers (as low as 0.99?) are only valid for in-advance bookings or are limited offers, for a relatively low number of seats.

- Lean management (savings on staff). For instance, Germanwings in Cologne employs no more than 50 people.

It isn’t easy to be low cost: flops

There were new low cost companies that flew only a few months, or even only a few days, like Ireland’s JetGreen Airways, that stopped all activities in May 2004 after only one week without paying back about 40.000 already sold tickets.

- V Bird flew from October 23, 2003 to October 8, 2004 from Düsseldorf.

- VolareWeb, low cost daughter of Italy’s Volare went bankrupt on November 23, 2004. On October 30, 2004 they stopped at once their flights between Germany and Italy. In June 2005 they started to fly again, mainly to domestic destinations and a few European ones.

Several more or less known flops were: Minerva, Gandalf, Azzurra, Air Sicilia, ItalAir, Air Libertè.

When to book

It is usually better to book your cheap flights in large advance, at least 15 days before leaving. Better offers are for departures from Mondays to Thursdays: Better to avoid leaving on week ends. Always buy return tickets and be ready to take off at unusual times (early mornings or late evenings).

Canceling or modifying bookings

Before booking read thoroughly the company’s regulations about cancelling or modifying bookings! Usually cheap flights tickets not used on the booked flight are not payed back as recession rights for long distance travel do not apply to this kind of sales. About changing departure dates, every company have different regulations, which you better always check on the company’s site. Usually changing dates is not convenient. It is better to loose your old ticket and buy a new one.

How to pay

To shorten intermediation chains, thus offering competitive prices, low cost airlines use favor Internet and call canters (these may apply a small overcharge). Therefore be ready to pay via credit card (payments are secure, to verify be sure that Internet addresses change form http: to https:).

Cheap Flights Confirmation and check in

If you book on line, you will receive a confirmation mail at the e-mail address you specified. For telephone bookings at a call center, you will receive confirmation via fax, e-mail or, eventually by regular mail. In the last case, certain companies ask for a small overcharge if sending via messenger mail. If you are e-booking, that means if you buy your ticker on line, you receive confirmation via e-mail. It is enough to print it out and to show it at the booking counter at the airport.

Secure on line payments

On line payments are preferred by low cost airlines. To guarantee discretion in data transfer on the web, credit cards use the most advanced SSL (Secure Socket Layer) technology. When paying, if your browser uses SSL you just select Protected Mode and your data will be protected. If the browser has limitations, you can use Unprotected Mode. We recommend to get hold of the latest version to be able to carry out without problems all transactions.

Watch out for taxes and extras

Unfortunately, in offers of may low cost airlines there is a not yet regulated very bad habit of give only a partial price, not including overcharges and extras. So don’t be fooled by offers at 0.01 cents, always calculate global prices including taxes, overcharges and fuel costs. Sometimes there are huge differences in price.

Get organized for transportation

Low cost companies usually fly from secondary airfields that can be very far from final destinations (there are almost 70 miles from Stanstead to London), so make sure you know your way out (costs, timings and transportation time) and get organized to reach your destination.

Your luggage

Luggage transport is another point to pay attention to when flying low cost to avoid spending more on extra allowances than on tickets. Extra payload is usually very expensive and companies are very strict about it. So pay extreme attention to luggage overweight regulations and “weigh well” your suitcases.

This article is brought to you by http://en.europelowcost.com



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Ravinder Singh asked:


Flights Information entails notification of details concerning the arrival and departure of flights, availability of tickets, and the information regarding the various flights available to major cities around the world. In this fast paced world, where people are constantly on the move, they need to keep a constant tab on their flight schedules. The time of arrival and departure of flights as well as information in case of any delay or rescheduling is also made available. To help the passengers reach their destinations on scheduled time, flight information updates have been made available on the Internet as well as on various cell phone networks.

