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Confessions of a New Corporate Pilot
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In the Citation III Confessions of a New Corporate Pilot
Life would be sweet, I thought, now that I’d successfully passed my Cessna Citation III (CE-650) type rating check ride (this was a few years back). It meant I’d be flying my first swept-wing jet. Surprisingly, my first day at the new job at Chicago Executive Airport (PWK) would also be the first time I’d been up close to a real Citation III since all the training and even my check ride happened in FlightSafety’s full-motion simulator.
From my research, though, I knew the 650’s cabin was roomy enough for eight, and its rocket-like performance was nothing short of spectacular with a VMO (maximum operating Mach) of Mach 0.85 and 39,000 feet on a standard day. In its day, M.83 was pretty fast. That meant we could make the West Coast out of PWK with four people in the back. I learned quickly, too, that the 650’s awesome performance meant I needed to stay much farther ahead of the airplane than I’d had to in the much slower Citation II (CE-550) I’d been flying in a 12-pilot charter department.
A privately held corporation owned this Citation III and I was the junior of three pilots. The chief pilot, my new boss, brought experience from several other flight departments, while the other pilot, I’ll call him Tom well, I was never really too sure where Tom had come from because the guy kept to himself as much as possible and wasn’t the chatty type. That made three-hour flights long when the entire conversation at FL390 ended with an occasional shrug of the shoulders.
But who cared what one guy acted like, I thought. I was there to learn how to fit into a flight department that needed another pilot on their team. Just like in charter flying, my job was to keep the people in the back happy. I came to know these passengers much better than we ever did in the charter world. These folks sometimes invited the flight crew to their home on Nantucket when we overnighted there.
The Interview
Looking back on this job now though, I guess the 10-minute interview the chief pilot and I engaged in before he offered me the job should have been a tip-off that maybe something was a little odd. But with a four-year-old daughter growing up at home, the chance to dump my charter department pager that always seemed to ring at 2 a.m. beckoned hypnotically.
Cessna Citation CE-650 Corporate line training began right away with me flying in all kinds of weather, where I regularly rotated flying left seat with the chief pilot and Tom. Having flown left seat on the Citation II, I wasn’t brand new to jets, just speedy ones.
After a few months, however, I began to notice a few operational oddities that started making me a little uncomfortable. Some sketchy flight planning and questions I asked were sometimes answered with annoyed expressions. If I appeared not to agree, someone might ask if I’d finished all the Jepp revisions (In those days there were no electronic subscriptions. Updates were handled by hand). I found the best solution for getting along seemed to be to just shut up and fly the airplane. Ignoring those distractions did help me pay closer attention to the little things that made my flying the jet smoother.
Then again … On one flight back from Cincinnati (CVG), I was flying left-seat with the chief pilot in the right. I wanted to add fuel before we left since the Chicago weather was questionable, but the boss overruled me explaining, “We’re fat on fuel.”I didn’t say anything. As we approached PWK, the ATIS reported the weather had worsened, considerably. The Swiss cheese holes began to align when Chicago Approach dumped us early. We ended up burning more fuel than planned. I flew the ILS right down to minimums, but my scan uncomfortably included the fuel gauges every few seconds. After a safe landing, we taxied in with 700 pounds of Jet-A, not much for an airplane that burns 1,800 pounds an hour down low. What if we’d missed at Chicago Executive Airport and needed to run for Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport I wondered? We’d have arrived on fumes. The boss looked at me after we shut down. “Don’t tell me that whole thing bothered you. It all turned out fine, didn’t it?” (more…)
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Remembering Gordon Baxter: Bax Seat was a Flying Magazine Reader Favorite
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(Reposted by request)
Each time I stand near my desk, my eyes naturally focus on the framed cover of the August 1983 Flying magazine. Below it is page 100, the “I Learned About Flying from That” (ILAFFT), where my first column appeared. On it, the author of Bax Seat, scrawled in brown ink, “To my friend Rob Mark. His story, my push. Gordon Baxter, August 5, 1983.”
Many months before, Gordon Baxter had given me the Flying editor’s phone number. When I rang with my brief pitch, all I heard was “yes.” I suddenly had an assignment for my first column. That 1983 issue was the first, but not the last, time my name and stories appeared in the aviation industry’s iconic magazine. That same issue also ran a pilot report about the then-new Cessna Citation III, an aircraft I later added to my list of type ratings. Looking back, there were so many aspects of my aviation career that came to life around Bax and that August 1983 issue, not the least of which was that we became friends.
