Jay Hopkins

The title of a short Associated Press article in a USA Today dated Nov. 30, 2009, said, “Pilots flying on empty baffle NTSB.” Tom Haueter, director of the NTSB’s Office of Aviation Safety, was quoted as saying, “It’s surprising to me that there’s a group of pilots who will knowingly push it, thinking, ‘I can […]

In my 45-year flying career I have been fortunate to experience many of the different ways to earn money as a pilot. Occasionally I am asked what the best flying job is. I have to answer, “That depends. … It depends on the kind of person you are, what kind of flying you like to […]

I have noticed a number of letters to the editor over the years that lament the fact that most of the training and safety articles seem to be about accidents. A few people have even indicated they were scared away from flying by the many accident stories. There is a very important reason many articles […]

I was really surprised. I was looking at a chart that depicted the number of fatal accidents that occurred in the commercial jet fleet throughout the world between 1999 and 2008 (available at boeing.com/news/techissues/pdf/statsum.pdf). It showed that Loss of Control In-flight (LOC-I), with 22 accidents, easily beat the nearest contender, Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT), […]

I like to record the History Channel on my DVR and then play back the shows while I am working out, something I call “learn while you burn.” Many of the shows I record relate to my work teaching error prevention, and I am always looking for examples I can use in my training. A […]

A pilot was climbing through 800 feet in instrument conditions in a Cirrus SR22 when he reported that his vertical speed indicator was jumping between zero and 2,000 fpm. Shortly after that, his altimeter began acting erratically, with large deviations. The pilot requested to return to his departure airport. Then he reported his attitude indicator […]

Words have a lot of power. Certain words can immediately hurt someone’s feelings. Other words can reassure. Some of the most dangerous words provide a false reassurance, and should never be used by a pilot. In a recent FAASTeam Safety Tip (faasafety.gov), Max Trescott, the 2008 National CFI of the year, warned pilots about the […]

It seems like one of the simplest flights possible. Grab your flight bag and head off to the airport to practice some touch-and-goes. There is obviously no need for flight planning. The weather is beautiful and forecast to stay that way, so there is no need to check the weather. You are not planning to […]

The Cessna 310R departed Daytona Beach International Airport at 8:22 a.m., on a trip to Lakeland, Florida. The commercial pilot in the left seat was acting as pilot in command, while the ATP-rated pilot in the right seat functioned as a safety pilot. The NTSB report states that about 10 minutes later, shortly after reaching […]

Military pilots have a phrase they use called “check six.” It reminds them how important it is to always keep checking their 6 o’clock position to make sure an enemy pilot is not sneaking up behind them. Civilian pilots should use a similar phrase, “check final,” to remind ourselves to always check to make sure […]