Phil Derner

Who am I? I’ve spent 20+ years in aviation: dispatch, ops, safety, news media, writing, public speaking, gov affairs, and advocacy. I connect people, amplify voices, and bridge the gap between flight, the public, and the boardroom. I serve this industry with heart, hustle, and New Yorker honesty.

Someone needs to teach the younger generation that it’s not ok to just run up the aisle to try to get off the airplane first once the seatbelt sign is shut off. Wait your turn.

SAN Diego Airport TSA Pre Check took about one hour this morning. Longest I’ve ever seen it. Both Pre and regular lines were out Terminal 2 and reached the parking lot.

Newsletter just went out to subscribers. It's Part 1 because I only made it thru the '80s in looking at how politicians have been involved in DCA airspace rules. It's so easy to blame the FAA, but we can not ignore Congress. /1 colleenmondor.substack.com/p/41-dca-air...

My latest article… open.substack.com/pub/phildern...

Need a last minute gift for the aviation pro and/or avgeek in your life? Give the gift of deep industry insight with a subscription to The Air Current! theaircurrent.memberful.com/gift?plan=41...

Recent calls for passengers to dress better on airplanes often lean on a mythical era of glamorous air travel, but you’ve been lied to. My latest article...

Cargo pilots fly through the same skies, and face the same risks, but when one crashes, not every tragedy trends. This article revisits 3 UPS crashes that changed lives and quietly influenced safety for everyone who flies today. Read or listen here: open.substack.com/pub/phildern...

The most uninformed and the least well-intended will be the first to politicize tragedy. Keep that in mind over the coming hours and days. RIP #UPS2976

Reminder to people, especially dispatchers, to keep your FAA certificate updated with your current address! Or like I had to do, change my hair color from brown to bald. No option for shaved. :p

The 3 events that tell of how MD-80s and Runway 13 were not BFFs.

While conducting research, I am amazed how much information I come across on plane crashes that never even happened. Generated by both AI and passionate enthusiasts, I worry that crawlers or unknowing researchers will lump these into real crash stats, altering industry and public perception.

My good friend Andrew, who has over 20 years in airport ops and management, sat down with me to discuss a video of a Delta 767 engine fire that took place in 1996. With radio chatter between ATC, pilots, and ARFF, we see the event unfold and learn how things have changed over the last 3 decades.

I’m confused. News or Opinion? You literally can’t be both. If you admit you’re injecting your opinion, then we can’t trust your news.

I'm writing a long article, likely around 9,000-11,000 words. I'm planning on publishing on my Substack as a 5-10 part series, but curious your thoughts. Do you enjoy super long form, or digestible parts with strong standalone stories?

I was a 757 loadmaster/dispatcher, know hundreds of pilots, have read everything on my favorite, active airliner. I never heard "Atari Ferrari." A search only shows this article. I think someone overstated this to the writer. Still, the reasons are correct. A good read on an underrated aircraft.

Are we not asked to arrive at the airport two hours early anymore? If we are, why are check in counter and TSA not open 2 hour prior?

I've always been blown away how old-time journalism meant adding someone's home address every time you mention them. "The only injured person was John Marbury, 32, of 134 Parsons Blvd, Bayside, N.Y.,..." Why was this a thing? haha

Air India Flight 171: Let’s Pump the Brakes There’s a lot of noise out there. Before jumping to conclusions, let’s take a moment to understand a few things about the Air India investigation. #AI171

YouTube is about to see my VHS-converted NYC planespotting tapes from the early 2000s. Part 1 has the final BA Concorde, MD-80 powerback, LGA Expressway Visual s-turns, go arounds, and more. Not even remotely HD. ;)

The #DaleFire, 15 miles east of Temecula, is the first wildfire of the season in my region that brought such a wide range of aircraft types: DC-10, C-130s, BAe-146, MD-87, S-2, OV-10, S-61L, C-47, S-60/70, Bell 429, and I'm surely missing some. I hate NEEDING to see them, but glad they're here.

Totally unrelated to anything going on out there, but... "Suicide by pilot" can only be applied where the pilot in question is alone. Any other associated fatality is straight murder. Do not conflate or confuse heartbreaking suicide with those who chose to take others with them.

