https://pjmedia.com/richardfernandez/2009/06/08/eyeoftheneedle/feed/PJ Media is a leading news site covering culture, politics, faith, homeland security, and more. Our reporters and columnists provide original, in-depth analysis from a variety of perspectives.en-usTue, 09 Jun 2026 22:20:48 -0400<![CDATA[Miles O&#8217;Brien, pilot and blogger, has a fascinating two part blog called &#8220;The ‘Coffin Corner’ and a ‘Mesoscale’ Maw&#8221;, which has been widely reprinted by Reuters. Its broad subject is what happens inside the narrow aerodynamic envelope that a modern jetliner inhabits for economic reasons.  It is near its maximum altitude where it must fly fast to maintain lift, but at which it has little or no reserve power in its engines, where the distance between stalling and overstressing the airframe can be only 25 knots wide. This was the situation that Air France Flight 447 must have been on the fateful night it disappeared. O&#8217;Brien writes:]]>Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:02:25 -0400<![CDATA[Richard Fernandez]]>https://pjmedia.com/richard-fernandez/2009/06/08/eyeoftheneedle-n188463