so with these speculations flying all around the place, why has the FAA not yet swooped down to do an inspection of the qualifications of all the pilots of Atlas Air? Unqualified airmen in commercial cockpits is an item on the curiosity list of the FAA, or at least ought to be. A couple of inspectors for a day or so, then some answers to direct questions, and this is put to rest. Perhaps...

(Written on 2020年 02月 16日)(Permalink)

delta does not have an absolute right to spray anybody on the ground whilst in the midst of an emergency, oblivious to the harm caused . If the plane needed to get on the ground immediately, then an overweight landing ought to have been performed. The damage to the aircraft would have been costly to Delta, probably more costly than the lawsuits comming at them.

(Written on 2020年 02月 13日)(Permalink)

Boeing has been guilty of some stinky engineering before. I refer to the introduction of the 727 which quietly had been given the allowance for a small number of crashes, called its learning curve, and the plane did indeed have crashes , resulting in fixes and eventually a more predictable aircraft. No more do we hear, with each new model introduction, the concept of learning curve, but with questionable construction and engineering, there seems to be learning curves to be had out there from Boeing.

(Written on 2020年 02月 08日)(Permalink)

at this level of customer profile, this helicopter was negligent in not having synthetic displays, radar altimeters, one or two axis stablization, and most important of all: a competent pilot . That plunge resulting in a crash was the classic symptom of vertigo and its inevitable result.

(Written on 2020年 01月 29日)(Permalink)

wonder what the new break-even point will be, for numbers of 737 max and 777x aircraft to make up for the as yet uncalculated payments to 737 max customers? 12 billion is a start, but no where near the totals yet to be determined. And still the former ceo/chairman of the board waltzed away with what- 64 million? How could he negotiate for that figure with the board- what leveredge did he have then?

(Written on 2020年 01月 28日)(Permalink)

don't think the taliban had much to do with this, no matter what they say. Flying hours and hours of holding patterns ought not to end like this.

(Written on 2020年 01月 27日)(Permalink)

i have never wavered in my hope for a retooled/reengined 757. Maybe some exterior sculpting for more slipperiness, certainly new engines that fit into the existing nacelles, and let her rip: The 757 already works, has huge affection from pilots and the passengers, so Boeing: build on that. No MCAS, maybe fly-by-wire, and decent seat pitch and large bathrooms, and the winner returns for a new run.

(Written on 2020年 01月 24日)(Permalink)

it is not an understatement that some airline flights are a menagerie of fictious support critters for the selfish and the selfindulgent. I may be belittling some legitmate concerns of some folks who need a bit of help to fly, be it in the form of cats, dogs, birds, snakes. If the feds want to allow only certified and trained creatures for emotional support animals, that would seem to be an honest attempt to weed out the kooks and phonies in favor of folks in need of comforting.

(Written on 2020年 01月 24日)(Permalink)

back in the day- delta had a large operation at Miami Internation Airport- both sides of the eastern-most concourse. Then patterns shifted and fights were reduced, and now 25 years later "THeir here" echoes again.

(Written on 2020年 01月 19日)(Permalink)

so unnecessary, for it makes pilots little more than a bump on a log, or at least the first little steps on that path. Pilots can use their skills to make smooth takeoffs, so i would not cede that power to a microchip, for no appreciable gain. Piloting skills need to be maintained and improved, and this misguided idea does neither. It is bad enough that pilots use the crutch of autopilot right after gear up, and all the way to outer marker. The Asiana crash at San Francisco gave a clue as to how that thinking can end up in a bad result because those guys did not know how to hand-fly their aircraft. Cat111 autoland is much more than an abstraction, but if a pilot cannot execute such an approach, he/she does not deserve the seat and is incomptetent to hold that seat.

(Written on 2020年 01月 17日)(Permalink)