sterile cockpit n.— «Her ears were stuffed up, and at one point in the flight to Buffalo she asked if the plane could descend early so she would be more comfortable. With the plane flying well under 10,000 feet, a time when the crew was...
poopy suit n.— «The pilots were required to wear anti-exposure suits because they were crossing the icy Atlantic in January. The airtight, form-fitting, waterproof over-garments’, are affectionately called “poopy suits,” are a...
ditch-switch n.— «It also turns out that the pilots on Flight 1549 did not throw the so-called “ditch-switch,” designed to seal the plane’s belly and make it more buoyant after a water landing. Investigators say the pilots...
snarge n.— «Snarge…The word is a combination of “snot” and “garbage.”…“It’s what’s left after a bird hits an airplane, goes through an engine. There are no feathers or any other kind of remains of the...
air-miss n.— «The incident has been called an “air-miss,” distinct from a “near-miss,” which in aviation parlance means the aircraft were on collision course. They did, however, come close enough to breach set...
burnt toast event n.— «A lot of it…is what we call “burnt toast” events. They’re like a near miss; you have no idea at the time how serious it is—or could have been. Sometimes it’s minor, other times maintenance teams...