This Ryanair Boeing 737-800 was just seconds from touchdown when it flew straight through a flock of seagulls.
Several birds struck the aircraft, with some being ingested by its CFM56-7B engines. Despite multiple bird strikes, both engines continued operating normally, allowing the aircraft to land safely. It's estimated that at least 20 seagulls were killed in the incident.
I'm often quiet about aviation, but this is just very true. It's sad.
When I meet discouraged type-rated pilots because they aren't in the airlines yet, it sometimes makes me wish I have their type rating instead.
One of my kids started in a college 141 program last year. When we went to the Q&A at the start, the room was filled with 200+ families (w/mostly no aviation knowledge). The whole thing was a big circle-jerk where the staff blathered on about “make 100K within 3 years”, “pilot shortage”, “quick upgrade”, “never a better time”.
The result: a new generation of pilots with unrealistic expectations; many without the love of airplanes, many lacking the fortitude to stick it out.
As I said on EP4 of A Life Nomadic - “this industry will kick you when you’re down…. You have to be ‘all in’…”
Furloughs and uncertainty are a reality in this business - choose this path at your own peril!
Initial ADS-B data from flight #AI171 shows that the aircraft reached a maximum barometric altitude of 625 feet (airport altitude is about 200 feet) and then it started to descend with an vertical speed of -475 feet per minute.
DJ Love has been an inspiration for music producers all over the world, especially in his home country, the Philippines.
He's one of the nicest and sweetest individuals I've met in the entire music scene. It would mean a lot to his family and friends if you could donate 💖