Patrick Smith's pilot column · 26 articles · updated May 10, 2026
A vintage American Airlines luggage tag from 1964, discovered in an attic, bears flight number 12 from the Los Angeles-Boston nonstop route, which was retired on September 12, 2001, the day after flight 11 crashed into…
A London hotel coaster features a Union Jack design that, when partially covered, reveals the hidden logos of British European Airways (BEA) and British Airways from the 1970s era. An aviation enthusiast notices this…
A pilot discovered a photograph from Christmas 1972 showing himself as a first-grader with a transparent-fuselage 747 toy that he had long remembered but believed unrecorded. The plastic Pan Am model featured detailed…
A conflict with Iran has halted Persian Gulf air traffic, forcing Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Etihad to cut over 90 percent of their flights and leaving hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded. The disruption…
A pilot completed a significant personal milestone when departing for Paris with 301 souls on board—the first time in his career flying a widebody jet carrying more than three hundred people, including passengers, crew,…
A photographer shares impressionistic aerial images that deliberately avoid conventional airplane photography clichés. The featured shots include views through an airplane window distorted by de-icing fluid revealing…
A Jazz Aviation regional jet collided with a fire truck on March 22, 2026, at La Guardia Airport after an air traffic controller cleared the truck to cross the active runway while the aircraft was landing, killing both…
April 1, 2026 It’s the fall of 1981. Specifically it’s October — or, “Rocktober” in the lingo of the big local rock station, WCOZ, a monthlong event highlighting a different band each day. Today is “Cars Day,” and I’ve…
April 13, 2026 I’m not sure how much of a bragging point it might be, but my knowledge of the world’s airlines is, I have to admit, fairly encyclopedic. Name an airline and chances are I can give you a brief synopsis of…
April 26, 2026 Today marks the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster in Ukraine. on the evening of April 26th, reactor four exploded, sending plumes of radiation across Europe in what is still,…
An airline enthusiast reminisces about viewing Manhattan's Pan Am Building in 1990, a 59-story skyscraper intimately connected to the prestigious airline's identity and New York sophistication. When Pan Am ceased…
May 2, 2026 Early this morning, and not unexpectedly, the long-beleagured Spirit Airlines closed its doors, retiring to that big tarmac in the sky. The company had been in and out of bankruptcy, and never really…
Ask the Pilot Express is a semi-daily aviation blog featuring news blurbs, photographs, and commentary on industry topics and personal travel experiences. The blog covers subjects including the continued operation of…
AskThePilot.com's "Hidden Airport" feature showcases little-known pleasant spots at various airports worldwide, including living green walls at Charles de Gaulle, a glass-floored luggage viewing area at Amsterdam…
Archive of the original Ask the Pilot columns at Salon.com. NEVER HEARD OF IT Planes and Places of Mystery. LET THE STORIES BE TOLD Remembering the Cars. THE COLLISION AT LA GUARDIA Trucks, planes, and situational…
AskThePilot.com offers a mailing list for readers interested in aviation content, including questions and answers, essays, and stories from pilot Patrick Smith. Subscribers receive periodic updates on new articles with…
Airport security measures implemented after September 11, 2001 are largely irrational and ineffective, treating every traveler as a potential terrorist while wasting billions of dollars and countless hours. The author…
AskThePilot.com's essays collection includes personal narratives and professional reflections by a commercial pilot on aviation, travel, and global observations. The essays span memoir pieces about hometown nostalgia…
Ask the Pilot's Q&A page features questions answered in the author's book Cockpit Confidential: Everything You Need to Know About Air Travel, with a revised edition published in June 2018. The questions address common…
AskThePilot.com offers autographed copies of "Cockpit Confidential," a 300-page book about commercial aviation by the author. The site previously sold branded t-shirts and baseball caps, but both items are currently…
Patrick Smith's "Ask the Pilot" column has garnered widespread acclaim from journalists, authors, and major publications for combining expert aviation knowledge with witty, accessible prose that demystifies the airline…
Patrick Smith, an aviation expert and commentator, has appeared on over 300 radio and television outlets including CNN, PBS, the BBC, and NPR, while being published in major newspapers such as The New York Times and…
Patrick Smith, an airline pilot and air travel blogger, created the Ask the Pilot column that ran on Salon.com from 2002 to 2012 and has become widely recognized through appearances on over 400 radio and television…
The page provides a contact form for visitors to submit questions about aviation topics or comment on site content. An alternative form is available for readers to join the Ask the Pilot mailing list.
AskThePilot.com's "Hidden Airport" feature highlights unexpected pleasant spots at airports around the world, including living green walls at Paris's Charles de Gaulle, a glass-covered luggage system view at Amsterdam's…
AskThePilot.com is a website featuring essays, questions and answers, and blog posts about aviation, airports, and airline security by pilot Patrick Smith. The site aggregates numerous articles covering topics from…
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