AVweb’s Flight Safety section offers in-depth coverage of aviation safety topics, including accident analyses, risk management strategies, regulatory updates, and pilot training insights. Designed for pilots, instructors, and aviation professionals, this section provides timely information to enhance situational awareness and promote best practices in flight operations.
TheFreight Dogs When someone says, “commercialpilot,” the first thing the listener thinks of is an air carrier pilotwearing a blazer with stripes up to his/her elbow. But there are many moreoccupations for professional pilots than just flying a human mailing tube, notleast of which are the so-called “freight dogs” – the cargo haulersflying all kinds […]
Robert Jenkins had a system deviation today. He was workingMetropolis-highR-side and the sector was down the tubes. Busy, busy, busy. Somewhere in therehe ran a guy into Southwest Center’s Capital City-high’s airspace. Bad news. That’s ano-no in air traffic control, running a guy into someone else’s airspace withouta handoff. Southwest Center, at least the system […]
The Continental Airlines flight is en routeback to my home outside of Denver. The B-737/300 is climbing through FL 280. Mysix-foot-five frame is packed into seat 5D and there still appears to be blood circulationto the extremities. The ride is going well, but I harbor a secret wish. If only the flightattendant would announce calmly, […]
The 747 was nearing the end of the trans-Pacific flight from Tokyo to Anchorage, Alaska, and had begun a descent from Flight Level 370 about 120nm from the runway. The triple Inertial Navigation Systems (INS) had functioned perfectly, and the autopilot in INS mode still held the big bird on a flawless and perfectly straight […]
It wasn’t really a bad day, just a little challenging. The wind was gusting to about 15 and it was bumpy. The clouds were solid at 3,000 feet, but the visibility was great. Students were working hard in the crosswind and the gusts, and a couple of pilots were sitting here in the Lounge drinking […]
Authors Note: I’m indebted to former Pan Am and United Airlines captain Samuel D. Woolsey for much of the background information contained in this article. Captain Woolsey retired at age 60 from United Airlines and is about to embark upon a new career as an attorney. A longtime critic and opponent of the FAA’s Age […]
Henry Kisor was born August 17, 1940, inRidgewood, N.J. Age three brought his first experience in the cockpit of a TBF Avenger,and a bout with meningitis that would take away his ability to hear. Henry’s parentstaught him to read and to read lips and to find his place in a hearing world. He earned aB.A. […]
Areader who requested that I discuss making perfect landings, – with animation, noless – prompted this column. In a perfect world it would be easy to consistently make those neat landingsin which our passengers, as we are rolling out after a real greaser, look aroundand exclaim, “When did we land?” However, I don’t live in […]
The recent loss of Alaska Airlines 261 waslike an unexpected hard punch in the gut for me, and for everyone in the airline business,because we know that Alaska is one of the very finest airlines, with excellent attitudesprevailing in the cockpits and cabins, good equipment, good maintenance, good training,and highly skilled pilots who operate in […]
Sincethe dawn of aviation, generations of pilots and would-be pilots have lustedafter that which God did not give them. No, not wings — they want perfectvision. In addition to the annoyance faced by mere mortals who have to wearglasses or contacts, pilots around the world also must deal with stringentvisual standards from civil aviation authorities […]
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