NTSB: Controllers Contributed To Pilot's Poor Decisions

NTSB: Controllers Contributed To Pilot's Poor Decisions: "The NTSB this week found the pilot at fault in a fatal medevac flight in Maryland in September 2008, but cited a lack of help from air traffic controllers as a contributing factor. The Aerospatiale helicopter, operated by the Maryland State Police, descended too quickly while on a nonprecision instrument approach in fog, and hit the ground. The pilot, a paramedic, a volunteer, and one of the two teenage car-crash victims on board were killed. The safety board said inadequate handling by controllers at the Potomac Tracon and the Reagan National Airport tower contributed to an increased workload on the pilot. The flight had originated at night in VMC, but on the way to the hospital the pilot encountered IMC and diverted to Andrews Air Force Base. The board said the pilot likely became preoccupied with looking for the ground while on final approach, after failing to intercept the ILS glideslope. The pilot's limited recent instrument flight experience and a lack of adherence to effective risk management procedures of the Maryland State Police contributed to the crash, the NTSB said."

FlightAware Offers Free App For iPhone

Next they need one for a Blackberry!

FlightAware Offers Free App For iPhone: "Tracks Commercial, Corporate, GA Flights The popular flight-tracking site FlightAware, which claims over two million monthly users, released the first-ever free flight tracking application for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch. The app became available Wednesday for free download via the Apple App Store."

Michael Moore, NY Times Address Pilot Pay

O.K., give me a break. Michael Moore says Doctors are paid too much and pilots are not paid enough?! What about filmmakers?

Michael Moore, NY Times Address Pilot Pay: "In the first post of a new blog on his Web site, filmmaker Michael Moore this week addressed the issue of pilot pay, and The New York Times also explored the topic in a lengthy Page One story on Wednesday. 'I have a whole section in my new movie [Capitalism: A Love Story] about how pilots are treated,' Moore writes. 'In the movie I interview a pilot for a major airline who made $17,000 last year. For four months he was eligible [for] -- and received -- food stamps. Another pilot in the film has a second job as a dog walker.' The Times story focuses on Bryan Lawlor, a pilot for ExpressJet who was one of 130 captains downgraded to first officer in a cost-cutting measure. He took a 50-percent pay cut, to $34,000 per year. Click here for the full NYT story, or here for an audio slideshow. Moore's movie features interviews with several pilots and excerpts from Capt. Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger's testimony before Congress in February, when he talked about the pay cuts and pension reductions taken by pilots. Click here for an audio podcast of Sullenberger's testimony."

NTSB: Overloading Likely Cause Of West Virginia Accident

Weight and balance is often overlooked in light airplane flying.

NTSB: Overloading Likely Cause Of West Virginia Accident: "Preliminary Findings Are That Airplane Was Almost 200 Pounds Over Gross The NTSB has released its preliminary findings in an aborted takeoff in Fairmont, West Virginia that injured four people, two of the seriously. They found that the aircraft was 192 pounds over maximum gross weight at the time of the attempted departure."

Pilots, Airlines Push For Nap Time

Pilots, Airlines Push For Nap Time: "The practice of catching a nap while serving on the flight deck is not currently approved by the FAA, but citing supporting evidence, pilot unions and airlines say it may be time for the FAA to embrace the idea. British Airways, Qantas and others have for some years allowed one pilot to sleep during the cruise portion of some flights and some studies indicate it makes crew more alert during critical phases of flight. 'It may seem counterintuitive to folks in the back of the plane, but it's the right thing to do,' Bill Voss, president of the Flight Safety Foundation, told The Wall Street Journal. Besides, pilots do nap en route, according to a recent survey of commuter pilots referenced by the Journal, which also stated simply that 'pilots say naps not only make sense, but that they also already take them.' And fatigue has long been among the top concerns of aviation safety authorities, having been cited as a contributing factor in more than 250 aviation fatalities since 1990."