Flying Lessons Blog

Airline Industry Boss to Travelers – There Will Be No Santa Claus for Airfares

December 6, 2022

As the holiday lights in Geneva twinkle, the chief of the global airline association that calls this city home, has some less-than-festive news for air travelers; airfares will continue to rise. There will be increased ticket prices, said Willie Walsh, Director General of the International Air Transport Association. Walsh was quick to acknowledge that won’t be welcome news. But for anyone who has been reading the news or buying a tank of gasoline, it shouldn’t be much of a surprise either. “You cannot expect an industry making on average $1 per passenger to absorb the oil prices we’ve seen,” Walsh told a group of aviation… Read More…


Absence of Altitude Briefing in Dallas Air Show Crash

December 1, 2022

Instructions given to pilots flying in the Wings Over Dallas air show last month, appear to have directed the historic fighter plane on a collision course with a World War 2 bomber. Both planes plummeted to the ground, killing all six aboard both planes during the Commemorative Air Force show on November 12. In a preliminary report on the disaster released by the National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday, the investigator notes the person responsible for managing the aircraft from the ground, a position known as “air boss” directed the fighter planes to change altitude as they approached the airport where spectators were gathered. “There… Read More…


American Jet Strikes Birds on Landing – Lots of Blood but Only Avian Casualties

November 17, 2022

As bird strikes go, this one had to be a doozy. Late Tuesday night, American Airlines flight 1855 from Chicago to Kansas City flew through birds on approach, about 7 and a half miles from the runway. The pilots declared an emergency and Kansas City airport fire and rescue trucks hurried into position. The pilots landed safely and there were no injuries to passengers or crew. Looking at the damage though, which extends across the front of the aircraft, it appears the engine cowling took the brunt of the impact on the right along with the radome while birds created craters on the leading edge… Read More…


Not Designed to be Safe, Pilot Says of Plane in Air Show Collision

November 14, 2022

See my previous post here The pilot of the World War 2-era fighter plane that sliced through a B-17 at a Dallas Air Show on Saturday, told YouTube viewers he would not be flying warbirds in ten years. In a poignant interview with Vintage Aviation News posted on YouTube, Craig Hutain, one of six who died over the weekend in a mid-air collision, talked about the rare plane he was flying, his experience as a pilot and the importance of preserving historic aircraft. Hutain, who was a captain for United, with a massive 34-thousand hours of flight time was piloting the single-seat P-63 in a… Read More…


Fatal Collision in Dallas – The Plus & Deadly Minus of Flying Historic Aircraft

November 13, 2022

Spectators at a Dallas air show were horrified on Saturday when two airplanes collided over their heads at the Wings Over Dallas event, killing all aboard both airplanes. A historic military bomber, a Boeing B-17 with five people onboard was flying slowly and at a relatively low altitude to give viewers a look at the World War 2-era plane. It was overtaken from above by a smaller and much faster fighter plane that made a turning descent into it causing both to break apart and plummet to the ground. At least two retired American Airlines pilots were among the five-member crew of the B-17 according… Read More…


Underdogs Win Victories in Separate Battles Against Boeing and Delta

October 21, 2022

October 24, 2022 – This post has been updated to include statements from Delta A Federal Judge in Texas stated the obvious late Friday when he ruled that the families of people killed on Boeing 737 Max aircraft were victims of crimes Boeing has acknowledged committing during the design of the airplane. In 2018 and 2019, 346 people died in two separate crashes; one in Indonesia and the other in Ethiopia which largely were the result of Boeing’s intentional actions. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, however, has taken the position that the government, not the families of the dead, was Boeing’s victim. This is more… Read More…


Delta “Sorry/Not Sorry” for Retaliating Against Pilot in Whistleblower Case

October 4, 2022

One has to wonder just how much longer Delta Air Lines wants to screw around with Karlene Petitt. Last winter, after five years of testimony and legal arguments, Administrative Law Judge Scott Morris found the airline had mistreated the veteran pilot by retaliating against her when she reported safety violations. In the judge’s word, the airline “weaponized” its right to order pilots to undergo psychiatric examination by sending Petitt to a company-selected psychiatrist who gave her a career-ending diagnosis that was not accurate. There’s a lot to unpack in the case, but for purposes of Delta’s latest shenanigan, let’s just say that when Judge Morris… Read More…


The Bonus Benefit of More Rest For Flight Attendants

Long before the pandemic made flying a horror show for passengers and crew, the US Congress acknowledged that flight attendant rest time was insufficient. But like a bad dream from which they could not awake, these essential airline safety workers have waited 4 years to see new rules guaranteeing a minimum of 10 hours rest between shifts. The Federal Aviation Administration is expected to announce them shortly. The change increases present rest time for flight attendants by one to two hours depending on circumstances, and makes the 10 hours mandatory. “Ten hours and not a minute less,” became a rallying call for flight attendants and… Read More…


Canadian Museum Says “Happy Birthday” to a Lifesaving Airplane

August 16, 2022

It wasn’t long after the advent of controlled flight that people began to worry about the use of the technology for ill. It was a well-founded concern. This is why the celebration at the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Center in Sault Ste. Marie Ontario lifts the spirit like a strong headwind. This year the museum celebrates the birthday of one of two dozen bush planes in its collection; the DHC-2 Beaver. When I visited earlier in the month, (having been escorted to its front door by Mary Kane Boushie, a helpful local I met on the bike trail) I must confess I knew nothing about bush… Read More…


When the Stars Align an Airline Pilot Finds his Action Photo

July 12, 2022

The subject of Jim and Patty Doyles’ late-night photography session was supposed to be May’s lunar eclipse. Because, as the world was told, this wasn’t just the earth casting its shadow on the moon, it was a total eclipse of a blood moon. Well in advance of the start time in Connecticut, where the Doyles live, they were setting up their equipment. “I had the tripod set and was getting the light just right when I saw something flicker,” Mr. Doyle said. On impulse, he clicked the shutter, capturing an airliner, perfectly silhouetted against the moon’s still pale yellow orb.  “As soon as I got… Read More…


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