David Thornton (Pilot Pundit)
@captainkudzu
Conservative Christian NeverTrumper. Cofounder of TheRacketNews.com. Full-time professional pilot. Hiker, runner.
Before anyone panics about the mail-voting EO, it’s not taking effect this year… if ever. www.yahoo.com/news/politic...
The blimp hangars at Lakehurst, NJ of Hindenburg fame. They are massive structures. #aviation
You know something is toxic when the MAGAs start denying the participants and claim it’s really antifa. January 6 was another example.
Happy 250th, America, from Georgia, where it’s got as a firecracker!🧨
Reading the definitive history of Guadalcanal (you know it’s definitive because it says so on the cover). Reading outside in this heat wave helps to immerse yourself in the story.
I continued a sometimes -tradition of riding my bike to my polling place, which is next to a pedestrian/cycling trail. #BikeTheVote
Historic marker denoting old farmhouse and slave quarters, Hackensack, NJ
I made a mistake. I accidentally put two books on reserve and they both came in at the same time and now I think the rest of my summer is booked up with about six inches of reading.
From a WAPO article about artists canceling Freedom 250 performances 😂😂😂 www.washingtonpost.com/style/2026/0...
Sounds like the White House shooter was another case of a mentally ill person with a gun. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Two legs. Done by 0900. Ate breakfast. Spending next 3 hours in Hard Rock Casino because the rooms at our hotel won’t be ready until 1400. #CorporatePilotLife #FirstWorldProblems
My youngest, my daughter, graduated high school today. I don’t know whether I’m more proud of her for her accomplishment or relieved at the end to the school calls, texts, and emails that require me to open an attachment or go to the secure message system.
So much winning. If Rasmussen has Democrats out front on immigration, the odds are good that it’s more than a 7-point split.
Lots of excitement about Rubio leading the Kalshi markets for president, but the interesting thing is he’s not favored to win the GOP nomination. Winning the presidency without the nomination would be a trick.
My best guess is that the pilots were concerned about the short runway and wanted to avoid being high and landing long. They may have trended low and might have experienced downdraft. A note about the PAPI says unusable 4° left of center, but the aircraft approached from north.
Google Maps shows the proximity of the road to runway 29. This part of NJ is very crowded and congested, both on the ground and in the air.
Weather was mostly clear, but with winds from west/northwest gusting to more than 30 knots. This would have probably been close to max crosswind component and required use of 29 to land into wind. It would have meant a rough ride and possible downdrafts.
Most visual approaches are not charted, but runway 29 had one. I don’t know if the aircraft was using this approach, but it does illustrate that straight -in was not possible due to Manhattan to the east. A low-altitude 90° turn from base to final was required from north or south
The runway data confirms a precision approach path indicator (PAPI), a visual confirmation of the glide path. This seems to have been operating. The usable landing distance was 6501 feet.
As you can see, runway 29 is shorter than the other runways and also has a displaced threshold, meaning that the first part of the runway cannot be used. Performance calculations would ensure that the length was enough for weight and conditions.