Q&A on the News

Q: Do pilots have multiple cameras and/or rearview mirrors so that they can see images from the cabin, the cargo hold, the wings, the engines and the tails, among other places? —Garry E. Siegel, Roswell

A: There are a few large airplanes that have cameras in certain areas of the aircraft, such as the tail looking forward, the belly looking at the main landing gear and the nose looking forward, John M. Cox, CEO of Safety Operating Systems, a Washington D.C.-based aviation consulting firm, told Q&A on the News via email.

Those airplanes include the 747-8, the A380 and the A340-600.

Other airplanes do not have cameras or mirrors, and pilots rely on sensors to know if there is a malfunction within a system, he wrote.

Q: How many coal workers have gone back to work since President Donald Trump promised he would revive the industry?

— Dewey Moody, Grayson

A: During Trump’s first year in office, total U.S. coal mining jobs grew to 54,819, up by 771 workers, according to preliminary Mining Health and Safety Administration data cited by Reuters in a report earlier this year.

The biggest growth, Reuters reported, was in states such as Virginia and West Virginia, while states such as Texas and Ohio lost jobs. Q&A on the News runs Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Fast Copy News Service wrote this column. Do you have a question? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404222-2002 or email q&a@ajc. com (include name, phone and city).