The technological advances have enabled all the major airliners to go on the World Wide Web and provide their passengers with the facility to book flights. People from all across the globe can check the availability of seats of their choice and make on line flight reservations. Prior on line reservations ensures a hassle free journey.

Air transportation has been made easy and affordable in recent years. Almost all major companies operate cheap flights to various parts of the world. The introduction of cheap flights has increased the number of passengers availing flights even for short distances.

Flights from different parts of the world fly to the Big Apple or New York. Cheap flights to New York are also available. New York City is served by John F. Kennedy International Airport, the Newark Liberty International Airport and the La Guardia Airport. JFK serves as the hub of the Delta Air Lines, Jet Blue Airways and American Airlines. Flights to New York are also available from all the states in the Unites States of America.

Las Vegas, occupying the Western coast of the North American continent, is one of the popular tourist destinations in the world. Las Vegas is served by the Mc Carran International Airport. As many as 125 flights to different cities in the country operate from the Las Vegas Airport. It is in fact one of the busiest airports in the world in terms of air traffic and passenger movement. Flights to Las Vegas connect the city with other parts of the world.

The national capital of Washington DC is served by several airports. These include the Baltimore-Washington International Airport, the Washington Dulles International Airport and the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport better known as the National Airport. Flights to Washington are conducted by several airliners. These airlines include the Midwest Airlines, US Airways and Northwest Airline KLM. Some of them also conduct cheap flights to Washington.

Flights to Paris mainly serve a couple of airports namely Charled de Gaulle Airport and the Ory Airport. Tourists flock the French capital in large numbers each year. Almost 500 flights from 132 different nations fly regularly to Paris. They carry almost 75 million passengers to and from Paris on an annual basis.



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Ani Ben asked:


Cheap Flight Only Deals work as agents for all the supplied airlines and as so we can display to you each airlines best rates for flights as well as any special offers or late availability deals. We search the internet and over 520 airlines to give you low fare air tickets.

We display the cheapest fares airlines are offering today. Now there’s a travel engine that can read the airlines’ minds. Our website shows you which fares are currently the cheapest, it uses advanced mathematics to predict whether those fares are likely to go up or down in the next few days. If ticket prices are likely to drop, you can save money by waiting to buy until they do. We can find that special cheap flight instantly. We have made our site as user friendly as possible and several quotes can be obtained very easily in a few clicks.

First and foremost, we are all about providing a fast and easy-to-use way for you to find cheap flights. You can book cheap airline tickets to domestic and worldwide destinations search through many flight providers to get you the best deals on cheap flights.

Cheap Flight Only Deals work in partnership with The Car Hire Group to deliver quality value for money car rental worldwide. You can book your car hire online to get special offers and discounts on car rental at any of our offices in the UK, Europe and Worldwide including main airports. Also our online booking partner holiday express are members of ABTA protection and ATOL licence. They handle your bookings with the highest standards of service and quality; protect you from losing money, or being stranded abroad. These protections are included in the cost of a trip booked. VeriSign secure programme is used to encrypt all data entered onto our website. This ensures that any bookings made through our site will be totally safe throughout the whole booking process.

If your flight has been delayed, then Cheap Flight Only Deals provide airport lounge for just ?16.50 per person to rid off airport crowds. You can sit back and enjoy Tea/Coffee, Soft drinks, Alcoholicbeverages,Snacks, Magazines/Newspapers at a free cost. Through airport lounge screen, you can have minute flight information, so you won’t miss a thing.

Also we provide you with facility to book your train tickets to the Airport,Airport Hotels for easy accommodation, car parking at airport.

You can also purchase travel insurance through Cheap Flight Only Deals which will gives you comprehensive coverage without any hidden clauses or small print.

You can easily contact us by calling us on or by email. If you have any queries regarding our services or your flight booking, our FAQ section should able to answer you to your questions.



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Huzaili Aris asked:


If you are having a hard time finding cheap international flights to Asia you are not alone. Most major international airlines are cashing in on the fact that Asia is a hotspot for tourists from Europe and American and will very rarely if ever, offer cheap international flights to Asia.

