Les Abend

Upon my return home from a trip to London and back, I reflected on a series of trials and tribulations. When I put on the fourth stripe 25 years ago, I perceived my primary function simply as the boss on the flight deck. The responsibility for safely operating an airliner rested directly on my shoulders. The […]

Cruise altitude: Flight Level 330. Mach 0.83. Entering oceanic airspace. Two hundred miles east of the Newfoundland coastline. Destination: London Heathrow Airport. HF Selcal check with Gander Oceanic: complete. Autopilot: engaged. For a moment, no words are spoken. The copilot and I have silently acknowledged that our Boeing 777-300 is ready for the journey across […]

On July 25, 2000, Air France Flight 4590 begins a takeoff roll from Runway 26R at Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris. The airplane is a Concorde, en route to the John F. Kennedy International Airport. It is operating as a charter flight with passengers that will board a cruise ship in New York. Barely […]

It goes without saying that safety has to be the first priority for any airline, but reliability certainly runs a close second. If an airline is perceived as unreliable, no amount of travel vouchers or complimentary cocktails will restore a negative image. A carrier’s scheduled performance is a direct measure of its product quality. The […]

A brief smirk passed my lips. In an effort to hide my nerves, I made a feeble attempt at humor and queried the simulator instructor, “You really want me to execute the ILS without a flight director?” His wordless, stone-faced response wasn’t quite the reaction I had hoped for in alleviating my anxiety. I was […]

As I shuffled charts and pages of the latest Jeppesen revision into various binders and folders, my copilot introduced herself. Lisa had recently returned from medical leave and was glad to be back at work. Upon reflection, perhaps the medical leave aspect was a foreshadowing of what was about to come. Our flight planning review […]

I scratched my chin as I tried to discern the unfamiliar code that our airline computer system had attached to three days of my reserve schedule. A call to crew schedule offered only a verbal shoulder shrug. It was suggested that I call our flight standards department. Hmm … Flight standards is responsible for maintaining […]

I awoke to the faded pastel orange of a rising sun. The sun’s glow was making a feeble attempt at blending into a dominant gray winter’s overcast. Only seconds into the transition from sleep to reality, my eyes began to track a pair of pinpoint amber lights. The lights moved at a rapid pace from […]

I reached over to the left of my seat and squeezed the red tabs of the oxygen mask. The mask hissed as the inflatable straps began to fill with air. I pulled the device out of its holder and placed it over my face. Immediately after I released the red tabs, the cup and goggle […]

I am fortunate that the majority of my trips can be categorized as mundane, a characteristic that all airline pilots aspire to for the sake of our passengers. The law of averages indicated I was due a trip that fell out of that category. And on this particular flight, it almost seemed as if the […]