Aviation Blog - Page 68

Plenty of unexpected things can happen on a flight, such as the plane arriving at its destination with one more person on board than it had when it left the ground. Babies being born on planes are pretty rare, but it does happen. What happens in the case of this happiest of accidents? The first

The thought of seeing your pilot out of the cockpit feels just as wrong as the thought of seeing your elementary school teachers in their pajamas at the grocery store. However, it comes with the added element of danger as you wonder who is flying the plane! Are pilots allowed to be out of the

Driving at night comes with its own challenges, but you’re still able to see the road thanks to headlights and streetlamps. However, there is no lighting for the road in the sky, and planes don’t come equipped with headlights. How are pilots able to make overnight flights? The short answer is that the way pilots

You’re probably used to stops on your bus, train, or subway. However, if you’re not used to it, you will be surprised the first time your plane stops en route before continuing to your destination. What happened? Did the pilot get lost? No, the pilot didn’t get lost, and it is actually more common for

Frequent flyers are often torn between what’s better: the window or the aisle seat. However, few people stop to think about why planes have windows at all. What’s the point when you can’t open them for fresh air, and there’s usually not much to see outside except for during takeoff or landing? It turns out

If you’ve ever paid attention during an in-flight safety demonstration (and hopefully, if you’ve flown in a plane, you have), you noticed that the flight attendants demonstrate how to put on oxygen masks. However, you hopefully never actually saw those masks. If passengers almost never have to use them, why do planes have oxygen masks

The life of a pilot involves a lot of adjusting to rules and regulations that the airline has, including where they live. Airlines have several bases that act as hubs for their operations and for flights that pilots and cabin crew go on. Living and working around a base is a big adjustment, so you

There are a lot of rules about who can be a pilot. While outdated rules about height, perfect vision, and even societal norms about gender are out, there are still some restrictions about who can be a pilot. One of the restrictions in place is on age. Becoming a pilot is like getting a driver’s

How many hours do pilots work? FAA rules cap flight time at 8 to 9 hours a day and 100 per 28 days, but duty days run to 14 and pay covers less.

Flying is a dangerous business. Pilots have to be ready to deal with turbulence, extreme weather, and potential damage to the aircraft. However, sometimes the threats come from within the plane, such as terrorist attacks, hijacking attempts, or even unruly passengers. Pilots have to do everything they can to ensure flight safety, but can they