John Thompson

Boeing 777 First Officer for a major airline and consultant helping companies with future learning, flight simulation, and acquisition issues.

[KC-10 Driver ✈️ 👨‍✈️ B-737 Wrangler @MCCCANM]

Blood clots & airplanes is a very bad combination.

Many pilots wear compression socks. Staying hydrated (water) helps, as well – my airline by contract has to provide us a bottle of water every flight.

I slide my seat back in cruise to stretch my legs, so the knees aren’t bent at a 90° angle for a prolonged period.

Every few hours, we’ll stand up & stretch. In Widebodies, you can often do it without leaving the cockpit, but on the 737 that’s tough. So, you’ll see some of us stretching after a bathroom break, chatting to the Flight Attendant.

In any event, I hope he makes a full recovery.

[Desiree @DesireeAmerica4]

The NFL and the Philadelphia Eagles almost killed Jalen Hurts for a Week 5 international showcase.

​The full details of what happened behind closed doors in London just surfaced, and the negligence is staggering.

​Before kickoff in London, Hurts was in a hospital bed until 4:00 AM undergoing emergency vascular testing. Medical staff instructed him not to sleep because sleep was considered an active health risk.

​Instead of shutting down their $255 million franchise quarterback, the team cleared him to play 60 minutes of brutal, high-impact collision football on zero sleep.

​Then, they loaded him onto a pressurized, 8-hour transatlantic flight back to Philadelphia.

​Every doctor on the planet knows that long-haul flights and cabin pressure are the exact triggers that cause lower-extremity blood clots to break free. The Eagles spent days assuring the public it was just a "minor, superficial calf clot".

​Now the truth comes out: the clot dislodged, shot through his bloodstream, and caused multiple pulmonary emboli in his lungs.

​Hurts is officially out for the season, placed on blood thinners where taking a single routine tackle could cause a fatal internal hemorrhage.

​He isn't just lucky to play football again, he is lucky to be alive.

​When the NFL preaches "player safety," remember this moment. They ran a human being into the ground for television ratings in the UK, almost lost him to a preventable medical catastrophe, and cratered their entire season in the process.

​Who inside that building signed off on letting him play and board that flight?

[Chief Nerd @TheChiefNerd]

🚨 Stephen A. Smith Reacts to Eagles QB Jalen Hurts Being Out for the Season After Multiple Blood Clots Were Discovered on His Lungs

“He's an elite athlete, who obviously prides himself on taking great care of himself and his body. I don't know how this has happened … It's very odd.”

[Buzz Patterson @BuzzPatterson]

I retired as an O-5. Promoted early every time. When I commanded at USAFA, they tried to promote to 0-6 twice. Once early, once on time. When I told the Superintendent I was done, he stood up behind his desk and yelled, “Don’t you want to be like me!?”

“No sir, I don’t.”

I was out. It was sad.

[John Solomon @jsolomonReports]

.@TPostMillennial Oregon adults have the highest rate of mental illness in the US at 31.6% https://t.co/lxJLgO3I9s

[Catturd ™ @catturd2]

Holy crap - now I can see why they had the bodycam sealed for three years.

[Jerry Pike @JerryPikePhoto]

Humans for Scale

[Buzz Patterson @BuzzPatterson]

I completely agree with this. We beat feet.

This had to have been a SERIOUS threat. And the UK bungled it. Again.

[Ugochukwu Ugwoke, ISch @FrUgochukwu]

Some facts about St. Francis of Assisi you may find interesting:

• He was born into wealth: Francis was born around 1181/1182 to a prosperous merchant family, but eventually renounced his wealth to embrace radical Gospel poverty.

• He was not a priest: Francis was ordained a deacon, but never became a priest. He founded the Order of Friars Minor - the Franciscans.

• He received the stigmata: In 1224, Francis received the wounds of Christ in a mystical experience on Mount La Verna, making him one of the earliest well-documented figures associated with the stigmata.

• He preached to animals: Francis is famous for his love of creation, and several early sources recount stories of him preaching to birds and other creatures. His Canticle of the Creatures expresses this profound spirituality.

• He met the Sultan: During the Fifth Crusade, Francis travelled to Egypt and met Sultan al-Malik al-Kamil. His courage in crossing enemy lines to speak with a Muslim ruler remains one of the most remarkable episodes of his life.

• He helped popularize the Christmas Nativity scene: In 1223, at Greccio, Francis arranged a living representation of the Nativity to help people contemplate the mystery of Christ's birth.

