Airplanes and security
A few hundred years ago the main forms of transport were walking or riding a horse, donkey, camel and elephant, depending on where you lived.
Nowadays, in most countries long journeys involve some form of motorized transport. People today tend to travel longer distances, more often and at much higher speeds. As a result the world has shrunk over the last century and we now live in a global economy.
There are great advantages in this, but there is a down side too. More travel has also resulted in noise and air pollution, increased stress and damages to local environments and the larger ecosystem.
I am going to tell you about airplane travel. It is the fastest, more convenient means of travelling, because it saves our time and sometimes money. For instance, in the USA, if you travel from east coast to the west by air jet, it results cheaper for you than to travel by train.
In 1903, the Wright brothers made the first controlled machine-powered flight. It only lasted 12 seconds but changed the world forever.
A century later, air travel is no longer a miracle; it's something, we take for granted. One billion air passengers now fly every year — that's equivalent to a sixth of the world's population.
Is it safe to travel by plane? Before September, 11, 2001, it used to be a relatively safe travel.
On September, 11, terrorists attacked on America. Since then security at airports and in the skies has been under scrutiny. That day four passenger planes were hijacked, more than 4,000 people killed.
Nowadays thousands planes travel through skies. To make sure everything runs smoothly, there are air traffic control centers. In addition, every airport has an air traffic control tower. Every square meter of airspace is allocated to an air traffic controller. As an aircraft travels through the air, it is monitored by the controller responsible for that sector of airspace.
To calm fears about terrorist hijacks, airports are looking into new technologies that reveal passengers' identities.
Previously in the US, less than 10% of luggage was screened. Under new legislation, every item must be checked by one of three following methods: sniffer dogs, bomb detection machines, extensive manual searches. Around the globe, security firms are working on new devices that can detect materials such as ceramics — which can be made into guns. One such scanning camera has been developed in Britain. It uses thermal imaging technology originally created to help pilots see through fog and cloud.
Travelling by Plane
No wonder that one of the latest means of travelling is travelling by plane. Nowadays people mostly travel by air. It combines both comfort and speed and you will reach the place of destination very quickly. No doubt, travelling by air is the most convenient and comfortable means of travelling. But if you are airsick the flight may seem not so nice to you. Unfortunately sometimes the flights are delayed because of unfavourable weather conditions, and one more inconvenience is jet-lag.
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Before boarding the plane you must check in at the airport. Passengers are requested to arrive at the airport one hour before departure time on international flights and half an hour on domestic flights. You must register your tickets, weigh in and register the luggage.
The economy class limitation is 20 kg. First-class passengers are allowed 30 kg. Excess luggage must be paid for. Passengers are permitted, to take only some personal belongings with them into the cabin. These items include handbags, brief-cases or attached cases, umbrellas, coats and souvenirs bought at the tax-free shops at the airport. Each passenger is given a boarding pass to be shown at the departure gate and again to the stewardess when boarding the plane.
Before the plane takes off the stewardess gives you all the information about the flight, the speed and altitude. She asks you to fasten the belts and not to smoke. She will take care of you during the flight and will help you to get comfortable in your seat. Inside the cabins the air is always fresh and warm. The captain will welcome you on board, tell you all about the flight and the interesting places you are flying over. During the flight you can take a nap or have a chat, you can read and relax. In some planes you can watch video or listen to the music.
When the plane is landing or taking off you have an opportunity to enjoy the wonderful scenery and landscapes. While travelling by plane you fly past various villages and cities at the sight of which realize how majestic and tremendous our planet is.
Do not forget your personal belongings when leaving the plane.
Landing formalities and customs regulation are about the same in-all countries. While still onboard the plane the passenger is given an arrival card to fill in, he or she fills in (in block letters) the name in full, country of residence, permanent address, purpose and length of visit; and address in the country of visiting. After the passenger has disembarked, officials will examine (check) his or her passport and visa (to see if they are in order).
In some countries they will check the passenger's certificate of vaccination. When these formalities have been completed the passenger goes to the Customs for an examination of his luggage. The passenger is required to fill in a customs declaration form. He must list all dutiable articles. Personal belongings may be brought in duty-free.
Here is a partial list of prohibited articles: firearms, drugs, in some countries — meat products, fresh fruit and vegetables. The Customs inspector may ask you to open your bags for inspection. After you are through with all customs formalities he will put a stamp on each piece of luggage.
Nikolai Gastello
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Nikolai Frantsevich Gastello was an aviator, hero of the Soviet Union. He is one of the best known Soviet war heroes, being the first Soviet pilot to conduct a "fire taran" - a suicide attack by an aircraft on a ground target.
Nikolay Gastello was born in Moscow on May 6, 1908. Some sources mistakenly claim that his father was German; however Franz Gastello was a Belarusian. He had recently moved to Moscow and changed his Belarusian last name Gastylo to an exotic-sounding Gastello.
Nikolay Gastello graduated from a Sokolniki high school in Moscow in 1918, and his family then moved to Bashkiria escaping the horrors of the Russian Civil War. By 1923 Gastello was back in Moscow, where he worked at a factory as a fitter.
In 1928 he became a member of the communist party, and in 1932 by special decree he was sent to the Lugansk Pilot's School. Graduating in 1933 as a bomber pilot, Gastello initially flew the Tupolev TB-3 heavy bomber. Gastello fought against the Japanese in Battle of Halhin Gol in 1939, where he was awarded; he then saw action in the Winter War with Finland.
By the time Germany attacked Soviet Union on June 22 of 1941, Gastello was a squadron leader in a long-range bomber regiment equipped with Ilyushin DB-3 medium bombers. On June 26, five days after the war started, a pair of aircraft led by Gastello bombed German position near the village of Dekshany in Belarus. Gastello's bomber was reportedly hit by flak, with his wing fuel tank being ruptured and the aircraft subsequently becoming engulfed in flames. He then deliberately directed the doomed aircraft into a German Panzer column, performing the first "fire taran" of the German-Soviet War.
Gastello was posthumously awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union, one of the first Soviet soldiers to receive the title in World War II. Subsequently he became one of the best-known heroes of the war, with his story taking up the bulk of Soviet text books on the early years of the German-Soviet War.