CEO of the Cockpit

Animals and aviation have always had a close relationship. You’ve got your Flying Tigers, your Mustangs, and even the venerable B-52 has earned the name “the BUFF,” although I don’t think that name refers to the American Bison.I was thinking these thoughts recently at a dog agility trial where our Corgi was preparing to absolutely […]

I always enjoy going to pilot retirement parties because they make me feel so young. Tonight’s party was no different. There was the retiree, Paul, who had just gotten off his last flight from Tokyo and was beginning to celebrate his newfound non-captain-ness. Others in the group included the ubiquitous happy family, old pilots who […]

It was the kind of night that people always think of when they envision airline flying. Clear and a million and smooth as a baby’s backside.There was no moon and as we headed east over the west side of the Rockies, the only interruption from the star-filled darkness was the occasional meteor entering our atmosphere. […]

If you snuggle down deep, a La-Z-Boy recliner can actually begin to feel warm. This is especially true if you cover yourself with an unfolded newspaper as you try and snooze in a cold pilot lounge. We were trying to out-wait a mid-December snowstorm and I was trying, in vain, to nap the time away.It […]

It was just about the perfect day off for this airline captain. Warm breezes from a portable heater wafted over my body, which was lying in a comfortable position in my faux leather recliner. A hot cup of perfectly brewed coffee by my side, I was enjoying a Tivo’d recording of a new Simpson’s episode […]

My nephew Kermit and I rarely miss a movie that has flying in it. We’ve watched classics like “Islands in the Sun” and endured dogs like “Pearl Harbor” but we’ve always enjoyed each other’s company and popcorn at the movies.During one of my days off last week, I took Kermit to see the highly hyped […]

I don’t usually travel by boat, but I found myself crossing the rough waters of a Midwestern, middle-size lake. I was on my way to a friend and co-pilot’s 50th birthday party. It was to be held on the hallowed picnic grounds once cavorted upon by this person’s forebears and ancestors. A sort-of old-time, traditionally […]

Summer is always a cornucopia of weather delays, hot cockpits and long duty periods. If you add in the occasional terrorist scare, you can spend quite a bit of time at the airport or in the airplane.You usually smell and feel pretty good while doing this, but with yesterday’s confiscation of my crew’s deodorant, toothpaste […]

CEO of the Cockpit #61: There’s No Trying to Reason With the Terrorist Season – (Aug. 27, 2006)Do you want to see the captain of your airline flight walk through security in stocking feet with his “air marshal” government-approved gun in a clear plastic bag? AVweb’s CEO of the Cockpit just wants to keep his […]

It was so unexpected that I couldn’t help myself. I shouted out in surprise. Why in the world are you putting a navigational-beacon frequency into the ADF? “Well … uh … I thought I’d use the ADF as a back-up source of navigation during this upcoming approach,” said Laurie, my aviation major domo for the […]