Latest Posts   –  Page 5

A Concorde Close Call — Not!

One of the great things about doing a month of guest posts is that I get to talk to interesting people and ask if I can share their work with you. Mike Riley is the perfect example. Mike Riley went from soloing a glider at 16 to flying the Concorde until his retirement in 1997.…

Read more… 29 Nov 24

Navigating Instrument Failure at 10,000 Feet

I’m not here! I’m celebrating Thanksgiving in the US for the first time in 30 years, so I do hope someone has organised a double-batch of cranberry sauce. Don’t worry though, I have a great guest post from my friend Lola Reid Allin. Lola was among the first female commercial pilots, breaking barriers in aviation…

Read more… 22 Nov 24

“I kept my eyes closed”: Rudy’s adventures in aerobatic flying

Last month, we lost Chuck Coleman in Las Cruces during an advanced aerobatic manoeuvre. The tragedy has sparked many conversations in our community about limits, risk assessment and aerobatic flying. Our regular contributor Rudy sent me this thoughtful piece about his own journey with aerobatics, from a student who initially kept his eyes closed during…

Read more… 15 Nov 24

Catalina Night Departure: NTSB Preliminary Report Released

On the 8th of October 2024, a Beechcraft Baron crashed shortly after taking off from Catalina Airport at night, killing all five occupants. I wrote about it on the 18th: Night Flight from Catalina: Beechcraft Baron Incident but here’s a quick recap. Earlier that day, three people from a Santa Monica flight school had flown…

Read more… 8 Nov 24

Airbus A321 Landing Attempt in Typhoon

Yesterday, the 31st of October 2024, a Starlux Airlines flight bounced on the runway at Taoyuan International Airport in Taipei while attempting to land during the most severe typhoon that Taiwan has seen in thirty years. Typhoons are not uncommon in Taiwan, with a typhoon season spanning June to October. However, Typhoon Kong-rey arrived surprisingly…

Read more… 1 Nov 24

A Side-by-Side Analysis of the Fatal Extra E300L Crash at Las Cruces

A local pilot’s side-by-side video comparison shows the same aerobatic sequence performed at an airshow in New Mexico on two consecutive days: a successful performance on Saturday synchronised to Sunday’s fatal crash. The Las Cruces Air & Space Expo ended early on Sunday, the 20th of October, after a heartbreaking crash during a solo aerobatic…

Read more… 25 Oct 24

Accident Reports

Hand on Thrust, Brain on Autopilot

On the 28th of June 2024 a Boeing 777-236, registered in the UK as G-VIIT, rejected a take-off after reaching V1 during the take-off roll on 26L at London Gatwick…

Challenger 300 Fatal Upset Wasn't Turbulence

On the 3rd of March 2023, a passenger in a private jet died after severe injuries in the cabin, which were originally reported as caused by severe turbulence. This was…

Demystifying

How to tell a Russian Su-27 from a British Typhoon

This is not an article that I ever thought I would feel compelled to write! However, given the confusion over a photograph chosen in a regional English paper, apparently it’s…

How to tell an F-16 Fighting Falcon from a Eurofighter Typhoon

There are a number of reasons why you might need to quickly point out the differences between a General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon and a Eurofighter EF2000 Typhoon. You might…

History

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.…

Fun Stuff

Friday Lightness: A Short Respite from Crash Reports

It seems a good time for something a bit more lighthearted. After weeks of analyzing serious incidents and technical failures, I thought I could a moment to appreciate aviation humuor…

Flights of Fantasy: Aviation April Fools Worth Celebrating

I’m going to admit that I’m not a great fan of April Fools’ pranks, especially not attempts to trick people into believing something and then pulling the rug out from…