Ask the Pilot

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  • Ask the pilot

    The Pilot returns from Mali wondering why the service on U.S. airlines is so bad and recommending the JetBlue way.
    By Patrick Smith December 6, 2002

  • Ask the pilot

    Why are pilots so scruffy? What happened to the mile-high hanky-panky of yesteryear? Plus: More entries for the rock 'n' roll jetliner hall of fame.
    By Patrick Smith November 26, 2002

  • Ask the pilot

    The science of weighing airplanes. And, how many things can go wrong with a jet before it's not allowed to fly?
    By Patrick Smith November 22, 2002

  • Ask the pilot

    Was Senator Paul Wellstone's death murder? Patrick Smith looks at the "evidence."
    By Patrick Smith November 14, 2002

  • Ask the pilot quiz answers

    We have an ace! Actually, we have a whole squadron of aces.
    By Patrick Smith November 6, 2002

  • Ask the pilot

    More fun with the poetry of airliner names. And, what to do about those narrow seats for wide people?
    By Patrick Smith November 6, 2002

  • What's your pilot rating?

    Turnabout is fair play. Test your aviation knowledge against Patrick Smith's questions.
    By Patrick Smith October 25, 2002

  • Ask the pilot

    Flying Beech 99's, ogling Gulf Air's stunning stewardesses and other career highlights. Plus: What are the scariest airports?
    By Patrick Smith October 25, 2002

  • Ask the pilot

    The pilot seniority blues. And, what happens when avians and airliners collide?
    By Patrick Smith October 18, 2002

  • Ask the pilot

    Dreaming of the long-forgotten Caravelle: Why do today's jetliners look so ugly?
    By Patrick Smith October 11, 2002

  • Ask the pilot

    By popular demand: The full, unexpurgated story of what happens when dry ice is mixed with blue toilet acid at 33,000 feet.
    By Patrick Smith October 3, 2002

  • Ask the pilot

    How could a pilot not be trained for fog landings? And how is "Jet Smarter" author Diana Fairechild like Ralph Nader with a tray of peanuts?
    By Patrick Smith September 27, 2002

  • Ask the pilot

    What happens when you drop dry ice into an airplane toilet? And are regional pilots just rejects from the big airlines?
    By Patrick Smith September 20, 2002

  • Ask the pilot

    Can an airliner get a speeding ticket? And, isn't it a bad thing when an engine bursts into flame?
    By Patrick Smith September 13, 2002

  • Ask the pilot

    What are the 10 worst airline crashes of all time?
    By Patrick Smith September 6, 2002

  • Ask the pilot

    Where are all the female pilots? And how do airliners find the runway in the fog?
    By Patrick Smith August 30, 2002

  • Ask the pilot

    How hard is it fly an airliner? And why can't I keep my tray table down during takeoff?
    By Patrick Smith August 23, 2002

  • Ask the pilot

    When airplanes collide, who is responsible? Are we doing enough to prevent such disasters?
    By Patrick Smith August 9, 2002

  • Ask the pilot

    Can it really get too hot to fly? And what was it like to be in the air on Sept. 11?
    By Patrick Smith August 2, 2002

  • Ask the pilot

    Do seat cushions actually save lives? And why don't U.S. airlines fly to Africa?
    By Patrick Smith July 26, 2002

  • Ask the pilot

    Do airlines cut down the flow of oxygen in the cabin to save fuel? Can wind shear rip off a plane's wing?
    By Patrick Smith July 18, 2002

  • Up, locked, and loaded

    Should guns be allowed in the cockpit? Possibly, says Salon's aviation expert, but not at the expense of other solutions to air terror.
    By Patrick Smith July 12, 2002

  • Ask the pilot

    Do pilots sweat bullets during wind-whipped landings? And why are those darn windows so small?
    By Patrick Smith June 28, 2002

  • Concorde

    Not even a hideous crash -- and the worst single event in the history of the airline business -- could permanently ground the most sensual and timelessly attractive of airplanes. And by the way, you don't say "the" Concorde.
    By Patrick Smith February 4, 2002
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