My new TravelPro checked bag came! And FedEx gave it the Spirit Airlines treatment. Geez. (Bag is fine)

Not my brightest moment, but that sure was exciting!

A 767 suffered a main landing gear collapse back in 2023. It was determined that the gear had been overhauled at an MRO, using a mis-calibrated grinder. In early 2024 Boeing and the MRO realized this could also affect gear for 166 737s and 20 757s. An AD is now forthcoming for both types. #AvGeek

If you saw this an aircraft on approach in the fog 1,504ft off the ground 8 miles away from an airport... ...drop to 248ft off the ground 1min later when 5 miles out... ...then climb up to 961ft when 3 miles out... ...would you think this was almost controlled flight into terrain?

In which I write a bit about Air India, the DC midair, the rocky FAA & DOT relationship, & Robert Oppenheimer. Includes a couple of shout outs to @leahsottile.bsky.social & @amartini.bsky.social. We've got ourselves a update-style newsletter, y'all. colleenmondor.substack.com/p/29-updates...

HELP! I'm buying luggage. Large, checked bag for carrying suits and stuff for those week-long trips. Best brands and deals? I want to be thorough before I go to my default of TravelPro.

Over my house today again, and again at 600ft, 12 miles out. Certainly not a complaint. Just wondering why.

Taking a moment to grasp the reality behind audio recordings of disaster...

NASA’s P-3 Orion, N426NA, seems to be doing a little tour of SoCal. Surprised to see it 600ft off the ground 12 miles out from March Air Base. Not complaining! Now going over Salton Sea at 750ft, not slowly, either.

The greatest callsign in the US military is "DEATH" which is used by B-2s. Though they didn't use that callsign in the Iran attack, and considering that people refer to the B-2 as a flying Dorito, I've been hoping we see the callsigns of NACHO or RANCH from them at some point.

Not trying to judge how folks handle their aviation content, but rushing to post a YouTube video with no real details, because there are no firm details, just for the sake of being "first," tells me everything I need to know about you. #AI171

Today was a very busy day, but in the back of my day I've been pretty bothered since I learned that Pratt & Whitney is sending their 747SP to EAA AirVenture and I won't be able to go and touch it.

For over 10 years, people have been asking what my theory is on #MH370...

Did someone mis-schedule an April Fools post? What is this?

After 11 years, I'm finally writing an article with my thoughts on #MH370. I'm actually not kidding.

Points transfer from Chase to any of 3 airlines. Avios (to book Alaska through British) won't let me type in my birthday (3/18) when registering. Virgin Flying Club (to book Delta) pushes me to book through Virgin site, which is not showing codeshare partners. Looks like JetBlue it is.

If schedule, pax experience, and route options are not an issue, should I transfer my Chase to points to Virgin (to fly Delta) or JetBlue, for a domestic transcon?

Vegetation Fire in Perris, 1-2 acres, potential for 10 acres, moderate rate of spread, named #RichardFire. Air Attack 310, Tankers 72 and 73, and Copter 609 inbound and arriving above.

Trying to keep a positive spin on this, so… Does this mean LaGuardia is gonna get a visit from a 747-8i?

Many have had their eyes on this bill in Washington State, which seeks to harm all aspects of non-airline aviation. If you live in Washington, I urge you to learn about this and submit your comments to the Governor using the link within the article.

These were not "aborted landings." They were "go arounds," assigned by Air Traffic Control, that were purely precautionary out of an abundance of caution. There was no immediate danger. This is what is SUPPOSED to happen. This is a safety win.

Anyone else see Netflix's "Carry-On?" Fine flick, and I'm ok with various creative liberties taken, but my only aviation gripe is that our hero found a belt loader that: 1) Worked 2) Went more than 2mph

Archer, United announce New York routes as air taxi companies maneuver for position theaircurrent.com/feed/dispatc... (via @elanhead.com) #staycurrent

“I don’t understand this, so therefore the cause can only be nefarious, and I shouldn’t have to spend time trying to learn how this actually works.” - Chemtrail believers

I don’t think it’s pedantic or pretentious to discredit someone who doesn’t know standard terminology in an industry. The moment you say “aircrafts,” you’ve shown you should not be trusted to be an authority, or in a leadership position, in aviation.