SCHIPOL INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT IS 100 YEARS OLD

Feb 14, 2016 – The Dutch airport will be one hundred years old in September this year. It used to be a military airfield on a meadow surrounded by a few huts. It has become one of the major airports in the world. The video here below might have been used for an Air-English examination. Let us play with questions – number 1 – according to the video, when was Schipol airport completely destroyed? Number 2 – Could you quote two major improvements that happened in the 1980s? Watch the video:

Here are the answers:

Number 1: Schipol was completely destroyed during World War 2. (listen again at 00’19 »)

Number 2: As far as the 1980s are concerned, you have got the choice between (listen again at 00’47 »):

  • The airport apron was expanded;
  • The terminal became bigger;
  • The area was beautified;
  • In time, piers and railway connections were added.
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FLIGHT SAFETY at Schipol airport

CNN’s Rebecca Anderson explains how the safety measures are ensured at Amsterdam’s Schipol airport. You can see in this video how the air traffic controllers work and guide the pilots in, and how the bird management and control personnel copes with BASH – Bird Aircraft Strike Hazard:

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Dassault Fighter Aircraft Performance and F-22, JSF F-35, Typhoon

As I have been told that this post about Rafales vs Eurofighter Typhoons, F-16s, and F-22s left some in disbelief, I believe it is fair to point out that some elements were written in bold typing as « rumours », and the publications quoted were not « filed » as rumours though it might have been some rumours as well – who knows, indeed? For instance, many times gossip spread about Mirage 2000s that would never shoot F-16s down. Never ever? Watch below…

Many (on a global basis – which means not everybody) people still believe that no Rafale could outperform any F-16. Let us watch hereafter (in French, sorry).

For those who cannot speak French, it is mentioned in this video that the Rafales defeated the F-16s in a US AFB, and the score would have been 6 – 2.

Well, let us go back to the previous Rafales’ performance post for I have not added further information I had read before from a remarkable Swiss aviation specialist’s website: AVIA NEWS. Pascal – AVIA NEWS webmaster – let me quote his analysis according to which the Rafale obtained the best score (95%) among the fighter aircraft evaluated for choosing which will replace the Swiss Air Force’s F-5 Tiger. The other two competitors were the SAAB JAS-39 Gripen, and the Eurofighter / Typhoon. I am going to update my previous article about this figure.

Last but not least: The Dutch did compare various fighter aircraft in 2002. Who remembers? The RNLAF – the Royal Netherlands Air Force – carried out this study and the balance sheet came out in the Dutch press:

Here is the rating reported:

F-35 = 6.97

RAFALE = 6.95

Eurofighter = 5.83

F-16 Block 60 = 5.80

Well, we must admit that the JSF / F-35 Lightning II is the best fighter among those that were assessed. However it was a close shave, wasn’t it?

Some might say « it was just an illusion ». Well, why not? Illusion would be everywhere – as for instance:

  • Do you really think that a serious R&D organisation is used to issuing so-called inaccurate reports?
  • Do you really think that a DGA/CHEAr research director would recognize that the Rafale can be on a par with the JSF / F-35 Lightning II? This is what happened during a symposium (colloque) in January 2006.

As a conclusion, many people still believe that F-16s can outperform Rafales, MiG-29s, Eurofighters, and even Su-27s. This is not an illusion.

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