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1) How can you tell the difference between a 757, 767, and 777?
[/ QUOTE ]There are lots of different ways to tell. The 777 is the largest of the three and is most easily distinguished by the presence of six wheels on each main gear instead of four on the other types. The 757 is the only narrowbody type of the three. I suggest going to a site like airliners.net that has lots of airplane photos and looking at the differences.[ QUOTE ]
2) Why would a Learjet get priority landing from a Cessna152? I saw a 152 about to touch down and get waved off due to a learjet about to hit him from behind on final for same runway, real close call.
[/ QUOTE ]If a controller sees a conflict about to develop he will do something to resolve it, usually the easiest thing he can. In this case, it sounds (from the limited information provided) like having the 152 go around was the simplest way to resolve a traffic conflict ... in this case a faster airplane overtaking a slower one on final.[ QUOTE ]
3) Why does the Airbus have somewhat slanted gear until touchdown?
[/ QUOTE ]I assume you refer to the widebody Airbus products. This has to do with the way the gear is mounted on the strut ... gravity causes the back part of it to hang closest to the ground. Obviously, at touchdown it flattens out.[ QUOTE ]
4) Does any airline still use the B717?
[/ QUOTE ]AirTran Airways operates a pretty large fleet of B717s. Midwest Airlines, based in Milwaukee, is taking a few 717s, and Hawaiian Airlines operates some 717s as well. A number of airlines in other countries operate the airplane as well.[ QUOTE ]
5) Why would a major airport (JFK) use a active runway going against the wind, instead of with it?
[/ QUOTE ]Runway use programs depend on a lot more than the wind. Obviously safety is priority one and in strong wind conditions the runway(s) most aligned with the wind will likely be used. At JFK they have a runway use program that encourages them not to use the same runway system all day to prevent all the noise from impacting the same neighborhoods. For example, let's say the wind all day today at JFK is 010 @ 10. Runways 4L/R would be most nearly aligned with the wind. However, runways 31L/R would also have a headwind and would be safe to use. Additionally, some long-haul flights may not be able to accept the 11351' 4L for departure and may require the 14572' 31L for departure instead.
Hope this helps.