Salon :: Tech & Business

Ask the pilot: Why are ramen noodles a pilot's best friend? Plus: Northwest retires the DC-10, Boeing marks a milestone, and the heartbreak of Air-India's terrible new look

On Saturday, Jan. 6, the aviation world was rocked by tragic news. Momofuku Ando died of a heart attack in Japan at age 96. Ando was the inventor of instant ramen noodles.

If you fail to grasp why ramen noodles would be an imperative part of my repertoire, you've never been a very hungry and very broke pilot checking into a motel at midnight for an eight-hour layover. There are tastier things to eat, but ramen is cheap, it never goes bad, and its rapid cookability ensures you're rested in time for that 6:30 wakeup call.

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