Life above the clouds — quiet, beautiful, and peaceful. ✈️☁️ These photos are from my personal photo albums — some taken prior to flying and others on my real flights over the years – moments that passengers don’t always get to see. My new song – Life Above The Clouds 🎵 – Tap CC …
That question from a young passenger inspired a whole chapter in my writing journey. As a pilot with 45 year of flying experience I’ve learned: turbulence feels scary to passengers, but it’s just like bumps on the road. We turn on the seatbelt sign not because we’re in danger, but because we want you safe …
The Invisible Crew What Happens While You Sip Your Coffee An aircraft turnaround is a choreographed ballet performed in a hurricane. Look out your window the next time your plane pulls up to the gate. In the next 25 to 35 minutes (the standard aircraft turnaround for low-cost carriers), a small group of men and …
Can Anyone Land a Commercial plane safely in an Emergency?* Captain Smit Machchhar has received widespread international praise for his courage aboard flydubai Flight FZ1073. I would also like to congratulate the pilots and crew who helped land the aircraft safely. Well done on saving more than 172 lives! In an article I posted on …
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From Dollar to Ringgit: A Pilot’s Pocketful of History Have you seen this note? 👆 Unless you’re of my vintage, probably not. This is the Malaya and British Borneo $1 note, dated 1959. In February 1967, I boarded a plane to the UK for my RMAF flying training with a wallet full of these. I …
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AIRPLANE BONEYARD What happens to a plane when its time is up? Right now, somewhere in the sky, a jetliner is burning through 15 litres of fuel per nautical mile, ferrying 200 passengers from one city to another. In about 30 years that same aircraft will be sitting motionless in the Arizona sun, engines pulled, …
A PILOT’S STORY On Display at Sunway Pyramid Mall With Executive Director Ms Lim Lee Ngoh With Adrian Kok (on right), CEO & Founder KanYin Publishing Self-published authors often struggle to get their books into major bookstores because of strict industry requirements and professional production standards. I was fortunate that the Executive Director of …
Book sales are fading. But some stories still fly. Fewer people read books today — digital distractions, shrinking leisure time, and endless competition from podcasts, streaming, and social media have seen to that. Screen time has nearly doubled since 2015 (3.5 hrs → 6+ hrs daily), and in the U.S., only 16% of people …
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A Boeing 787 Photo Credit: RF 123 The Hidden Danger of Tail Strikes Every pilot knows the moment: the nose lifts, the wheels leave the ground, and for a split second the tail of the aircraft dips dangerously close to the runway. This is a tail strike — when the rear underside of a plane …
SKY STRATEGY – Every flight on the map exists for a reason. Here is how airlines decide where to fly For most passengers, a flight feels simple: book a ticket, board the plane, arrive at your destination. But behind every route is a story of careful calculation, strategy, and sometimes bold decisions. Airlines don’t just …
Air France Airbus A330-203 F-GZCP at Charles de Gaulle Airport 2008 Photo Credit: Hansueli Krapf (Simisa) Air France and Airbus found guilty of corporate manslaughter After 17 years and five major judicial proceedings, the families of Air France Flight 447’s victims have finally secured a criminal conviction. On 21 May 2026, the Paris Court of …
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Crossing the Bay of Bengal, turbulence nearly threw me off my bunk on the Airbus A340. That night taught me a lesson I carry into every flight and now share it in my book, A Pilot’s Story. Learn more here: https://www.askcaptainlim.com/pilots-story
VIEW FROM THE COCKPIT 45 years in the Skies – Insights and Stories on Flying There is a story I have never quite been able to forget. It happened over the Baltic Sea – the moment I had to dump 80 tonnes of fuel before we could safely return to land. Thousands of feet above …
AIRPLANE EAR EXPLAINED Why our ears ache or ‘pop’ just before landing. If you’ve ever felt a sharp ache or uncomfortable pressure in your ears as an aircraft begins its descent, you’re not alone. For many travelers, this moment that often occurs just before landing can be more ‘memorable’ than the flight itself. The good …
A pilot’s career is measured not only in-flight hours, but in lessons learned Announcing my third book — A PILOT’S STORY — launching on line on 1st June 2026! This book traces the defining moments of my journey in the cockpit and the lifetime of lessons learned above the clouds. I am deeply honored that …
Sky Legend: The remarkable machine that shape aviation history Every aircraft has a story to tell. For many passengers today, flying may feel routine, but the machines that shaped aviation history are anything but ordinary. Let’s take a journey through some of the world’s most iconic aircraft and the stories that made them legendary. Plane …
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SUPERSONIC RETURN The coming back of faster-than-sound commercial flight. From 1976 to 2003, Concorde was the most powerful and fastest commercial jet ever to enter airline service. Flying faster than the Earth’s rotation, Concorde offered a unique experience: a passenger could have breakfast in London, fly to New York, and still sit down to breakfast …
URBAN AIR MOBILITY This article is about air taxis and how they’ll change city travel. Imagine stepping out of a gridlocked traffic jam, riding an elevator to a rooftop vertiport, boarding a quiet electric aircraft, and arriving across town in a fraction of the time it would take by car. That is the promise of …
BATTERY SAFETY IN THE CABIN Why lithium battery fires in the aircraft cabin are dangerous and why you should stay informed. A small power bank, a loose battery or a damaged phone – ordinary items we carry every day – can suddenly become a serious hazard at 35,000 feet. Lithium-ion batteries store a lot of …
AI-generated illustration, not an actual photo Why Assertive Support Process Training Matters Crew Resource Management (CRM) has long been recognized as a cornerstone of safe flight operations. A key element of CRM is the Assertive Support Process (ASP), which empowers first officers to speak up and take decisive action when they perceive danger. Recent reports …