Les Abend offers his opinion and explanation of the United flight 328 incident on Saturday, February 20, 2021. Abend is a retired American Airlines pilot, writer for Flying Magazine, and CNN aviation analyst. He is also the author of PAPER WINGS, an aviation thriller. "For those who haven't had the opportunity to follow this past weekend's dramatic story, United Flight 328, a Boeing 777-200, departed Denver Airport bound for Honolulu at 1:04 … [Read more...]
Author Dom Stasi On Being “Inside The Box”
I’ve been a junkie for aviation-based literature almost from the time I’d first learned to read. Through the years I would devour the works of such visionaries as Antione de Saint-Exupery, Beryl Markham, Anne Morrow Lindberg, and Ernest K. Gann. Their words never failed to keep me up nights as their intrepid, hero-pilots—real and imagined—rose from the pages to struggle alone (always alone it seemed) against whatever mankind and nature could put … [Read more...]
Dom Stasi On Apollo And Aviation
Aviation has always been a passion of mine. Given that it can also be a world rich in mystery and adventure, it provided the template for my debut novel, THE STRAIT. Given this lifelong affair with flight, it’s only natural when looking back, that my first real job would have been with an outfit like Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corp. I’d been out of the Air Force barely a week when I found myself being escorted to the aerospace … [Read more...]
PAPER WING’s Les Abend On How He Became A Pilot and Writer
Even though Mom would like me to sing my own praises, it’s not my style. But I’m often asked about the opportunities I’ve been fortunate enough to be afforded. Here’s one of my scripted responses for “How did you get that gig?” Answer: “I am grateful for low standards.” Although my reply might appear glib, it’s genuine. I am surrounded by folks who appear eminently more qualified than me in both the professional pilot vocation and the writing … [Read more...]
Les Abend On His Characters For PAPER WINGS
The old adage of, “Write about what you know,” is certainly applicable to “Paper Wings.” But beyond the story itself, the adage is also applicable to the characters. As is true for most, life experience dictates our perception of people and their personalities. In that regard, many of the characters are a composite of the personalities I have been fortunate... and unfortunate... enough to encounter. Novels that I enjoy reading include a … [Read more...]
EXPLAINING THE DISAPPEARANCE OF MALAYSIA AIRLINES FLT 37O: The Most Incredible Aviation Mystery of the 21st Century
It’s hard to believe that three years has passed since Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared. The Boeing 777-200, carrying 239 passengers and crew, literally vanished from radar screens in the early morning hours of March 8, 2014. But just how did one of the world’s most sophisticated airliners become invisible—never to be seen again? There are a lot of theories out there about what happened to MH 370, some of them reasonable, others just … [Read more...]
LOCKOUT’s John Nance Discusses The Decline In Future Pilots
ME FLY? IS THERE AN APP FOR THAT? Most of us who remain in love with flying in any reasonable form have to be feeling a bit helpless these days regarding the march of articles and reports (including a few studies) documenting declining enrollment in basic pilot training courses. It goes way beyond that, however, because when you peruse the figures, you see that those in their twenties and early thirties are losing interest, whether because of … [Read more...]
LOCKOUT’s John Nance: Where Have All The Pilots Gone?
For all my career as an airline pilot (Braniff International, 1975-May 12, 1982, 4:34 PM; and Alaska Airlines, 1985 2005) I’ve heard the breathless rumor that a pilot shortage was just around the corner–and it never was. Until now. Today, for various reasons (some of them complex, and some of them due to the gross misunderstanding of those we jokingly refer to as a Congress), we do in fact have a genuine shortage of professional pilots … [Read more...]
Another One Bites The Dust: LOCKOUT’s John Nance On Aircraft Accidents
Every now and then it seems like all you hear about are private aircraft accidents. To a certain extent, that’s due to a herd mentality among media–one crash begets heightened attention and quick reporting of the next one if close in time. But it’s also true that fate occasionally allows a cluster of accidents. In fact, the majority of general aviation accidents (small aircraft not flying for a charter customer or corporate owner) you never hear … [Read more...]
Les Abend: Can An Airline Pilot Really Be Creative?
Let’s be honest. Airline pilot is not a profession that screams creativity. We’re perceived more as left-brain people. And quite frankly, our passengers want a left-brain person at the pointy end of the airplane. Passengers want their airline pilots to all be Chesley Sullenberger’s. I understand. Pilots themselves want their fellow crewmember to be left-brain people. We can certainly do without the emotions of a left-brainer dominating in the … [Read more...]
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