Why do nautical miles linger on?

January 1st, 2010

I recently had an exchange of correspondence with an acquaintance (a former RAF pilot) who tried to explain to me why most of the world of aviation still uses nautical miles and knots rather than kilometres and km/h.  The explanation went like this.

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NHS risking patients’ lives with imperial scales

December 17th, 2009

Six months after an official report warned of systemic negligence in medical weighing practice within the NHS, the Department of Health has failed to issue the necessary safety alert to hospital trusts to ensure that the report’s recommendations are implemented.

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Big Bang vs “voluntary gradualism”

December 11th, 2009

A correspondent asks whether countries that carried out their metrication programme quickly fared better or worse than countries that have tried to do the job gradually and voluntarily.

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Electric cars – an opportunity for SI, or a threat?

December 4th, 2009

The arrival of electric cars on our streets will draw attention to measures for comparing performance.

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Milk pricing – is there method in the supermarket muddle?

November 30th, 2009

The pricing of milk should be simple and clear, for milk is a staple item in every household. In reality, confusion often reigns.

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Virgin London Marathon 2010

November 19th, 2009

Martin Vlietstra, a frequent contributor to MetricViews, passes on some misgivings about on the 2010 London Marathon.

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BIS sticks with pints of beer (but only on draught)

November 11th, 2009

As expected the Business Department has refused to permit sales of draught beer and cider in convenient metric measures – but its reasoning is bizarre.

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Signs review disregards Welsh road users

November 1st, 2009

The Department for Transport (DfT) is failing to address the needs of Welsh road users, and international traffic, when considering road sign designs in its Traffic Signs Policy Review.

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End of imperial-only restriction signs

October 10th, 2009

The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced its intention to finally end the use of imperial-only width and height restriction signs on Britain’s roads.

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Chaos comes to National Cycle Network signs

October 9th, 2009

In an apparent admission that cycle route signs showing distances in miles are not meaningful to cyclists, the Department for Transport is proposing to allow authorities the option of using signs that show journey times in hrs and mins instead of distances in miles and fractions of miles.

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