Welcome to Flightinfo.com

  • Register now and join the discussion
  • Friendliest aviation Ccmmunity on the web
  • Modern site for PC's, Phones, Tablets - no 3rd party apps required
  • Ask questions, help others, promote aviation
  • Share the passion for aviation
  • Invite everyone to Flightinfo.com and let's have fun

Vanity Fair article on the GOL 737 and Legacy mid-air

Welcome to Flightinfo.com

  • Register now and join the discussion
  • Modern secure site, no 3rd party apps required
  • Invite your friends
  • Share the passion of aviation
  • Friendliest aviation community on the web

Abernathy

Truthiness
Joined
Mar 4, 2008
Posts
1,490
William Langewiesche writes as though he is an airline pilot. Though he is often vaguely referred to as a former "commercial pilot," the only real biography I can find of his hardly alludes to it:

He quit his job after two years, and considers the next decade of his life his time in the wilderness. Though he never stopped writing, he saw few things published, and flew airplanes commercially to pay the bills; hating it all the while. By the time he broke into the Atlantic he was 36. (sfgate.com, 2007)

Who flies airplanes commercially for a little while to "pay the bills"?

Anyways, the article I'm referring to is from the current issue of Vanity Fair (the one ALPA's latest fastread was about). It transcribes much of the CVR tapes from the last 40 minutes or so. Quite honestly, the presentation of the CVR transcript makes it look like both CA and FO didn't know shi t about their airplane. They were fumbling around with the FMS trying to figure it out, and they didn't know where the IDENT button was. One of them was trying to figure out some Embraer software on a laptop, unsuccessfully, and so needless to say, they didn't notice the TCAS OFF or Transponder STBY messages. The article also describes how they were fumbling around with a digital camera, trying unsuccessfully to figure out how it works (leaving the reader with the assumption that these two poor bastards couldn't figure out how to do damn near sh*t when it came to anything at all--let alone the airplane). The camera mention was journalistic icing on the cake.

The publication of CVR tapes shouldn't be allowed. And I agree with the latest ALPA newsletter.

This article could cause a lot of problems with public perception. Not that it really matters anyways. From the point of view of the article, as soon as the airplane took off, it was "let's try to figure out how to fly this airplane...oh shi t, how do you do this? Hey how does this part work?" Not exactly flattering. The GOL 737 pilots, who I think we can agree have the least blame, if any at all, weren't spared, either. Apparently they were "flirting" with flight attendants, looking at pictures, and having a grand old time.

You can read the article free online.


Not a huge fan of this style of journalism, but this article seems to be getting a lot of attention.
 
Last edited:
I'm not passing judgment on either pair of pilots. Just responding to the tone of the article, which I thought hurt the perception of pilots in general. I don't get why every reporter who has had 25 hours in a 172 is all of a sudden a "professional pilot."
 
How many of us have missed something small in our cockpits? I don't fly glass... My TCAS has failed before and even with a TCAS "Fail" symbol appearing on the IVSI it might take me a bit to notice it if I am not looking for it.

"There but for the grace of God go I." It is useful to remember that small things and chance can get you very dead in an airplane. Sometimes no matter what we do, or what we THINK we are doing, things can turn out for the worst. Maybe these guys made some mistakes. Maybe not. Certianly they were being anything but careless in the operation of thier aircraft.

I for one will keep them in my thoughts and prayers. This has to be one heck of a thing to live with.
 
There were MANY human factors involved in this tragedy...and the article was well-written to hit on most of them. Unfortunately, it did paint the Legacy crew in a poor light and spun the specific human factors deficiencies such that it appeared they were the primary or a contributing cause to this accident.

And the author HATES bizjets!
 
Found this:

Are you a pilot who writes or a writer who flies?

I'm a writer. Even when I was a pilot I was a writer.
The truth is, you don't have to be smart to be a pilot. The best pilots are people who are dutiful, functional, golfers—hobbyists. They repair antique cars in their garages.
 
I'm a writer. Even when I was a pilot I was a writer.
The truth is, you don't have to be smart to be a pilot. The best pilots are people who are dutiful, functional, golfers—hobbyists. They repair antique cars in their garages.

That's an interestingly asinine quote, especially coming from the son of "Stick and Rudder" author Wolfgang Langewiesche. I suppose he's never witnessed the multitude of f-ups resulting in bent metal or worse from "hobbyist" pilots.

I'm also guessing there's a reason he doesn't fly professionally anymore...and it doesn't have anything to do with his "smartness".
 
Found this:

Are you a pilot who writes or a writer who flies?

I'm a writer. Even when I was a pilot I was a writer.
The truth is, you don't have to be smart to be a pilot. The best pilots are people who are dutiful, functional, golfers—hobbyists. They repair antique cars in their garages.

This guy seriously responded with this quote??????

What a fool. That has got to be the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard about aviation.
 
From the article:

You can include the corrupted tax structures that allow airplanes as questionable as the Legacy to be built, sold, and flown.

I have never flown an Embraer, but to call it questionable is a flat out lie. There are 1000's of these things flying and I can't recall an accident that was attributed to it being a "questionably" built airplane.
 
What's obvious is that we create far more systems managers these days than aviators. Those who flew for PanAm, TWA and the like 40 or more years ago would be grossly appalled at the lake of skills these two possessed (the Legacy crew).

Oh, and the author's description of FSI as creating pilots who fear bureaucrats was right on.
 

Latest resources

Back
Top