Categories: Safety

Why I Don’t Want a Child Talking to My Pilot

Posted by: Justin Bachman on March 10

The recent case of a young boy speaking to airplane crews at JFK International Airport produced a rather passionate response here and elsewhere. Many readers consider this a case where…

The NYC Air Traffic Control Kid and Aviation Professionalism

Posted by: Justin Bachman on March 03

The Federal Aviation Administration has suspended all “unofficial visits” to its air traffic control centers after a boy was allowed to speak with planes at New York’s John F. Kennedy…

Will New FAA Pilot Rest Rules Affect Commuting?

Posted by: Justin Bachman on December 10

The FAA is considering new rules governing flight crew rest, and comments Thursday out of a Senate hearing suggest that limits on pilots’ commuting could come into play next year….

Pilots See Lithium Batteries as Airline Safety Risk

Posted by: Justin Bachman on August 26

Is there a potentially lethal hazard lurking in airplanes? The largest U.S. pilots’ union thinks so, and is asking federal regulators to ban bulk shipments of lithium-ion batteries in passenger…

Will you catch Swine Flu on your next flight? Probably not.

Posted by: Dean Foust on May 04

What’s the risk of catching the Swine Flu virus on an airplane? Not as great as many fear, if a lot of the information that’s circulated on the Internet in…

ASA Engine Inspections Raise Questions

Posted by: Justin Bachman on April 01

Atlantic Southeast Airlines, a regional carrier for Delta, was forced to cancel flights today after grounding 60 of its 50-seat regional jets late on March 31. The airline is inspecting…

Ice and the Buffalo Plane Crash

Posted by: Justin Bachman on February 13

Early speculation about the cause of the Continental Express crash near Buffalo is pointing toward ice, one of the paramount dangers in aviation. Blogger Miles O’Brien, a private pilot and…

NTSB: Blame the Canadians for 1549!

Posted by: Justin Bachman on February 12

Well, Canadian geese. The National Transportation Safety Board on Feb. 12 confirmed widespread speculation that Canadian geese were sucked into the engines of US Airways Flight 1549, which ditched safely…

US Airways’ Crash: A Midtown Miracle

Posted by: Justin Bachman on January 15

It’s a safe bet the phrase “in the event of a water landing” will hold new significance for thousands of airline passengers this week following the surprisingly smooth ditching…

British Airways 777 Crash Shows Ice Danger

Posted by: Justin Bachman on September 04

A BA 777 most likely crash landed last winter because of an ice blockage that restricted fuel flow to both engines on final approach to Heathrow Airport. The UK’s Air…

A Tragic Day in Spain

Posted by: Justin Bachman on August 20

It’s a sad day in aviation, with many fatalities from the crash of a Spanair flight in Madrid. The Spanish newspaper El Pais is reporting at least 45 dead after…

This Could Have Been Bad

Posted by: Justin Bachman on July 25

Here’s a scary sight. A Qantas 747-400 headed for Australia after a stop in Hong Kong was forced to land today in Manila after a section of the cargo…

A New Airport Security Fight?

Posted by: Justin Bachman on March 21

There’s a potentially nasty fight brewing in Washington that could have enormous implications for U.S. travelers. The Dept. of Homeland Security and Congress are trading barbs over a new law…

Southwest safety flap: The broader picture

Posted by: Dean Foust on March 12

Readers of this blog have probably already seen the latest news about Southwest Air, and the report from the Federal Aviation Administration that Southwest flew dozens of older jets for…