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Video: ‘Airbus side stick’

Fly High English - Video

This week’s video is all about the Airbus side stick. Watch to find out everything you wanted to know about it.

Try to answer the following questions about the video and come back on Monday for the answers.

Suggested ICAO level for video: 5+

  1. What movements does the side stick allow control of?
  2. What happens if both pilots are using their side sticks at the same time?
  3. What warning is there about this?
  4. What switches does the side stick have?
  5. What happens to the side stick when the autopilot is engaged?

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Have a great weekend!

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Structure: ‘verbs + verbs 2’

Fly High English - Structure

This time in our structure help we continue to talk about patterns when we have two verbs together. Last week we saw the pattern;

I wanted to travel last week.
verb + to + infinitive

And we saw a list of verbs which require this patten.

Now let’s have a look at another example;

I enjoy flying small planes.

In this example we have two verbs together – enjoy and fly – and the first verb tells us the tense of the sentence (present simple) the second verb follows in an ‘ing’ form. So the patten in this situation is;

verb + verb-ing

Our first verb uses the correct tense and conjugation necessary and the second verb is always in the verb-ing form. There are other verbs which require the same structure as ‘enjoy’ when used with a second verb. Here are some of the most common.

enjoy, mind, stop, finish, suggest

Look at some of the examples below and then try to write examples of your own.

They enjoyed visiting the cockpit last week.
We finished cleaning the plane after 25 minutes.
He doesn’t mind working on Saturdays.
We suggested delaying the departure.

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Have a great day!

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Video answers: ‘Is the 747 in trouble?’

Here are the answers to last Friday’s video, enjoy!

Suggested ICAO level for video: 5+

  1. It’s been dubbed as the queen of the skies.
  2. They recently retired their last 747s.
  3. Only a handful of airlines operate the 747 today.
  4. British Airways has the biggest fleet of 747s nowadays.
  5. They recently spent millions retrofitting some of them.
  6. Low oil prices has persuaded them to keep the plane in service.

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Video: ‘Is the 747 in trouble?’

Fly High English - Video

This week’s video describes the potential demise of the 747. Watch the video to find out why.

Try to answer the following questions about the video and come back on Monday for the answers.

Suggested ICAO level for video: 5+

  1. What has the 747 been dubbed as?
  2. What did Air France, Saudi Arabian Airlines and Cathy Pacific do with their 747s recently?
  3. How many airlines operate the 747 today?
  4. Which airline has the biggest fleet of 747s nowadays?
  5. What investment did this company make in some of their 747s recently?
  6. What has persuaded them to keep the 747 operating?

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Have a great weekend!

Is the Boeing 747 in trouble? | CNBC International

A growing number of airlines are ditching the iconic Boeing 747 for more fuel efficient aircraft. British Airways on the other hand are investing millions on updating theirs.

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Structure: ‘verbs + verbs 1’

Fly High English - Structure

This time in our structure help we talk about using verbs together with second verbs. We are all familiar with using verbs with nouns (objects) after them, for example;

I want a new headset.

But sometimes we want to use a verb with a second verb directly after it, for example;

I want to travel next week.

In these circumstances there are specific forms that we have to use with the second verb. In our example above, after the verb ‘want’ our second verb follows the pattern ‘to + infinitive’. It doesn’t matter which tense we choose for our first verb (want), we must follow the same structure for our second verb (travel).

I wanted to travel last week.

So with the verb ‘want’ (even in the past), we use the structure;

want + to + infinitive

There are many other verbs which require the same structure as ‘want’ when used with a second verb. Here are some of the most common.

want, hope, need, plan, expect, promise, decide, offer, refuse, try, forget, learn

Look at some of the examples below and then try to write examples of your own.

We hope to land in 15 minutes.
They tried to rebook the passenger.
They offered to give the passenger a refund.
He will need to arrive early tomorrow.

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Have a great day!

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Video answers: ‘Why airlines sell more seats than they have’

Here are the answers to last Friday’s video, enjoy!

Suggested ICAO level for video: 5+

  1. It’s called the no-show rate.
  2. They base their estimates on complicated systems that take into account the route and date.
  3. Many passengers miss their connections because 25% of domestic US flights arrive late.
  4. Passengers miss Sunday flights less because they are likely to be travelling for work on the following day.
  5. They choose passengers who have the ‘least merit’ to be on a flight or who have the ‘least value’ to the airline on paper. The computer will choose those people who checked in last or have a low or no frequent flier status.
  6. Passengers can check in early, even online, and get their boarding pass to help their chances of not being bumped off a flight. Having a frequent flier account, even with few points in it can also help make sure passengers fly on their flight.

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