• He had a deep devotion to the Eucharist: Francis repeatedly urged his brothers to treat the Eucharist with profound reverence and called priests to recognize the extraordinary dignity of the ministry entrusted to them.

• He died young: Francis died on October 3, 1226, at about 44 years of age, and was canonized less than two years later by Pope Gregory IX.

• His influence continues to this day: His spirituality of poverty, simplicity, peace, fraternity, and care for creation has influenced generations of Christians and continues to inspire people far beyond the Franciscan family.

St. Francis of Assisi, pray for us🙏

[Fr. Gabriel T Mosher, OP @lukei4655]

Finally a bishop who understands!!!

[Untold War Stories @UntoldWarFacts]

An American pilot spent almost 16 months inside a German POW camp.

Then he escaped.

He found a German Fw 190, climbed inside a fighter he had never flown before and stole it.

Then he flew it to freedom.

Somehow, that wasn't even the most remarkable part of his flying career.

This is the story of Bob Hoover..🧵1/6

[SaltyGoat @SaltyGoat17]

If neither Jack Smith nor Anthony Fauci end up going to prison after what they've done why do we even have laws?

[Fahad Naim @Fahadnaimb]

7° on a 787 pedal is a shove. Resting your feet does not get you there.

Read the Munich number. 7.2° on the left pedals. Thought I’d just go feel it.

Opened the 787 maint brakes page. Pushed the left pedals. To get to about 7–9° I had to put real force into it. Resting your feet on the pedal does not get you there. You’re working the toe.

Then the Pedal position moved. EBA force up. Brakes commanded. That’s all I needed to see.

Report, 15 Aug 2026, Vietnam Airlines 787 out of Munich: left brake and rudder pedal movement recorded twice on the roll. Max 7.2°. Left BSCU ~27%, right ~17%. Speed stuck near 168 kt for about 18 seconds. Late takeoff, tail, lights. Everyone walked. Cause not decided.

I still don’t know what that crew’s feet were doing. I know what 7° takes on the pedal I just pressed.

[John Thompson @LearnAndFly]

Not sure they will put up with multiple launches per day as planned.

[Joe Tegtmeyer 🚀 🤠🛸😎 @JoeTegtmeyer]

Starship Flight 14 launch and orbit was a success, but what did the launch sound and feel like form Port Isabel, about 5 miles away?

Here is a visual & audio experience almost as good as being there! If you haven't been to a Starship launch, you really need to plan a trip! @esherifftv

Sound UP!

[MLB @MLB]

Justin Verlander says goodbye to his teammates

And then holds his daughter’s hand as he leaves the mound 🥹

[Scott Bateman MBE @scottiebateman]

Over the past few weeks we’ve seen a number of bonkers glider videos but this one wins. Low level aerobatics… then a finals turn that was almost their last.

The accident report is in the comments. The most astonishing thing, is that they both survived this crash.

[Aviation @xAviation]

This is one of the most punishing certification tests any airliner must survive - Rejected Takeoff (RTO)

For certification, Boeing accelerates the 777 to just below V1 at around 775,000 lb (351 tons), then cuts thrust and applies maximum braking. The airplane has seconds to go from full power to a complete stop.

The sideways drift comes from pure physics: enormous inertia, uneven tire grip, and an anti-skid system riding the edge of a skid. Brake temperatures spike until they glow, and fuse plugs in the wheels are designed to let the tires deflate safely if they get too hot.

[John Thompson @LearnAndFly]

She needs some serious help with public relations!

[New York Post @nypost]

First female Archbishop of Canterbury revokes award she gave on 9/11 to Muslim cleric who praised bin Laden https://t.co/KrBmWi10zq

[John Thompson @LearnAndFly]

The difference being that TWA 800 investigation blamed the wiring for the pumps while the KC-135 problem was bearings in the pumps and how the pumps sometimes ran with the switch to off.

[Campbell @boomers_ass]

Both crewmembers were Boom Operators doing their post flight duties shutting down the boom pod.

Also, just another KC-135 blew up in while flying in the pattern at Loring AFB, ME. Same issue, over heated air refueling fuel pump.

And there is one thing of importance to note about these overheated fuel pumps... in the KC-135 they are hydraulically driven and they are very high volume.

On the 747 center body fuel pumps, they are electric and low volume in comparison.

[Vatican News @VaticanNews]

At the Sunday Angelus, Pope Leo XIV marvels that God's ways are not our ways and that His plans are infinitely greater than we could possibly imagine.