Jun 13th, 2010 at 10:30AM: Spirit Airlines has found itself grounded this weekend, after contract negotiations with their pilots failed to result in an agreement.
The pilots have been negotiating for four years - and Spirit claims they have offered a 30% pay increase over the next five years, along with several other perks.
Sean Creed is the head of the Spirit Airlines pilot group within the union, and had the ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
pilot posts
Spirit Airlines grounded by pilot strike - UPDATED
Jun 13th, 2010 at 10:30AM: Spirit Airlines has found itself grounded this weekend, after contract negotiations with their pilots failed to result in an agreement.
The pilots have been negotiating for four years - and Spirit claims they have offered a 30% pay increase over the next five years, along with several other perks.
Sean Creed is the head of the Spirit Airlines pilot group within the union, and had the ...JetBlue pilot removed from Boston plane after gun threat incident
May 23rd, 2010 at 12:00PM:
A JetBlue co-pilot has been removed from his Boston crew lounge when he sent an email to his ex-girlfriend mentioning his plans to harm himself.
The pilot is a member of the TSA Federal Flight Deck Officer program, which allows pilots to carry guns on their plane - the program was developed after the attacks on 9/11. Upon being confronted by authorities, the pilot handed over the gun and ...
If only it were that easy
Apr 22nd, 2010 at 12:00AM:
Many people who write into the Plane Answers column have questions about what it takes to become a pilot. Little did they know, the answer lies in the genius of the online comic XKCD. Perhaps this is how the venerable Kent Wien reached the pointy end of the plane.
[Via XKCD] ...Plane Answers: Crew rest seats and identifying pilot uniforms
Mar 29th, 2010 at 2:30PM: Welcome to Gadling's feature, Plane Answers, where our resident airline pilot, Kent Wien, answers your questions about everything from takeoff to touchdown and beyond. Have a question of your own? Ask away!
Ignacio asks:
Say you're on a Boston-Paris trip. The flight is totally loaded up, so there are no free seats, neither First nor Tourist class. When it comes to rest-time, what do you ...Plane Answers: A controller opinion on the JFK kid and a college major for pilots
Mar 10th, 2010 at 1:00PM: Welcome to Gadling's feature, Plane Answers, where our resident airline pilot, Kent Wien, answers your questions about everything from takeoff to touchdown and beyond. Have a question of your own? Ask away!
A friend of mine who works as an air traffic controller emailed me with his thoughts on the JFK 'bring your kid to work' controversy. Here's what he had to say:
Each of my 3 kids have ...Cockpit Chronicles: Frank's final flight
Feb 15th, 2010 at 9:00AM: It was time for Frank to go. Not because of a federally mandated retirement age, or because of a change in pension laws or fluctuations in the stock market. No, Frank had long ago decided that he was going to retire at the age of sixty. And he was sure of it.
Even when the retirement age was raised from sixty to sixty-five in 2007, Frank was still adamant that he'd be leaving at sixty. I've ...Galley Gossip: The Bachelor - airline employees, spouses & why Vienna is perfect for Jake
Feb 8th, 2010 at 9:30AM: If you think long distance dating is difficult, try being married to an airline employee. It ain't easy. Because working for an airline is not just a job, it's a lifestyle, a very unusual one. Even now, seven years later, my husband, a man who travels more often than I do, doesn't completely understand how things work in the aviation industry and will often times get frustrated whenever we're ...Galley Gossip: The Bachelor - pilots, fashion & a few pilot fashion tips
Feb 3rd, 2010 at 9:30AM: Women love pilots. What's not to like? Even men have a thing for pilots. Think Brad Pitt. He fell in love with one. The word itself conjures up images of Richard Gere (Officer and a Gentleman), Tom Cruise (Top Gun), Leonardo DiCaprio (The Aviator), Andy Garcia (When a Man Loves a Woman), John Travolta (pilots his own 707), and Jake Pavelka.
Jake Pavelka?
Jake Pavelka. Ya know, The Bachelor ...Plane Answers: So you want to be a pilot? Here's how.
Jan 14th, 2010 at 8:00PM: Michael asks:
I am an aspiring airline pilot and I was wondering what were the steps you took to get hired with the airlines. So far I am 15 and starting my flight training with the Civil Air Patrol.
