Airbus 380 Lands @ JFK
Some cool Jfk images:
Airbus 380 Lands @ JFK
Image by WTL photos
Airbus’s new superjumbo jet has a wingspan wider than a football field and space for more than 500 passengers. The A380 made its first flight to the United States , landing at JFK airport in New York just a few hours ago and I was so excited to be a witness of this AMAZING LANDING !
Interestingness#48 on March 19, 2007
NYC: JFK Airport – Air Train
Image by wallyg
AirTrain JFK is a 13 km (8.1 mile) rapid transit system in New York City that connects John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to the city’s subway and commuter trains. It is operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which also operates the airport and AirTrain Newark.
About 11% of all travelers arriving at or departing from JFK use the computer-operated AirTrain, according to its operator, the Port Authority. Daily paid ridership on the system has been steadily rising. Ridership increased from 7,700 per day in June 2004 to nearly 11,300 per day in June 2006. The growing popularity of AirTrain also reflects a passenger boom at JFK airport. The number of people passing through the airport jumped from 31.7 million in 2003 to an estimated 41 million in 2006.
John F. Kennedy International Airport Planners have long desired a rail connection to JFK airport, which suffers from traffic congestion on its access roads. Efforts to build a rail system moved in fits and starts over decades. Early plans took the line not only to JFK but north from Jamaica to La Guardia Airport, linking to the IRT Flushing Line. Construction began in 1998 for completion in 2002, but was delayed by the derailment of a test train on September 27, 2002, killing 23-year-old operator Kelvin DeBorgh, Jr. The system finally opened after over a year’s delay on December 17, 2003.
The .9 billion AirTrain has become a success that defied critics who feared the project could become a boondoggle because of Queens residents’ vocal complaints, the death of a worker during a test run, early problems with the doors and delays leading up to its December 2003 launch.
The AirTrain project was financed using federal Passenger Facility Charge revenue (collected as a fee on each outbound flight ticket), which can only be used for airport-related improvements. Several airlines challenged the use of the PFC funds for this project, but lost in court. The State of New York paid for major renovations at Jamaica Station, in part to facilitate AirTrain connections. The project does not receive subsidies from the state or city for its operating costs, which is one of the reasons cited for its relatively high fare.
AirTrain JFK uses the same Advanced Rapid Transit (formerly Intermediate Capacity Transit System) technology from Bombardier as the SkyTrain in Vancouver, Canada and the Putra LRT in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It draws power from a third rail, and a linear induction motor pushes magnetically against an aluminum strip in the center of the track. The computerized trains are automated and operate without conductors.
