Blog Archives

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DOWN AND OUT AT THE EL SAN JUAN
A memoir from 1980.

COUNTING UP, COUNTING DOWN
It’s been 23 years since our last major disaster.

MY ELECTION CURSE
Presidents, Planes, and Pilot Black Magic.

DOLLARS AND SENSE
Pilot salaries, now and then.

AUTUMN MACABRE
Aviation’s unluckiest day.

FEELING THE HEAT
Hoe does hot weather affect flying?

RISE & WHINE
A pilot’s morning missive.

THINGS GOING BUMP
Everyone’s talking turbulence.

GRAFFITI GEEK
Lufthansa’s greeting placard is a friendly idea.

ROOM WITH A VIEW
From glorious to ghastly, a look through the curtains.

DEADLY TURBULENCE
Turbulence encounters are in the news. Here’s why not to panic.

MH 370, TEN YEARS ON
A Story in Pieces.

FUTURE TENSE
If we’re safer than ever, why am I so nervous?

WHEN A WING COMES APART
Or, when it doesn’t.

DIGNIFIED AND OLD
Congress says no to age 67. Here’s why I’m mad.

BIOMETRIC WONDER
Where does facial recognition data come from?

Q&A WITH THE PILOT, Volume 6
Landing gear, rock concerts, and pilots on the PA.

PSYCHING OUT
Pilots, drugs, and mental health

MARRIAGE MINDED
A tale of two tales in the Alaska-Hawaiian merger.

IT’S CLOUD APPRECIATION DAY
Let’s give it up for what’s up.

TERMINAL RACKET
Public address madness at a terminal near you.

JET BRIDGE BLUES
Is there not a better way?

DIGNIFIED AND OLD
Should the pilot retirement age be raised?

THE SOUTHWEST MELTDOWN, 2022
And, where have all the workers gone?

FLYING IN 2022
Air travel is broken. Can it be fixed?

LONDON CALLING
December is “Clash Month.”

JUSTICE, OF SORTS, FOR MH17
Three found guilty of killing 298 passengers and crew.

DAREDEVIL DEBACLES
Have air shows run their course?

ME AND MY RED SHARPIE
The pilot’s most indispensable tool.

THE DEATH OF GRANT HART, FIVE YEARS LATER
And the pantheon of 1980s songwriters.

THE REGIONAL RECKONING
Finally, some dignity for entry-level pilots.

THE LATEST BOOKS BY GARY SHTEYNGART AND JONATHAN FRANZEN
Upstate angst and a heartland masterpiece.

TRAVEL PHOTOS; THE TEXTURES SERIES
Paint and plaster like you’ve never seen it.

SUMMER, 2022
How bad will it be, and how did we get here?

PERMANENT MYSTERY
MH370, eight years later.

THE CHINA EASTERN 737 CRASH
Knowns and unknowns.

THE WAR IN UKRAINE
Plus, memories of Aeroflot.

JOINING FORCES
Some airline merger basics.

THE ROLLING REPORT CARD
The best, worst, and most nauseating paint schemes.

TELL ME ABOUT THIS PHOTO
Regional airlines, then and now.

CLIPPER CONCLUSION
The fall of Pan Am on its 30th anniversary.

SEEING SPOTS
Brussels Airlines peculiar livery, and the airline as city.

TWENTY YEARS AND COUNTING
The significance of November 12th.

ARRIVEDERCI, ALITALIA
Final farewell to Italy’s long-beleaguered carrier.

GETTING HOME
COVID testing made easy.

KEEPING THE CURTAINS CLOSED
A tribute to the Jazz Butcher.

BEWARE THE GREEN AND YELLOW AMOEBA
Bonjour, Air Senegal.

THE DAY OF THE COCKROACH
September 11th, twenty years on.

HOTEL ROOM MADNESS
Safety theater and plastic, plastic, plastic.

SOUTH OF THE BORDER
Mexico’s black eye. And what’s this, a livery to love?

ANGER ALOFT
Air rage incidents soar as passengers return.

RETRO MANIA
Have we gone crazy with vintage liveries?

