I sit at my desk, staring at the web browser. A voice inside my head says, Pass your message. “November 666 Echo X-ray is a PA32 travelling from Beziers to Altenrhein, Switzerland. We are currently west of the Alps at 7,500 feet and requesting a flight information service.” 7,500 feet! Flying past the Alps! Wow,…
Read more… 21 Jun 07
Next weekend Cliff and I will be braving the Alps though which I’m already having nightmares about. We’ll be flying from Málaga to Lake Constance for a wedding which I’m very much looking forward to but there’s still the flight to plan (Argh, do we have maps for Switzerland?) and the fear of going over…
Read more… 15 Jun 07
The Yarborough Monument on the hills of Culver Down looks out over the channel like a burnt out lighthouse. It is a memorial for Charles Anderson-Pelham, who became the first Earl of Yarborough in 1794 and founded the Royal Yacht Squadron. Lord Yarborough had what appears to have been an illustrious naval career but in…
Read more… 5 Jun 07
I love that phrasing: “he became aware” .. .it makes it sound like such a calm moment. I don’t usually haunt the accident reports (they make me nervous) but this one was someone I know. The subject came up the first time as I was doing circuits at Oxford Airport for my night rating. I…
Read more… 19 May 07
Edit: see the comments for a direct response from Zazzle. I’m starting to think about the details now and who to target with the descriptions. I decided some queries in the US would help to gauge interest in flying around British islands. I realised that the first thing I needed was US postage stamps for…
Read more… 7 May 07
Anne’s crisp voice came through loud and clear on my headset as the English coast retreated behind us. “Does anyone want a biscuit?” Cliff responded for the both of us. “Not now, Mum. It’s only a short flight.” He shook the map at her, as if she could see it from the rear seat. I…
Read more… 27 Apr 07
Any Landing You Can Float Away From: Successful Ditching in the Arctic
On the 29th of July 2024, a light aircraft encountered engine trouble off the coast of Greenland and was forced to ditch in the North Atlantic. The aircraft was a…
Bomber 139's Third Run: What the Investigation Found
In order to follow this analysis, you’ll need to have the details of the flight and the crash from last week’s article about the flight. When we last saw Bomber…
Another quick round of questions and answers
It’s time for another Questions and Answers session. I started this series a few years back, when a reader asked if there was a way to pose aviation questions outside…
Durga Puja Pandal Shows Air India Flight 171 Crash
The following video from a religious festival in West Bengal, India, has caught a lot of social media attention. It shows a detailed representation of an Air India Boeing Dreamliner…
Gladys Ingle Inflight Wheel Change: Emergency Action or Stunt?
This video of a mid-air wheel exchange goes viral once a year or so, but I never get tired of watching it. Last week, it showed up on Reddit and…
The Disappearance of the Hawaii Clipper May Not Be as Mysterious as Was Thought
This week, we have a guest post by J.B. Rivard who wrote an article for the American Aviation Historical Society (AAHS) and used one of my articles as a reference.…
Aviation Stories You Might Have Missed
I hope you all are having a wonderful holiday season. This week, I’ve put together a compilation of interesting items in the press that you might have missed while enjoying…
Nathan Pyle Strange Worlds
Thank you so much for all the kind words. I don’t quite have the wherewithal to respond to each of you individually but I very much appreciate all of you…