CEO of the Cockpit

One of the many responsibilities that come with the title “Renaissance Man” is helping our little crumb crunchers learn about aviation. Remember, “Children are our future” is more than a platitude — it is a frightening reality.So, this aging airline captain finds himself at least twice a month at the local aviation museum trying to […]

I don’t get DCA layovers as often as I used to when I flew the MD-88. The 767 doesn’t get to our nation’s capital that often — at least from our base — and I haven’t been in the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum for quite a few years.There usually isn’t enough time during a […]

Pilot lounges are happy places containing the most entertaining bulletin boards available in the aviation world.You can tell a lot about the state of the world and what time of year it is by just looking over what is for sale on the wall of a lounge. When you see motorboats, airplanes, and expensive motorcycles […]

The ALPA meeting was over and we were in the coffee shop with a bunch of the retirees that had come to see if they still had a retirement. With all the recent turmoil in the business, many airlines had tried to do away with retirement benefits and some had succeeded. Lucky for us they […]

Mo had brought me my second beer and I was well on my way to losing my first ten bucks to the video blackjack machine imbedded in the bar when Janet and Keith showed up to share my Las Vegas layover with me.Probably in accord with the public’s preconceived notions of gender roles, Janet was […]

It is a very rare occasion when I attend an Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) meeting. Usually, they are held at some motel meeting room hundreds of miles from my home, and it is also usually during a very nice day that could be better spent outside playing tennis.The turmoil over potential pay cuts of […]

My co-pilot, Jerry, breezed into the cockpit at pushback time plus five and threw down his flight bag. “Sorry I’m so late — I somehow screwed up my schedule and didn’t even know I was supposed to fly today!”That sort of thing happens from time to time and there isn’t much you can do about […]

Computers have made aviation so much easier. A mere decade ago, flight engineers were trained to compute weight and balance figures on something called “a piece of paper.” These figures were then used in the operation of the aircraft.Then a major breakthrough happened and the airlines came up with a radio dispatch system that was […]

I am having trouble believing that the 727 is ancient history, I said to my tennis-club bartender.”What is a 727 and why are you sitting at my bar if all you are going to drink is Diet Coke?” asked Fred. Fred has been the bartender at my tennis club for over 10 years, and this […]

The pilot lounge at our crew base is just like every other one in the airline universe: some preschool-type art tables with folding chairs and walls covered with cork bulletin boards, which in turn are covered with the flotsam and jetsam of pilot life. There is the usual large screen television showing either the usual […]