WHO’S AFRAID OF SOCIAL MEDIA?
Ask the Pilot on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

A NIGHT AT THE TWA HOTEL
Eero Saarinen’s masterpiece is now a boutique hotel.

LOCKERBIE AND JUSTICE
Remembering Pan Am 103.

GOURMET DIVERSION
Pictures of airline food to remind us of normal.

FLYING IN THE AGE OF CORONAVIRUS
A pilot’s life during COVID-19.

LONG LIVE THE AIRPORT MARQUEE
Greeting passengers with a touch of drama and flair.

Q&A WITH THE PILOT, Coronavirus Edition
How an empty plane handles differently than a heavy one.

CONNECT THE DOTS
The Zen of airline route maps.

COVID CASUALTIES
Predictions, observations, and farewells.

AIR TRAVEL AND DISEASE
Flying in the age of coronavirus.

THE PLANE THAT NEVER WAS
The sad demise of the Boeing 797.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD OR SOMETHING
Filmmakers and airplanes.

UKRAINIAN 737 CRASHES NEAR TEHRAN
Iranian military shoots down Boeing.

UNFORGOTTEN: AIRLINES OF THE PAST, Part One.
The most colorful and influential airlines of yesterday. Part one.

UNFORGOTTEN: AIRLINES OF THE PAST, Part Two.
The most colorful and influential airlines of yesterday. Part two.

THE SILENT ANNIVERSARY
18 years of almost perfect safety.

SHORT HAUL SURPRISE
When is economy class better than business?

THE AIRPLANE THAT ISN’T
Boeing bet the future on a 50 year-old design. Did it lose?

THINGS I BRING
The weird secrets of a pilot’s luggage.

PLANE AND PILOT
The New York Times and the 737 MAX.

PILOTS & ALCOHOL
Tough questions after pilots are arrested in Glasgow.

TRUMP UNVEILS NEW AIR FORCE ONE LIVERY
And it’s three things you likely didn’t expect.

REMEMBERING AMERICA’S WORST AIR DISASTER
Past as prologue, and the legacy of flight 191.

A NEW LIVERY FOR UNITED AIRLINES
Bold, blue, and boring.

DEADLY STUPIDITY IN MOSCOW
How not to evacuate from a burning plane.

WRONG WAY WOES
How does a plane land at the wrong airport?

THE 737 MAX SAGA
Disaster, consequences, and the future for Boeing.

THE A380 IS DEAD! LONG LIVE THE A380!
The myth of the vanishing jumbo.

THE BIG PUSH
Super tailwinds are breaking records.

SHAMROCK SHAME
The latest Are Lingus livery, and a horrible new slogan.

ODE TO THE 767.
Another oldie but goodie from Boeing.

THE DRONES DANGER
Gatwick Airport shut down after drone encounter.

LOCKERBIE AT 30.
The legacy of Pan Am 103

ASK THE PILOT CHRISTMAS, 2018
A great new book to stick up your stocking.

DAMN THE SPINNER BAG.
How four-wheeled luggage is the scourge of air travel.

LION AIR CRASH AND THE 737 MAX
Passengers worry if the MAX is safe to fly.

DEMISE OF THE SELFIE STICK
Have tourists gotten smart?

THE AIRPORT LOUNGE CRISIS
Has the premium class lounge lost its luster?

THE 747 IN WINTER
The greatest plane of all time turns 50.

MAN STEALS PLANE, MEDIA GETS HYSTERICAL
The crash into Puget Sound and the “insider threat.”

Q&A WITH THE PILOT, Volume 4
Steering, runway noises, and gliding for dummies.

THE (NEW) BOOK IS HERE
Introducing the second edition of “Cockpit Confidential.”

A TRIP TO BHUTAN
To the high Himalayas aboard the little-known Drukair.

BROKEN GLASS
Everything you need to know about windows.

RUMMAGING THROUGH THE SEAT POCKET OF THE MIND, Volume 2
Overhead bins, dumb names, and hating Elvis Costello.

PASSENGER KILLED ABOARD SOUTHWEST FLIGHT
Explosive engine failures, heroics, and FAQ with the author.

