820 An Aviator’s Journey

An aviator’s journey from a former commercial airline transport pilot, flight instructor, flight examiner, and author. In the news, the SpaceX Starship first-stage booster returns to the launch pad, the NTSB reports on two B737s that were cleared for the same runway at the same time and the incident where an A350 clipped the tail of a CRJ-900. Also, navigating airline dress codes, an airport executive director resigns, and an air museum plans to expand. Guest Lola Reid Allin is the author of Highway to the Sky: An Aviator’s Journey. She’s a former commercial airline transport pilot, flight instructor, flight examiner, and SCUBA divemaster. Lola’s work has appeared in national newspapers and publications, and in juried national and international shows. Her professional aviation affiliations include Women in Aviation International, The 99s: International Organization of Women Pilots, and the Northern Lights Aero Foundation. In her book, and with us, Lola shares personal aspects of her flying experiences and aviation career. She describes things she has learned from her student pilots, her relationships with others, the Cessna 150 she owned, and some particularly interesting flights she has piloted. Lola’s story is about how learning to fly gave her wisdom and taught her to live her life. She had to defy the societal norms of the era, such as the notion that “women belong in the kitchen and the bedroom” and "they shouldn't take jobs from men who need to support their families.” An adventurer who lived with the Maya in Mexico and Belize for three years, Lola has explored more than sixty-five countries in depth. When she isn’t backpacking Baffin Island, trekking the Andes or the Himalayas, forging deep into the Guatemalan jungle, summiting Kilimanjaro, or guiding a dogsled team in the Yukon, she lives with her husband of twenty-six years in a small community east of Toronto, Canada. She is a professional speaker and co-lead of the First Canadian 99s Education & Outreach Committee and for the Northern Lights Aero Foundation. Find Lola on her website, X, and Facebook. Aviation News Two planes cleared to use same runway in Nashville near-collision, NTSB says In September, Alaska Airlines Flight 369, a Boeing 737 MAX 9, was cleared for takeoff at Nashville International Airport. At the same time, Southwest Airlines Flight 2029 was cleared to cross the same runway. The Alaska Jet aborted the takeoff, which blew out the plane’s tires.  The NTSB said one ground controller cleared the Southwest jet, just 23 seconds before another controller cleared the Alaska plane. Pilot of larger plane was looking away from smaller plane in Atlanta airport mishap, report says A Bombardier CRJ-900 operated by Endeavor Air, a Delta regional subsidiary, was waiting on a taxiway. A taxiing Delta Air Lines Airbus 350 clipped the tail of the CRJ with it’s wingtip, knocking the tail off the smaller plane. The NTSB preliminary report finds the CRJ stopped 56 feet (17 meters) short of the hold line painted on the taxiway. As the A350’s right wing extends 106 feet (32.3 meters) from the center of the jet to tip, that 56-foot distance may have been the margin between a hit and a miss. Do Airlines Really Have Dress Codes? What to Know Every airline has a contract of carriage and these typically include a cause addressing attire. These leave a lot of discretion to the airline staff and each airline is different: Southwest Airlines: Wearing clothes that are lewd, obscene, or patently offensive. American Airlines: Dress appropriately; bare feet or offensive clothing aren’t allowed. Delta Air Lines: When the passenger’s conduct, attire, hygiene or odor creates an unreasonable risk of offense or annoyance to other passengers. United Airlines: Passengers who are barefoot, not properly clothed, or whose clothing is lewd, obscene or offensive. Spirit Airlines: Barefoot or inadequately clothed,