http://dir.salon.com/topics/flying/?source=rss&aim=flying en-us Copyright 2007 Salon.com. Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:10:00 PDT By Patrick Smith Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:10:00 PDT http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/10/29/askthepilot339/index.html?source=rss http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/10/29/askthepilot339/index.html?source=rss Do two distracted Northwest pilots portend a frightening breakdown in air safety? No. Plus: A personal note By Patrick Smith Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:10:00 PDT http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/10/16/askthepilot338/index.html?source=rss http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/10/16/askthepilot338/index.html?source=rss View the landing of a Boeing 767, from the cockpit. Behold the glory of approach lights at dawn. Plus: A tutorial By Patrick Smith Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:10:00 PDT http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/10/09/askthepilot337/index.html?source=rss http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/10/09/askthepilot337/index.html?source=rss What is proper etiquette during an emergency evacuation? Plus: Confused pilots and angry readers By Patrick Smith Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:10:00 PDT http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/10/02/askthepilot336/index.html?source=rss http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/10/02/askthepilot336/index.html?source=rss Plus: What happened to "The Simpsons"? And REM? The weird phenomenon of pop-culture tailspin By Patrick Smith Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:10:00 PDT http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/09/25/askthepilot335/index.html?source=rss http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/09/25/askthepilot335/index.html?source=rss Why do people keep insisting that pilots manipulate the air supply in planes? It ain't true, folks By Patrick Smith Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:10:00 PDT http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/09/11/askthepilot333/index.html?source=rss http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/09/11/askthepilot333/index.html?source=rss We're still looking for pointy objects when we should be looking for bombs. Time for a leaner, meaner operation By Patrick Smith Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:10:00 PDT http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/08/14/askthepilot330/index.html?source=rss http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/08/14/askthepilot330/index.html?source=rss Severe turbulence, a midair collision and the latest stuck-on-a-plane horror story By Patrick Smith Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:10:00 PDT http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/07/31/askthepilot329/index.html?source=rss http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/07/31/askthepilot329/index.html?source=rss Airworthy planes, "dangerous" airports, and baby talk from the cockpit By Patrick Smith Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:10:00 PDT http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/07/24/askthepilot328/index.html?source=rss http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/07/24/askthepilot328/index.html?source=rss Already in 2009, 11 major accidents involving commercial jets. We're in trouble, right? By Patrick Smith Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:10:00 PDT http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/07/17/askthepilot327/index.html?source=rss http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/07/17/askthepilot327/index.html?source=rss Plus, a crash in Iran spotlights the safety of Russian-built planes, and the latest misinformation from the press By Patrick Smith Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:10:00 PDT http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/07/10/askthepilot326/index.html?source=rss http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/07/10/askthepilot326/index.html?source=rss Two Airbus crashes in two months: Should we worry? Plus: Welcome to the Six Continent Club! By Patrick Smith Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:10:00 PDT http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/06/26/askthepilot325/index.html?source=rss http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/06/26/askthepilot325/index.html?source=rss I'd love to move on from the Air France crash, but the media insist on getting things wrong again By Patrick Smith Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:10:00 PDT http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/06/02/askthepilot322/index.html?source=rss http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/06/02/askthepilot322/index.html?source=rss Flight 447 shouldn't have gone down, but it did. Were normally non-dangerous phenomena the culprits? By Patrick Smith Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:10:00 PDT http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/05/22/askthepilot321/index.html?source=rss http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/05/22/askthepilot321/index.html?source=rss Do pilots have a "romper room"? Do they fly the same routes over and over? Those questions and more By Patrick Smith Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:10:00 PDT http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/05/08/askthepilot319/index.html?source=rss http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/05/08/askthepilot319/index.html?source=rss From swine flu to malaria, how jetliners can spread disease. Plus: Is the air on planes really as dirty as we think? By Patrick Smith Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:10:00 PDT http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/05/01/askthepilot318/index.html?source=rss http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/05/01/askthepilot318/index.html?source=rss How did a suicidal passenger get the door of a pressurized plane open? Plus: Can't any pilot fly most planes? And: The autopilot was on during landing? By Patrick Smith Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:10:00 PDT http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/04/17/askthepilot317/index.html?source=rss http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/04/17/askthepilot317/index.html?source=rss Is pilot fatigue a menace to airline safety? By Patrick Smith Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:10:00 PDT http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/04/10/askthepilot316/index.html?source=rss http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/04/10/askthepilot316/index.html?source=rss The Buffalo crash revisited. Plus: Landing in the water, idolizing Sully and selling books. By Patrick Smith Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:10:00 PDT http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/04/03/askthepilot315/index.html?source=rss http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/04/03/askthepilot315/index.html?source=rss Did a stupid, inexplicable mistake cause the crash near Buffalo, N.Y.? Plus: The weird hell of working for a regional airline. By Patrick Smith Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:10:00 PDT http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/03/27/askthepilot314/index.html?source=rss http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/03/27/askthepilot314/index.html?source=rss Planes crash. The media descends. But why can't reporters get their facts straight? Plus: Kudos to an outstanding exception. By Patrick Smith Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:10:00 PDT http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/03/20/askthepilot313/index.html?source=rss http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/03/20/askthepilot313/index.html?source=rss If you're a pilot, no matter how much skill you have, or how many lives you've heroically saved, the only thing that matters is seniority. By Patrick Smith Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:10:00 PDT http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/03/06/askthepilot312/index.html?source=rss http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/03/06/askthepilot312/index.html?source=rss Will the airlines' current financial troubles affect safety? "Sully" Sullenberger thinks so, but I'm not so sure. By Patrick Smith Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:10:00 PDT http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/02/27/askthepilot311/index.html?source=rss http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/02/27/askthepilot311/index.html?source=rss What makes a plane stay in the air, anyway? And what happened the night Flight 3407 fell from the sky near Buffalo, N.Y.? By Patrick Smith Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:10:00 PDT http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/02/06/askthepilot308/index.html?source=rss http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/02/06/askthepilot308/index.html?source=rss JetBlue is touting its fancy new terminal, but it just makes me wonder: Why can't Americans build better airports? By Patrick Smith Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:10:00 PDT http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/01/30/askthepilot307/index.html?source=rss http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2009/01/30/askthepilot307/index.html?source=rss There's more than one way to define "hero."