PETS ON A PLANE
The real story on shipping your critter below deck.

BIG PLANES ON SHORT ROUTES? WHAT A CONCEPT.
As delays reach a crisis point, will airlines go back to the future?

DEAR AIRLINES: SAVE OUR VIDEO SCREENS!
Seat-back video is the best innovation of the past fifty years. Why are we getting rid of it?

2017: THE SAFEST YEAR IN AVIATION HISTORY
How we got here, and what it means.

MOVING IN PLACE: LAYOVER RAMBLES WITH PATRICK SMITH
Volume 1, Paris in Four Bridges.

AN ASK THE PILOT CHRISTMAS, 2017 VERSION
The year’s coolest gifts, and the worst Christmas song of all time.

ART OF A LOGO
When a tail tells a tale. Designs with a deeper meaning.

ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST
The LCC Long-Haul Threat.

LETTER FROM MAHO BEACH
Sand, sea and danger on the island of St. Maarten.

BOARDING BLUES
The jet bridge monstrosity, and the pains and perils of boarding and deplaning.

WHAT’S IN A NAME?
The lost art of naming jetliners.

TURBULENCE: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
Things that go bump in the flight.

AIR TRAVEL & THE ENVIRONMENT
The pilot’s uneasy conscience.

THE SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND SKY
A pilot asks his passengers to pray. What in god’s name was he thinking?

THE WORLD’S BEST AIRLINE?
Qatar Airways wins coveted Skytrax award. Do they deserve it?

A LIFE LIST OF PLANES
Get your memories out. Plus, the weird similarities between airplane nerds and birdwatchers.

AIR TRAVEL THEN AND NOW. AN OP-ED IN THE TIMES.
Is flying really as awful as everybody thinks? Some reasons why not.

TSA TO EXPAND IN-CABIN ELECTRONIS BAN.
Or, maybe not.

FACT AND FALLACY OF THE PILOT SHORTAGE
The pilot shortage is real. But what is it, exactly?

PASSENGER FORCIBLY REMOVED
And a media circus ensues.

AIR TRAVEL IN ART, MUSIC, AND FILM
Movies, songs, album covers. From Kieslowski to the Clash, air travel is everywhere!

TSA BANS IN-CABIN ELECTRONICS FROM TEN AIRPORTS
Safety or politics, what’s the real thinking here?

GOING THE DISTANCE: THE LONGEST FLIGHTS IN THE WORLD
What is the final frontier of long-haul flying?

TRUMP AND THE TRAVEL BAN
Plus, the airlines of failed states, and meditations on a photograph.

THE SCOURGE OF INFLIGHT GARBAGE
The Passenger Hall of Shame, volume II. And, can a simple plastic bag save millions for an airline?

ODE TO THE 757.
And an open letter to Boeing. The hell with the 737, give us a real plane.

THOUGHTS ON THE MOVIE, “SULLY”
Plus, heroes, miracles, and others who weren’t so lucky.

PILOTS AND MENTAL HEALTH
Looking skeptically at a scary-sounding new study.

THE UNITED STATES OF TRASH AND NEGLECT
Plastic flossers, rubber bands and dog shit.

LETTER FROM CHERNOBYL
A photo essay from the site of history’s worst nuclear accident.

THE SHUTTLE SHUFFLE
Donald Trump’s failed airline, and a look back at the East Coast shuttles.

LOVETRODDEN
The language of love, undone.

BOSTON TO THE MOON
The massive expansion of long-haul flying from Boston’s Logan Airport.

LETTER FROM BOSTON
Out with the old; in with the trite.

EMIRATES 777 CRASH LANDS IN DUBAI
Plus, deadly stupidity redux. Passenger recklessness yet again.

SHOULD KIDS BE BANNED FROM FIRST AND BUSINESS CLASS?
Two experiences rekindle the debate.

PERMANENT MYSTERY
The search for MH370 is finally called off.

TSA’s SUMMER MELTDOWN
The solution that nobody dares talk about.

THE EGYPTAIR CRASH. WHAT HAPPENED TO FLIGHT 804?
Plus, the pros and cons of cockpit video streaming.

