New Book About Korean War and No Kum-Sok

Blaine Harden, author of Escape From Camp 14, has written a new book, The Great Leader And The Fighter Pilot, which chronicles the rise of Kim Il-Sung, key milestones in the Korean War, and the life of No Kum-Sok (Kenneth Rowe), who would defect to the United States by flying a MiG-15 into Kimpo Air Base in South Korea on 21 September 1953.

In 1996, No and Embry-Riddle humanities professor Roger Osterholm co-wrote A MiG-15 to Freedom.

Both are absolutely fascinating reads.

Airline Pilot Goes Off

Trouble is, he left the microphone on.

That reminds me of a story–not sure if it’s true, but heregoes…

A pilot, shortly after takeoff, left the intercom on, offered the following commentary to his co-pilot: “I could sure use a good blowjob and a cup of coffee right now!”

One of the flight attendants, realizing that the intercom was still on, rushed to the cockpit to alert the pilot about his faux pas.

A passenger chimed in: “Don’t forget the coffee!”

Air Traffic Control: So Easy a Child Can Do It

Well, not really. If this were Hollywood, it would be entertaining. Unfortunately, given that the incident may have emanated from a lax attitude toward professionalism, it is likely indicative of the need for fundamental change in the system.

One of the reasons I admire President Reagan was his willingness to fire the air traffic controllers, who went on strike even though they had agreed contractually not to do so.

This time, it is likely that some heads need to roll at the FAA.

What Were They REALLY Looking At?

The crew of Northwest Airlines Flight 188, which overshot their destination by 150 miles–and attracted the attention of the White House–first said they were arguing over airline policy. Now, the NTSB is saying that they were using their laptops.

Whatever they were preoccupied with, it was enough for them to fail to notice the air traffic controllers who were contacting them, and serious enough that they failed to notice the fighter jet that was trailing them.

Gee…I wonder what had them so distracted…