Captain Ben Rich is an Aviation Enrichment Speaker with a broad and diverse aviation background including positions as an Airline Captain, Aircraft Accident Investigator and Air Traffic Control Specialist. Captain Rich’s experience includes 39 years and over 15,000 hours of active flying concurrent with 25 years of Aircraft Accident Investigation in addition to 10 years of Air Traffic Control Operations experience. He commanded large Air Force Cargo and Aero Medical Evacuation aircraft as well as several commercial airliners including B-777 Jumbo Jets flying to six continents.

He participated in seven National Transportation Safety Board accident investigations and numerous U. S. Air Force investigations plus he was a fully qualified Air Traffic Control specialist in three Control Towers and one Terminal Radar Approach Control. Captain Rich has published numerous aviation articles and still consults part time as an Airline Operations Subject Matter Expert.

His broad and diverse background gives Captain Rich a unique insight into airline operations, air traffic control, and aviation safety and his 13 presentations will be an asset to your on-board enrichment program. They are not only geared to delight your cruising audiences with a behind the scenes look at the Aviation Industry for the purpose of dispelling flying fears many of our audience members have, but they are also informative and entertaining. Captain Ben Rich is also able to host ad-hoc round table discussions to complete your scheduling and passenger entertainment needs.

Captain Rich has presented Aviation on Viking Ocean, Princess Cruises, Celebrity Cruises and Starclippers.

Topic #1 - AIRLINE MYTHS - DEBUNKING THE INTERNET MISINFORMATION!
I take the audience behind the scenes of Airline Operations for the purpose of dispelling internet fueled myths and rumors that lead to passenger frustration. We will look at the Art of Gate Swapping when your arrival gate is “Occupied” but you can see other available gates. We will discuss the truth behind Cellular Phone restrictions on aircraft. We will look at those annoying last minute Flight Attendant directed seat changes that delay departures for no apparent reason, and we might even discuss the truth behind airline food and lost baggage.

Topic #2 - CRUISE SHIPS OF THE SKY PART 1 - THE ZEPPELINS!
In the early 20th century, the only way to travel from the Americas to Europe was to book a voyage on a luxurious ocean liner where the standards for travel were set. We’ll look at how Baron von Zeppelin adopted these exquisite standards in his “Zeppelins” and enabled passengers to cross the Atlantic Ocean while enjoying comforts previously experienced only on ocean liners while cutting Trans-Atlantic travel time in half.

Topic #3 - CRUISE SHIPS OF THE SKY PART 2 - THE CHINA CLIPPERS!
As the 20th century progressed, innovative entrepreneurs like Juan Trippe extended the luxury only found in ocean liners and Zeppelins to fixed-wing seaplanes through the development of the China Clipper fleet of Pan American airlines. We will examine the development of larger and more luxurious aircraft and how they completed Trippe’s vision of travel around South America and across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans in luxurious accommodations which had only been dreamed about.

Topic #4 - THE LONG WAY HOME-THE AROUND THE WORLD NAVIGATION OF THE PACIFIC CLIPPER
Trapped in Auckland, New Zealand on December 8th, 1941 at the start of World War 2 and their return through Hawaii no longer available, we will follow the crew through their Westward circum-navigation around the world to return their Boeing 314 Pacific Clipper back to the safety of the United States.

Topic #5 - AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL PART 1 - THE FIRST 70 YEARS (1903-1973)!
Probably the least understood facet of aviation, I will take the audience through the first 70 years of Air Traffic Control from the Wright Brother’s first flight in 1903 to the massive ATC expansion of the 1930s-1950s and look at the people who made this possible. We will dive into the transition from a non-Radar environment to constant Radar monitoring and the innovations made necessary by the introduction of jet transports like the Boeing 707 and DC-8. Finally, we will examine how airspace capacity increased while the highest safety standards continue to be met.

