Tag Archives: mobile

Orbis MD-10 – Close But So Far!

B11I6803.jpgNot all old airliners end up being broken down for parts.  Some get a reprieve, at least for a while.  A frequent secondary use for airliners is freighters and FedEx have an extensive fleet of old DC-10s that they use.  These have gone through a cockpit upgrade program and have been renamed MD-10.  However, even that is not enough to keep them going indefinitely and the fleet is gradually being reduced.  One of them has got a new lease on life though.

IMG_4120.jpgOrbis is a charity that carries out eye surgery around the world in places where the medical facilities are limited.  Cataract surgery is a simple procedure in some countries but a rarity in others yet it is a simple solution to a problem that affects thousands of people.  Over the years they have had a number of airliners that are fitted out with an operating theater and they can fly into locations and carry out surgery on people who would otherwise have little hope of regaining normal sight.  The current aircraft (see at the bottom) was a DC10-10 that had originally been with United.  That aircraft is now being replaced with the MD-10 from FedEx.

B11I6788.jpgI first saw the aircraft at LAX during its press roll out.  I was landing and looked out of the window and there it was on the ramp.  No camera to hand so just a memory.  More recently, it spent some time at Moffett Field and I was able to grab a few shots.  It was hot so, while I chose the better side for the light, it meant being a distance away and getting a fair bit of heat haze.  I did also see the shady side through the fence.  I imagine the jet is now off doing good work around the world.  A great cause.

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How to Use Speakerphone

Since my last post was a bit of a rant, I am on a roll so add another one today.  Hopefully, having cleared my system a bit, I will return to the photography topics soon.  Normal scheduled programming will resume!

I was waiting to board a flight the other day and the person next to me was on the phone.  No great surprise there since the airport is full of people on the phone including me quite frequently.  This person was doing something that I have noticed a few times of late.  They were using the phone in speakerphone mode but holding it up to their head.  They would speak directly into the phone and hold it back at an angle so that they could hear the message.  Of course, that meant that the rest of us could hear it too.

Why would they not just hold the phone to their head and have a normal phone conversation in this situation?  I readily accept that I may not have understood a set of circumstances that might make this the better way to use a phone but each time I have seen it I have been puzzled.  It certainly is a nuisance to everyone else who has to hear the conversation whether they want to or not.  Again, if you can explain this to me, please do leave a comment.