Alaska Airlines flight 1282, which lost a door plug mid-flight on January 5, 2024, sparked panic, fear, and uncertainty regarding the safety of airplanes, particularly those manufactured by Boeing. This blog post, featured on my passion blog for an honors rhetoric and civic life course during the Fall 2024 semester, provides the facts of the case, which are followed by an analysis of whether the airline or manufacturer (or both) is at fault. The post provides audiences that may not be acquainted with aviation terminology and procedures an understanding of the issue at hand, along with an exploration of the dangerous mistakes that led to it.
There is a question that every pilot has been asked at least once: “What made you want to become a pilot?” Superficially, the answer seems simple: because I’ve always found aviation interesting. In reality, flight training is demanding, and it takes a deeper level of motivation to continue learning to fly. This blog post, written for my honors rhetoric and civic life course during the Fall 2024 semester, explores my deeper motivations for working towards my Private Pilot’s License. In addition to sharing my aviation story, this blog is meant to encourage interested students to pursue flight training by highlighting the lasting effect it has had on me.