The scolds in Congress pushing for legislation banning nonessential gadgets from the cockpit are on the wrong track
By Patrick Smith Nov 5, 2009
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Do two distracted Northwest pilots portend a frightening breakdown in air safety? No. Plus: A personal note
By Patrick Smith
October 29, 2009
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View the landing of a Boeing 767, from the cockpit. Behold the glory of approach lights at dawn. Plus: A tutorial
By Patrick Smith
October 16, 2009
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What is proper etiquette during an emergency evacuation? Plus: Confused pilots and angry readers
By Patrick Smith
October 9, 2009
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Plus: What happened to "The Simpsons"? And REM? The weird phenomenon of pop-culture tailspin
By Patrick Smith
October 2, 2009
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Why do people keep insisting that pilots manipulate the air supply in planes? It ain't true, folks
By Patrick Smith
September 25, 2009
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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
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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
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The TSA wastes a lot of time and money on an inefficient fight against the wrong enemy
By Patrick Smith
August 28, 2009
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A look back at some of the worst airline-related terrorism of the '70s, '80s and '90s
By Patrick Smith
August 28, 2009
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A look at pilot fatigue, hiring standards and the strange practice of "commuting"
By Patrick Smith
August 21, 2009
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Severe turbulence, a midair collision and the latest stuck-on-a-plane horror story
By Patrick Smith
August 14, 2009
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Airworthy planes, "dangerous" airports, and baby talk from the cockpit
By Patrick Smith
July 31, 2009
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Already in 2009, 11 major accidents involving commercial jets. We're in trouble, right?
By Patrick Smith
July 24, 2009
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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
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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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I'd love to move on from the Air France crash, but the media insist on getting things wrong again
By Patrick Smith
June 26, 2009
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Are passengers at risk? Plus: Plenty of flotsam and jetsam, but no real answers in Air France crash
By Patrick Smith
June 18, 2009
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The media loves the "wrong speed" theory, but a lightning strike and electrical failure are more likely culprits.
By Patrick Smith
June 8, 2009
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Flight 447 shouldn't have gone down, but it did. Were normally non-dangerous phenomena the culprits?
By Patrick Smith
June 2, 2009
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Do pilots have a "romper room"? Do they fly the same routes over and over? Those questions and more
By Patrick Smith
May 22, 2009
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Do you really think I'd lie to you about cabin air? Plus: The Colgan crash and the problems with regional airlines.
By Patrick Smith
May 15, 2009
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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
May 8, 2009
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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
May 1, 2009
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Is pilot fatigue a menace to airline safety?
By Patrick Smith
April 17, 2009
The real distractions for pilots
Boredom and fatigue at 35,000 feet
Watch the pilot!
Ask the pilot
All your questions about in-flight horrors
Airplanes, oxygen and the media
The somber beauty of air crash memorials
Are we safer than we were eight years ago?
How we're blowing airline security
Timeline: The golden age of air crimes
How new legislation will affect air safety
Airtime
Information: The good, the bad and the ugly
Crash
Why are airline passengers such slobs?
Is the Airbus a lemon?
Some stories just won't fly
When a pilot dies mid-flight
Flight 447's perfect storm
Why the Air France plane crashed
Broadsheet
How the World Works
War Room