So you want to be a pilot? You've probably read the stories of the expensive flight training, years of instructing followed by long working hours at a regional with shockingly low pay rates. ...Plane Answers: Announcements from the captain and Denver turbulence
Jan 8th, 2010 at 1:30PM: Rich asks:
Hi Kent, I love your blog and it has really helped me to relax when flying. When I was a kid and used to fly it seemed as though the flight deck would regularly update passengers about what was going on with the trip, the plane, etc. Now it seems as though most of the time I hardly hear anything. It would be nice to know if there is some turbulence coming up or something like that. ...Only approved electronic devices allowed in the cockpit?
Nov 22nd, 2009 at 8:00AM: Maybe the flight attendants should start talking to the cockpit, too. When a plane overshot Minneapolis last month because the crew was playing around with personal laptops, national attention turned to what actually goes on in the front of the plane. Congress is kicking around the idea of a new bill that would kick personal electronic devices from the cockpit.
Unsurprisingly, the pilots and ...Drunk pilot arrested in London
Nov 13th, 2009 at 1:00PM:
After (another) pilot was found drunk in London this week, the issue of pilot inebriation has become a frequent discussion topic. Since 1997, 11 commercial pilots, on average, have tested positive for alcohol every year. According to FAA regulations, pilots can't fly with a blood alcohol content of above 0.04 percent (it's 0.02 percent in Great Britain). Last year, 13 pilots tested ...
German pilot dumped, lives in Brazilian airport for two weeks
Oct 31st, 2009 at 9:00AM:
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Breakups are tough, but we always seem to get through them. Whether it's strip clubs or buckets of ice cream, there are plenty of coping mechanisms. The latest is to move into an airport. I don't know how this makes you feel better, but it seems to be working for a German tourist. Heinz Muller, a former pilot, ...
Ten pilots you DON'T want in your cockpit.
Oct 28th, 2009 at 12:30PM:
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When it comes to making fun of airline employees, pilots are usually off limits. Screw with a flight attendant, and you may not get your drink, screw with the TSA, and you may end up missing your flight. But screwing around with a pilot just doesn't feel right. In ...Plane Answers: Is there a pilot shortage coming?
Oct 19th, 2009 at 11:00AM: Welcome to Gadling's feature, Plane Answers, where our resident airline pilot, Kent Wien, answers your questions about everything from takeoff to touchdown and beyond. Have a question of your own? Ask away! Justin asks: I have seen advertisements lately that have been saying that there will be a large number of airline pilots retiring in the next few years and that the demand for new pilots will ...Cockpit Chronicles: "Flying Drunk" by Joe Balzer
Oct 16th, 2009 at 3:30PM: Most people would question their career choice after working for five different airlines in their first six years as a pilot. But the early '90s were a turbulent time in the industry, and I was simply happy to be working, even if it was as a flight engineer on the 727. Flying is what I wanted to do.
But a flight engineer doesn't actually fly. This position, once reserved for experienced ...Gun-toting pilot gets gig back
Oct 10th, 2009 at 12:00PM: A gun was fired in the cockpit and so was the pilot. In March 2008, on a flight from Denver to Charlotte, US Airways pilot Jim Langenhahn's gun discharged, an action taken by his employer shortly after. Now that his 18-month disciplinary suspension is over, he's back in training and getting ready to take to the friendly skies. The Associated Press didn't mention whether the current program ...Pilot stalks ex-girlfriend with his plane
Sep 25th, 2009 at 11:30AM: digg_url = 'http://digg.com/odd_stuff/Pilot_Stalks_Ex_Girlfriend_With_His_Plane'; If any guy (or gal) thinks buzzing an ex-main squeeze's house in an airplane is a way to gain favor, think again. It's most definitely NOT. It is a way to get arrested though. Who can ignore a low flying plane, particularly when the plane continues to fly over the same house, again and again and again and ...Plane Answers: Pilot asks, "Is there anyone on board with internet access?"
Aug 21st, 2009 at 10:00AM: It just might surprise you to know that when sitting on the ground, waiting out a line of thunderstorms, we don't have access to depictions of real-time weather updates. We can fire up the radar and look ahead for 40 or so miles, but there's just no way to know if a re-route offered by ATC is going to keep us out of the weather or create more problems further into our flight. Cessna 172s have ...Plane Answers: Seatbelt sign compliance and a question about packing for long trips
Jun 23rd, 2009 at 8:00PM: Welcome to Gadling's feature, Plane Answers, where our resident airline pilot, Kent Wien, answers your questions about everything from takeoff to touchdown and beyond. Have a question of your own? Ask away! Shane asks: What are the official FAA regulations regarding passengers being up with the seatbelt sign on? On every flight, prior to the sign being turned off, passengers get up to use the ...