UNEXPECTED PLEASURES AT A TERMINAL NEAR YOU.
Update: The Boston connector, Kansas City easy, and underground Atlanta.

TARGET: AIRPORT
In the wake of the attacks in Brussels and Istanbul, some bad ideas for airport security.

THE FLY DUBAI CRASH IN RUSSIA
Was it windshear, pilot error, or something else?

ROYAL BRUNEI’S ALL-FEMALE COCKPIT CREW
Plus, remembering Apartheid, and the Saudi double standard.

THE WORLD’S COOLEST RESTAURANT.
Fine dining in a converted DC-10. Plus, the sad confessions of a non-foodie.

THE ESKIMO AND THE FLUORESCENT NOODLE
Tradition and travesty in the new Alaska Airlines livery.

HIJACKING AS ART
The heroine stewardess of Pan Am flight 73. And, the Golden Age of Air Crimes revisited.

Q&A WITH THE PILOT, Volume 3
Windshield wipers, busted windows, and other oddities of flight.

WHEN IS A COUNTRY NOT A COUNTRY?
Border-crossing conundrums for travelers.

FEAR ITSELF
Holiday travel worries are mostly a state of mind

AMSTERDAM: THE AIRPORT OF QUIRKY CHARMS.
Plus: North latitude. A memoir from 1991.

HOLIDAY CREEP.
It’s never too early for an Ask the Pilot Christmas.

LASERS, LASERS, EVERYWHERE
Don’t shoot shoot shoot that thing at me. Plus, memories of hysterics past.

FIRST CLASS, LOW CLASS, NO CLASS
The passenger hall of shame.

WHEN A PILOT DIES IN FLIGHT
Pilots, Copilots, Heroics and Hyperbole.

CHECKED, SET, ROGER
The peculiar ballet of the cockpit checklist.

ET TU, KLM?
The parade of awful airline liveries continues.

DEADLY STUPIDITY: WHAT NOT TO DO IN AN EMERGENCY
Yet another incident of people taking their luggage during an evacuation.

THE DRONES DANGER
Even a small UAV is potentially deadly to a commercial plane.

THE GERMANWINGS DISASTER
Pilot suicide appears to be the culprit, but the conversation is out of control.

REMAINS OF THE DAY
Debris from MH370 washes ashore, and MH17 becomes the forgotten catastrophe.

THE GREATEST MOMENTS IN CIVIL AVIATION HISTORY
Three planes that changed the world.

Q&A WITH THE PILOT, Volume 2
Trans-Atlantic flying, landing gear, and everything you (never) wanted to know about lights.

FUMING OVER FUMES
Is there a hidden menace in cabin air

THE HIJACKING OF TWA FLIGHT 847
Imagine this happening today. Plus, a look back at the Golden Age of Air Crimes.

THE LATEST TSA SCANDAL. ARE WE SURPRISED?
What is a weapon, anyway? Plus, some ideas to make airport security better.

LUXURY AIRLINE SMACKDOWN: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE OVERRATED
Welcome aboard the world’s most elite airlines. What you find might surprise you.

PILOT REPORT: A FLIGHT WITH AIR MALTA
Amsterdam to Malta with this little-known European carrier.

PILOTLESS PLANES? NOT SO FAST
Busting the myth of the airplane that “flies itself.”

Q&A WITH THE PILOT
Everything you wanted to know about noisy exits, Ryanair pilots, rates of climb and more.

PILOTS AND COPILOTS. WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?
Oh my god there’s a copilot at the controls!

THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE U.S. AIRPORT
We’ve done it to ourselves through flyer-unfriendly policies.

THE FACTS AND FALLACIES OF COCKPIT AUTOMATION
Are pilotless planes really our future? An op-ed in the New York Times.

THE (SECOND?) GREATEST ALBUM OF ALL TIME TURNS 30
Forty fearless minutes of unstoppable energy.

OH MY GOD THERE’S DUCT TAPE ON MY PLANE!
So it might appear. The truth isn’t so scary.

HOMAGE TO THE BOARDING PASS WALLET
The weird and wonderful world of airline collectibles.

