I’d admired this stately and graceful ‘lady’ for a long time. An icon of the century I was born into, she had an impeccable reputation, remaining reliable and unflustered even in difficult circumstances.

When I finally got together with her, after years of trying, she couldn’t have been

From its inception, Boeing’s 737 Max was designed to save airlines the expense of training pilots on flight simulators. Simulator training costs money, which few in the aviation industry are keen on spending. “No additional simulator training” became a key – and successful – selling point

A bright sunny day, but a persistent stratiform cloud blocks the view of the runway when approaching the minimums. Or even worse, more than sufficient visibility, but a thick cloud layer extends below CAT 1 minimums and Low Visibility Operations (LVO) are not (yet) activated… A go-around

And the new year brought a new green wave to Europe. With the ambitious EU Green Deal committing Europe to be carbon neutral by 2050, pilots invited scientists to discuss the impact of flying on the environment. The participants brainstormed on possible operational and policy changes that

Europe’s pilots are shocked and deeply saddened by the shooting down of Ukrainian Airlines flight PS752 in Iran and the killing of all on board. This comes only a few years after the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17), in 2014. It is tragic proof that some lessons from MH17 on

Adina-Ioana Vălean. This is the name, which aviation professionals in Europe will hear very often in the next 5 years. As the new EU Commissioner in charge of transport Ms Vălean will be the driving force of safe, efficient, sustainable and socially-responsible transport in Europe. Behind

The time has come: Early November ICAO launched real-time worldwide space weather update service. Three Space Weather Centers (SWXC) will generate and share space weather advisories using the existing channels, similar to SIGMET. The advisories can thereby go directly to aircraft operators

You will read in this report how, despite its small size and shoestring budget, ECA’s dedicated staff and reps have fought for the pilot profession on multiple fronts, and with results that others in our industry look at with envy.

Members of Europe’s leading aviation associations have today published a joint paper setting out five key principles for a successful regulatory framework for unmanned aviation operations & unmanned traffic management (UTM / U-Space)  

Despite the occasional outcry about the “greedy” pilots on strike, all crew and many passengers do understand that negotiations with the employers can result in a deadlock which can at times lead to a strike. The current industrial disputes in numerous airlines across Europe have proven to

In any business that relies on the price of a barrel of oil, the example of a 40-gallon steel barrel may be the ideal metaphor. Immensely strong when it is full and used right, or it may be damaged and crushed if you empty it. It is just like a Ryanair. 
 

Air crew strikes are often about more than just a paycheck. This was also the case with the AeroSvit crew in 2011. Their list of demands included timely payment of salaries, improving safety procedures and swift repairs of equipment onboard. The demands were legitimate but failed to