Miracle of Crossing the Pond
February 20, 2013 by Bruce Landsberg
The red-eye trip eastbound across the Atlantic in the back of a Boeing 767 is always a bit tiring. I’m always envious of those who can sleep in coach, which economics always dictates. All of my destinations seem to require an early evening departure, and then one flies on the wrong side of the clock straight through until morning. I suspect it has to do with utilization of the aircraft and economics. How come everything ultimately revolves around economics?
I was on my way to address AOPA Switzerland at their annual safety seminar in Zurich. You’ll hear more about the adventure in the magazine, but I am always reminded that with as many rules and restrictions we have in the U.S., it’s much more challenging elsewhere!
The United cabin crew was very good and helped pass the time while we experienced the miracle of long distance flight. My first flight across the pond was on a Pan Am Boeing 707 in the golden age of aviation. One actually dressed for the occasion, people were civil to each other, and legroom was included in the ticket price. The employees were treated like the professionals they were.
Have coffee or a glass of wine in your shirt sleeves while exceeding 580 knots over the ocean with an outside air temperature of minus 85 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s been less than 100 years since Charles Lindbergh first crossed the Atlantic solo in 1927 and that we now do it routinely hundreds of times a month is nothing less than stunning. The airplanes usually make it routine, but as you’ll read in an upcoming landmark accident, this is not a totally benign environment.
I said goodbye to the big Boeing in Zurich which would make the trek back again in about 4 hours. That’s something a seasick passenger in a square rigged ship a little over a century ago could only dream about.
It’s been said, “Never underestimate the public’s ability to be bored with miracles!” As pilots, we are so fortunate to enjoy them regularly and from an insider’s perspective. Be sure to share aviation with someone this month! Think about how it’s changed your life. Would you do it again? I would!
Join the AOPA Foundation as we share aviation with others. A donation to the Foundation helps fund our initiative to get more folks involved with aviation and in the cockpit.


I read the other day that we could be facing a shortage of lawyers, and for some, that day can’t come soon enough. The reasons cited were the high cost of law school, the scarcity of well-paying jobs, and the massive student debt loads. It sounds remarkably familiar to a problem facing the aviation industry. Newly college-educated pilots often have six-figure student loans to pay off, but starting salaries in many aviation jobs, not just the regional airlines, pay about as well as those in the rapidly-prepared food business. However, learning how the french fryer works is a bit less daunting than learning how a GPS navigator works or understanding the concept of angle of attack.
Bruce Landsberg, President of the AOPA Foundation