FBOs

“The primary purpose of the ATC system is to prevent a collision between aircraft operating in the system and to organize and expedite the flow of traffic.”Sounds simple doesn’t it? That one sentence is the meat and potatoes of Air Traffic Control. It’s amazing how complex the system has to be to accomplish that one […]

In reviewing Part 1 of this column last month, I remembered another story that illustrates “cockpit culture.” Remember the story of the Flight Engineer (FE) and “backing up” the thrust levers, as a carry-over from the props days? Levers And Fingers Well, one late night in the DC-8 simulator at Japan Airlines (JAL), I was […]

It had been a lousy afternoon. Dealing with a case involving someone from the dregs of aviation always depresses me, but this one had been worse than usual. When everything was over for the day, the only thing I could think to do was to retreat to the pilot’s lounge at the virtual airport. With […]

The flight to Denver was going well enough. Light chop in the clouds at three-three-oh and only an hour and a half before we got to the front range of the Rockies.Today’s cockpit conversation wasn’t about the ride or the destination, though. It was about next month and our holiday schedules. The line-of-time bid results […]

One of the less pleasant aspects of my job is the fact that I occasionally have to work a midnight shift. The biggest challenge for me (besides staying awake) is finding something useful to do. Fortunately my Area doesn’t have a freighter operation (yet) so I spent the quiet parts of the shift trying to […]

“And the Lord spoke again unto Moses from the burning bush, and said, “Get thee up the slopes of Mount Sinai yet again, and there I shall cause to be written in stone a whole host of tablets. These tablets shall each bear a name that will be strange unto you, such as Piper, Beech, […]

There is a nearly unanimous sentiment among those who frequent the pilot’s lounge here at the virtual airport that one of the best things a pilot can do when not flying is to spend time at a good aviation museum. For many of us, a good aviation museum, no matter what size, is something to […]

The warm, carefree days of summer appear to be over as I sit in my 757 pondering the outside conditions as we prepare to yet again to voyage to Schwarzenegger’s lair — Los Angeles Intergalactic Jet Port.”Information Juliet is current,” began Todd, my co-pilot for this four-day hostage crisis. “One thousand overcast, two miles in […]

What’s not to like about October? It’s my favorite month of the year. I don’t know what it’s like in your neck of the woods but here in the Southeast it’s just about perfect. Cool nights, warm days and the sky: the crystal-clear, beautiful, blue sky.They’re the kind of days that are perfect for flying. […]

Editor’s Note: This is the second of a two-part series on flying the Hurricane. Read Part 1 first. First, there is excellent news. The main electrical panel for the Zero has been repaired after my little smoke and fire event, and I should be able to test hop it today (10/7/03). The Hurry has been […]