Latest Posts
Be Nice to Your Drone
Last week was the RAeS Future Combat Air & Space Capabilities Summit. This was organised by the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) to discuss the future of combat air and space capabilities. The summit centred around presentations and to discuss the future of air and space combat power. The summit took place in London with 70…
Read more… 2 Jun 23
Flying Fails and Airshow Considerations
Long-term readings of Fear of Landing know that my favourite aerobatics show of all time is Kyle Franklin’s Ben Whabnoski Comedy act. Just in case some of you haven’t seen the 2009 video that Kyle gave me permission to share, I’ll include it here (if you are reading from the mailing list, click through to…
Read more… 26 May 23
Crashing for Cash: Trevor Jacobs pleads guilty
The big news this week is that Trevor Jacob, extreme sports addict and YouTube personality, confessed that he intentionally crashed his aircraft for a sponsored video. He purchased the vintage aircraft, a Taylorcraft B (which is no longer in production) and brought it to Lompoc City Airport. There, it was noticed that he didn’t bother…
Read more… 19 May 23
Flash Airlines flight 604: the Investigation
Last week, we looked at the sequence of events which led to Flash Airlines flight 604 crashing into the Red Sea a few minutes after take-off. This post assumes you’ve already read the previous post. Once it became clear that the Boeing 737-300 had crashed, rescue teams were dispatched. They found the floating remains within…
Read more… 12 May 23
Flash Airlines flight 604
On the 3rd of January 2004, Flash Airlines flight 604 crashed into the Red Sea shortly after take-off from Sharm el-Sheikh International in Egypt. The Boeing 737-300 registered in Egypt as SU-ACF, was destroyed on impact with no survivors. At the time, this was the deadliest air disaster that Egypt had ever suffered, although it…
Read more… 5 May 23
A Special Offer on Pilot Error (out now!)
I’m super excited that my latest book, Pilot Error is SECRETLY available at e-bookstores now (with a new-and-improved cover thanks to your feedback)! Buckle up for an exhilarating ride through the world of aviation mishaps in Pilot Error! Aviation expert Sylvia Wrigley provides an eye-opening exposé of mistakes made in the cockpit, ranging from comical blunders…
Read more… 28 Apr 23
Accident Reports
Parachuting to Safety: The Pricey Plunge of the Cirrus SR22
The Cirrus SR22 is famous for its whole-plane ballistic parachute system, which can be deployed upon losing control of the aircraft, saving the lives of the pilot and passengers. A…
When Technology Fails: An Airbus A319's Mid-Air Mystery
On the 6th of August 2021, an Airbus A319-131, registration G-DBCF, departed from Edinburgh for a scheduled passenger flight to London Heathrow. There were 101 passengers and five crew on…
Demystifying
Sharing a Runway: Fed Ex vs Southwest at Austin
On Monday, two commercial aircraft had a near-miss on the runway at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas. The airport at Austin has two parallel concrete runways which run north-to-south: 18L/36R…
Flying Blind: The Importance of NOTAMs in Aviation
On the 11th of January 2023, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the US stopped all departing commercial flights, grounding aircraft all over the US. Hot on the heels of…
History
The Oldest Footage of Flight
About a week ago, Marléne Aviation posted to Twitter in an attempt to find the oldest video footage of a flight. Marléne Aviation is run by a French aviation history…
Twin Pioneer Down in Libya: Structural Failure in 1956
On the 7th of December 1957, a Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer 1, registration G-AOEO, departed an airstrip at Anshan in Libya for a routine flight to Tripoli-Idris Airport. There were…
Fun Stuff
Messerschmitt Crash in Wernigerode
I didn’t expect to fall in love with the train. When I planned my trip to Germany, I expected that I would be able to keep up with my normal…
Aviation Mishaps and Mischief
This week, I’ve collected the best of what I’ve watched and read this month, in hopes that you will be equally intrigued and entertained. Rescued and Dizzy It started when…
AndrewZ on Be Nice to Your DroneThe salesman analogy is a good one. That's particularly the case with tools like ChatGPT which have no way to…
CHip on Be Nice to Your DroneThe Three Laws (which Asimov always said editor John W. Campbell actually spelled out) would only work in this case…
Colintd on Be Nice to Your DroneAgree it would help to have the 3 laws. However, the problem is no AI currently has the "understanding" to…
sean cooper on Fatal Crash of LSA at Santa Monica AirportAn airliner 500 feet above me, Watch: https://youtu.be/ZI9ZHBRc2yQ 
Joey on Fatal Crash of LSA at Santa Monica AirportHow did you encounter WT at a high altitude? 
Rudy Jakma on Be Nice to Your DroneSylvia is highlighting the potential, but far from impossible, situation where AI will come to a situation where it may…