Amy Laboda

Once upon a time, there were just a few good men — all of them military jet pilots — who could qualify to become astronauts. They were considered to be endowed with what author Tom Wolfe characterized as “the right stuff.” That was then. Today’s astronauts don’t need to be pilots (although it helps). Today’s […]

There are pilots who enjoy the long cross-country flight. I’m certainly in that category. I’ve flown my airplane from Florida to Maine to Seattle, San Diego and back, crisscrossing the country more than a dozen times. With that considered, Abingdon Welch has me beat by a long shot. Welch, currently a regional airline first officer, […]

We call it flying in a black hole — no stars or ground lighting to guide you. You are flying a TP-3, a heavy, lumbering beast of an airplane, and you are just 350 feet above the ground, accelerating toward 150 knots. The cockpit glows an eerie Halloween green. Your captain indicates it’s time, and […]

Here are the facts: Pilots rely on meteorologists, the people who observe, report and forecast the weather. That’s what the aviation meteorologists who staff the National Weather Service (NWS), The Weather Company, NOAA and, yes, even NASA are in the business of providing you. Where do they get the skills and information that make predicting […]

Are you searching for a career in aviation that better suits you and your family’s lifestyle? Do you enjoy teaching? How about working with sophisticated computers and some of the top pilots from all over the world? If these questions intrigue you, then you may want to know more about the rapidly expanding realm of […]

Safety management systems (SMS) — if someone in aviation whispers these three words in your ear, then it is time to sit up and listen. It’s a newly defined career in aviation — SMS director — and one that is growing quickly. A search on LinkedIn for “SMS officer aviation” lists SMS experts in companies […]

When you meet American Airlines Miami-base Chief Pilot Capt. Brian Beach, you know he likes his job. Watch him interact with a few of the 2,300 pilots he leads and you’ll begin to think that Beach is good at his job too. You’ll have to get up pretty early in the morning to catch him […]

New England Airlines, which flies between Westerly, Rhode Island, and Block Island, Rhode Island, with six- and 10-seat aircraft, is one of many tiny scheduled airlines that fill specific transportation needs throughout the U.S. Director of Operations Bill Bendokas and his wife, Lois, both Block Islanders, started the airline in 1970. It is one of […]

As a flight instructor, parents often ask me how they should encourage their children who show interest in aviation. My favorite answer? Send them to an aviation-focused school. These schools are located in every corner of the nation, and they are fee free, public education institutions. They aren’t necessarily new, either. Aviation High School in […]