iPads for pilots??

Recently, some American airlines flights have been plagued by software problems on their pilots iPads.  No, this isn't somthing like their hungry shark game crashing, this is serious stuff.  A few years back. American announced it would be the first airline to use iPads for flight plans and navigation.  Apparently a third party app had a few bugs in their latest software causing a dozen or so flights to be delayed.  I thought this was rather curious and extremely relevant to our school considering we are about to convert to an iPad classroom. This was a very minor incident that had minimal consequences but it shows that dependence on technology can be dangerous.  What would happen next year If somthing happened with the wifi at school?  This would be disastrous to our learning since we Will be heavily reliant on iPads for text books, homework, etc.  We need to be cautious.  Technology is a great tool in many cases weather it be school or commercial flying, but reliance on technology should be limited.  Always have some wort of backup plan for technology.  That way when it eventually malfunctions or crashes (it inevitably will), you will be ready to do whatever u have to do with out it.http://money.cnn.com/2015/04/29/technology/american-airlines-ipad/index.html

Built to Last

What can play key roles in multiple WWII battles, earn 8 battle stars and survive twwo atomic blasts?  The USS Independence of course.  The Independence aircraft carrier was the namesake of her class and was orginally launched in 1942.  Depolyed in the Pacific against the Japanese, the ship took place in numerous battles and took place in the sinking of Japan's largest battleship.  Eventually the independence was damaged in 1943, returned to port, and then amazingly wa redoplyed in 1944 to serve out the rest of the war.

After the war, the independence took place in two nuclear test bombs in the pacific.  There the ship sustained visible damage and was returned for decontamination and sinking.  Amazingly the Ship is still intact on the bottom of the ocean some 60 years later.  in sonar images taken by the NOAA, two planes are even visible on the flight deck elevators.  This ship is an excellent example of a time when things we're built to last.  it is one of the last testaments of the greatest genereation and what they gave to win World War Two.

The Amzing Hercules

No, this blog post isn't about the Greek hero but rather the amazing airplane: The  Lockheed C-130 Hercules.  Many of you may have heard of this historic plane given the fact that it is the oldest continually produced plane in history!  This plane is making headlines for two reasons, first for its 60th anniversary, and second for its star role in the block buster movie, 'Furious 7'. 'Furious 7', the seventh installment in the Fast and Furious franchise uses the C-130 in its newest and most outrageous stunt.  The filmmakers dropped several cars from the plane and parachuted them to the ground!  If you don't believe, watch this video!

 

Granted this stunt may be a little outlandish for use in reality but it does a fantastic job at showcasing the Hercules.  There's a reason this plane has been produced for so long and it lies in it's wide capabilities.  from flying military missions only 35 feet off the ground, to landing on an aircraft carrier, to saving a plane from a category 5 hurricane, this plane has literally done it all.  the military loves it for its huge cargo capacity, easy cargo drops, and unheard of ability to land on short and improvised runways

If a video of a plane that size landing on a ship doesn't amaze you, I guarantee the next video will

 



Yes, that is a regular c-130 taking off with the assist of solid rocket fuel!  This plane can do it and all and 60 years from its inauguration, it still has numerous feasible jobs on the front lines of war.  This plane is magnificent and will most likely be used for years to come. weather it be filming movies, or dropping bombs on the enemy, the C-130 is the plane to choose.

 

 

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/08/us/c-130-hercules-military-plane-anniversary/?iid=ob_article_topstories_pool&iref=obnetwork

Hello Bloggers.  Sorry I'm late but  I feel like we need to talk about the most recent information coming out of the German Wings airline crash.  Unless you live under a rock, you probably have hard about the Airbus A320 that crashed into the Alps last week.  As time goes on we've learned lots of information about what went so wrong it left 150 people dead.  We  now know that the after reaching the cruising altitude, the Pilot left the cockpit to go to the bathroom.  At this point, the co pilot locked the cockpit and set the autopilot to descend to 0 ft.  Then, the latest information is that he accelerated into the ground during decent.  All of this information about the scenario inflight comes from the black box and the flight data and voice recorder, both of which were recovered after the crash.  Investegators are not sure that this was a suicide attempt by someone who clearly wasnt fit to be flying.  I hoep that this situation will help change regulations on how pilots are evaluated psychiatricaly and on how many people are in the cockpit at one time.  Nothing can reclaim the lifes that were lost but we can hope to prevent another tragedy like this in the future

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/04/world/europe/germanwings-crash.html?_r=0 

How to be a State Champ

Hi I'm Caleb Piti and the first step to being a sate champ is to become a member of the Creighton Prep swim team A.K.A the most dominant team in the history of Nebraska sports and possibly the world.  This year, my second year on the team, we won our nineth state title tying the state record held by westside.  We all have high hopes for a tenth state title next year and possibly an eleventh in 2017.

As usual we  had the largest state team at the meet with 22 swimmers and 21 of the 22 making it back to finals.  My brother Collin and I dominated the backstroke getting 4th and 5th respectively.  I also scorred 8th in the 200 IM while he scored 4th in the 100 free.  We both excelled on the relays gaining Gold medals and all american times in the 200 free relay and the 200 medley relay.

As I'm sure you have been able to tell CPST has created a dynasty sure to lock down the world of high school swimming for years to come.  Highlights of our season in clude our half point victroy (1214.5-1214) to madison memorial, our metro title of 434 points and our record setting state performance where we multiplied westside's score by more than 18.  Our team is legendary and simply can't be beat.  I look forward to a record setting year next year with my brothers. #rolljays