Unpacking the Qantas Emergency Landing
On January 18, at around 2:30 pm NSW time, the Qantas flight QF144 popped off with a mayday call. They did this because one of its two Boeing 737-800 engines had failed while flying from Auckland to Sydney.
Fortunately, this warning was later downgraded, the plane successfully landed in Sydney, and nobody was hurt. However, this incident might still change the aviation industry as we know it.
As Aviation Projects’ Managing Director, Keith Tonkin, explained, it’s incredibly rare for a pilot to issue a mayday call.
“Normally you don’t do that, the idea is that you’re in great imminent danger, like you’re about to die… It’s unusual they would have done that,” said Tonkin.
“They must have been very concerned about the circumstances.”
In response to this situation, Qantas said, “While inflight engine shutdowns are rare, and would naturally be concerning for passengers, our pilots are trained to manage them safely and aircraft are designed to fly for an extended period on one engine.”
Qantas also said that they were investigating this unfolding situation. We’ll keep you in the loop if any big announcements regarding the Qantas mayday call drop.
Why Rafa Nadal Lost His Australian Open Match
In a brutal second-round match of the Australian Open, Rafael Nadal lost in straight sets to Mackenzie McDonald. This was devastating for Nadal, as he is the tournament’s defending champion and should have retired from the match because of a hip injury.
“I tried to keep playing without increasing the damage. But I just wanted to finish the match,” said Nadal.
“Mackenzie was playing at a great level of tennis,” Nadal additionally said. “A long time I was there, fighting, having my chances, but he was doing well. I was not doing that well.”
“I didn’t want to retire, to be the defending champion here… I lost. Congratulate the opponent.”
Related: What’s Happening in Australia in 2023
Related: The Full Australian Open Prize Money Spread
Free Community Batteries Are Coming
In some stunning news for your day, the Federal Government is providing 400 communities with 400 solar storage batteries. If rooftop solar panels create excess electricity, then these batteries will make sure this power doesn’t go to waste and will store it. The programme is launching this year.
“Once the community battery is up and running, then households will be able to apply to participate to store their renewable energy,” said Chris Bowen, Climate Change and Energy Minister.
“We’re in most cases talking a couple of dollars a week. But certainly, the benefits of the reduced bills from being able to store renewable energy will far outweigh that cost.”
The Federal Government is choosing which communities will get these solar storage batteries through a grant process. Applications for 58 of these batteries open around January 31.
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