This month's AE presenter: Jeff
Date of presentation: 26 Aug 2019
Subject: Why does the 737-200 still fly in Canada?
Subject: Saving the Dark
Description: Jeff gave two separate short presentations this time, rather than a single longer one. Here are brief descriptions of both:
First, why does the 737-200 still fly in Canada? This aircraft, the second iteration of the well-regarded 737 series, stopped production in 1988, meaning the youngest of these aircraft are over 30 years old. Of the worldwide fleet of 58 still in commercial service as of July 2018, 17 (about 29%) are flying in Canada. What makes this plane so popular there?
The biggest advantage is that it can be relatively easily fitted with a gravel kit: a combination of gravel deflectors attached to the nose wheel, vortex dissipators attached to the engine nacelles, and structural enhancements to the lower fuselage. These devices allow this large plane to conduct operations on unpaved fields that are the norm in northern Canada, allowing the plane to bring in basic necessities and to provide those living in remote settlements a way to travel to and from the region.
Given that much of northern Canada is peppered with these remote and temporary settlements (small towns, mining camps, etc.) that may only be accessible by air and for which permanent paved landing structures will probably never be available, the 737-200 is a vital lifeline to those who live there.
The second presentation was a repeat of a presentation first given just over a year ago, in July 2018, entitled "Saving the Dark". This presentation concerned the growing problem of light pollution in and around urban and suburban areas, and detailed a number of issues, such as: the effects that excessive light can have on the health of both humans and wildlife; the waste of energy involved in producing light that isn't needed or even useful; and ways in which we can strive to reduce the amount of light pollution we produce.
I felt that it was a good idea to repeat this presentation, even though it has been barely a year since originally presented, since there is a substantial number of new faces in the squadron who wouldn't have been here to see it when I first presented it.
