Latest Posts – Page 3
I wanted to post this from 30,000 feet
I’m in transit this week, somewhere between time zones, airport coffee, and the unsettling suspicion that I’ve forgotten something important. The article about a double-engine failure that I planned to finish in advance kept getting more complicated. At the point where I thought “maybe this is a three-part article”, I realised that I wasn’t going…
Read more… 10 Apr 26
Flying To the Moon!
History was made this week when Artemis II lifted off from Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The massive Space Launch System (SLS) rocket roared to life at 18:35 local time on the 1st of April with four on board the spacecraft capsule Orion: three NASA astronauts from the US, and…
Read more… 3 Apr 26
A Preventable Collision on Runway 4
On the 22nd of March 2026, a landing jet struck a fire truck that a controller had cleared onto the active runway at LaGuardia Airport in New York, the first fatal accident at LaGuardia in 34 years. Somewhat bizarrely, the previous accident, when USAir flight 405 crashed on take-off after ice buildup on the wings, occurred…
Read more… 27 Mar 26
The Man in the Right Seat at Prestwick
On the 23rd of April 2024, a Piper Archer II crashed in South Ayrshire, Scotland, after losing power. There were two on board. Both suffered serious injuries and the light aircraft, a 48-year old PA-28 registered in the UK as G-BVNS, will never fly again. The AAIB report makes a clear case for carburettor icing…
Read more… 20 Mar 26
Fear of Landing Turns Twenty
It’s a curious thing to realize you’ve been doing something for decades without ever quite intending to. Last month, I realised that I created Fear of Landing exactly twenty years ago. The original hook was a crazy dream: fly into every British island with a strip. The kind of plan usually reserved for people who…
Read more… 13 Mar 26
Hot Air Balloon Rescue in Texas
On the morning of Saturday the 28th of February 2026, a brightly coloured hot air balloon launched near Longview, Texas. There were two onboard. I’ve not seen anything that mentions the weather. It would be very interesting to know more about what the wind was that morning. So far, the only data I’ve seen is…
Read more… 6 Mar 26
Accident Analysis
Fatal SR22 Stall on Final at Barwick LaFayette
On the 20th of March, 2025, a Cirrus SR22 crashed in LaFayette, Georgia during an instructional flight, killing both the pilot and the flight instructor. It was a good flying…
There Is a Parachutist in Front of You
On the 15th of June 2023, a light aircraft crashed into the runway at Aversi private airfield in Denmark. The aircraft, registered in Germany as D-EPRR, was a Cessna TU206G…
Demystifying
The Pilots, the Probes, and the AF447 Verdict
On the 21st of May 2026, the Paris Court of Appeal convicted Airbus and Air France of involuntary manslaughter for their roles in the crash of Air France flight 447,…
Meowing on Guard (an attempt at an explanation)
Last week a video went viral and it’s been fun to see the mainstream media coverage try to cover two pilots who were heard making animal noises on the radio. …
History
The First Jet to Land on an Aircraft Carrier (Deliberately)
“The Vampire was the first jet to land on a moving aircraft carrier deliberately.” This quote from Airshow Luke, our MC at the Legacy of Liberty airshow, made me almost…
Four Point Two Stars Where You Only Stop If You Have To
I always look up airports when I’m writing about them, partly out of habit and partly because I’m afraid I’ll miss an important detail. When I was writing Any Landing…
Fun Stuff
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…
