Photos

It’s hot on the ramp. The sun, blocked earlier by a thin overcast, now has an unobstructed view and it’s doing its thing with a good deal of enthusiasm. There’s a slight breeze and that helps, but the baggage handlers in my group are sweltering as we form a “bucket brigade” to unload bags from […]

10:15 a.m., eastern daylight time. The air is cool and quiet, save for the rustle of the drapes and the ripping noise made by Sabra as she opens some suture packs. Cindy is busy setting up her Mayo stand, upon which she has arranged a collection of shiny surgical clamps, two scalpels, some sutures and […]

John walked into the simulator briefing room with an ivory grin. He was wearing a crisp tropical shirt-not quite the standard dress for your typical check airman. I smiled. A tropical shirt is my favorite attire for a south Florida evening. “Hmm … my nine-month beating might not go so bad,” I thought. The copilot […]

It’s been 100 years since Continental built its first engine, and Continentals have powered dozens of milestone airplanes, but its storied history is as much a rap against the company as it is an undeniable measure of success. Most pilots incorrectly believe that Continental is building the same engines the same way it has for […]

I am being a recalcitrant student. “Put the heading bug on the airport runway heading,” my friend Bruce says. “Why?” “That way you’ll know which way the runway heading is,” he answers. “Or,” I reply, “I can just look at the compass.” To my way of thinking, if I can’t remember that I’m taking off […]

Occasionally, people insisting “Not in my back yard” have good reason. For example, the other day Miss Biscuit, one of my horses, got out of the pasture and dug divots in a neighbor’s soft, water-soaked backyard. I repaired the lawn. He had a point. Although many of the NIMBYites’ claims are knee-jerk reactions, their potential […]

A little over three years ago, this column discussed a contentious issue. The issue concerned guns in an airline cockpit. I took an opposing view. My arguments had valid reasons, but they were based on the unknown. And for the most part, the procedures for arming pilots were an unknown even to the architects of […]