pilot

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Nazi-Fighting 'Night Witch' Dead at 91

Nadezhda Popova flew 852 missions in WWII

(Newser) - There can't be too many World War II heroes with a better nickname than this: The "Night Witches" were a group of Russian women who piloted bomb-laden crop dusters over the invading German army, and their story is getting a fresh look in the wake of the death...

NTSB: Asiana Crash Looking Like Pilot Error

Top concern is slow speed during descent; still no sign of mechanical failure

(Newser) - The continuing investigation into the crash of an Asiana Airlines plane still hasn't spotted any mechanical trouble—meaning it's likely that pilot mistakes were to blame for the disaster, Sky News reports. National Transportation Safety Board chair Deborah Hersman offered new information about investigators' findings, with concern centered...

Asiana Pilot: Light Blinded Me at 500 Feet

Investigators unsure of its source

(Newser) - Clues to what may have caused the Asiana Airlines crash this weekend continue to emerge . The latest: The plane's pilot said that while flying at 500 feet, he was blinded by light, investigators say. "It was a temporary issue," says National Transportation Safety Board chair Deborah Hersman,...

Pilot's Bathroom Break Forces Landing

Door jammed so he couldn't get back inside cockpit

(Newser) - A sillier reason to ground a plane than a woman singing Whitney Houston songs ? How about the pilot locking himself out of the cockpit? An Air India flight was forced to divert and land after a pilot went for a bathroom break ... and couldn't get back to his...

Pilot Fails Breathalyzer Just Before Takeoff

Police remove American Eagle pilot from passenger jet

(Newser) - Everything was going fine for an American Eagle pilot making his preflight checks—until police arrived in the cockpit with a Breathalyzer. After the 48-year-old blew a bad score, police arrested him on suspicion of being under the influence and escorted him from the plane at the Minneapolis airport, reports...

Cessna Pilot Spots Thief at His Own House

He foils theft after spying suspicious man from the air

(Newser) - A sharp-eyed pilot foiled a theft at his Florida home after spotting a suspicious character from the air during a fly-by. After seeing an unfamiliar truck in his driveway, David Zehntner watched a man peer into his windows before driving off with his trailer attached to a pickup, NBC reports....

Passenger Helps Land 747 After Co-Pilot Falls Ill

Luckily, the Good Samaritan was licensed to fly jumbo jets

(Newser) - A Lufthansa 747 made a smooth landing at Dublin's airport this week, an event made notable because one of the passengers was helping in the cockpit. As the Irish Independent explains, when the co-pilot fell ill with a crushing migraine, the main pilot got permission to divert to Dublin....

Huge Airline Pilot Shortage Looms
Huge Airline Pilot
Shortage Looms
Nov 12, 2012 12:27 AM CST

Huge Airline Pilot Shortage Looms

Hiring crisis expected to be worst in 50 years

(Newser) - America's airlines are going to run out of pilot to fly their planes very soon unless action is taken, experts warn. More than half of American pilots are over 50 and there are not going to be enough qualified candidates to replace the thousands of pilots who will reach...

Captured Syrian Pilot: I Just Followed Orders

Video: He says pilots were unaware they were hitting civilians

(Newser) - A Syrian fighter pilot shot down by rebels has a simple explanation for why he and other pilots have had no qualms about bombing civilian targets: He swears they didn't know civilians were present. The imprisoned Roni Ibrahim, who got shot down outside al-Bab, tells Al Jazeera that the...

Jets Scramble After Planes Violate UN Airspace

Incident occurred around the time of Obama's speech

(Newser) - Two fighter jets scrambled today after two small aircraft violated airspace restrictions in place for the UN General Assembly gathering of world leaders close to the time President Obama was speaking. North American Aerospace Defense Command spokesman John Cornelio said the F-22s intercepted the small planes during two separate incidents...

Imposter Pilot Nabbed After Europe Flight

Man had fake uniform, fake friends, fake Facebook page

(Newser) - It's Catch Me If You Can all over again: Italian cops have arrested a man who's been posing as a pilot for months or longer. The unnamed man sure seemed like a pilot—down to fake flight crew buddies in his Facebook photos—and he managed to ride...