Gordon Baxter, Bax as he preferred folks call him, helped shape my career as an aviation journalist like no one before him and only a few people since. The author of 13 books, Bax’s own magazine writing career at Flying spanned 25 years. His monthly column, Bax Seat, focused on vivid descriptions of his adventures. It was known simply as “Bax Seat.” Did I mention he was also a long-time radio personality in Beaumont, Texas, another interest we shared.
A Bit of Bax’s Background
I first met Bax in the mid-1970s. He brought his show, his act, or whatever the heck he called his evening of storytelling, to the Stick and Rudder Flying Club at Waukegan Airport. I was a tower controller not far away at Palwaukee Airport. Having been an avid Flying reader since high school, I switched shifts with another controller so I wouldn’t miss the event. Bax captured the audience for over an hour with stories from his flying career and his columns that often alternately “em rollin’ in the aisles” with gut-wrenching laughter and an emotional Texas-guy style that also brought tears to many an eye. Another way to think of Bax’s storytelling night was like an evening of improv but all about flying and airplanes.
Born in Port Arthur, Texas, he learned to fly after World War II following his stint as a B-17 turret gunner. Bax was no professional pilot—just a guy with a private certificate, an instrument rating, and eventually his beloved Mooney. On the back cover of one of his books, appropriately titled Bax Seat, Flying’s Stephan Wilkinson said “Bax tries to pass himself off as a pilot, but don’t believe him. He never could fly worth a damn. But Gordon feels airplanes, loves and honors them in ways that the rest of us are ashamed to admit. And he’s certainly one of the few romantics who can express what he feels so perfectly.” I couldn’t have written that myself, but I, too, felt it.
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Making the Brazilian ATR-72 Spin
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Note: This story was corrected on August 10th at 10:23 am, thanks to the help of a sharp-eyed reader.
Making an ATR-72 Spin
I wasn’t in Brazil on Friday afternoon, but I saw the post on Twitter or X (or whatever you call it) showing a Brazil ATR-72, Voepass Airlines flight 2283, rotating in a spin as it plunged to the ground near Sao Paulo from its 17,000-foot cruising altitude. All 61 people aboard perished in the ensuing crash and fire. A timeline from FlightRadar 24 indicates that the fall only lasted about a minute, so the aircraft was clearly out of control. Industry research shows Loss of Control in Flight (LOCI) continues to be responsible for more fatalities worldwide than any other kind of aircraft accident.
The big question is why the crew lost control of this airplane. The ADS-B data from FlightRadar 24 does offer a couple of possible clues. The ATR’s speed declined during the descent rather than increased, which means the aircraft’s wing was probably stalled. The ATR’s airfoil had exceeded its critical angle of attack and lacked sufficient lift to remain airborne. Add to this the rotation observed, and the only answer is a spin.
Can a Large Airplane Spin?
The simple answer is yes. If you induce rotation to almost any aircraft while the wing is stalled, it can spin, even an aircraft as large as the ATR-72. By the way, the largest of the ATR models, the 600, weighs nearly 51,000 pounds.
Of course, investigators will ask why the ATR’s wing was stalled. It could have been related to a failed engine or ice on the wings or tailplane. (more…)
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How the FAA Let Remote Tower Technology Slip Right Through Its Fingers
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In June 2023, the FAA published a 167-page document outlining the agency’s desire to replace dozens of 40-year-old airport control towers with new environmentally friendly brick-and-mortar structures. These towers are, of course, where hundreds of air traffic controllers ply their trade … ensuring the aircraft within their local airspace are safely separated from each other during landing and takeoff.
The FAA’s report was part of President Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act enacted on November 15, 2021. That bill set aside a whopping $25 billion spread across five years to cover the cost of replacing those aging towers. The agency said it considered a number of alternatives about how to spend that $5 billion each year, rather than on brick and mortar buildings.
One alternative addressed only briefly before rejecting it was a relatively new concept called a Remote Tower, originally created by Saab in Europe in partnership with the Virginia-based VSATSLab Inc. The European technology giant has been successfully running Remote Towers in place of the traditional buildings in Europe for almost 10 years. One of Saab’s more well-known Remote Tower sites is at London City Airport. London also plans to create a virtual backup ATC facility at London Heathrow, the busiest airport in Europe.
