Opinion
Jim Cameron Jim Cameron 8-2-16

On Your Next Flight, Don’t Drink the Coffee, Tea or Unbottled Water: Cameron on Transportation

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You should never drink coffee or tea prepared on an airplane: You may get very sick. That’s the bottom line, according to recent studies by Hunter College’s NYC Food Safety Center about the safety of airplanes’ water tanks, which, it turns out, can be harboring some nasty contaminants such as E. coli and coliform. Some suggest you shouldn’t even wash your hands in on-board water. Airlines are only required to flush and clean their on-board water tanks four times a year. But when they fly to exotic destinations and get serviced between flights, they take on local water, which may not meet U.S. standards.

Opinion
Jim Cameron Jim Cameron 8-2-16

Jim Cameron Loves Reading Timetables. This Column Is More Interesting Than Doing That. — Cameron on Transportation

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I love reading timetables. Not the new ones on smartphone apps, but the old printed ones. Reading about a train or plane’s journey on paper is almost like taking the ride itself. Growing up in Canada, I was fascinated with the two major passenger railroads, the quasi-government owned “crown corporation” Canadian National Railroad (CNR) and the private Canadian Pacific Railroad (CPR). Both ran transcontinental trains from Montreal and Toronto to Vancouver, a journey of 70-plus hours — if they were on time.

Opinion
Jim Cameron Jim Cameron 8-2-16

You Can Catch a Ride on a Helicopter: Technology First Flown in Connecticut: Cameron on Transportation

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Have you ever flown in a helicopter? They seem such a glamorous (if expensive) way to travel, bypassing the traffic en route to the airport or sightseeing over rugged terrain. But do you know the helicopter had its first flight ever right here in Connecticut. It was the creation of Russian immigrant and inventor Igor Sikorsky, 80 years ago. Sure, Leonardo da Vinci made early drawings of a vertical flying machine, but that was in the 1480s.

Opinion
Jim Cameron Jim Cameron 8-2-16

‘I Knew My Trip Was Doomed When …’ — Adventures in Air Travel: Cameron on Transportation

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What idiot said “getting there is half the fun?”

That’s what went through my mind when I did a “day trip” to Los Angeles: two door-to-door 10-hour trips just for a three-hour face-to-face meeting with my most important consulting client. I knew my trip was doomed when I went to pick up my rental car at LAX and there were none available. I pleaded with the employee that I had been up since 1 a.m. local time and I needed to get to an important meeting on time. The woman said, “I can give you a mini-van.” Fabulous! If it has an engine and wheels, I’ll take it.