Aviation Documentaries - is it just me?

[Nigel H-J]

Have been watching a number of documentaries on TV recently such as Dangerous Airshows and Aircraft Repo.

One point that really, really annoys me is that the compare/commentator uses the metric system when describing cruising height or speed. In other words the aircraft flies at X metres altitude and flies at X Kilometers an hour. I know that the Soviet Union and China use this method in their countries but as far as I am aware, most airlines when flying globally use the feet and knots as well as F/L. I just find it confusing when watching a programme and told that this aircraft has a service ceiling of X Metres and cruises at X Kilometers an hour. I then have to grab hold of a calculator.

Sorry, but I was born and educated in the age of Imperial Measures and therefore consider myself an Imperialist and cannot abide all this metrication on aviation documentaries, why the producers seem to think that all flying is measured in metric (apart from AUW and Fuel) is beyond me.

Just lately I am fast becoming a grumpy old Imperialist!!

Nigel.

[DaveB]

I think that all it really shows is that producers of these documentaries have little background knowledge of the programmes they're producing or are trying very hard to be PC Come the revolution

ATB
DaveB

[DaveG]

Probably because 540kts doesn't sound as impressive as 1000km/h.

[DaveB]

Yes Dave.. I've noticed that too. Complete gonads!

ATB
DaveB

[airboatr]

Edit:
...

[Tomliner]

I think DaveG hit the nail on the head,I've thought the same thing myself.However I think the 'Dangerous Airshows' programme is Canadian made and they use the metric system so it might excuse some of the producers ignorance. EricT

[dfarrow]

It's 6 years plus since I've flown in Canada . But they used Altitude / FLs in feet and speed in knots back then . Mind you look what happened when Air Canada changed fuel uploads from lbs to kgs ...
Suddenly inventing a glider version of a 767 and landed on a car racing cct [ old a/d ] .

rgds dave f .

[sketchy74]

I think DaveG hit the nail on the head,I've thought the same thing myself.However I think the 'Dangerous Airshows' programme is Canadian made and they use the metric system so it might excuse some of the producers ignorance. EricT

I would imagine that would be the real reason, if you are broadcasting to a population that has no daily point of reference to a unit of measurement then you may as well be saying "this plane cruises at a height 4million potatoes stacked on top of each other..." . Feet / lbs / FL's / Kts are all well known units to people in the industry or keen enthusiasts, however the producers of the shows know their audience and have to speak their language, so its not dumbing down. Similarly watching a cockpit video of a Lufthansa flight recently I noticed in the Captain's address to the passengers he used Metres as unit of altitude to inform them of where they were currently cruising, I am sure a hull load of Germans would be perplexed with someone using a system of measurement that has not been used in that country since well before the Wright Brothers took to the air.

Perhaps a fair compromise in the program would be to say that this plane Cruises at 36,000 Feet which is 10972.8 Metres....

I guess I feel it daily the other way around, I grew up in the UK using the Metric system and have to communicate daily with American's who look blankly at you when you say "lets make the wall thickness of this moulding 3mm" ... notice I spelt Moulding correctly (which they hate), good thing I work for a Canadian company a Country that does spell correctly and manufacture in Asia that uses Metric....

First world problems I guess!