A remote tower and its associated technology replace the traditional 60-70 foot glass domed control tower building you might see at your local airport, but it doesn’t eliminate any human air traffic controllers or their roles in keeping aircraft separated.
Max Trescott photo Inside a Remote Tower Operation
In place of a normal control tower building, the airport erects a small steel tower or even an 8-inch diameter pole perhaps 20-40 feet high, similar to a radio or cell phone tower. Dozens of high-definition cameras are attached to the new Remote Tower’s structure, each aimed at an arrival or departure path, as well as various ramps around the airport.
Using HD cameras, controllers can zoom in on any given point within the camera’s range, say an aircraft on final approach. The only way to accomplish that in a control tower today is if the controller picks up a pair of binoculars. The HD cameras also offer infrared capabilities to allow for better-than-human visuals, especially during bad weather or at night.
The next step in constructing a remote tower is locating the control room where the video feeds will terminate. Instead of the round glass room perched atop a standard control tower, imagine a semi-circular room located at ground level. Inside that room, the walls are lined with 14, 55-inch high-definition video screens hung next to each other with the wider portion of the screen running top to bottom.
After connecting the video feeds, the compression technology manages to consolidate 360 degrees of viewing area into a 220-degree spread across the video screens. That creates essentially the same view of the entire airport that a controller would normally see out the windows of the tower cab without the need to move their head more than 220 degrees. Another Remote Tower benefit is that each aircraft within visual range can be tagged with that aircraft’s tail number, just as it might if the controller were looking at a radar screen. (more…)
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Are Aviation Bloggers Really Journalists?
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By Paula Williams
In the 1990s, when I studied journalism at the University of Utah, my heroes were Edward R. Murrow, David Brinkley, Walter Cronkite, Bob Woodward, and Carl Bernstein. I believed firmly in the importance of the Fourth Estate—journalism as an institution supported by the Founding Fathers, ingrained in our culture, and necessary to democracy. Back then, newsrooms were filled with seasoned reporters who made a good (but not necessarily great) living and supported their families through a long career of crafting stories, bound by journalistic ethics, fact-checking standards, and a shared mission to hold power accountable.
There was literally a wall in most news organizations between the editorial department and the advertising department.Of course, after graduating with a journalism degree and finding myself actually trying to make a living as a single mother in this profession, I quickly abandoned my aspirations and found some new ones in the marketing department.But I still have a profound reverence for “real” journalism.
Fast forward to today, and the media landscape has changed dramatically. The rise of independent bloggers, YouTube commentators, and social media influencers has blurred the lines between professional journalism and personal opinion. This shift is especially evident in aviation media, where passionate pilots, engineers, and industry insiders now wield influence through blogs, podcasts, and self-published reports.But are aviation bloggers really journalists? Do they adhere to the same ethical and professional standards that traditional reporters do? Or are we in an era where anyone with a Wi-Fi connection and strong opinions can claim the title of “aviation journalist”?
The Legacy of News Agencies: The Gold Standard of Journalism
Before we explore aviation blogging, it’s important to acknowledge the role of major news agencies in shaping modern journalism.
Two of the most influential are the Associated Press (AP) and Reuters.
The Associated Press was founded in 1846 as a cooperative effort by five New York newspapers that sought to share the costs of transmitting news. Over time, it became one of the world’s most trusted sources of accurate, unbiased reporting. AP journalists follow strict editorial guidelines, ensuring rigorous fact-checking and balanced reporting.
Reuters was established in 1851 by Paul Reuter, who famously used carrier pigeons to transmit financial and general news across Europe. The agency became known for its speed and accuracy, eventually evolving into a global powerhouse of business, political, and aviation news.
These agencies set the gold standard for journalism, ensuring that breaking news and investigative reporting meet high ethical and professional benchmarks. Aviation reporting, when done well, follows the same principles of accuracy, source verification, and neutrality—but does the same apply to aviation blogging?
The Evolution of Aviation Journalism
The Wright Brothers courted journalists from the newspapers of the day, and there have always been media figures like Jimmy Doolittle, Eddie Rickenbacker, Charles Lindbergh, and Howard Hughes in the headlines of newspapers.
Eventually, aviation developed some of its own media.
For decades, aviation journalism was dominated by traditional aviation magazines, newspapers, and broadcast media. Outlets like Flying Magazine, Aviation Week, and Business & Commercial Aviation were staffed by experienced reporters who meticulously covered aviation industry trends, air traffic control changes, aviation safety incidents, and technological advancements in business aviation.However, as the economics of media shifted, traditional aviation publications faced declining print subscriptions, shrinking ad revenue, and increased competition from online platforms. The result was fewer full-time aviation reporters, leaner editorial teams, and a greater reliance on freelancers who weren’t always held to the same journalistic standards.
