Independent aviation news and explainers: airlines, aircraft, airports, safety investigations, regulation and careers.
Becoming an airline captain takes years and a long list of hours. Here is the path, what the 1,500-hour requirement covers, and what to check before you pay for training.
Pilots talk about flight levels such as FL350. Here is what that number means, why it is not a height above the ground, and where the transition altitude fits in.
After an accident, investigators work for months before a cause is published. Here is who leads the work, what the preliminary report is for, and why early details often change.
Air traffic controllers keep aircraft a set distance apart, vertically and sideways. Here is how that spacing works, and where the numbers come from.