How Often Are Airline Pilots Drug Tested? (5 Needling Facts)
How often are pilots drug tested? Are all pilots subject to a drug test?
Why Are Some Planes Red on Flight Radar? (5 Magnetizing Thoughts)
Have you ever wondered, “Why are Some Planes Red on Flight Radar?” Not many years back in aviation history flight following was very difficult. There just was not an easy way for anyone to know the location of an aircraft. When radar came along it opened a multitude of radio-tracking technologies. Why Are Some Planes … Read more
Can a Pilot Depressurize the Cabin? (5 Pressurizing Facts)
So, you’re wondering, “Can a Pilot Depressurize the Cabin?” It hasn’t been very long since the disaster of MH370 and speculation that the airplane was decompressed during flight incapacitating everyone on board. Another accident involving a Helios Boeing 737 Flight 522 from Cypress to Prague, Czech Republic decompressed and resulted in the largest airline disaster … Read more
Why Do Airplanes Take Off Into The Wind? (5 Factors to Consider)
Why Do Aeroplanes Take Off Into The Wind? I wonder? Does it seem like you take a tour of the airport before you finally get to the runway that you were supposed to take off on? Then there are other times that you seem to get there immediately. There are some very good reasons for … Read more
Why Do Pilots Say “Niner”? (5 Things about “Pilot Talk”)
Why do pilots say “NINER?” Is that a word? There is a good reason. Let’s find out why. Some call it the “secret” language of Pilots, but there are no secrets in the way pilots speak. There’s a perfectly logical reason for it. In this article, I will clear up any misconceptions concerning the language … Read more
How Do Fighter Pilots Pee or Poop? (6 Points to Ponder)
The question “How do fighter pilots pee or poop” has been asked of me enough times for me to write about it and give my best answer. We have all been subjected to the time in our lives when one of these two unpleasant tasks has had to wait. Being confined to a very small … Read more
How Do Commercial Airlines Calculate Weight and Balance? (4 Factors to Consider)
This is probably is not a question that you would wake up in the middle of the night and think, “How do commercial airlines calculate weight and balance?” Unless you are a flight crew member you probably have not walked onto an airplane and thought, Gee I wonder if the weight and balance is … Read more
Why Do Private Jets Fly at Higher Altitudes? (5 Practical Reasons)
If you do much flying you may have heard people say the private jets fly higher than commercial jets. Have you ever thought, “Why do private jets fly at higher altitudes?” I have been actively involved in aviation for over 50 years so I really didn’t even think about that question because I knew the … Read more
Why Do Some Planes Have 2 Engines and Some Have 4? (6 Thoughtful Points)
“Aviation in itself is not inherently dangerous but it is totally unforgiving of any inability, incapacity, or neglect” (unknown) I’m sure people wonder, Why Do Some Airplanes Have 2 engines and some have 4? I also think that most people don’t realize that four-engine airplanes date back to World War One. They were used as … Read more
Can a Fighter Pilot Become a Commercial Pilot? (5 Quality Traits)
“Can a Fighter Pilot Become a Commercial Pilot?” may seem to be a strange question to some people since military pilots have the best training the world has to offer. It truly is quite a complex question. The thought process of flying commercially and flying militarily is a completely different scenario. The airlines have long … Read more