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A Troubling Report from Rostov
Reconstruction of the FlyDubai 737-800 wreckageThe Russian Interstate Aviation Committee has published an interim report on their investigation into the crash of FlyDubai FZ981. The report is quite...
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How to Fly with a Jerk
Yea, they're out there. The perfectionists, the disgruntled, the narcissists and especially the ones who are going to teach you the "proper" way to fly. Spend enough time in the front of an airliner...
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How to Dodge a Thunderstorm and Not Spill Your Coffee
They have big teeth too!Well it's spring. It is a time when, according to Tennyson, a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love. Being an old grizzled coot firmly in the grip of matrimony for...
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Egyptair 804
Egyptair A320Egyptair 804 disappeared over the Mediterranean Sea last week. The aircraft, an Airbus A320, was carrying 56 passengers and 10 crew when it vanished from radar screens at about 2:30 am...
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Does Falling Asleep at the Controls Make You a Bad Pilot?
Delta 767 and Greek F-16s in formation.Not necessarily, though it might very well make you a dead pilot if you were in a single pilot aircraft such as an F-16 or Cessna. But as far as airliners go, if...
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So How Do Jet Engines Work and Why Would One Blow Up?
This past week a Southwest Airlines 737 suffered a very dramatic engine failure while on a flight from New Orleans to Orlando. It appeared as if the entire front of the engine came off judging from...
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How I Raised Four Amazing Children as the Husband of an Airline Pilot
I, no we, my wife and I, have four amazing kids. No, seriously, they are. I couldn't possibly be biased, but I'll let you judge:Marlon, the oldest, (not their real names) recently graduated as an...
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Is Aviation Automation Killing Us?
"When we design our systems, we need to assign appropriate roles to the human and technological components. It is best for humans to be the doers and technology to be the monitors, providing decision...
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Flying to Cuba on One Engine
Brian Hall (center) and his Bonanza in HavanaThis past August saw an important landmark in aviation history with the first scheduled commercial flight between the US and Cuba taking place in nearly...
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What's Up with the Rollercoaster Takeoffs from Orange County?
If you've ever had the pleasure (or perhaps the terror) of taking off in a commercial plane from Orange County's John Wayne airport, you'll know that it is a takeoff unlike any other. Just seconds...
View ArticleDelta is the Best!
Here's an amusing comparison from a Delta captain of block hours, revenue, and profits at the big four carriers that I found on a pilot forum...Delta is THE BEST...08-26-2016, 01:57 PM...Just ask them!...
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NTSB Attributes Design Flaw and Pilot Input for Crash at LaGuardia
Back in March of last year, a Delta MD-88 slid off the runway in a snow storm at LaGuardia. The aircraft was heavily damaged but there were no injuries. I wrote about that incident here.To recap, the...
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How Does an Airliner Run Out of Fuel?
While the investigation into the crash of the LaMia RJ-85 airliner in Columbia is still ongoing, it is becoming apparent that the aircraft ran out of fuel. Investigators at the crash site noted that...
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The Crash That Made Your Airplane Safer
Enhanced GPWS display showing terrain (in green)Any airplane crash is a tragedy, but in the investigation following a crash, it is always hoped that something can be learned which will aid in the...
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Don't Depend on the Kicker to Win the Game
If it routinely comes down to the kicker to win, the team has failed.Last month I wrote about the crash of LaMia 2933 which resulted from fuel starvation. Post crash investigation revealed that the...
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I Feel Ok, But I Still Called in Sick
A visit to the flight doc might prevent this To be fair, I really do have a bit of a cold. It started the day before my trip with some sneezing and a headache. It's really nothing most workers would...
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Captain's Authority, Captain's Responsibility
Should he run the entire show?A recent incident on a JetBlue airplane where former Senator Al D'Amato was removed from the flight after causing a disturbance got me thinking about captain's authority....
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Then There Was the Time I Saw a C-5 Do the Splits
The airplane and the landing gear wanted to go different directions.The C-5 Galaxy is a magnificent airplane. I flew this amazing machine for over a decade and many thousands of hours between the years...
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Approach, We Need to Divert
Being a good pilot means always having a backup plan. I don't care if you are a VFR-only pilot on an afternoon outing or pushing back in a twin aisle airliner for an overseas leg. The very nature of...
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How to Survive Your Airline Flight: The Captain's Guide to Staying Sane
Glamour definedMany decades ago, travel by air was considered amazing. And glamorous. Fast forward into the eleventh decade of passenger air travel and it is still amazing, but not quite so glamorous....
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