Some of the measures and practises that lay people may find interesting to learn include:

• As a safety precaution, understandably pilots carry some extra fuel as buffer against unexpected weather, etc, that may require more than usual fuel for a flight;
• Some pilots prefer to “top up” the amount of fuel as a further safety buffer, even though calculations already made prior on the ground indicates the plane really only need less than that;
• Some regional airlines publish anonymously the amount of fuel each pilots use over a month, not to encourage competition (of who is most efficient) but to at least know where you rank among your fellow pilots (they can log in to find out their position among other pilots still anonymously);
• It is never a good idea to use pilot fuel efficiency as a Key Performance Indicator, for salary or performance bonuses. This is simply because it will start compromising safety standards;
• Airplanes are equipped with an Auxiliary Power Unit usually located in the tail of the plane, which acts as a power generator for the plane’s air conditioning, lighting, etc. One of the discussions revolved around whether the plane’s main engines (on the wings) ought to be cut off after landing and while taxiing to the airport, relying solely on the APU’s power;
• Other discussions also revolved around whether the APU should be used as a generator when the plane is parked at the airport gate, or should it rely on ground vehicles’ power generator;
• Finally, when the air conditioner should be justifiably switched on, ie 30 minutes before passengers board for their comfort, on hot days on the tarmac.

These are but some of the few things, among hundreds, that airlines and industry bodies such as IATA look into to save fuel use, which ultimately save costs and burn less fossil fuel over time, across an airline’s (whole) fleet.

This is a “real-time” tracking of global flights over a period of a few days.

Enjoy!

What are your observations in terms of frequencies, schedules, concentrations of flights?

As the topic was skewed towards aviation (and the environment), one of the agenda of the program was the environmental aspects of airports and its management.

So, since we were already in town ….

One of the buildings near Dulles Airport in Washington DC

Danielle on hand to assist with the visits around the airport and meeting the officials

Massport, the officials who brought us around Boston's Logan Airport

Delegates being shown around the Logan Airport

As a non-pilot and not in the airports business, one of the things I learned during the Q&A during the privileged tour of the airport and runways, is- “What do you do with your de-icing fluids?”

De-icing: the process of removing frozen contaminant, snow, ice, slush, from a surface.

An American Airlines MD-80 aircraft being de-iced at Syracuse Hancock International Airport.

Definition and photo source from Wikipedia.org

As you know, Malaysia is a tropical country, and naturally residents like me, wouldn’t have thought to ask about this function, let alone what happens to the run-offs of such liquid wastes. But since among us there was a Malaysia Airlines pilot and an airport official, they were keenly asking questions related to this, and all I could do was try and learn about this operation as much as I could.

As we were told by the respective airport officials- Washington DC’s Dulles Airport does not collect the fluid run-offs, but Boston’s Logan Airport does.

In fact, from my personal observation Logan Airport seems to be more active in adopting green activities and efforts in their part in being green. One of the initiatives that they had trialled was wind energy. There was a joke about the array producing only enough electricity to power a few desktop PC’s only! But if that were true, their “solar trees” would have easily overcome this- they have a huge array of solar panels on the top floor of their open-aired car parking building.

* More about de-icing from wikipedia.org.

Other interesting points regarding this aspect of flying I had overheard was that even if a runway was de-iced ready for a take-off, if for whatever reason the plane was delayed for up to 45 minutes, that runway would have to undergo another de-icing exercise.

More highlights to come, especially the wind and solar energy use at Logan Airport..

They have designed a range of new engines called PurePower, which saves fuel by being lighter, more fuel efficient, quieter, and cleaner emissions.

More details to follow; just wanted to share some of the photos from our visit to Pratt and Whitney the engine manufacturer; as one of the people and places on the program’s agenda.

The team briefed on the engines

Photo by Leong Siok Hui

In an era where everyone brazenly hitches a ride on the green bandwagon, the folks behind Nikoi Island are an aberration. When I asked Andrew Dixon, one of Nikoi’s founders, about the resort’s eco-friendly approaches, he says, “We take sustainable tourism seriously but avoid labelling or marketing ourselves as such.” Dixon thinks, and rightly so, that these green labels have been bandied about by too many hoteliers who don’t do much beyond asking guests to reuse towels or changing light bulbs.

To find out for myself, I took a ferry to Bintan Island, Indonesia, from Singapore’s Tanah Merah terminal. From the fishing village of Kawal, I boarded a boat to “Eden”, and in less than three hours I was on the island, a world away from bustling Singapore. A white sandy beach fringed by sparkling azure waters and a row of rustic thatched bungalows peeking out from a lush green forest greeted us in Nikoi. Wide grins on their faces, the resort staff scampered out to the arriving guests – yours truly and an American couple, Lara and Nick, who were on the same boat. Read more of this article…

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Photo by Christmas Island Tourism Association

In the deep blue of the Indian Ocean, Christmas Island emerges as an oceanic oasis set amid a liquid, not desert, landscape. Located 200 km south of Java and over 2000 km from Perth, this remote dot in the sea sits on the geographical fringes of Asia and Australia. The island remained unsettled until the late 1800s, its rugged coastline fortressed by steep limestone cliffs serving as natural barriers against occupation.

This isolation gives Christmas Island its distinct character. Only a limited number of plants and animals managed to overcome the distance between the island and other landmasses. And only a few visitors – less than 1000 – find their way each year to this unique haven to discover its restricted but amazing natural diversity. Read more of this article…

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High above us, two Orang Utan are perched on the tree branches, munching happily on figs. A monitor lizard darts off as our boat approaches while an Oriental Darter swooshes across the water.

Through our binoculars, we spot a pair of Black-and-red Broadbills with their crimson and black plumage and turquoise beaks. Hoot, hoot, hoot…the Bornean gibbons cry out in the distance. The mist lifts up slowly, unveiling a theatrical wildlife “stage” as our boat glides across the Menanggul tributary of the Kinabatangan River. Read more of this article…

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Divers identifying substrates during the EcoDiver certification programme.

Time and time again, we read articles on the problems plaguing our diverse marine life – overfishing, global warming, blasting, unchecked tourism, pollution, etc. Coral reefs around the world have been in crisis for some time now.

But is anyone listening?

The statistics are alarming with 30% of the world’s coral reefs severely threatened, 15% lost over the last decade, and many fish stocks becoming extinct. The first step towards a solution?

Reef check surveys. Read more of this article…

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One of the many natural beauties Kangchendzonga has to offer.

From lush tropical forest, postcard-pretty trails to snow-capped peaks, Sikkim has it all. Little wonder, the natives call their home the ‘earthly paradise’.

When I told friends and family that I was going to Sikkim, the response was, “Huh? Where on earth is Sikkim?” Well, it’s in India and it is also part of the Indian Himalayas.

Most people associate the Himalayas with Nepal. But the Great Himalayan Range actually stretches from Pakistan’s Nanga Parbat (8125m) in the west, across Nepal, and over 2000km to the peaks framing Sikkim and Bhutan in the east. Read more of this article…

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