Author: Phil Derner

My years working in aviation have brought me some of the greatest experiences of my life. Few of them come close to my fortune in being a dispatcher and being able to ride up front in airliners in the cockpit jumpseat. When people hear about what I do for work, they say “Yeah, that’s cool.” When I share that I can also fly for free on any airline, sitting in the cockpit no less, their enthusiasm changes to “Wait. WHAT? THAT’S AWESOME!” And yes, yes it is. The Privilege Dispatchers are treated as any other airman, and in doing so…

Student pilots are taught very early on to recognize that when an airplane approaches its minimum flying speed, the airflow over the wing will begin to separate or break down, creating turbulence over the tail. The degradation of lift and the associated turbulence over the tail causes the airplane to buffet and alert the pilot to a deteriorating and dangerous situation. The recovery is rather basic – lower the nose some, apply full power to the engine and let the airplane fly out of it. As it accelerates, the buffeting will end and the aircraft will safely regain both flight…

Ah, the old “LaGuardia has short runways and is unsafe” line. It is a reputation the airport has, which people have been saying for a long time, and I admit I understand it. To those unaware of the inner workings of the airline industry, it can seem as though NYC’s “Little Airport That Could” might have a bit of a challenge with their two lengths of pavement that measure 7,000 feet each. This reputation is unfair and scary. It creates fear, sways the minds of those buying tickets, and upsets their stomachs when taking off or landing at what is…