FAA
US aviation regulator
Episodes
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#5913: Why the Sterile Cockpit Rule Took 7 YearsOne crash, one morning, one city — and seven years before the FAA wrote the rule down. What Eastern 212 still teaches us about attention. -
#5108: How to Identify Anything in the Sky: A Jerusalem Drone Case StudyA reader saw a green strobe hovering over Jerusalem. Here's how to think like an educated guesser. -
#5094: How Aviation Turns Crashes into Safety RulesInside the NTSB's forensic pipeline: black boxes, runway rubber, and how findings become rules that prevent the next disaster. -
#5089: How Runway Overruns Happen and the EMAS Safety NetA Prime Air 767 overran at Miami. We break down the physics, the safety engineering, and why EMAS beds matter. -
#4916: Inside an MRO Warehouse: Moving 4,000-Pound Landing GearHow aviation warehouses move everything from tiny fasteners to 4,000-pound landing gear struts. -
#4914: Why Aviation's Fatigue Rules WorkHow aviation built a system that treats exhaustion as a design problem — and what other industries can learn from it. -
#4911: How Airline SOPs Vary Between OperatorsWhy the same plane type can fly differently depending on which airline's procedures the crew follows. -
#4855: What Turbulence Actually Does to a PlaneHow climate change is increasing clear-air turbulence — and why your plane can handle far more than you feel. -
#4707: From Lawn Numbers to Billboards: Sign Law's Wild SpectrumHow a Connecticut town subsidizes house numbers, and what it takes to build a sign visible from a plane. -
#4695: The Unfenced Runway: When Airfields Blend Into Town LifeWhat happens when a working airfield has no fence, no guards, and a grandmother using the runway as a shortcut? -
#4678: How the Chicago Convention Built the Modern SkyHow 52 nations in 1944 created the firewall between military and civilian aviation that still governs every flight today. -
#4676: How Airport Lights Speak a Universal LanguageBlue means taxiway, white means runway, red means stop. The global grammar of airport lighting, decoded. -
#3286: How Airport Slots Became $75 Million AssetsTwo completely different slot systems run aviation — one worth millions, the other delays your flight. -
#3226: Why Your Phone Must Stay in Airplane Mode (Even With Starlink on the Roof)The paradox of phone bans vs. onboard Starlink, explained through physics, paperwork, and Swiss cheese safety models. -
#3219: What It Actually Takes to Get an ICAO Code for Your AirstripOnly 5,000 of 45,000 ICAO-coded airfields are certified for safety. The rest? "Land at own risk. -
#2971: How Much Fuel Does Your Suitcase Really Burn?Baggage fees aren't about fuel savings. The real story is a $5.7 billion profit center dressed up in green PR. -
#2867: How Flight Attendants Master the GalleyHow airlines organize a walk-in closet-sized galley to serve hundreds — and never run out. -
#2407: Three Landings in 90 Days: Pilot Automation DependencyWhy pilots aren't hand-flying enough, the regulatory floor that lets it happen, and what airlines are doing about it. -
#438: The Hidden Engineering of Airport Approach LightingDiscover the hidden engineering behind airport approach lights, from the "rabbit" flashers to the towers standing in suburban backyards. -
#10: How ASR Went From Frustration To ... Whisper MagicSpeech to text: from frustrating to fantastic. Uncover the magic behind its rapid rise and connection to the AI boom!