Topic #6 - AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL PART 2 - THE NEXT 50 YEARS (1973-2023)!
The 1970s saw massive introductions of technologies that helped both the ATC Specialist and the aircrew. The adoption of satellite technology greatly enhanced the control of oceanic flights as well as aircraft in remote areas with little or no Radar coverage, and how this technology will influence future ATC requirements and operations.

Topic #7 - AIRCRAFT MISHAP INVESTIGATION - A VIEW FROM THE INSIDE!
A look at the NTSB investigative process from the eyes of an insider. I call upon my participation in seven NTSB investigations to take the audience through the process by which investigators determine the Probable Cause for the purpose of preventing a repeat mishap. We will review the “feel-good” story of USAir 1539 and their safe water landing on the Hudson River while reviewing the lessons learned from this event.

Topic #8 - THE BOEING 737 MAX - INVESTIGATION FACTS AND FICTION!
Boeing and their 737 MAX were the topic of negative publicity after the investigations of two MAX accidents in 2018 and 2019. The worldwide fleet was grounded for almost two years while Boeing redesigned both software and training requirements and we will look at the “facts” found in the actual mishap investigations and have a discussion reviewing if the groundings were warranted or based on political rhetoric and grandstanding.

Topic #9 - AVIATION & CRUISE GEOGRAPHY or how AIRPORTS MEET CRUISING!
While almost 100% of all cruise passengers enjoy at least one commercial flight either “to” or “from” their cruise, we take the international airports we transit for granted. Through this presentation, we will take a deeper look at these important landmarks through their International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) airport codes, and we’ll discuss historical and geographic specifics of each airport.

Topic #10 - CHARLES LINDBERGH - THE "LINDY" WE NEVER KNEW!
Everyone is aware of Charles Lindbergh's famous flight from New York to Paris in 1927, but very few people are aware of his participation in the development of the U.S. Air Mail system or his role in building Pan Am into a true international airline. We will look at several other aspects of Lindberg's life including his political participation in the 1930's and his fearless participation in flying over 50 Pacific combat missions against the Japanese for the Marines and Army Air Corps in WW2.

Topic #11 - HOLLYWOOD GOES TO WAR!
We will look at famous Hollywood and Sports stars who took time off from very successful careers to serve in our military during armed conflicts but never received the credit they deserve. Our discussion will include such stars as Jimmy Stewart, Ted Williams, Eddie Albert and others.

Topic #12 - AMERICAN WOMEN IN SPACE!
I will present an overview of the top American women who contributed to making the United States Space Program the success that it is and how their individual participation directly contributed to this success. We will look at how these ladies, who flew into space as many as five times, contributed to the success of their missions only to return to orbit over and over again.

Topic #13 - AVIATION HISTORY PRESENTED WITH A TWIST!
I will present 20 areas of Aviation History in the form of a fun and informative trivia format with each answer leading to discussion on specific aviation developments, events and personalities.

Topic #14 - WORLD TRAVEL HISTORY PRESENTED WITH A TWIST!
This Travel Trivia presentation examines 15 Global Travel Firsts and includes a discussion of the impact of each event on the history of the travel industry. We will examine various aspects of travel from the first airport hotel to the first hotel room service to the first global car rental service and probably most important, the first airport catered meals to be enjoyed inflight.

Topic #15 - HOST AD HOC ROUND TABLE DISCUSSIONS ON AVIATION!
By hosting an "informal session" away from the formality of official presentations, guests who might be otherwise reluctant to pose questions can take advantage of this informal setting and have their questions and concerns addressed in a conversational setting.

Captain Ben Rich is a renowned Aviation Speaker with an extensive background as an Airline Captain, Air Traffic Control (ATC) Specialist and Aircraft Accident Investigator. He has been chosen to speak on Viking Ocean, Celebrity and Star Clippers.

PAST CRUISES
Royal Caribbean Quantum of the Seas 2-10 Oct 2023 - 8 Night Hawaii Cruise (YVR-HNL)

The following recent Cruise History has been recorded for this candidate.