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Article: Air-bust: what's causing a string of tragedies involving airbus? Qantas has experienced mid-air emergencies, an Air New Zealand jet plunged into the Mediterranean, and now the aviation community is abuzz over the cause of the Air France tragedy in the Atlantic. William John Cox explores disturbing new evidence about the safety of Airbus aircraft.
- Article from:
- Investigate
- Article date:
- August 1, 2009
- Author:
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As commercial aviation becomes increasingly dependent upon computerized digital technology and less reliant upon hands-on human control, we have to consider the crash of Air France Flight 447 into the Atlantic Ocean, with the loss of all aboard, and other similar disasters in the light of our collective experience and expectations.
The Comet
First flown in 1949 and introduced into passenger service in 1951, the Comet was the first pressurized, jet-propelled commercial aircraft. Powered by four "Ghost" turbojet engines, the Comet was found to be fuel efficient above 30,000 feet and flew at almost 500 miles per hour, far faster than the most advanced ...