Hacker News Reader

Comment by marcosdumay | Hacker News Reader

> Flights take off and land at airports

My impression is that every single older (pre-2010) computer system that manages the Brazilian aviation felt for that and fixed it in a hack.

> Airports never move

Also, Runways never move. Also, if runways move, they don't change direction. Also, if airport or runways move, there will exist some construction work before.

I'd add "aircraft only land in runways" there too. And "ok, aircraft only land in runways and heliports".

View on HN

> My impression is that every single older (pre-2010) computer system that manages the Brazilian aviation felt for that and fixed it in a hack.

Can you elaborate more?

I would assume it's somewhat speaking to the prevalence of many informal landing strips, and also that river landings are probably fairly common too. I'd have to imagine places like Alaska might also have to deal with that, especially if you have small local 'airlines' (which are probably just a handful of bush planes really) that operate from an actual registered airport.

I've written various types of aviation support software on and off since the early 1980s.

One of my favourite planes were the Grumman Mallards still owned and operated by Paspaley Pearling out of Mungalalu Truscott and other Kimberley airbases.

They're classic 1950s twin-engined amphibious aircraft that landed anywhere up and down the Kimberley Coast for pearling transfers.

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grumman_G-73_Mallard

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mungalalu_Truscott_Airbase

Even the Eastern US has to deal with river and water landings all the time. You can book a scheduled flight from the East River right in-between Manhattan and Brooklyn to Marthas Vineyard, or the Hamptons or a number of other destinations. Not to mention those happen in the middle of arguably the most complex commercial airspace in the world.

It's pretty cool to be on a ferry and see a plane land basically next to you in the middle of the river.

A reference to Air France 447 perhaps?

Reply on news.ycombinator.com