Category Technical
Apollo 11 (Armstrong, Aldrin, Collins & Kranz) – Tough and Competent
From FLY-theBook.com Apollo 11 50 years ago today, as Apollo 11 completed its Trans Lunar Injection burn to accelerate and position into a Free Return Trajectory on the way to the moon, it’s worth remembering how long and fragile the early chain of the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo operations were and how, if the culture […]
Technical – ATSB Report – “QF32 – The story behind the story”
My book “QF32” was published in July 2012, about one year before the ATSB published its report into QF32. Because of this mismatch in time, I was not permitted to publish information discovered by the ATSB that was not already available in the public domain. Information I included in the “Stub Pipe” chapter was therefore limited […]
Vale one of the world’s greatest pilots
With a sad and heavy heart I learned that aviator and test pilot Captain Eric Melrose ‘Winkle’ Brown CBE DSC AFC HonFRAeS Royal Navy died on 21 February 2016. “Winkle” Brown was to British aviation what Chuck Yeager is to the USA aviation. When you read his life story, it makes James Bond seem like a bit […]
Nancy-Bird Walton’s 100th Birthday Celebration
Update – December 2015 Many great airports are named after famous people. I propose that Sydney Badgerys Creek airport be named “Sydney Nancy-Bird Walton International Airport” in honour of Australia’s greatest aviatrix. Her airport would sit beside “Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport”, named after Australia’s greatest aviator. Click here to read more … Original Post […]
Technical Lessons from QF32
With my suggestions for the Industry Jaanus Torp writes: Hello Richard, I just finished your book and I might say that it is not suitable for before bed reading. Even though I had read the final report and knew the outcome, I was still quite wired by the masterfully written gripping drama. I have a […]
Technical – QF32’s Hydraulics, Apollo 13 and the “Fog of War”
Mike asks: Hi Richard, Having read your book QF32 and a number of resources available online, please let me ask one question regarding your video interview on youtube. During the interview, you talk about the decision whether to follow the ECAM instructions to switch off the ENG 4 hydraulic pumps (“5 and 6″), and how you […]
3 Interviews on Black Swans, Resilience & Oshkosh “Theater in the Woods”
Report on Resilience “Resilience – Recovering pilots’ lost flying skills” The Royal Aeronautical Society, London has published the report that I produced after I opened the Flight Simulation Conference at the RAeS in London in November 2014. My report studies the flight safety statistics from 1942 until 2014 and the implications for flight simulation industry. The future […]
Airbus Pilots’ Eyes Only: Better Searching of Airbus FOCT Manuals (Ver 2, July17)
Nerd Alert! I compiled this blog in early 2008 for Airbus pilots and ground staff who need to access the Airbus FOCT manuals. It is written for those who wish to learn more about how to make full use of the impressive (but undocumented) search features in the Airbus FOCT. This blog has NO relevance […]
The Empirical Skeptic and Hacker
Version 10 – July 2016 Viewers of Air Crash Investigators program have asked me many questions including: Why didn’t we evacuate the A380 immediately after stopping on the runway in Singapore? What are my views about the Malaysian MH370 incident? My answers centre around how I gather, judge, store and use data. Empirical Skeptic I am […]
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