Come on guys, give the writer some slack.
This is an article for a features section of a national newspaper, not for an enthusiasts mag. I think the tone was just about right. Yes, there are some factual inaccuracies, some of the 'dumbing down' of aviation terms for the layman could have been done in a better manner, but as you suggest FNG these are probably the hand of an ignorant sub-editor rather than the author himself. None of them seriously spoil the flow of an otherwise fair and entertaining article, which even goes some way to dispel some common aviation myths.
In the days of regular aviation bashing by the ignorant majority in the press we should welcome more balanced articles like this, rather than ridicule them in this way. It could be a hell of a lot worse!