Blog Posts

I wonder if you remember what you were doing back in November 2006? Here’s a quick refresher of some of the top stories. Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes were getting hitched. The first hearings were taking place on The Hill to find a replacement for Se…

The 2026 Singapore AirshowAbout this time of the year, journalists from around the globe pack a couple of bags and head for Singapore to attend the annual international air show. I’ve actually never made it to Singapore and I won’t this…

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Raytheon-Hawker-850XPi/1976827/LIf you follow business aviation stories, you’ve probably read about the loss of two Hawker jets – an 800XP and a 900XP – in the past two years. Both accidents evolved …

When we record episodes of the Airplane Geeks the format is usually the same. We introduce our guest, when we have one, and then run through the four or five major aviation stories of the past week. Max and Micah and David and I offer up our opinio…

Listen to this showBetween a Rock and a Hard Spot: Demands on air traffic controllersI’ve lost track of how many government shutdowns I’ve experienced during my life. Some under Democrat presidents, others under Republicans. During a shutdown, a s…

An airport’s airside, where multi-million dollar aircraft park, is an unpredictable and potentially hazardous workspace for employees with a variety of jobs, regardless of the weather conditions.  Approximately 27,000 ramp accidents occur each year,…

 Wait a second. “You want me to analyze the crash landings in a half dozen movies? And then tell you if they’re realistic?” I asked the Vanity Fair producer. Her response was quick. “Yes.” I’…

My memory of September 11, 2001, is, at best, a blur except for the images. The scenes, however, are indelibly etched in my mind.It was a sunny morning with temperatures in the low 70s and not a cloud in the sky. A perfect day, I thought. I’d…

The Airplane Geeks are off this week for the Labor Day holiday here in the States, but we’ll be back to our regularly scheduled show of news and zaniness next week. At least, I hope we will.But since Max Flite asked us all to try and produce …

NTSB Hearing RoomIt’s understandable that even the geekiest of airplane geeks didn’t have enough time in their week to listen to the more than 30 hours of testimony created when the NTSB began its recent public investigation of the even…

Pilots get rusty when they don’t fly often. No matter whether they hold a private pilot certificate or an ATP. Even a professional pilot with thousands of hours in their logbook can easily find themselves behind the power curve in an airplane. Stayi…

NTSB News Talk logoA few months ago, my buddy Max Trescott and I realized we were speaking to each other three or four times a week about recent aircraft accidents. We’ve both been flying for more than 50 years and have both hold multiple CFI…

A single never-changing question follows every aircraft accident … “What happened?”Most expected the recently published preliminary report by India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation, Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau of last…

Although this date is a bit-ah, well, dated – I remember the pre-flight walk around like it was yesterday.  She had the clean, sleek lines of a speed demon. It was to be love at first flight._____________________________When it comes to buyi…

by Cappy McHatMy first memory was being taken out of a big box with a lot of my friends after we had all been stitched with McFarlane emblems on our fronts. I learned as the days went on that McFarlane is a famous provider of almost anything gre…

Case Studies in Aviation Leadership VisibilityBy Paula WilliamsIn aviation, where trust, precision, and safety are the currencies of credibility, the visibility of a company’s leadership is more than just a PR play — it’s a brand asset. Or it coul…

“The performance of the system depends on how the parts fit, not how they act taken separately.” Doctor Russell Ackoff – American organizational theorist, consultant, a pioneer in the field of operations research, systems thinking and manageme…

Why Business Aviation Needs Better StorytellingBy Paula Williams, ABCI“Those who tell the stories rule the world.”  – Native American proverb.In February 2025, Senator Edward Markey reintroduced his “Fat Cat” tax bill—officia…

I enjoyed Pam Leblanc’s story when I read it in another magazine. I asked, and she graciously allowed us to reprint it here. Enjoy – RM______________________________By Pam LeBlancThey had to cinch up the waistbands of their oversized,…

Flying an airplane smoothly demands dozens of subtle, often repetitive movements, like adjusting engine power each time the aircraft’s pitch attitude changes. Any repetitive process is, of course, perfect for some form of automation. Leonard Greene …

By Paula WilliamsIn the 1990s, when I studied journalism at the University of Utah, my heroes were Edward R. Murrow, David Brinkley, Walter Cronkite, Bob Woodward, and Carl Bernstein. I believed firmly in the importance of the Fourth Estate—journa…

“Who controls the past, controls the future.Who controls the present controls the past.”George Orwell, from his novel, 1984The name Enola Gay may mean nothing to quite a few people these days. That’s OK. While I never met Enola Gay, I’ll betcha …

Capt. BeattyA disinformation campaign falsely links “DEI” to airline accidents – let’s check the facts.By Capt. Jenny BeattyThere is no extant literature examining this question, so I accessed various sources to compile available data. I research…

Ed note: With all the 2025 chaos in Washington focused on saving money and streamlining ATC, let’s see if anyone at DOGE again notices this time that the FAA completely blew past an opportunity to engage some new technology while saving millions by …