A flight attendant helped steer a Heathrow-bound passenger flight to safety after the co-pilot suffered a breakdown in mid-air, investigators have revealed.The flight attendant was temporarily promoted to the cockpit after the captain of the Air Canada service ordered his colleague to be handcuffed and dragged from his seat. The flight attendant, a qualified commercial pilot, came forward after the captain asked the 155 passengers and crew if there were any professional pilots onboard. The unnamed attendant sat in the co-pilot's seat of the Boeing 767-333 jet as the Toronto to Heathrow service was diverted to Ireland's Shannon airport on January 28.The report by the Irish Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) said: "The commander requested that the flight attendant occupy the right-hand...

Train company removes London to Norwich restaurant car as part of a wider cull of...

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Should anyone a marvellous example of profilgacy in Government spending I draw your attention to the public inquiry into the Longdendale bypass also known as the A57/A628 Mottram-Tintwistle bypass.The public inquiry opened on the 26th June 2007, according to the Government it has sat for 15 days since then and the total cost to the public purse so far is £16,000,000.That's about a million pounds each month for one day each month.More here at the local anti-bypass...

This is from the pre-1948 LNER (London and North Eastern Railway). I remember my mother, who grew up in east London between the wars, saying it used to be known as the Late and Never Early Railway -- a reminder that public moaning about the railways did not begin with...

A video clip featuring an 'invisible' moonwalking bear that has stealthily grown to be an internet hit has been revealed as a subtle road safety campaign planted by London transport officials.The minute-long film called simply Awareness Test has caught out millions of viewers on the video-sharing website YouTube and other sites. It has been watched more than 10 million times. It begins by asking the viewer to count the number of passes in a short basketball game, relying on the fact that as the eye concentrates on the ball moving quickly between the players it can completely miss a man dressed in a bear suit who moonwalks across the screen. The viewer is told about the bear and shown the clip again, followed by the road safety message 'Look out for Cyclists'. 'The point is that we shock...

I just found a fascinating article in the WSJ about the fact that electricity companies are considering a big buy of electric cars for there staff. Apparently electricity companies who stand to profit from growing electricity demand and greater stability--are considering giving the nascent industry a boost. Utilities would take possession of vehicles when they debut, likely in 2010 or 2011...

I’ve passed my driving test, third (well, fourth) time lucky!...

Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon on why Heathrow urgently needs a third runway: “If I had to highlight one statistic that underlines Heathrow’s importance to the United Kingdom’s economy, it would be the statistic that more than 70 per cent. of foreign companies moving to the United Kingdom for the first time choose a location within an...

It was hardly the most regal moment in the QE2's glittering career, when the supreme luxury ocean liner ran into a sandbank off Southampton this morning on its final voyage before metamorphosing into a floating hotel in Dubai.But the embarrassment was merely fleeting as the ship, which has carried royalty and Hollywood stars, as well as millions of less famous passengers, docked just 25 minutes late at the port, where the Duke of Edinburgh will lead the farewell ceremonies.A Cunard spokesman said the ship had been pulled off the sandbank. "No one on board has been injured. A lot of people will have been in bed when it happened and not have noticed."The QE2's final departure from British shores will be marked by solemnity as well as pomp and ceremony. To mark the 90th anniversary of the...

I forgot to write about this at the time, slap wrist to me! War veterans can now travel for free on London's public transport system. During the campaign Boris promised he would introduce this scheme, now he has made good on that promise and did so in time for the remembrance services at the weekend. All war veterans in receipt of a pension under the War Pensions Scheme or the Armed...

Find out who’s been having a flaming good time, and who hasn’t, in the People’s Republic of South Devon weekly news round up. GOOD WEEK Roll out the barrel… Denizens of Ottery St Mary put the floods behind them as they shouldered the responsibility of carting burning barrels through the streets of the town in its Guy Fawkes’ Night Tar Barrel tradition. Every November 5, barrels lined with tar are set alight and transported through the town. Zoo-topia… Paignton zoo has racked up record visitor numbers for the second year running. It beat last year’s total of 507,068 with a new figure of 529,740 visitors this year. The busiest day was Bank Holiday Monday on May 5, with 5,016 visiting on that day, but the quietest day was December 6 when 63 people visited....

