I'm sat in the terminal waiting for my flight home and a women asked me whether I could keep an eye on her luggage while she went to the restroom. I was happy to help her out, but now I see her wandering around the terminal while on her phone. I wonder how long she expects me to guard her baggage?

OTD, 25 years ago today (9 Feb 2001): the USS Greenville collided with the Ehime Maru. Many factors were at play: Hazy weather, lost situational awareness, poor teamwork, and a rushed emergency ballast blow. Yet only one person took all the blame. 🎙️ open.spotify.com/episode/1Tgb...

I reached a milestone tonight: Marriott Gold Member for life - I spent 400 nights in Marriott hotels. Sitting alone at breakfast away from home, I wonder if that's a good thing or not.

Picard style tip: If you're balding, don't hide it. Own it.

UPS have announced they are retiring their MD11s

A propos penguins:

I designated today as my writing day and now it seems that the NTSB server is offline... 😑

"Humans as the glue that hold badly designed or poorly functioning systems together". (Paul Salmon, 2021)

Some more sightseeing in Istanbul: #professionaltourist

I don't do much flying this tour, but a good amount of sightseeing:

Simple, efficace... #HumourDouteux #AI

“🇩🇰Denmark has reduced its defence of 🇬🇱Greenland and isn’t doing enough” - left hand side 🇺🇸US bases & radar stations on Greenland during the #ColdWar and to the right today. Denmark has increased its defence capacity on Greenland during the last years, while US has done nothing

It’s genuinely wild that the United States spent decades building an elaborate rules-based international order which de facto cemented its permanent status as the dominant global hegemon, sustained by ideology rather than might, and now is just blowing it all up for literally no reason

The recent first-time ever activation of the Garmin Autoland was not due to pilot incapacitation, but a conscious decision by the crew: Garmin Autoland Activation Was Crew Decision share.google/9KaQmvdJXCxe...

IMHO, founders of ‘luxury airlines’ miss the point. The advantage of private jets aren't onboard amenities. It’s the flexibility, the short paths, and the privacy. That’s something scheduled airlines can’t offer. New luxury airline seeks top first class. share.google/6bP2QKhaZ1TJ...

Here I am, celebrating my first visit to Madrid Cuatro Ventos with a ride on a tow tug. I hadn't appreciated just how much flight school traffic there is at this place. We waited 25 minutes for our turn to depart - a bit like Frankfurt, just with SEPs!

Every airport seems to have one derelict aircraft, a Caravelle or 727, that's never going to fly again, but that they can't get rid off. I have never seen a seemingly untouched wreck just outside the airport fence though #Badajoz #LEZB #Aviation #accident

Helen Richey was the first woman pilot hired by a US commercial airline (1934). The all-male pilots’ union pressured the airline to remove her, claiming women were “temperamentally unfit” to fly in bad weather. She proved them spectacularly wrong & resigned in 1935. #CivilAviationDay #aviation

Ain't no mountain high enough

My final tour for this year starts right with an airfield that is new to me: Andorra La Seu d'Urgell #LESU.

Recently, I learnt that Rome Fiumicino has a dedicated Uber pickup point with large signs guiding passengers to the right spot. Also, it isn't the spot where Uber drivers pick up their clients.

Good morning Barcelona!

Evening rush out of Geneva, last night #LSGG

Had some low clouds today at Zurich. We only became visual with the runway slightly before reaching the CAT I minimum. But it sure was beautiful from above!

You can't make your whole life about airplanes, my wife said. You're right, I said. Let's go to a museum.

Frühdienst hat auch seine schönen Seiten...

Okay, one more, then I will shut up. I call it 'The calm before the storm'. Melodramatic? I know.

Given how many places are called False Bay or similar in the respective languages, I kind of wonder about our ancestors' navigational skills...

This ⏬

Approaching Valencia.

Since the invention of ailerons, it is rare to find an aircraft without them. However, the SO.9000 "Trident", an experimental supersonic aircraft from the 1950s, does not have them. All of the aircraft's controls are located in its tailplane, for roll, pitch and yaw. © Images Défense

Flight prep #bizav style. It's a terrible, terrible way to earn your living...

After an easy flight from London City, we had the rest of the afternoon off. Took a walk through Stockholm in glorious autumn weather. #pilotlife #layover

I joined Eckhard Jann again on Error One to discuss the Kalitta Air 747 crash in Brussels — a powerful case of decision-making under pressure and how one split-second can change everything. #AviationSafety #HumanFactors 🎧 open.spotify.com/episode/0kLd...

Both pilots had studied the Route Guide. Both were safety-conscious. Yet neither saw the 282-ft obstacle. Lighting, layout, glare-how did so many small issues align? #tbt to one of our most haunting episodes of The Essence of Safety. #rescue116 open.spotify.com/episode/1PAa...

I saw this question being asked on the other app - what airline that doesn't exist anymore would you love to fly (for) again?

“At 1:43 and some odd seconds, I felt the first shudder… a loud bang. Something was gravely wrong.” The story of Greeneville — a U.S. Navy submarine, a routine drill, and a tragedy that shocked the world. 🎙️ Listen to the full episode now: open.spotify.com/episode/1Tgb...

When a JAL DC-8 lands short of the runway in San Francisco Bay, its captain admits fault with disarming honesty. Decades later, a U.S. Navy submarine collides with a Japanese fishing vessel, and another captain shoulders the weight of guilt... open.spotify.com/episode/1Tgb...

In 1968, a Japan Air Lines DC-8 landed in San Francisco Bay. No one died, but the captain’s blunt confession became legendary: “I f*cked up.” But did self-blame help aviation safety - or hide the real lessons? 🎧 The Essence of Safety — new episode out now: open.spotify.com/episode/1Tgb...

After many months of research, I finally finished the write-up for the next episode - and started recording it. Unforeseen circumstances aside, I should publish it next week. The first part is about this ⬇️ accident. Fortunately no-one got seriously hurt. Any idea what it was?

Two days ago, in Girona #LEGE. Apparently, no overnight parking was available in Palma, Ibiza, and Barcelona, and so a couple of our flights ended up in Girona for the night.

Morning vibes on our positioning flight to Aberdeen.

Never seen a golf course this close to an airport. The fence isn't particularly high either. I wonder how many stray shots hit parked aircraft... 🤔 Picture taken at Vigo, Spain.

Hello Ibiza 👋

t3n verblüfft hier leider damit, den wichtigsten Grund nicht zu nennen: Ist an Bord kein Mobilfunksender verbaut, suchen nicht deaktivierte Mobiltelefone mit steigender Sendeleistung nach einer Funkverbindung. t3n.de/news/smartph... /1

"unplanned military activity related to ensuring state security" is one way to put it...

Standby @ rest location: There are pros and cons...