The good news is that persistence pays and in your search for cheap international flights to Asia here are a few things you should keep in mind to ensure that you will get the best deal?

Should You Book Your Cheap International Flights to Asia early or late?

Can you count on getting a bargain at the last minute? With costs going up for all the international airlines, it seems that the odds of getting cheap international flights to Asia at the last minute are very slim.

If at all there is a cheap air fare, you can be sure it will be snapped up quickly; most likely on the first hour of the first day itself. Deals are available, but last minute deals are rare. Airlines are encouraging people to book in advance through discounted offers and very often cheap international flights to Asia are available a couple of months in advance. Airline budgets are getting tighter and the number of flights going out to destinations is being reduced to maximize profit.

The Early Bird gets the Cheap International Flights to Asia

In general, booking early will get you a good deal; booking a summer flight in January or February will be far less costly than booking the same flight in March or April. With the reduction in capacity, half empty planes are becoming less and less common. This means that the chance of snapping up a last minute deal is low.

However, you should never say never. In the event that you cannot find cheap international flights to Asia, one of the options you can explore when travelling in Asia is the low cost carriers that operate within the major hubs in the region. Singapore’s Changi Airport could be considered a hub for many of the major air carriers, much like Atlanta in the United States.

Low Cost Carriers and Cheap International Flights to Asia

There are many low cost, no frills airlines around the world. However, they mostly operate in a given region and rarely travel between continents. This means that even if you cannot find cheap international flights to Asia, you can still avail of bargain prices on domestic flights between the cities of the same country. Some low cost carriers will also operate between Asian countries.

If you are travelling around Asia, it might be an idea to consider booking flights on the low cost carriers between the countries that you intend visiting. Long haul flights offered by low cost airlines are only now being introduced between London and some parts of Southeast Asia. However, travel between south eastern Asian countries such as Singapore and Vietnam can be accomplished relying mainly on the low cost air carriers. There are also a handful of domestic airlines operating in Asian countries.

For example, if India is on your travel itinerary, you should note that there are half a dozen low cost airlines competing in India, so you may get a good deal on domestic flights on the subcontinent.



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Jonathan Money asked:


Flying an aircraft is a complicated task in and of itself.  Navigating from one point to another over unknown terrain can be even more complex, but trying to do both at once quickly becomes overwhelming.  This is why proper flight planning is such a necessity to any good pilot or airman.  Luckily in today’s world, flight planning software exists to help speed the process along while maintaining accuracy.  By entering such variables as wind speed and direction, aircraft weight, course and temperature, flight planning software programs can calculate a host of important information such as wind correction angle, true airspeed, runway crosswinds, and magnetic variation.  Great aviation websites like Student Flying Club even offer pilots a free online E6B flight computer!

For many new pilots, mastering the E6B flight calculator is one of the most complicated tasks to learn.  And although becoming a pilot requires learning how to use such a great tool, online flight planning software including an E6B can help speed up the learning process.   Any calculation that can be made on a manual E6B can usually be made on an online version of such flight planning software.  Temperature conversions from Fahrenheit to Celsius and wind chill calculations are possible, as well as density altitude, pressure conversion, heat index, dew point, and relative humidity percentages that help determine whether or not a flight is viable that day.  Magnetic variation calculations for flight planning also help determine course corrections by entering the latitude and longitude needed for different parts of the Continental US, Europe, and even Alaska.  In the past these figures needed to be calculated either manually or through a hand-held E6B calculator, but with new flight planning software this information is available with just a few short keystrokes.

Aside from the online E6B computer, pilots can take advantage of other pieces of flight planning software available to them as well.  Airport Distance calculators are a great tool for determining the distance and heading between two distinct airports.  Some of these distance calculators go through great lengths to maintain a large database of airports - not only those larger ones in class C and D airspace but also the smaller, non-tower controlled airports.  This helps student pilots in flight planning by allowing them to plot several different courses from their own home airport, regardless of how small it may be.  Learning to fly while based at a larger airport can be daunting, and most pilots get their private license flying out of smaller home airfields.

