20091207 Life Above The Clouds (1)

Life Above The Clouds

Come fly with me
SC: How much time do pilots actually spend flying a plane?

JF: It varies from about 20 minutes on some domestic flights to as much as 18 hours on international flights. It all depends on if the flight is a short- or long-haul flight.

SC: Do pilots take breaks during flights or do they fly the whole time?

Jf: Yes, we take breaks during long-haul flights. Airlines assign three or four pilots to long flights. Since jets like the Boeing 47 and 777 only need two pilots, we fly the plane in shifts.

SC: If pilots are traveling all the time, how do they deal with jet lag

JF: Jet lag is annoying for almost all pilots and there are hundreds of ways to deal with it. I try to keep to the same schedule as I would at home.

SC: How important is it to know the weight and size of the plane you're flying?

JF: Knowing the weight of an airplane is very important because it affects how high and how long you can fly. We weight almost everything put into the airplane and make estimates based on the number of people on each flight.


haul 運送的時間和距離

short-haul adj. 短距的
eg: Marc plans to take a short-haul flight from Boston to New York this weekend.
eg: a short-haul aircraft 專飛近程的飛機
eg: short-haul route 近距離的路線

a short-haul flight
=> a flight that is very short

long-haul adj. 長距的
eg: Airlines usually serve serveral meals on their long-haul routes.
eg: The long-haul flight from Taipei to New York is really exhausting.

assign v. 分配/分派/派定/指定/選派
eg: Mrs. Frankin assigns work to her staff every morning.

jet n. 噴射機
lag n. 退後/延遲
jet lag n. 搭飛機產生的時差
eg: Marcy will be suffering from jet lag after her flight from London.
eg: Mark travels a lot so he is used to having jet lag.
eg: Vivian still hasn't recovered from her jet lag after returning from France last week.

estimate v. 估計/估量
estimate n. 估出來的價格/估計的數量
=> take a guess
eg: According to Theo's estimate, the company needs to increase its sales.
eg: According to the mechanic's estimate, I will have to pay over $200 to repair my air-conditioner.
eg: The estimates far next month's sales figures look good.

flight simulator 飛行模擬器


//== Chat Room ==//

airline commercial 航空公司廣告
=> an ad that promotes a particular airline



commerce n. 商業/貿易
commercial adj. 商業的/貿易的

commercial airlines 航空公司
=> a company that carries passengers or a cargo(貨物) for money

advertisement n. 廣告
= ad
=> 任何的廣告都可以叫做ad
=> commercial是ad的一種，指的是電視或是廣播的廣告，當名詞用。

commercial airline pilots 商務客機的駕駛
military pilots 軍方的飛行員

//== DID YOU KNOW ==//

The first 747 jumbo jet was built in 1969. Since then more than 1,400 747s have rolled out of the Boeing factory in Everett Washington, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Korean Air, and Japan Airlines are among the primary users of the 747. As popular as it has been, the famous 747 is expected to be replaced by the boeing Y3 in the near future.

roll out 推出
eg: The company rolls out its new product.