Most pilots can tell you when they caught “the flight bug” - that distinct moment when they fell in love with flight and knew they’d never be content on the ground. For Capt. William F. Allen (Northwest, Retired), the flight bug started as something quite different: a case of tonsillitis. 

It’s finally here! Election Day in the United States. After taking a trip to the polls to cast your vote, we thought this would be a good time to highlight ALPA’s Executive Vice President elections that took place in October, including the first female pilot to serve as an ALPA EVP.  

Special Guest Commentary by Capt. Raul Ryder

This weekend, November 6, marks the end of Daylight Saving Time (DST). Don't forget to set your clocks back one hour before going to sleep on Saturday. But take it easy in Arizona and Hawaii—these states have ditched the practice and follow the same clock year-round.

The P-51 Mustang: it aided the Allied Forces of World War II and was deemed “the most aerodynamically perfect pursuit plane in existence” by the Truman Senate War Investigating Committee in 1944. It’s a legendary aircraft and an icon of American aviation history. Just ask United Captain Larry Lumpkin, who helps keep this celebrated warbird’s legacy alive, 70 years later, by flying Gunfighter for the Commemorative Air Force (CAF).

Robert A. “Bob” Hoover died Tuesday at the age of 94, a pioneer who paved the way for the future of aviation. Widely regarded as the “pilot’s pilot,” Hoover flew 58 missions during World War II before being shot down and spending 16 months as a prisoner of war. He escaped from the POW camp, stole a German FW-190, and flew back to Allied territory.

After the war, Hoover trained as a test pilot and was backup for Chuck Yeager during the testing of the Bell X-1’s push to break Mach 1. He later became an aerobatic pilot—first flying a P-51 Mustang and later his trademark Shrike Commander—thrilling millions over five decades with his flight maneuvers and “managed energy” routines, including single-engine and engine-out aerobatics. In his memory, ALPA pilots submitted their reflections and personal stories of the late Bob Hoover.