Online flight planning also includes takeoff and landing distance calculators, as well as complicated weight and balance charts.  These online flight planning tools take most of the manual mathematics out of the picture, allowing for less margin of error.  Aviation flight planning of course may also include the filing of an actual flight plan with local airport towers or FSS (flight service stations), and such a flight plan is required for IFR routes.  While there’s currently no direct online way to file a flight plan, some flight planning software offers helpful printable forms that can be filled out from your keyboard and then printed on paper.  Required fields and form checking help maintain that such  forms are properly filled out before being submitted to the proper authorities and filed as flight plans.

Finally, one of the most important aspects of planning a flight is the observance of up-to-date current weather conditions.  Flight planning software comes in extremely handy here, where most every website or application can now be easily linked to the NOAA’s National Weather Service.  Forecasting is still never an exact science, flight planning tools and applications can usually come pretty close to determining near-future weather conditions.  Immediate airport condition reports from across the US and even the world can be instantly collated into a central location and displayed for pilots right before a flight so they can make a go or no-go decision right before scheduled takeoff.  And as satellite-driven GPS technology becomes sharper and smaller, such GPS units become more readily available to today’s pilot.  He or she can fly their aircraft and get up-to-the-second weather information simply by looking at their externally mounted GPS units or even their glass cockpit displays.

Flight planning software has come a long way in a very short period of time, and there seems to be no limit to the amount of good it can do.  Technology has made today’s pilot a safer, more educated airman.  Planning a flight has been made easier and more error-free, and keeping track of flight plans has become a lot more manageable.  In the end, as long as technology continues to advance, piloting an aircraft will continue to be made safer.



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JohnM asked:


About El Al

El Al is Israel’s national airline. The airline was founded in 1948, shortly after the Declaration of Independence of the State of Israel. Today, El Al and its Star of David logo have become synonymous with flights to Israel, high levels of in-flight and pre-flight security, and warm Israeli hospitality. These factors combine to make traveling with El Al a particularly relaxing and enjoyable experience. Passengers traveling on El Al flights can relax in their seats and enjoy the flight, knowing that their personal safety and comfort are being extremely well cared for.

El Al flies to over forty destinations: from Beijing in China, to Johannesburg in South Africa, and St. Petersburg in Russia. El Al is the only airline to operate direct LA flights to Israel. Other North American departure points for direct flights to Tel Aviv include New York, Toronto, and Miami.

El Al is also known for the spontaneous applause and sometimes singing that erupts in the passenger cabin upon landing at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.

LA Flights to Israel with El Al

Direct LA flights to Israel with El Al commenced in July 2006. It is an extremely popular route, and currently there are five weekly flights from Los Angeles International Airport to Ben Gurion International Airport. The flight time is approximately 15 hours. The route is served by the new Boeing 777-200 and the Boeing 747. Passengers on these flights can choose between three levels of seating: economy, business and first class.

In June 2008, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa arrived in Israel on an El AL flight to Tel Aviv. Mayor Villaraigosa was scheduled to meet EL Al Chairman Prof. Israel Borovich, and El Al President Haim Romano. There has been some discussion about the possibility of adding additional scheduled flights between Tel Aviv and Los Angeles.

New Aircraft at El Al

In 2007, El Al purchased two new Boeing 777-200 airliners. The 777-200 is the largest twin engine aircraft in the world, and has improved fuel economy. The purchase represents the company’s strategy of growth, and its commitment to the long-haul destinations, such as the LA flights to Tel Aviv. One of the aircrafts has been named Sderot, after the southern Israeli city that is under constant rocket and mortar shell fire from the nearby Gaza Strip. During his recent mission, Mayor Villaraigosa traveled to Sderot in order to show his solidarity with its residents.

