Blog

One of the most fundamental concepts in aerodynamics is the concept of angle of attack, also called AOA. Aerodynamics is a complex subject and there are many concepts that go into understanding precisely what the AOA is and why it is essential.  The angle of attack (AOA) is the angle formed between the wing and […]

John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Baines Johnson were the first two Presidents to “share” Air Force One, albeit for reasons neither one of them would have wished.  After JFK’s assassination in Dallas on November 22nd, 1963, LBJ became the first President to be sworn in aboard an airplane. Here are a few further facts about […]

Around aviation, you may hear the term MRO often. The term has been generalized to refer to many different organizations in aviation, but all of them revolve around the maintenance of aircraft.  MRO stands for maintenance, repair, and overhaul. This label is used in aviation to indicate a major maintenance facility, be it part of […]

If you had taken a domestic or international flight to or from America 50 years ago, TWA would’ve been one of the “Big Four” carriers from whom you had to choose. If you look for them today, there’s nothing. What happened? Well, for starters, it isn’t quite true that there’s nothing remaining of TWA. For […]

The speed an aircraft flies is one of those things that seems like it should be simple, and yet it isn’t easy. In a car, your speedometer simply tells you how fast you are traveling between Point A and Point B. But in a plane, many variables must be considered before you can figure that […]

Several medical factors affect pilots while flying aircraft. Most of these have to do with operating at high altitudes, or medical considerations that could affect their ability to operate the plane safely.  What Is Spatial Disorientation? Spatial disorientation, on the other hand, comes as a result of flight itself. Spatial disorientation occurs when the pilot’s […]

Once upon a time there was an airline that was among America’s most affordable and iconic, that began as an air mail service and grew to service international flights, and then, poof! It was gone. This’s Pan Am Airlines’ story. In a way, Pan Am’s antiquity makes its story that much more compelling. In life, […]

We are so used to many of the conventions of modern airplanes that we often don’t give them a second thought. That said, the moment someone stops to ask you “why do airplanes have round windows instead of square ones?” you start to wonder why you didn’t wonder that yourself. In retrospect, it seems like […]

As professional pilots progress through their careers, they earn increasingly higher grades of certificates or pilot licenses. In the United States, pilot certification is handled by the Federal Aviation Administration. What is an ATP? ATP stands for airline transport pilot. The pinnacle of a pilot’s career is when they earn their ATP. The airline transport […]

Weather is the most crucial factor affecting airport operations. At towered airports around the world, air traffic controllers report on wind and visibility conditions so that arriving pilots know what to expect. But what do pilots do when they arrive at non-towered (also known as uncontrolled) airports? The answer is that many airfields have automated […]