Recent content by FranP

I think it's fair to say that not all theories are created equal...

Sorry, I messed up the quote function, and now I can't seem to edit it!

I don't work in the building industry, but I do work in property insurance, and from experience, I can say that unless you can test the interiors of these type of composite panels, there is simply no way to tell a firesafe filling from a non-firesafe filling. I will also add that the insurance...

The bend where the tram derailed has a speed limit of 12mph, and the Rail Accident Investigation Board has said that the train was going significantly faster at the time that it derailed. Apparently they and the British Transport Police are investigating whether the driver blacked out or feel...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-36481749 Interesting article on the BBC about the search and some of the issues they might face in locating and retrieving the black boxes, and the aircraft itself.

Meningitis is the inflammation of the lining of the brain, caused by a virus, in this case, the Ebola virus. Meningitis isn't an illness in it's own right, it's a symptom of an infection in the brain.

There are rules about how much the booking on time can vary from one day to the next (I think it's 2 hours either way from the booking on time the day before), and they have to have 12 hours off between shifts by law. But that doesn't really help much when someone is booking for a shift at...

It is possible, depending on how many routes he regularly runs - my husband has top know around 20 odd routes. I can quite easily believe that he was distracted for some reason (tiredness, something hit the windscreen and startled him, doing something else), and just lost track (sorry, couldn't...

Train windscreens are normally made with laminated glass, to prevent any glass or objects getting into the cab and potentially injure the driver. I've seen what happens to a train windscreen when something hits it, in the UK, and the glass will crack, but it'll stay intact and in place...

It's unlikely that the driver fell asleep - as I understand it from my husband (who drives trains in the UK), there is a 'deadman's switch'. Effectively, you have to stand on a pedal the whole time the train is moving. If you don't, the train will automatically apply the brakes to slow and...

The BBC is reporting it was found at his 'apartments', rather than his parent's house, although they haven't specified further. Looks as though maybe he feared a repeat of the time when he was training and couldn't fly for 18 months. The more that comes out, the sadder this whole thing becomes.

It's just so heartbreaking. The BBC is reporting that the sounds of passengers screaming can be heard just before the crash. I can't imagine what those passengers went through. I have boundless sympathy for their families, hearing that must be unspeakably awful. I also have sympathy for...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-europe-32046257

http://fyre.it/7vLjET.4Latest update on the nationalities of those on the plane: - 67 Germans - Many Spaniards. The government says the passenger list included 45 people with Spanish last names but it is still trying to confirm the exact number. - 3 British - 3 Kazakhs - 2...

Fair enough, all the pictures I've seen seemed to show a large area of burning at the site, but I wasn't there. But that's a derail, so I'll say no more on that subject. Differences in the appearance of the two scenes are probably to do with the vastly different terrain and angles of impact.