Sound Bites

“The vampire represents the quintessential bad boy,” says Joanne Detore-Nakamura, a professor who teaches a literary film and monsters class at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. “He’s got a terrible reputation, he’s gorgeous, he’s dangerous and, most important, he’s vulnerable. He lives on the fringe of society.”

We’re drawn to vampires because of the sheer, fearful thrill, she says. “We are drawn to that which we fear, and we love vampires for the same reason we love roller coasters and scary movies,” Detore-Nakamura says. “And while a vampire has the power to kill, a crude wooden stake or a sunrise can dust him, too.”

-- “On the eve of ‘Twilight,’ why women find vampires so sexy,” New York Daily News, Nov. 21, 2008

The stars were aligned for US Airways when, minutes after takeoff from La Guardia Airport, the plane carrying 150 passengers shuddered after a strike by birds apparently knocked out both engines. So flawless was the emergency landing Thursday in the Hudson River by Capt. “Sully” Sullenberger, it could be the stuff of a Hollywood movie. But don’t expect US Airways to boast in ads of the nonfatal crash.

Charles Eastlake, a private pilot who teaches airplane design at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla., said that while “there is undoubtedly significant pride within the company about how it all worked out, it isn’t the kind of thing they are likely to talk about publicly.”

“The people involved deservedly get a pat on the back by their peers, but it’s done quietly. They don’t want to remind the public that airplanes crash,” Eastlake said. “It’s a marketing issue. Public discussion about crashes is not good marketing.”

-- “Airlines’ bottom line safe,” Philadelphia Inquirer, Jan.18, 2009

Ditching a large, crippled aircraft in the water is no easy task.

“It’s very, very difficult to do well and this pilot did it exceedingly well,” said Frank Ayers, chairman of the flight training department at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona, Fla., as he followed news coverage of yesterday’s crash of a U.S. Airways twin-engine A320 in the Hudson River.

The task, he said, is to fly slowly without stalling the aircraft, minimizing the impact with the water. Too slow, and the wings lose lift, allowing the jet to drop like a stone. Coming in too fast means a higher impact and the possibility of the aircraft ripping apart like an eggshell.

“You try to keep a flat attitude with the nose up,” Ayers said. “If it settles flat, then the aircraft will stay up and float.”

-- “Slow speed, nose up – or else,” Newark Star-Ledger, Jan 19, 2009

It doesn’t take much ice on an airplane’s wings before it begins to alter the aerodynamics that keep planes airborne, aviation experts said Friday, a day after a Continental regional jet crashed near Buffalo, killing 50 people.

In some instances a crew might not know that ice is building up on parts of the plane that aren’t visible, said Bill Waldock, a professor of safety science at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Arizona. “On that airplane [the Dash 8] it’s very hard to see” the horizontal stabilizer, he said.

Another potential problem is activating the boot too much, he said, because instead of breaking off, the ice keeps accumulating and hardening. Larger aircraft have less of a problem with ice accumulation because they use a system that pipes hot air onto the wings.

-- “Experts: Little ice a big deal,” Newsday, Feb. 14, 2009

While the turboprop plane that crashed in Clarence has a relatively good safety record in the United States, the plane had a history of mechanical problems that have caused concern around the world. Until the Clarence crash, nobody had been killed while on board a Q400.

“These are mechanical occurrences. These things do happen,” said Fred Mirgle, chairman of the aviation maintenance science department at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. “They do not affect the overall safety of the plane.”

If the crash in Clarence hadn’t happened, Mirgle added, the landing gear on this plane would probably never come under scrutiny. “There are a number of landing gear problems with all airplanes,” he said. “We just don’t know about them.”

-- “Plane’s safety record scrutinized,” Buffalo News, Feb. 21, 2009

Eyewitness reports and the way the wreckage was confined to a small area could indicate the airplane crashed after stalling at a low altitude as it approached the Butte airport, said Bill Waldock, a professor of aeronautical science at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Ariz.

“The fact that it came down at a very steep angle,” he said, “that would be consistent with the possibility that it departed controlled flight into a stall. If he’s at a low altitude, he doesn’t have enough time to recover.”

-- “No sign of distress before plane crash,” New York Times, March, 23, 2009

A new lab that opened on campus Tuesday simulates high altitude loss of cabin pressure. The first such civilian facility in the nation, it introduces students to potentially deadly sensations.

“The device is not intended to make people pass out, though it’s possible. If you pass out, you don’t remember what it felt like,” said Cass Howell, aeronautical science department chairman.

At Tuesday’s demonstration, symptoms of oxygen deprivation were apparent within minutes among the students and university officials inside the lab.

-- “Embry-Riddle lab simulates high altitude oxygen deprivation,” Orlando Sentinel, March 31, 2009

The Labor Department estimates that by 2016 the aviation industry will need to hire 14,000 pilots because of higher demand for air travel, plus thousands more to replace current pilots who will retire. Much of the hiring will be done at regional and low-cost carriers, according to the Labor Department.

“The long-term growth rate for professional pilots is excellent,” said Tim Brady, dean of the aviation school at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla., “but they have to be patient with their careers. It’s going to be punctuated by ups and downs.”

-- “Grounded aviation jobs to be cleared for takeoff,” Associated Press, April, 7, 2009