Ask the Pilot

Flying blind across the ocean Flying blind across the ocean

Your pressing questions about landing gear and windshield wipers. Plus: Ain't no room for Ask the Pilot imitators!
By Patrick Smith Feb 4, 2010

  • The inside story of Northwest 188

    Plus, Congress gets it right, for once: Tough new hiring rules for airlines and pilots
    By Patrick Smith December 10, 2009

  • Whatever you do, don't dis Brazil

    A columnist who criticized the handling of a crash inquiry is being sued for defaming the country's honor. Huh?
    By Patrick Smith December 3, 2009

  • Who's flying this thing?

    It's time to put to rest the idea that planes fly themselves. And who wants a pilotless jetliner anyway?
    By Patrick Smith November 19, 2009

  • Is your pilot drunk?

    Do I have to worry about my pilot showing up under the influence? Plus: A safety milestone goes quietly unnoticed
    By Patrick Smith November 12, 2009

  • The real distractions for pilots

    The scolds in Congress pushing for legislation banning nonessential gadgets from the cockpit are on the wrong track
    By Patrick Smith November 5, 2009

  • Boredom and fatigue at 35,000 feet

    Do two distracted Northwest pilots portend a frightening breakdown in air safety? No. Plus: A personal note
    By Patrick Smith October 29, 2009

  • Ask the pilot

    Eavesdropping on pilots and air traffic control, missing captains, and a lesson on airspeed
    By Patrick Smith October 16, 2009

  • Ask the pilot

    What is proper etiquette during an emergency evacuation? Plus: Confused pilots and angry readers
    By Patrick Smith October 9, 2009

  • All your questions about in-flight horrors

    Plus: What happened to "The Simpsons"? And REM? The weird phenomenon of pop-culture tailspin
    By Patrick Smith October 2, 2009

  • Airplanes, oxygen and the media

    Why do people keep insisting that pilots manipulate the air supply in planes? It ain't true, folks
    By Patrick Smith September 25, 2009

  • The somber beauty of air crash memorials

    Is it morbid to want to see them all? Plus: Pirates, the TV blues, and a plug for airport food
    By Patrick Smith September 18, 2009

  • Are we safer than we were eight years ago?

    We're still looking for pointy objects when we should be looking for bombs. Time for a leaner, meaner operation
    By Patrick Smith September 11, 2009

  • How we're blowing airline security

    The TSA wastes a lot of time and money on an inefficient fight against the wrong enemy
    By Patrick Smith August 28, 2009

  • Timeline: The golden age of air crimes

    A look back at some of the worst airline-related terrorism of the '70s, '80s and '90s
    By Patrick Smith August 28, 2009

  • How new legislation will affect air safety

    A look at pilot fatigue, hiring standards and the strange practice of "commuting"
    By Patrick Smith August 21, 2009

  • Airtime

    Severe turbulence, a midair collision and the latest stuck-on-a-plane horror story
    By Patrick Smith August 14, 2009

  • Information: The good, the bad and the ugly

    Airworthy planes, "dangerous" airports, and baby talk from the cockpit
    By Patrick Smith July 31, 2009

  • Crash

    Already in 2009, 11 major accidents involving commercial jets. We're in trouble, right?
    By Patrick Smith July 24, 2009

  • Why are airline passengers such slobs?

    Plus, a crash in Iran spotlights the safety of Russian-built planes, and the latest misinformation from the press
    By Patrick Smith July 17, 2009

  • Is the Airbus a lemon?

    Two Airbus crashes in two months: Should we worry? Plus: Welcome to the Six Continent Club!
    By Patrick Smith July 10, 2009
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