Category: Federal Aviation Administration

What should airline passengers do if a pilot acts bizarrely?

When a pilot on a United Airlines flight from Austin to San Francisco launched into a bizarre rant last week over the plane intercom, the 120 passengers in the cabin were put in the awkward position of looking after their own safety. The pilot, who rambled on about Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and her own divorce, was ultimately replaced on the flight and United Airlines apologized to the passengers - but not until several passengers got up and demanded to be let off the plane.

View from NASA’s research lab 20,000 feet above Washington

Every air traveler knows the frustration of descending toward a busy airport - yes, Sea-Tac included - just to have the pilot circle around the runway rather than land, to stall time due to heavy air traffic. NASA is midway through a series of data collection flights over Eastern Washington that will help them improve a new Air Traffic Management technology designed to help pilots adjust their flight pattern so they arrive at the airport in an orderly stream.