El Al Security

El Al Israel Airlines is famed for its security, which over the years has evolved into one that is envied though no never equaled by other major airlines. The security envelope includes both pre-flight and in-flight measures, all of which make passengers on flights to Tel Aviv feel that their personal safety is paramount.



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Jonathan Money asked:


Flying an aircraft is a complicated task in and of itself.  Navigating from one point to another over unknown terrain can be even more complex, but trying to do both at once quickly becomes overwhelming.  This is why proper flight planning is such a necessity to any good pilot or airman.  Luckily in today’s world, flight planning software exists to help speed the process along while maintaining accuracy.  By entering such variables as wind speed and direction, aircraft weight, course and temperature, flight planning software programs can calculate a host of important information such as wind correction angle, true airspeed, runway crosswinds, and magnetic variation.  Great aviation websites like Student Flying Club even offer pilots a free online E6B flight computer!

For many new pilots, mastering the E6B flight calculator is one of the most complicated tasks to learn.  And although becoming a pilot requires learning how to use such a great tool, online flight planning software including an E6B can help speed up the learning process.   Any calculation that can be made on a manual E6B can usually be made on an online version of such flight planning software.  Temperature conversions from Fahrenheit to Celsius and wind chill calculations are possible, as well as density altitude, pressure conversion, heat index, dew point, and relative humidity percentages that help determine whether or not a flight is viable that day.  Magnetic variation calculations for flight planning also help determine course corrections by entering the latitude and longitude needed for different parts of the Continental US, Europe, and even Alaska.  In the past these figures needed to be calculated either manually or through a hand-held E6B calculator, but with new flight planning software this information is available with just a few short keystrokes.

Aside from the online E6B computer, pilots can take advantage of other pieces of flight planning software available to them as well.  Airport Distance calculators are a great tool for determining the distance and heading between two distinct airports.  Some of these distance calculators go through great lengths to maintain a large database of airports - not only those larger ones in class C and D airspace but also the smaller, non-tower controlled airports.  This helps student pilots in flight planning by allowing them to plot several different courses from their own home airport, regardless of how small it may be.  Learning to fly while based at a larger airport can be daunting, and most pilots get their private license flying out of smaller home airfields.

Online flight planning also includes takeoff and landing distance calculators, as well as complicated weight and balance charts.  These online flight planning tools take most of the manual mathematics out of the picture, allowing for less margin of error.  Aviation flight planning of course may also include the filing of an actual flight plan with local airport towers or FSS (flight service stations), and such a flight plan is required for IFR routes.  While there’s currently no direct online way to file a flight plan, some flight planning software offers helpful printable forms that can be filled out from your keyboard and then printed on paper.  Required fields and form checking help maintain that such  forms are properly filled out before being submitted to the proper authorities and filed as flight plans.

Finally, one of the most important aspects of planning a flight is the observance of up-to-date current weather conditions.  Flight planning software comes in extremely handy here, where most every website or application can now be easily linked to the NOAA’s National Weather Service.  Forecasting is still never an exact science, flight planning tools and applications can usually come pretty close to determining near-future weather conditions.  Immediate airport condition reports from across the US and even the world can be instantly collated into a central location and displayed for pilots right before a flight so they can make a go or no-go decision right before scheduled takeoff.  And as satellite-driven GPS technology becomes sharper and smaller, such GPS units become more readily available to today’s pilot.  He or she can fly their aircraft and get up-to-the-second weather information simply by looking at their externally mounted GPS units or even their glass cockpit displays.

Flight planning software has come a long way in a very short period of time, and there seems to be no limit to the amount of good it can do.  Technology has made today’s pilot a safer, more educated airman.  Planning a flight has been made easier and more error-free, and keeping track of flight plans has become a lot more manageable.  In the end, as long as technology continues to advance, piloting an aircraft will continue to be made safer.



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