Four things: (A) super-large freight or tanker vessels, even at just steerage way of 5-10 knots, have huge kinetic energy, way more in excess to the design collision strength of bridge pedestals built 40+ years ago; (B) Ship board steering and engineering casualty are not unheard of, they occur, albeit rarely, but the consequences ofContinue reading “Baltimore Francis Scott Key Bridge Disaster March 26,2024”
Author Archives: Capt. Paul Miller
The Dangers of Landing in Fog, or with a Low Cloud Ceiling, Especially When Hand Flying and Using Flight Director Guidance for a Precision or Non-precision Approach, or Hand Flying and Receiving an Air Traffic Control Precision or Non-precision Radar Guided Approach
The Dangers of Landing in Fog, or with a Low Cloud Ceiling, Especially When Hand Flying and Using Flight Director Guidance for a Precision or Non-precision Approach, or Hand Flying and Receiving an Air Traffic Control Precision or Non-precision Radar Guided Approach by International Captain Paul Miller Whenever you are planning a landing in fog,Continue reading “The Dangers of Landing in Fog, or with a Low Cloud Ceiling, Especially When Hand Flying and Using Flight Director Guidance for a Precision or Non-precision Approach, or Hand Flying and Receiving an Air Traffic Control Precision or Non-precision Radar Guided Approach”
Can Commercial Airlines Achieve ‘One Level of Safety’ By Embarking on a Program of One Level of Training?
Captain Paul Miller and Captain Dave Williams Abstract: The paper looks at the relationship between training and safety at a major global airline and finds several important aspects. First the paper finds that the training program and the safety program are integrated. In other words, the safety program feeds directly into the training program andContinue reading “Can Commercial Airlines Achieve ‘One Level of Safety’ By Embarking on a Program of One Level of Training?”
Is There Really an Airline Pilot Shortage? My Niece Is Interested in Becoming a Pilot
Is there really a pilot shortage or are the airlines flying smaller numbers of passengers, using smaller jets when they could be flying much larger jets and hauling two to four times as many passengers with the same two pilots?
Challenger Disaster Revisited
The NASA Space Shuttle Challenger disaster was 100% preventable. Why this claim, when cold weather is commonly cited as the cause of the O ring malfunctions that allowed hot gases from the solid rocket booster to penetrate the big orange liquid fuel tanks? NASA engineers and rocket maker Morton Thiokol engineers had seen O ringContinue reading “Challenger Disaster Revisited”
Lining Up to Land on a Taxiway?
In low visibility, such as at night, as the sun dawns in a misty morning, or as the sunsets, flight crew members can visually mistake ramps, taxiways, parking lots and other places for the approach areas to the landing runway. Visually, this can pose an unexpected challenge to commercial flights.Here is an actual account fromContinue reading “Lining Up to Land on a Taxiway?”
Feb 20 2021 Denver United B-777 Pratt and Whitney PW-4000 Turbo Jet Fan Section Engine Failure: FAA Safety Failure as Well? This WAS NOT The First PW-4000 Fan Failure
The Safety Purpose is to prevent dangerous events from reoccurring by eliminating the hazard(s) that caused the initial mishap. But does it appear that the FAA regulators have once again failed at the Safety Purpose? Denver United B-777 with engine failure appears to have been powered by the Pratt and Whitney PW-4000 high bypass rationContinue reading “Feb 20 2021 Denver United B-777 Pratt and Whitney PW-4000 Turbo Jet Fan Section Engine Failure: FAA Safety Failure as Well? This WAS NOT The First PW-4000 Fan Failure”
Kobe Bryant Helicopter Mishap
Kobe Bryant, his family members and traveling companions died in a helicopter flown by a pilot who flew into clouds, then flew into a mountain, instead of turning around and remaining clear of clouds and safely above terrain. The first set of questions that come to the forefront are these: Was the pilot instrument ratedContinue reading “Kobe Bryant Helicopter Mishap”
Runway Excursions: OFF The Side and OFF The End
I see FSF just issued a new Action Plan for preventing com’l acft RW excursions: https://www.skybrary.aero/index.php/Global_Action_Plan_for_the_Prevention_of_Runway_Excursions_(GAPPRE)?ct=t%28%23703+Global+Action+Plan+for+the+Prevention+of%29 However, I noticed three glaring omissions, in my opinion: Flightcrew Landing Training. FAA Part 121 Landing Procedures FAA Runway Engineering Yes, the FAA has requirements for approach training, but landing training is not emphasized other than currency. As context,Continue reading “Runway Excursions: OFF The Side and OFF The End”
New Ideas on AF 447 Stall Recognition & Stall Recovery Procedures
AF-447 Stall Recognition: Were the Air France 447 Airbus 300-200 flight crew members trained in stall recognition by: A) Angle of Attack (AoA) based stall warning alarm system or B) Loss in altitude, as displayed on the altimeter, due to loss of lift? C) Both A and B D) Neither A nor B? 1. AContinue reading “New Ideas on AF 447 Stall Recognition & Stall Recovery Procedures”
Safety Forecast 