Category: Writing – Page 2
And then I promptly went onto a diet
I needed a photograph of me and the plane to go alongside an article I wrote for a US magazine. It was an amusing photoshoot at Elstree in the rain/snow: I was OK as I was in the cockpit smiling broadly, but poor Cliff was outside leaning on the wing (and the aileron, as you…
Read more… 2 Feb 07
Accident Reports
Human Factors Breakdown: C-17 Crash at Elmendorf
Last week, we looked at a fatal C-17 accident at Elmendorf in 2010. I now want to focus on the analysis of the situation leading up to the stall. It’s…
Dangerous Aerobatics : C-17 crash at Elmendorf (2010)
In 2010, a US Air Force transport plane crashed just one minute after take-off while practising for the Arctic Thunder Air Show at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska. …
Demystifying
Thermal Image of 757 Landing at Gatwick
This thermal imaging footage of a Boeing 757 coming into land at Gatwick airport dates from 2013 but I first saw it today on r/aviation and found myself mesmerised as…
What Is Going On With The Boeing 737 Max 8?
The news is dominated right now with the grounding of the Boeing 737 Max 8 after a second fatal crash of a passenger jet which could be related to the…
History
Alcock and Brown: Part 2
In part 1, I introduced Jack Alcock and Teddie Brown along with the context under which they raced to become the first to fly across the Atlantic in less than…
Alcock and Brown: part 1
I’m going to Ireland! It will be my first time there. While I’m there, I’ll get the chance to see Dublin and Belfast and Rudy! I’m not sure which of…
Fun Stuff
2019 Valdez Fly In and STOL Competition
Every May in Valdez, Alaska there is a fantastic aviation competition which requires astounding performance and precision from both from the aircraft and from the pilot. The Valdez STOL competition…
For your amusement: weird and interesting NOTAMS
I was browsing around looking for interesting news when I saw that Reddit user justachamelion had posted a great question for /r/AskReddit: Pilots of Reddit, what are the weirdest or…
@FearofLanding
Ben on Alcock and Brown: Part 2"Three days passed and it became clear that the Handley Page Atlantic hadn’t made it across the Atlantic. After another…
Peter Chapman on Human Factors Breakdown: C-17 Crash at ElmendorfWhile there are endless examples of pilots pushing their airplane too hard. and stalling out, another big-plane-at-airshow example is the…
Indira on The Mystery of Flying Tiger Line flight 739Were you both Ranger qualified? I understand the 93 were hand selected and the entire misdion was classified, all relevant…
Rudy Jakma on Alcock and Brown: Part 2Superb research, Sylvia. And it goes to show how in the early days chance, not to say "fate" was a…
Stevedd on Alcock and Brown: part 1Interesting point not often recognised, Alcock & Brown’s first non stop flight was a major achievement and made in a…
Mick Adamek on Cattle Attack at the Brookmans Park VORThe ones that look like a "sombrero" are the older CVOR (Conventional VOR) as opposed to the Doppler version. We…