This vacuum created an opportunity for independent bloggers to step in—many of whom brought valuable expertise from within the aviation industry itself. Airline pilots, air traffic controllers, mechanics, and engineers began publishing firsthand accounts, technical analyses, and bold aviation opinions that readers found refreshing compared to corporate press releases and sanitized PR statements.
Jetwhine itself was built on this model—aviation commentary from real industry insiders. But does that automatically make all aviation bloggers journalists?Journalism vs. Blogging: The Key Differences
While blogging and journalism both involve storytelling and information-sharing, there are fundamental differences between the two.
1. The Role of Objectivity vs. Opinion
Traditional journalism is built on principles of objectivity and neutrality. Reporters are trained to verify facts, interview multiple sources, and present a balanced perspective.
Bloggers, on the other hand, often start from a subjective viewpoint. Many aviation bloggers write from personal experience, advocating for or against policies, aircraft designs, or regulatory decisions. They may rely on anecdotal evidence rather than broad investigative work.
2. Verification and Source Vetting
Journalists are expected to corroborate information through multiple, credible sources before publishing a story. In aviation reporting, this means fact-checking with industry regulators such as the FAA and EASA, manufacturers like Boeing and Airbus, and unions such as ALPA and NATCA.
By contrast, some aviation bloggers rely heavily on press releases, unofficial sources, or unverified rumors—particularly in fast-moving news cycles.
3. Accountability and Ethical Standards
Established news organizations have editorial policies, legal teams, and professional codes of ethics to guide their work. If a journalist makes a major error, retractions and corrections follow. Bloggers, however, operate independently, with no formal accountability beyond reader backlash.
This can have real-world consequences. Misreporting on aviation safety incidents can fuel misinformation, create public panic, or damage reputations.
When Bloggers Become the News
One of the longstanding ethical boundaries in journalism is that reporters should cover the news, not become the news. However, in today’s influencer-driven media, some aviation bloggers have blurred this line.In 2019, aviation YouTuber Casey Neistat, known for his travel and airline reviews, found himself at the center of controversy when he accepted a free Emirates first-class flight and reviewed it on his channel. Critics questioned whether his glowing praise was genuine or influenced by the airline’s generosity. This raised broader concerns about conflicts of interest in aviation blogging and whether influencers should disclose sponsorships more transparently.The most dramatic case occurred when aviation vlogger Trevor Jacob faked an airplane crash in 2021. Claiming an emergency forced him to parachute out of a Taylorcraft plane, his dramatic video quickly went viral. However, investigations revealed that he deliberately staged the event for views. This crossed the line from aviation storytelling into outright deception, undermining the credibility of legitimate aviation journalism.
Credible Aviation Blogs: Who’s Doing It Right?
While many aviation bloggers are enthusiasts first and reporters second, some have successfully blended industry expertise with journalistic integrity. In addition to Rob Mark and Jetwhine (of course) here are a few of my favorites.
• Jon Ostrower – The Air Current – Formerly with The Wall Street Journal and CNN, Ostrower’s blog provides investigative journalism on commercial aviation, aircraft manufacturing, and safety trends.
• Leeham News & Analysis – Specializing in business aviation and commercial aircraft, Leeham News is a trusted source for in-depth analysis of market trends.
• The Aviationist – David Cenciotti – A former Italian Air Force pilot, Cenciotti covers military aviation news, often breaking stories before major news outlets.
• FlightGlobal – Though more of a trade publication than a blog, FlightGlobal maintains high journalistic standards, regularly cited by major news organizations.
Any list like this risks being overlooking someone equally influential or important – bloggers and journalists demonstrate that independent aviation reporting can meet high standards—when done properly.
Conclusion: More Journalism is Better, But Not Every Blogger is a Journalist
The democratization of aviation media has benefits. More voices mean more perspectives, more scrutiny of industry practices, and more engagement from the public. As the saying goes, “sunlight is the best disinfectant”—the more we discuss aviation issues, the better we can solve them.
