Briefs

For a blasé attitude about fly-by-wire controls, consider the proposed fine levied on Spirit Airlines. In a registered letter 16 July 2010 to the carrier, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) proposed a $50,000 civil penalty (fine) for operating one of its A321...

At the Nolan Law Group, advocacy is an important part of our mission. In addition to my work for our law firm, my volunteer position as board chair of the Brain Injury Association of Illinois (BIAIL), as well as board member of the Brain Injury Association of America,...

Almost 100 jets were grounded to accomplish required safety checks, raising serious questions about federal oversight of the airline that was at least eight months late doing the work. On 15 February United Airlines announced that it was grounding 96 of its B757s to...

Concussion and sports injury has been a major news story this past year — and deservedly, so. Each week we hear about professional athletes as well as young grammar and high school athletes sustaining life-changing brain injuries due to hits on the field. We witness...

A lightning strike on a glider has implications for Boeing’s new B787, which made its first flight last month. The two occupants of the glider were able to bail out and parachute safely when their composite airframe was shattered by the lightning strike; no such...

The Chicago City Council passed a new city ordinance on January 13, 2011 addressing sports concussions. Athletes showing signs of concussion will be prohibited from returning to play and/or practice until they are cleared by a licensed health care provider. The rule...

What does an electric current bolt of 20,000 amps hitting a jetliner look like? A photograph of a lighting strike on an Emirates A380 illustrates the dramatic appearance. A video taken by Chris Dawson near London’s Heathrow Airport shows lightning striking the giant,...

In about a month, an airplane fitted with a new infrared detector will take to the skies over Europe to determine if airborne volcanic ash can be tracked and avoided. If the tests are successful, the detectors could – and this is an important caveat – could be...

Pilots are so accustomed to relying on cockpit automation that their basic airmanship skills to fly manually are eroded. The result? When automation fails, pilots cope with the situation either with misguided and distracting attempts to restore the automation or with...