The Buzz Posts

Controller Kudos
March 23, 2010

Controller Kudos

OK, I have to admit that occasionally Scott and I say a few things that upset folks, but only to pilots and air traffic controllers. Almost everyone else is safe … for now.But along with the ability to lob criticism on people and topics that …
Newly Minted Pilot? Now What?
March 15, 2010

Newly Minted Pilot? Now What?

Ed Note: My friend Marc Epner and I often discuss why people always seem so focused on how much it costs to win a private pilot certificate. Obviously, there is much more fun to be had after passing that first checkride. BTW, Marc orginally called …
Bring Your Kid to Work, ATC Style
March 3, 2010

Bring Your Kid to Work, ATC Style

When I saw the caller ID this morning with CNN’s address I figured something awful was up. Usually is. “Can you talk about the Kennedy incident,” the producer asked me? Didn’t sound like she wanted me to talk about the impe…
Wedged in the Window Seat
Feb. 22, 2010

Wedged in the Window Seat

I have a confession.I’m responsible for much of the hate spewed at my friends Christi Day and Linda Rutherford at Southwest Airlines when a Southwest pilot tossed director Kevin Smith off a flight last week. The aircraft captain decided Smit…
No-Pilot Aircraft Go Vertical & Hover
Feb. 14, 2010

No-Pilot Aircraft Go Vertical & Hover

At a fundamental level I understand the technology that makes no-pilot, remotely controlled aircraft work. And it seems to work well in fixed-wing aircraft that fly high in the controlled airspace (see UAV Pilot Shortage & Military Intelligence&…
The Polar Keyhole??
Feb. 11, 2010

The Polar Keyhole??

A Global Express pilot friend of mine in Seattle, Val Trent – also an NBAA member – asked me a few weeks ago if I’d like to read something he’d written about the Polar Keyhole. At first, I thought maybe he’d started wri…
Eating our Young: The Final Flap About NWA 188
Feb. 2, 2010

Eating our Young: The Final Flap About NWA 188

I’ve actually been trying to write this article for quite awhile. It was much tougher than I thought simply because I’m what my wife the psychologist would call conflicted, unsure of where I stood, or at least I was until a few days ago…
Finding a Job is not for the Lazy: The Primary Intangible
Jan. 24, 2010

Finding a Job is not for the Lazy: The Primary Intangible

When I give talks around the country about social media, I always try to mention what I call the primary intangible about these new tools … the opportunity to connect with new people, folks who are often in a position to help a younger person …
Flying in Alaska is a Little Different
Jan. 15, 2010

Flying in Alaska is a Little Different

It’s nice to be the editor of an aviation blog like Jetwhine.com because I’m lucky enough to connect with people from all parts of the globe, folks I would never have a chance to meet in my everyday life. A few weeks back, Josh Saul sen…
Remembering Real Space Travel
Jan. 2, 2010

Remembering Real Space Travel

At a time when most people don’t give space travel a second thought, I wanted to share this short clip of the Apollo 11 flight – the first time a human – Neil Armstrong – set foot on the face of the Moon. It took place just …
TSA and Bloggers Tied 1-1
Dec. 30, 2009

TSA and Bloggers Tied 1-1

  As if President Obama’s anger over the security leak that allowed a Nigerian man to nearly blow up a Delta Airlines flight inbound to Detroit on Christmas were not enough, the White House now needs to contend with a PR quagmire created …
Ho, Ho, Ho Jetwhiners
Dec. 20, 2009

Ho, Ho, Ho Jetwhiners

I can’t believe it’s Christmas time again. Our thanks to the folks at Junior Flyer for this great Santa graphic too. Scott and I are going to take the rest of the week off to hang out with family, but we both wanted to leave you with a …
More Flap About NWA 188
Dec. 10, 2009

More Flap About NWA 188

My story a few weeks ago about the two guys flying past MSP and the penalty they incurred for abandoning their post for over an hour seemed like a no-brainer to me. The two pilots were distracted for some reason we were unaware of at (Photo: Fokke…
Should Business Aviation Just Say No?
Nov. 29, 2009

Should Business Aviation Just Say No?

After reading “Fly the Sleazy Skies,” an editorial in the November 26 New York Times, my first reaction was to say unkind things about politicians. In public they say bad things about business aviation, and then they get to eat their ca…
PBI ATC: One Bad Apple Won’t Spoil the Bunch
Nov. 19, 2009

PBI ATC: One Bad Apple Won’t Spoil the Bunch

One of the truly enjoyable parts of life — for me at least — is the chance to travel often aboard a business airplane. If I’m not in the left seat, I’m usually pretty close as I was last week on board an Embraer Lineage enroute from We…
When the Feds Revoke Your Pilot’s Certificate
Nov. 4, 2009

When the Feds Revoke Your Pilot’s Certificate

You NEVER, EVER want to receive a letter like this one from the FAA telling you that all your months or years of hard work and effort to win your pilot’s certificate have just gone up in smoke. After flying past Minneapolis a few weeks back, t…
Be Very Afraid of This Pilot
Oct. 30, 2009

Be Very Afraid of This Pilot

After running this blog for three years or so I can honestly say I’ve seen and heard quite a few really interesting stories about the aviation industry. I’m headed to AOPA Summit in Tampa next week because I want to hear a few more. The…
The Top 10 Reasons They Missed MSP
Oct. 25, 2009

The Top 10 Reasons They Missed MSP

Just like Alice falling down the rabbit hole, unraveling the real story behind the Northwest/Delta Airlines crew who forgot to land at MSP just keeps getting curiouser and curiouser. Brings to mind the gap in the Nixon Watergate tapes. If that does…
Who Will Fly for America Tomorrow?
Oct. 20, 2009

Who Will Fly for America Tomorrow?

So, you wanna be a professional pilot, huh? Despite the economy, there will be a good number of vacant cockpit seats in the next decade or so as the last of the baby boomer bulge reaches 65, the airline pilot retirement age. If you are a Wall Stree…
Why Being Geeky is Cool
Oct. 15, 2009

Why Being Geeky is Cool

Most of you probably know that a few months back I was abducted at propeller point and forced to assume co-host duties at the Airplane Geeks. About that same time, I met Dan Webb, my other co-host, a truly brilliant young man who continues to impre…
Flight to the Edge of Space
Oct. 8, 2009

Flight to the Edge of Space

My pal Rod Rakic – better  known as Mr. My Transponder – and I were chatting today about his upcoming vacation to Florida, not too far from the Kennedy Space Center and almost in time for the next Shuttle launch. I would do almost a…
Business & General Aviation: Letters Can’t do it all
Sept. 23, 2009

Business & General Aviation: Letters Can’t do it all

Even for me, this whole business aviation as the bad guy thing is becoming pretty tiresome. How much longer can most of our industry sit back and take it before we evaporate?In last week’s USA Today article about Aviation Trust Fund dollars …
A Complex (Airplane) Question
Sept. 21, 2009

A Complex (Airplane) Question

After reading last week’s post, NPRM Points to Flight Training’s Future, Jason Blair, the executive director of the National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI), called early the morning it arrived in his email box. He was off to DC…
NATCA’s New Leadership
Sept. 17, 2009

NATCA’s New Leadership

The fact that the FAA and it’s cadre of air traffic controllers will be working with a new leader who will be announced later today is only the beginning of the story of how this union fits into the overall plan of our nation’s airspace …