Protecting your wheelchair

As with all luggage, you should tag your chair with all your contact details, name, address, telephone number and hotel address in the unlikely event that your chair goes missing.

Ideally, you should also attach a photocopy of instructions to dismantle to your chair. If your chair requires any special equipment for disassembling, discuss this with the airline in advance so that they accommodate your needs.

Remember, even if you are on hand to help with dismantling your chair before departure, it is unlikely that you will be present at the other end of your flight to assist with re-assembly.

If you encounter any problems, then you should immediately speak to the 'Complaint Resolution Officer'. All airlines should have a CRO officer available 24hrs a day either by phone or in person, who is trained to deal with any problems a disabled flyer may encounter whilst travelling.

Disabled travellers in the U.S. can order a free booklet from the U.S. Department of Transportation outlining valuable information for all disabled travellers by telephoning PVA Distribution Center at: 888-860-7244 (Order No. 2100-16).

The Eastern Paralyzed Vetrans Association also supply a handy booklet on how to make a complaint if you are an unsatisfied disabled traveller, along with a comprehensive guide to the Air Carriers Access Act. For full details call 718-803-EPVA, or write to 75-20 Astoria Boulevard, Jackson Heights, NY 11370-1177.

How to make a balloon fly

How does a hot-air balloon work (in theory)? In a word: buoyancy . Hot-air balloons float in the sky for pretty much the same reason that boats float on the sea. A boat floats because it's supported by the water beneath it: the weight of the boat (pulling downward) is exactly counterbalanced by the pressure of the water beneath it (pushing upward). A boat doesn't float perfectly on the water surface but sinks partly into the water according to how heavy it is. The bigger the boat, the bigger the area of water beneath it, the greater the force of the water pressure pushing upward on it, and the more weight it can carry. Here's another way to look at it: generally speaking, an object will float if it's less dense than water (in other words, lighter than an equal volume of water) and sink if it's more dense (heavier than an equal volume of water). Imagine a block of lead the size of your arm dropped into a bathtub filled with water. An "armful of lea...

What is the Difference Between a Jet & a Plane?

One of the most common types of airplanes in use today is the jet, which has largely replaced traditional aircraft powered by propellers. Although propeller planes are still used in some instances, jets dominate commercial and private air travel due to their greater speed, ability to fly at higher altitudes and mechanical reliability. General Airplane History While efforts toward powered flight date back to the earliest inventors, the first successful flight of a fixed-wing aircraft was performed famously by the Wright brothers in 1903. Their plane, known as the Wright Flyer I, was made of wood and used a gasoline engine to spin a pair of wooden propellers. Over the next several years, the Wright brothers continued to refine the design that would provide the basis for aircraft over the coming decades. World War I provided a major incentive for the design and construction of better airplanes. Planes were originally used purely for surveying the enemy's positions. This l...

Low Cost Airlines in the USA

1. Southwest Airlines Southwest Airlines Co. is a major U.S. airline and the world's largest low-cost carrier, headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The airline was established in 1967 and adopted its current name in 1971. The airline has nearly 46,000 employees as of December 2014 and operates more than 3,400 flights per day. As of June 5, 2011, it carries the most domestic passengers of any U.S. airline. As of November 2014, Southwest Airlines has scheduled service to 93 destinations in 41 states, Puerto Rico and abroad. Southwest Airlines has used only Boeing 737s, except for a few years in the 1970s and 1980s, when it leased a few Boeing 727s. As of August 2012, Southwest is the largest operator of the 737 ...more on Wikipedia 2 JetBlue JetBlue Airways Corporation, stylized as jetBlue, is an American low-cost airline. The company is headquartered in the Long Island City neighborhood of the New York City borough of Queens, with its main base at John F. Kennedy Intern...

Rent Airplane

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