The U-Bahn in Munich works on the honour system. There are no barriers or gates to go through before you get to the platform. The advantage of the system is that there is a much better traffic flow, especially during peak times, than with barrier based systems. It also makes life a lot easier for people travelling with luggage, wheelchairs, prams or, indeed, dogs.The disadvantage is that it is very easy to cheat. In theory the cheats are discouraged by random checks backed up by a €40 fine for those caught without a ticket. In practice, these checks seem to be very infrequent. On Thursday night my ticket was checked for the first time in the more than six months I have been here.I was impressed by their technique. Two inspectors got on and waited until the doors had closed before...

posted by Cptn Did you know buses are cool? Apparently it’s what the kids are saying, in so far as 900 of them (from 42 schools) took in the ‘Buses are cool’ cartoon competition in support of Devon Car Free Day. And now over to the press release for a run down of the winners: Winner of the cartoon colouring competition for the age five to seven category is Ella Farley, aged seven, of Bishopsteignton Primary School. The runners-up are Isaac Price, aged seven, of Bratton Fleming Primary school, and Charlotte Linn, aged seven, of Seaton Primary School. Winner of the eight to 11 category is nine year old Ella Morse of The Grove Primary, Totnes and the runners-up are Charlotte Reid, aged eight, from Branscombe Primary and Lewis Johns, aged eight, from South Tawton Primary...

And turns his back on environmental forms of transport....Well, that was inevitable, wasn't it?Relieved as I am, as a Crystal Palace resident, not to have the East London Line Extension scrapped it seems that Boris have slashed swathes of budget off key transport infrastructure projects including, as listed on the BBC website:£1.3bn cross-river tram plan which would have connected Peckham to Camden £500m Thames Gateway Bridge scheme in east London £750m extension of the Docklands Light Railway to Dagenham Dock in east London £500m Oxford Street tram scheme £170m Croydon Tramlink extension Public space proposals for a number of areas including Parliament Square and the Victoria Embankment Given that trams are amongst the greenest forms of transport that just shows that...

The government hit back at Boris Johnson in the London Underground funding row yesterday, warning that taxpayers will not plug a multibillion-pound funding gap in the tube.The London mayor has written to the chancellor, Alistair Darling, to demand a bail-out of the tube network, which is facing a cash shortfall of at least £1.4bn. However, transport minister Lord Adonis rejected Johnson's demands, which could lead to cutbacks on station refurbishments and disabled access projects, according to the mayor's officials. When Adonis was asked if more money would be forthcoming, he said: "No."Adonis said Transport for London, the mayor's transport authority, must pay for the tube refurbishment from a £40bn government grant that is supposed to cover its funding needs from 2010 to...

I’m not sure about this one. Online holiday firm Travelocity has a Travel for Good programme and has released a series of cartoons for kids and adults alike called Eco-Bunnies. The series of animations teaches about carbon offsets and being earth-friendly, and the latest as I write this is called “Hare Dos and Don’ts” also features a naming contest for fans. It seems quite fun but I’m still left with a niggling feeling that something isn’t quite right about a travel firm teaching us about being environmentally friendly. All information is © Life Goggles 2008 Trying To Make Travelling More Eco-Friendly - With A Cartoon...

Anyone who is a driver will probably have had the joy of being stuck in an almight tailback on the motorway caused by a breakdown or accident miles ahead. The kind of incident hat makes you shunt forward and occassionally stop the engine for fear of overheating.Something that occured to me last night (as I drive past a tailback on the other carriageway) was why do we not build special "U-Turn junctions" between the junctions that are opened in the event of emergencies to divert traffic up the other carriageway to seek alternative...

Team Supports (North Wales) - Ref:1083092Team Band £15,500 - £19,000Division: DE&T, CISD, DCELLS, Rural Affairs & HeritageNorth Wales various - Majority will be relocating to Llandudno Junction 2010Actual starting salary : £15,500Work Pattern:Applications from candidates who wish to work full-time, part-time or on a job-share basis will be considered.Purpose of post:Individuals recruited will have a flexible approach and a willingness to contribute to the business of the Welsh Assembly Government. The postholder will provide administrative support to the team. This may include dealing with clients, liaising with partner organisations and professional advisors, and carrying out the administrative functions such as maintaining databases, managing enquiries, producing reports and...

