I hope you are sitting comfortably because this week I have some extraordinary articles to fill your weekend. These are my favourite aviation-related pieces that I’ve read lately. I found them all fascinating and I’m sure you will too. This man went to the scene of a Boeing crash in 1959 but didn’t think to…
Read more… 11 Nov 22
On the 15th of July 2022, an officer of the Missouri State Highway Patrol arrested a man for driving while intoxicated on the westbound Interstate 70 at 3 in the morning. This is relevant to us because the man was “driving” a single-engine aircraft, a Piper Warrior II. The Piper Warrior was a popular successor…
Read more… 4 Nov 22
Yesterday, the 27th of October 2022, a tragic crash of a firefighting aircraft was caught on film in Italy. The aircraft was a Canadair CL-215-6B11, generally referred to as a CL-415, registered in Italy as I-DPCN. The Canadair CL-415 is a variant of the CL-215, a type of amphibious aircraft designed and built by Canadair.…
Read more… 28 Oct 22
On the 27th of May 2022, an Airbus A350-941, registered in Singapore as 9V-SHH, was being prepared for scheduled passenger flight SQ256 from Brisbane, Australia to Changi Airport, Singapore. An engineering maintenance contractor at Brisbane providing Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) services was tasked with the maintenance, certification and dispatch required for the A350 during…
Read more… 21 Oct 22
On the 6th of October 2022, Turkish Airways flight TK-2256 offered the regularly scheduled service from the Turkish city of Istanbul to Antakya. The flight departed Istanbul slightly late, at 01:43 local time. The aircraft was a Boeing 737-800 registered in Turkey as TC-JVN. There were six crew and 104 passengers on board for the…
Read more… 14 Oct 22
The Indianapolis Air Route Traffic Control Center, better known as “Indy Center” isan Area Control Center which deals with flights in the area of Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the 12th busiest control centre in the United States, covering over 73,000 square miles and its central location means they are adjacent to six other ARTCCs. On…
Read more… 7 Oct 22
Ferry Tank Failure: Successful SR22 Ditching in the Pacific
In 2015, I shared a video of an SR22 whose pilot successfully deployed his Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS) off of the coast of Maui, Hawai’i. I wrote at the time…
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…
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. …
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…
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…