However, not everyone with a blog is a journalist. True aviation journalism requires verification, accountability, and ethical reporting. The best aviation bloggers embrace those principles, while others merely share opinions, and some actively spread misinformation for clicks.For readers, the key is media literacy—knowing which aviation sources to trust. And for aviation bloggers who aspire to be true journalists, the challenge is simple: hold yourself to the highest standards, because aviation deserves nothing less. -
Straightening Out the Enola Gay
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“Who controls the past, controls the future.
Who controls the present controls the past.”
George Orwell, from his novel, 1984
The name Enola Gay may mean nothing to quite a few people these days. That’s OK. While I never met Enola Gay, I’ll betcha she was a nice lady. After all, her son, Col. Paul Tibbetts Jr., was a US Army Air Force bomber pilot during WWII.
And you gotta just love a mom who can handle a son’s airplane obsession.
But, Enola Gay was also important in American military history.
On the morning of August 6, 1945, Paul Tibbetts Jr. and 11 other men climbed aboard a Boeing B-29 Super Fortress nicknamed after his mom. The aircraft headed northwest from the Northern Mariana Islands on a six-hour flight to Hiroshima, Japan, where it unleashed the first atomic weapon ever used in anger.
The resulting explosion and firestorm claimed the lives of 70 to 80,000 of Hiroshima’s 350,000 citizens. Three days later, another B-29 detonated a second atomic weapon over Nagasaki, Japan.
Six days later, on August 15, 1945, the Empire of Japan surrendered unconditionally, bringing WWII to a close.
What’s so Important About Tibbett’s Mom and the B-29?
This polished aluminum piece of aviation history and Tibbett’s mom have recently come under fire by the current White House. Not because of what the aircraft and Enola represent exactly, but because of her name, actually her middle name … Gay.
Now I know Enola Gay probably just got caught up in some AI app the White House turned loose on its websites, but that also didn’t stop them.
In this current political climate, gay has become a bad word.
Some Americans fear that even seeing the word gay in print, much less hearing it, will instantly turn millions of young people into the walking dead of our society, blindly following a lifestyle of immoral outrage and evil. The Pentagon is currently cleaning house on its websites, ensuring the word gay and its sister acronym DEI and any associated content never again see the light of day … ever. Except, of course, they already have. (more…)
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Does Airline Safety Correlate with a Diverse Pilot Population?
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Capt. Beatty A disinformation campaign falsely links “DEI” to airline accidents – let’s check the facts.
By Capt. Jenny Beatty
There is no extant literature examining this question, so I accessed various sources to compile available data. I researched U.S. scheduled air carriers from the earliest days of aviation to today, including the composition of the airline pilot profession with regards to white, Black, male, and female-identified pilots and statistics on passenger and crew fatalities from scheduled air carrier accidents (those from intentional acts were omitted).
Scheduled flight operations have carried the U.S. mail since 1911 and passengers since 1914, but records of scheduled air carrier accidents and fatalities were not kept prior to 1927, as far as I could determine. What the available data does show is that fatal accidents were fairly common for the nascent airline industry. However, scheduled air carrier flights were few, and the aircraft carried small numbers of passengers. For example, from 1930 through 1939, there were a total of 94 accidents resulting in 349 fatalities.
The Data
The fatal accident rate was also relatively high in the 1950s through the 1970s, as jet aircraft were introduced that carried larger numbers of passengers Pilot training and procedures did not keep pace with advancements in technology and operations. From 1970 through 1979, there were 56 accidents resulting in 2303 fatalities.
As for the airline pilot profession, it was all-male and all-white for the first six decades of air travel, with the brief exception of one white woman pilot hired in 1934 who ended up quitting when she wasn’t permitted to join the pilot union or to fly in adverse weather, despite being as qualified as the men pilots.
In 1963, an airline hired a Black pilot for the first time, and he joined the 18,310 airline pilots and flight engineers employed by all the U.S. airlines at the time. Within two years, there were a total of four Black male airline pilots. The profession remained virtually all-male until 1973 when four white women pilots were hired by four different airlines in the same year. In 1978, when the first Black woman airline pilot was hired, there were approximately 110 Black men and 77 white women airline pilots among the 35,768 airline pilots and flight engineers.
Today, U.S. airlines continue to grow and hire qualified Black and female pilots. However, the representation and rate of hiring are not as high as many perceive it to be. The profession is currently estimated to be about 92 percent white and 95 percent male. Black women airline pilots are scarce; my independent research estimates that their number are 120 in total or about 0.1 percent (one-tenth of one percent) of all U.S. airline pilots. (more…)
