Aviation

Working for an airline for several years has really gotten me interested in aviation. They say the airline business gets into your blood, which is part of the reason people choose to stick around despite the ups and downs. It’s also why airline pilots are some of the only people to truly be sad on the day they retire before turning 65. I’m not a pilot myself, but my father and grandfather both flew privately, and my uncle flies private planes for a living. Add it all up, and it’s high time I set up an aviation page. For now, it’s mainly a collection of links to interesting aviation sites. I might add some pictures and other info later.

For detailed information on my job as a flight dispatcher, visit my professional page.
Operations-Oriented Sites

These sites offer specialized weather products for pilots and dispatchers.

  • Aviation Weather – I use this site at home before each shift to see what the weather is doing in my sector. It provides radars, TAFs, METARS, turbulence and icing forecasts, PIREPS, and many other useful products.
  • Operational Information System (OIS) – Another site I use at work, the OIS page lists delay information for US airports.
  • AirNav – AirNav provides airport, navaid, airway, and fuel information, including airport diagrams and approach plates.
  • FlightAware – Times, flight status, and a route display for almost any airport, airline flight, or general aviation flight operating under IFR

Trade Sites

These sites relate to industry groups.

Flight Museums

Unfortunately, I’ve only been to a few flight museums so far, but I recommend each of them:

  • Frontiers of Flight Museum, Dallas – Located next to Love Field, this fine new museum features a Beech Staggerwing, T-38, Huey helicopter, F-16, and the nose section of a retired Southwest Airlines 737-200.
  • Museum of Flight, Seattle – One of the premier aviation museums in the world, the Museum of Flight featured a Concorde, modified SR-71 Blackbird, Harrier, DC-3, Air Force One, P-38, and dozens of other fantastic aircraft.
  • USS Lexington, Corpus Christi, TX – Retired USN aircraft carrier USS Lexington is a wonderful floating museum that combines our naval heritage with a variety of fine aircraft, most of which flew during her long tour of duty.

Aircraft Manufacturers

Here are some other useful aviation sites:

  • Boeing – Maker of the finest large airliners in the business
  • Airbus – Boeing’s European archrival
  • Embraer – Brazilian manufacturer of small- and medium-sized jets

Other Aviation Sites
Here are some other useful aviation sites:

  • Airliners.net – The best aviation
    photo site on the planet, plus a very active discussion board
  • PlaneBuzz – Blog about the business side of the airline business
  • Air Disaster – Information and photos for aviation disasters