Passengers face six months of weekend engineering work and delays on the £8.6bn West Coast Main Line upgrade, even though work was supposed to be completed next month. Tony Collins, chief executive of Virgin Trains, told The Observer he was concerned there would be a repeat of last new year's travel chaos, when planned engineering work overran by four days. The London-to-Glasgow line will again be shut for a week over Christmas. New high-speed services will begin on 14 December, the line's scheduled opening date. But Collins said that sections of the line, particularly north of Preston, could be closed every weekend until June, so that Network Rail engineers could complete additional work. Trains will have to be diverted, or bus replacement services introduced, causing more...

posted by Cptn If the head-long dive into winter is getting you down, then news that the TUC is calling for a new bank holiday for the end of October should lift your spirits. In effect, the TUC is calling for a “Community Day” to celebrate and encourage volunteering and community activity. Nigel Costley, Regional Secretary of the South West TUC, told the PRSD: “Community Day would recognise the importance of local communities in holding society together, and celebrate there is more to life than consumption during these difficult economic times.” According to the TUC report, Why the UK can afford a Community Day, ‘cusomer-facing businesses’ (that’s retail, hospitality, leisure, tourism and transport apparently), ‘have stronger trading days on bank...

The government has played down a report today that it plans to allow motorists to drive on the hard shoulder for a charge of 42p a mile. The Department for Transport confirmed that this summer its officials visited Minnesota, which has pioneered so-called "Lexus lanes" where drivers pay variable charges to dodge jams. But it said it had no immediate plans to pilot toll lanes here. Yesterday the transport secretary, Geoff Hoon, announced the formation of a group to review extending the use of motorway hard shoulders.Hoon said: "I have asked that the group focus on how to make best use of the existing key networks, for example, by the selective extension of rail electrification or the wider implementation of hard shoulder running on our motorways to provide additional capacity for motorists...

Probably the best-looking police car in the world. * This police car is made by Lamborghini, not Carlsberg....

A while ago I wrote a couple of posts about people who work for the Trains, being officious, petty scum. I received a few comments from sorry, unionised sad-acts who thought that "just doing my job" is an excuse for petty jobsworth tyranny.Here is another example. (Via)I'll say it again. Working on the trains may just be a job, but it's a cunt's job and only a cunt would do it. Have a look at yourself in the mirror, the next time you threaten someone with arrest for making a mistake, and consider a more noble, honourable profession. Prostitution or petty theft for......

CRIKEY!

Everyone who has ever failed a maths exam now has an excuse for their failure.Apparently, the 'average' in the Western Isles differs from the 'average' everywhere else.At least according to Angus 'Mensa' MacNeil, our illustrious MP, that is the case that he tried to make to the Office of Fair Trading.Now let's get this right: the issue of fuel pricing is a matter of great concern on the island, and one that has been pursued by many elected representatives over many years. Not many members of the public in the islands believe the excuses of the oil companies (and the attempts to pillory the local retailers as easy targets were appalling) over the pricing of petrol.But to blame the academic discipline of mathematics for the pricing failures is certainly a new approach.I read the news...

The Indian government has just launched its first unmanned mission to the Moon. Now call me picky but I would have thought that the Indian government would have something to spend the cash on like, oh I don’t know, some working toilets so your people don’t die off dysentery in their tens of thousands each year. Or perhaps update the railway system that hasn’t changed since the Raj so you don’t loose hundreds of people a year. Just a thought. The Americans sent men to the moon after they’d drained Washington DC of swamps to get rid of the Mosquitoes, and put the indoor plumbing in. Even then, although the Americans are quite rightly proud of this achievement, if you notice nobody else was really trying were they? And that was back in the 1960’s when the only other thing coming...

Environmentally friendly travel site, Ecobookers, is one year old. Well it was at the start of September actually but I thought I’d take some time to look around the site as it’s been redesigned. We first looked at Ecobookers back in November 2007 and liked what we saw. The new site is a bit easier to use and certainly more pleasing on the eye. Although I haven’t actually booked anything through it, I like the way all the accommodation is researched and the huge amount of information that’s given. Check out the review of the Lova Lava Land Eco-Resort in Hawaii for example. There are 130 eco-friendly accommodations in 38 countries around the world on the site, ranging from eco-friendly hotels, B&Bs and ecolodges to more unusual eco-friendly accommodation, such...

Three children die in collision between three lorries and two cars in...

Ariane Sherine: It's real, it's happening: you can sponsor the first atheist advert on a bus – and Richard Dawkins will match your...