When you hear "caution wake turbulence" this is what should run across your mind, beautiful to look at, not beautiful to fly through!

(Written on 21/10/2019)(Permalink)

I believe you can say Boeing is responsible and here is why. Yes, the airlines pressured manufacturers to create an aircraft that could be flown with the same type rating, to save money on training costs. Boeing then sold them aircraft that could be flown with the same type rating, but in the process of doing so they withheld information from them to ensure that the training requirement would be minimal. If Boeing said "this is the same type rating, but you need to make sure you train this, this and this..." and the airlines chose not to, then we'd be having a different discussion, but that wasn't the case. I will agree with you when you said "the feds have to sign off on everything" they got into Boeing's back pocket and failed to provide oversight. The FAA failed to do it's job.

(Written on 09/06/2019)(Permalink)

I think this article is just trying to stir people up, or create fear, or generate ratings, because when I read the preliminary NTSB report it certainly doesn't appear like inexperience caused this pilot error. "Shortly after, when the airplane’s indicated airspeed was steady about 230 knots, the engines increased to maximum thrust, and the airplane pitch increased to about 4° nose up. The airplane then pitched nose down over the next 18 seconds to about 49° in response to nose-down elevator deflection. The stall warning (stick shaker) did not activate." That last sentence speaks volumes in my mind "The stick shaker did not activate", maybe I'm incorrect and the 16,000 combined hours between then caused an issue in IMC, or something else caused them to lose focus on the airplane. However, I find that hard to believe, maybe we are looking for another "I" word, "intentional".

(Written on 22/03/2019)(Permalink)

So because Federal employees should have a rainy day fund, and because they get "superior" rates of pay (which I dispute but that's besides the point here) it's ok for people to be required to work and not get paid on time for it? What other industry in the world says to their employees "ya... You have to keep showing up... I'll pay you... But I'm not going to tell you when....it could be months or even years" that's insane. Whether there is a crisis at the boarder or not is up to everyone to decide on their own. DC is holding federal employees hostage as leverage to play their political game. That is wrong no matter what is happening south of us.

(Written on 13/01/2019)(Permalink)

Obviously this has been happening for awhile.. And with the exception of having to wait on an occupied gate like Ryan said. Is this really a bad thing? The last couple flights I've taken with Delta out of DTW we were 20 minutes early and didn't have to wait on a gate, it was great. This article is written as if this is a terrible monstrosity against the flying public, I just don't see it that way.

(Written on 27/08/2018)(Permalink)

This is so disappointing, no one can be content anymore, everyone walked away with their lives. Although this will probably never make it to court, they will all probably receive something when the airline and others realize it's cheaper to give them something and settle outside of court, which is why lawsuits keep getting filed.

(Written on 16/11/2016)(Permalink)

He didn't put a mandate in place, there always had been a law that prohibited federal employees from going on strike, hence the ability to fire all who did.

(Written on 09/10/2016)(Permalink)

Guard frequency is 121.5, 122.8 holds no significance on a national level, it is a common CTAF freq, but that is all.

(Written on 23/09/2016)(Permalink)

I was going to say basically the same thing, those wires for radio communication are tedious! As ATC we are constantly moving wires around that switch board... Difficult to stay focused on separating the airplanes! :-)

(Written on 05/05/2016)(Permalink)

The answer to your silly question is very simple... Someone made a mistake. Either the pilot did not follow instructions to hold short of the runway, or the controller made a mistake by clearing the other plane for take off. It's unfortunate that the only time we hear about air traffic control is when someone makes a mistake, we operate more flights a day then any other country in the world and have very few incidents. It's quite remarkable we don't have more events like these.

(Written on 28/04/2016)(Permalink)