Aviation Safety

Cessna 12345, the tower is changing runways. Fly heading 040, direct TILLE to join the localizer for the ILS Runway 1R approach.” How many times have you heard something similar, if not for you then for another airplane on the frequency? If we or they are doing it right, the approach to the first runway […]

It was a moonless night in the valley, with a strong wind behind us from the north. I usually fly single-pilot, but that night I had a new hire, an old friend, with me. He was getting to know a new-to-him airplane. We talked about the terrain and the wind and the runway length, and […]

I have been around the airport water cooler for two different gear-up landings. The first was either a classic excuse or truly unfortunate set of circumstances. After touching the belly of the aircraft to the pavement without a nice, cushy set of wheels between the two, he hopped out of the airplane and declared that […]

Commercial air travel is by far the safest mode of modern transportation. General aviation, however, is not as safe. Many factors have improved both categories’ safety records over the years, but procedures and policies established by regulators/industry and implemented by commercial operators have been wildly succesful. These policies and procedures have been introduced over the […]

You would think pilots would have learned their lesson about messing with thunderstorms, especially landing in or near them. I mean, we’re almost 40 years beyond the defining moment in understanding wind shear and microbursts, the August 1985 crash of Delta Flight 191, a Lockheed L-1011, in Dallas, Texas. Add to that, many aircraft now […]

I enjoyed your article “VFR on an IFR Clearance” in the November 2021 issue. I owned and operated a King Air E90 for about 15 years and frequently flew into Watsonville Municipal (KWVI) near Monterey, California. Unless it was a short hop, I almost always flew on a full IFR flight plan and was almost always […]

How many times have you heard ATC say something like the above? What was your response? I bet the first reaction to such a statement was disbelief, followed by a tinge of anger and, finally, acceptance as you worked to come up with a Plan B. Somewhere in that mix of emotions and reactions, there […]

Cessna 152 Cracked Propeller Hub Propeller submitted for inspection and compliance with AD 10-04-05. Propeller (p/n 1A103TCM) was cracked along leading edge bolt holes beyond repair limits. Part total time: Unknown Cessna 152 Incorrectly Pitched Propeller This prop (p/n 72CKS6056) was purchased new and installed. It has been overspeeding by 25-50 rpm. Sent it to […]

As a student pilot, it amazed me how many nooks and crannies there were on the training airplanes I flew, plus the number of openings, doors, covers and access panels. I don’t know what I was expecting, but the fact all this is designed to be opened up for inspection and put back together took […]

September 2, 2021, Enterprise, Ore. Cessna 172E Skyhawk At about 1130 Pacific time, the airplane was substantially damaged when its nose wheel assembly failed and it departed the runway before nosing over onto its back. The pilot and passenger were not injured. Visual conditions prevailed. Just prior to lifting off from a grass strip, the […]