THE MEDIA’S AIRPLANE PROBLEM
The latest photo blunder, and how Hollywood gets it wrong.

THE CRASH OF AirAsia FLIGHT 5801
Flight tracking, distress calls and thunderstorms.

THE DE-ICE MAN COMETH
Snow, Ice, and the perils of winter flying.

AUTOMATION AND DISASTER
A rebuttal to the Vanity Fair story on the crash of Air France flight 447.

LETTER FROM HANOI
Traffic as art and chaos on the streets of Vietnam. Plus, a ride with EVA Air, Taiwan’s “other” airline.

LETTER FROM GHANA
Rubber floors, mysterious odors, and the world’s worst hotel artwork. Plus: the perils of room service.

AIR TRAVEL AND EBOLA
Which is the bigger worry, the deadly virus or panic and hysteria? Plus: when passengers get sick.

SEVEN ANNOYING MYTHS ABOUT FLYING
Most of what people think they know about flying is wrong.

THE LATEST LIVERIES: THE NIGHTMARE CONTINUES
From Southwest to Etihad, several airlines unveil new looks. The grades aren’t impressive.

SHOULD CHILDREN BE BANNED FROM PREMIUM CLASS?
A miserable experience on Asiana Airlines.

IMAGES FROM LIBERIA
As Africa grapples with the Ebola crisis, scenes on and around Roberts Field.

THE NAME GAME
The mangling of airline names is a tradition. Even The New Yorker can’t help itself.

UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH THE 787
There are things to like, and things not to like, about Boeing’s newest jetliner.

THE CRASH CLUSTER
Multiple accidents this year have made travelers nervous. But take a look at history!

MALAYSIA AIRLINES JET SHOT DOWN IN UKRAINE
The crash of MH17 becomes the seventh-deadliest air disaster in history. Plus: flying over hostile areas.

NOW AND ZEN. THE GREATEST ALBUM OF ALL TURNS 30 YEARS-OLD!
Plus: a new documentary about one of the most important songwriters of our time.

TWO PLANES ALMOST COLLIDE IN BARCELONA. SORT OF, NOT REALLY.
Taking on the hype of a YouTube sensation. Plus: runway incursions for dummies.

ESCAPE SLIDE DEPLOYS IN FLIGHT. WHAT WENT WRONG?
Plus: Everything you need to know about doors, and What Not to do during an evacuation

VIVA MEXICO!
Airport innovations south of the border. Plus: Mexico City, more than crime and grime.

BOSTON ARRESTS UNDERSCORE TSA HYPOCRISY
The folly of airline crew screening. And RIP Massimo Vignelli, creator of the “AA” logo.

FLYING WITH THE ONE PERCENT
Plus: My strange childhood of airlines real and imagined.

STOWAWAY SURVIVES FLIGHT TO HAWAII IN LANDING GEAR BAY
And others who weren’t so lucky.

MY KINGDOM FOR A CUP HOLDER
Sometimes it’s the (really) small things.

FAREWELL DOUGLAS
Two classics are put to pasture, and the world of aviation is that much less colorful.

THE MALAYSIA AIRLINES MYSTERY
Where is Flight 370?

NONSENSE FROM THE HUFFINGTON POST
HuffPo scrapes bottom with a goofy list of half-truths. Come on, who needs a fact-checker?

TURBULENT TIMES
Everything You Need to Know About Flying Through Rough Air.

THE SEAT POCKET OF THE MIND, Volume 1
Armrests from hell; the language of luggage; more annoying flight attendant habits.

ICE, SNOW, AND AIRPLANES
Icing, Deicing, and the Travails of Winter Flying.

FEARFUL FLYERS TAKE HOPE
If you think you’re incurable, SOAR might be the medicine you need.

YAK HUNTING IN LIBERIA
What’s the odd attraction to old abandoned airplanes?

THE NEW AMERICAN AIRLINES LIVERY
Never mind the tail. It’s the logo, stupid!

TSA TO EXPAND PRECHECK PROGRAM
There are things to like about PreCheck, and things to not like. Plus: three ideas to speed-up security.

A LOOK AT THE ASIANA CRASH IN SAN FRANCISCO
What went wrong, and how? Plus, are Korean carriers safe?

