Tag Archives: Flight Level 390

Captain Dave to ground control

Posted on May 24, 2013 | Comments Off on Captain Dave to ground control

I thought for a moment there that Captain Dave of Flight Level 390 had returned to blogging. Then I noticed that the writing style was different and the url had acquired a hyphen. To capitalize on Dave’s fame, I suppose, but I see no ads there yet.

At least one of Dave’s blogging pals has stepped forward with the news that he wasn’t fired or told to stop expressing his opinions of his work on the Internet but merely was tired of blogging. Can’t blame him for that. Esepcially when he has to work and blog. Hope he comes back to it, though. No one better.

UPDATE:  His blog has turned into a PC game download site. Obviously just using his old blog name for its popularity. Pity. Best of luck, captain D.

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Posted in Blogosphere, Obsessions, Science/Engineering

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Changes for the worst

Posted on January 23, 2011 | Comments Off on Changes for the worst

Via Flight Level 390:

“Airborne… Christmas Eve [2010].
Against the advice of the Company, I made the Santa has been sighted crossing the Canadian border at 50,000 feet announcement. I’ll probably get a call from the Chief Pilot’s office wanting to know if I read the memo, and if I did, did I not understand the spirit of the message?
There is a bunch of kids in the cabin tonight… I would have been thrilled at their age to hear an airline captain say Santa had been sighted. I figure that is spirit enough…
Nevertheless, I can see the headlines:

“Insensitive, middle-aged, conservative airline pilot frightens children with claim of seeing Christian holiday figurehead. Authorities are investigating. Airline representatives have no comment on the matter.

“Last year, I chickened out. This year I decided to go for it. So far, the flight attendants report no one has complained or is crying… Maybe I will get away with it.”
Geez.

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Posted in Blogosphere, Mr. Boy

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“This is the start of a long day”

Posted on October 12, 2009 | Comments Off on “This is the start of a long day”

If you’re not quite bold about flying, you may not find a lot of reassurance in Captain Dave’s writing. But the reality behind his poetry sure beats sitting in an office chair under a cluster of gas balloons (see below).

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Posted in Scribbles

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“Flight level 330…

Posted on July 17, 2009 | Comments Off on “Flight level 330…

…and begging to go higher and faster." Captain Dave, somewhere over the Heartland of the Empire, does it again. Poetically.

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Posted in Blogosphere, Scribbles, Weather/Climate

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America from the flight deck

Posted on June 27, 2009 | Comments Off on America from the flight deck

Captain Dave uses his weather radar to thread his A321 through a Southern thunderstorm:

"Before we picked our way through this line-up of Thor’s children, the co-pilot told the lead flight attendant to batten down the hatches. I woke the passengers up, using my best imitation of the mythological captain’s voice, and told them to take their seats and strap in tight. After I put the PA handset back in it’s cradle, I remark to the co-pilot, ‘The passengers are probably freaking out back there because of AF447.’"

Good writing. Good read.

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Posted in Scribbles

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The Electric Jet

Posted on June 16, 2009 | Comments Off on The Electric Jet

Computer scientist Edsger Dijkstra invented much of software technology yet only used a computer for email and browsing the Web. He was still writing with a fountain pen when he died in 2002.

Dijkstra once told me that he would never consent to fly on the space shuttle because he didn’t trust the software that controlled it.

With the coming introduction of the Boeing 787, we’re all pretty soon going to be flying in craft controlled by software. Dave, an Airbus pilot who already does, explains why we shouldn’t worry.

But some still do, and, especially since the loss of AF 447, I must admit that I’m one of them.

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Posted in Science/Engineering, Texana

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Airline pilot’s view

Posted on January 18, 2009 | Comments Off on Airline pilot’s view

icehouse.JPG

Waiting for deicing at JFK. The view from the cockpit, flight deck, here, on the A320 crash and much else in a unique specialist’s blog by another "electric bus" pilot.

MORE: What went right in the ditching. Reminds me I forgot the Airbus was loaded with jet fuel, which means if they had tried to land at an airport and run off the runway, it might have exploded. As it was, the fuel being lighter than water, the fuel helped it stay afloat as long as it did.

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Posted in Scribbles

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