mtrescott I’ll be at AOPA Aviation Summit next week and put together a calendar of items that interest me. I’ve also listed my seminars and book signings—please come to one and say hello! Note that sessions labeled “AOPA Live” will be also be broadcast over the internet; see the AOPA.org web site for details on how to view these sessions.
In this video, the pilot shows a callous disregard for the dangers of flying in the clouds without an IFR clearance. He can be seen calmly flying in IMC until suddenly bushes appear at the aircraft’s level ahead and to the right. Just how close the pilot came to killing all aboard is later demonstrated by a close-up view of the damage to the right wing.
The strange case of Northwest Flight 188 that we reported last week got even stranger Monday after the NTSB released details of their interviews with the pilots. Jon Ostrower of FlightBlogger has released a YouTube video that shows the pull out tray available for pilots to use while working in an Airbus A320 cockpit. As he points out in the video, placing a laptop on the pull out tray would block a pilot’s view of the cockpit instruments.
The professionalism of two Northwest Airlines pilots who overflew their Minneapolis destination by 150 miles is seriously in question. While all the facts are not known, it’s quite possible that the pilots fell asleep at the controls. Anyone can make a mistake. But pilots in particular need to be accountable for their mistakes.
Not surprisingly, the Sully I met in person is identical to the man that America has seen interviewed on radio and television. He’s a tall, distinguished looking gentleman who appears confident and professional. Initially a quiet man by nature, he’s gotten used to being the public face for aviation and interacting with the public. When we met, I thanked him for becoming the co-chairman, along with his first officer Jeff Skiles, for the EAA’s Young Eagles program.
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee reported the passage today of H.R. 3371, The Airline Safety and Pilot Training Improvement Act of 2009. One of the biggest changes is that it requires all airline pilots, including first officers, to hold an Airline Transport Pilot certificate, which requires pilots to have a minimum of 1,500 flight hours. It’s unclear if this will improve airline safety or simply raise the cost of becoming an airline pilot.
While surfing the internet, I read an update on the David Letterman blackmail sex scandal. The key takeaway for me was that Steve Martin and Martin Short are on the show, so I’ll be watching tonight when I otherwise wouldn’t have—so that’s good for Letterman’s ratings. Is the next step for him to start an … Read more
Accidents occur more frequently in localized hotspots. As pilots, we should identify these areas and increase our vigilance when operating near them. Some of these hotspots are generic and are found everywhere while others are specific to a local area. Generic hotspots include airports and VORs. For example, mid-air collisions are… more likely to occur … Read more
I enjoy the literary license I have in writing articles for my blog. Most articles relate to general aviation news, safety and advocacy. On rare occasions like today, I go off topic when I see something that amuses me. Today's posting is about a fun video that PilotMall.com just released that includes some nice shots … Read more
I receive a lot of email from readers of my blog and my books and I try to respond to all of them, though candidly I don’t get to all of them, so I apologize if you’ve written and never heard back from me. Last week I received an interesting one from a 29-year old … Read more