Air India crew turns cockpit over to Flight Attendants to take a nap in first class

by Leland Shanle

This is what happens when you dumb down the profession; it will get worse with pilot shortage. All I can say is, Wow! chip Pilots sleep as flight attendant turns off autopilot on Bangkok-Delhi flight MUMBAI: Two Air India pilots put the lives of 166 passengers on a Bangkok-Delhi flight in danger by taking a [...]

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Continue Reading 3 comments }Airline Safety, Airlines, Blog, Book, Pilot shortage, Vengeance

The Last Gunfighter; the F-8 Crusader

April 29, 2013

I grew up in St Louis, just down the road from McDonnell Douglass where F-4 Phantom II fighters were built. My parents would take me to the airport observation lot, and we’d watch the smoky Phantoms rip up the sky. I grew up wanting to fly it; finally achieving my dream in a test squadron [...]

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A better solution to the coming pilot shortage

April 29, 2013

My last post detailed a pilot recruitment program that to me is indentured servitude. Skywest Airlines has put in place a much better program. Contrast the two and then ask your self which program would you go with? Which program will draw the higher caliber candidate? This program pre-hires candidates as they are building time [...]

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Is Indentured Servitude the answer to the world wide pilot shortage?

April 26, 2013

Apparently some operators believe it is. Take Rex Air in Australia for example: 5K up front and nonrefundable will get you a 100k loan (25K you will pay separately) an Australian commercial/instrument rating and a job as a pilot in just 32 weeks. Yes you too can go from your Mum’s basement to flying passengers [...]

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Rough Cross Wind Landings…and one just right!

April 26, 2013

Were all those bad? Actually no; numbers 8-5 were fine. Another example of why those who don’t “do” should not critique! Proper technique is to let the wind weather vane you until you get close (100 feet or so and then ease in rudder to align the fuselage. Ease as you can see is key! [...]

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Israel F-16 shoots down drone

April 25, 2013

An Israeli Air Force F-16 has shot down a drone approaching it’s airspace. Is this the first case of a drone being shot down by a nations air force as it approached their air space? Not even close, the RAF shot down V-1 rockets during WWII as they approached the United Kingdom from occupied France. [...]

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Boeing 787 repairs to be complete mid-May: NTSB not convinced

April 25, 2013

Boeing will have FAA approved fixes to the B-787 battery system completed by mid May. Ethiopian Airline will fly the first revenue flight Saturday, test flights resumed in April. Delivery of new aircraft will resume at the beginning of May. The National Transportation Safety Board however remains unconvinced: “So how do you go about designing [...]

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Wing tip vortices (wake turbulence/jet wash) visible due to fog

April 24, 2013

I’m often asked about wingtip vortices. First I’ll spare you any math, so what are they? Basically when a wing produces lift it also produces drag. This type of drag is called induced drag. A by product of it are swirls of air coming off of the wing tips. These circular rotating winds are biggest [...]

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