ECONOMY CLASS, DONE RIGHT
The woes of steerage, and some ideas to make it better.

GUNS AT THE CHECKPOINT
Should TSA screeners be permitted to carry weapons?

LET YOUR GADGETS FLY
The FAA eases the rules on PEDs. But let’s hop the phone ban stays in place.

SAFETY VIDEO HELL
Virgin America’s new safety video leaves passengers gasping for air.

R.I.P LOU REED
Plus, the Simpsons, the Replacements, and the Arc of Creative Decline

THERE’S NO FLYING IN BASEBALL?
The strange parallels between flying and America’s favorite pastime.

A CHAT WITH THE CRANKY FLIER
An interview with Brett Snyder, host of CrankyFlier.com

THE THINGS WE CARRY
All those gadgets and gizmos are supposed to make life easier. Do they?

THE NOISY, SWEATY MISERY OF SMALL PLANES
In a cramped cockpit over Cape Cod, I want nothing more than to be down on the beach.

REMEMBERING CAIRO
A photographic toast to one of the world’s great cities.

TWA 800 REVISITED
17 Years ago a 747 blew up over Long Island. What really happened?

NONSENSE FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES
90-degree banks and disoriented pilots. But did it really happen?

LANDING GEAR COLLAPSES AT LA GUARDIA
Plus, remembering LGA’s friendly old control tower.

THE SKIES BELONG TO US
A great new book: Love and Terror in the Golden Age of Hijacking.

FLIGHT OF FANCY
Calling foul on a trumped-up story in the New York Times.

TSA POSTPONES NEW CARRY-ON RULES
Moving the security conversation out from under the emotions of 9/11.

LETTER FROM BOSTON
Terror in perspective, and the sad spectacle of a city gone bonkers.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, YOU’VE BEEN SEQUESTERED
Air traffic control delays and Congressional gridlock.

HIJACK BY ANDROID?
Can you really take over a plane using a smartphone application?

AIRFARES BY THE POUND
A tiny Samoan airline is charging fares based on the weight of its customers.

PLANES, PRANKS, AND PRAISE: ODE TO AN AIRPORT
From terrazzo floors to exploding soda cans, Boston’s airport like you’ve never seen it.

“ARGO” GETS ITS PLANES WRONG
Hollywood loves getting period details correct. Except when it comes to planes.

AIRFARES DOWN 50 PERCENT SINCE 1978, STUDY SHOWS
Flying is cheaper than ever. Plus, the myth of the Golden Age.

AMERICAN AND US AIRWAYS TO FORM THE WORLD’S LARGEST AIRLINE
A look at mergers, and when biggest isn’t really the biggest.

MORE MEDIA NONSENSE ABOUT COCKPIT AUTOMATION
The Myth that Won’t Die.

THE FAA GROUNDS ALL 787s AFTER YET ANOTHER BATTERY FIRE
What does it mean for the future of Boeing’s showcase jetliner?

A RIDE ON THE 787
Boeing’s new jet is sleek and comfortable. But could they please fix the windows?

THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE CONCORDE DISASTER
What really happened in Paris twelve years ago?

PILOTS, ALCOHOL, HOLLYWOOD AND FARCE
A look at Denzel Washington in “Flight.”

IN DEFENSE OF FLYING. IS IT REALLY THAT AWFUL?
A different look at the woes and hassles of air travel.

JUST ROLL DOWN THE WINDOW, SAYS MITT ROMNEY
The facts and fallacies of cabin pressure.

THE UGLIEST PLANES OF ALL TIME
We’re told that modern aircraft are boring because they have to be. Is it so?

HAVE PILLOW, WILL TRAVEL
From whence the phenomenon of teenage girls carrying giant pillows onto planes?

HOW TO SPEAK AIRLINE: A GLOSSARY FOR TRAVELERS
A key to deciphering the insufferable jargon of air travel.

LETTER FROM MUMBAI
An afternoon in “Maximum City.”

THE JOURNEY OF THE POTATO
The mystery of the funniest-ever pamphlet is solved at last.

 

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