Fugitive Pilot Kills Self After Trying to Steal Plane

Cops: Brian Hedglin killed his girlfriend, tried to flee

(Newser) - A murder/suicide in Utah is making headlines, and the Salt Lake Tribune and CNN piece together the tale: Police think 40-year-old Brian Hedglin fatally stabbed his girlfriend Friday night, then went on the lam. The SkyWest pilot didn't surface until Monday night, when he drove his motorcycle to St....

Looming Danger: Coming Pilot Shortage

Could lead to less-qualified hires, warns FAA

(Newser) - With airlines adding to their fleets, the world will need some 460,000 new pilots over the next two decades, Boeing says—and that could mean airlines hiring less-qualified people. Some 69,000 pilots will be needed in North America, while the Asia-Pacific region will need 185,000, according to...

Widow of 9/11 Pilot Dies
 Widow of 9/11 
 Pilot Dies 
May 26, 2012 10:58 AM CDT

Widow of 9/11 Pilot Dies

Sandy Dahl ran a scholarship fund in husband Jason's name

(Newser) - The widow of one of the 9/11 pilots who herself became a public figure as she ran a scholarship foundation in her husband's name has died of natural causes at age 52, reports the Denver Post . Sandy Dahl died in her sleep but had been in good health, say...

JetBlue Pilot's Dad Died in Plane Crash

Deranged airline pilots blamed for 345 deaths since 1982

(Newser) - We may never know exactly what made JetBlue pilot Clayton Osbon come unhinged, but the New York Daily News has uncovered tragedy in his past. The pilot's father, who Osbon began flying with as a teenager, died in a plane crash in 1995. The elder Osbon and a friend...

Feds Charge JetBlue Pilot
 Feds Charge JetBlue Pilot 
Mar 29, 2012 2:00 AM CDT

Feds Charge JetBlue Pilot

Clayton Osbon could get up to 20 years for in-flight meltdown

(Newser) - The JetBlue pilot who had a mid-flight mental breakdown has been charged with interfering with a flight, and faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. Clayton Osbon—who remains in a guarded facility in a Texas hospital— has been suspended by the airline while the FBI and aviation...

JetBlue Pilot Broke Through Plastic Restraints

Clayton Osbon has been a pilot since 1989

(Newser) - The captain behind yesterday's JetBlue Flight 191 freakout was 49-year-old Clayton Osbon, and passenger David Gonzalez tells ABC News that "I was actually the one that took him down." Gonzalez says he noticed the flight attendants struggling to control Osbon, approached the group, and asked if there...

JetBlue Flight Diverted After Pilot's Meltdown

He reportedly screamed about bombs and al-Qaeda

(Newser) - A pilot tore through the cabin of a JetBlue plane yelling about terror threats, warning passengers about al-Qaeda and bombs on board, passengers tell the Amarillo Globe-News . The captain started "shouting, ‘Iraq, al-Qaeda, terrorism, we’re all going down,'" witnesses said. Passengers tackled him and held...

Pilot Sparks Panic With 'Mom on Board' Greeting

Southwest passengers heard 'bomb'

(Newser) - A Southwest Airlines pilot gave passengers a scare when he issued a birthday greeting to the mother of an air traffic controller. Passengers panicked after hearing "mom on board" as "bomb on board," the New York Daily News reports. Airline staff rushed to reassure passengers and the...

&#39;Drunk Pilot&#39; Delays Flight
 'Drunk Pilot' Delays Flight 
Feb 17, 2012 12:20 AM CST

'Drunk Pilot' Delays Flight

Hotel shuttle driver tipped off cops

(Newser) - A flight was delayed at Omaha's airport after a hotel shuttle bus driver told police that the pilot appeared to be already flying pretty high. Police say they intercepted the pilot before he boarded the Frontier Airlines flight and, after determining there was reasonable suspicion that he was drunk,...

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