Pilot Stories

For years, there have been concerns that drones create hazards to civilian aircraft. Now, new technologies are being invented to turn the tables on them

It was a chilly, spring morningin Barcelona. There had been some light rain the night before, and although the sun had broken out, the air was still humid when 4 crew members and 146 passengers—among them 16 exchange students, two of their teachers, two opera stars, reporters, and three generations of the same family, boarded […]

Planning a departure alternate before leaving the ground can make all the difference in an emergency

  It’s a bright spring morning, fine and clear, the kind of day that planes (and pilots) were made for. With a larger-than-usual smile on my face, I take my seat on the flight deck of a 747 at Kennedy Airport. I carefully lower my generously-sized coffee into that signature Boeing cup holder and start […]

11:50 a.m. Wind nearly straight down the runway, from 150 at 25, gusting to 31. Visibility, 10 miles. Eight vehicles, a mix of sedans and pickup trucks each driven by a man alone, park scattered along the observation area at Hector International Field, the airport in Fargo, North Dakota. Most are pulled up close to […]

The report on a fatal weather-related crash raises questions it doesn’t answer

Fascinating facts about aviation training

Anyone who has ever piloted an aircraft appreciates Virgin Atlantic’s catchy slogan of the early 2000s: You Never Forget Your First Time. Flying is magical. It’s one of those rare experiences that exceeds the hype of its depiction in movies and video games. As an operatic tenor, I always say flying is one of the […]

Postcards from around the planet

There’s no such thing as a ’€œman’s’€ airplane