Aviation Safety

The takeoff and departure flight phase can be one of the more risky among instrument procedures, especially at night in IMC aviation. On one hand, the pilot is abruptly transitioning from a presumably well-lit runway and airport environment to flying on instruments near terrain. On another hand, the airplane may not be up to the […]

The AOPA Air Safety Institute (AOPA/ASI) recently released the latest in its continuing series of Joseph T. Nall Reports, the 31st. As with last year’s release of two years’ worth of data, AOPA/ASI is publishing the latest report on its web site, which allows it to provide monthly updates as new numbers flow in. As […]

The FAA’s Airplane Flying Handbook (AFH, FAA-H-8083-3C) describes energy management as “the process of planning, monitoring, and controlling altitude and airspeed,” which seems straightforward enough. Using the available tools, primarily pitch and power, we’re expected to attain and maintain “desired vertical flightpath-airspeed profiles, detect, correct and prevent “unintentional altitude-airspeed deviations” and prevent “irreversible deceleration and/or […]

I’m going to go out on a fairly stout limb with this statement: No pilot ever plans to become an accident statistic. Instead, we all approach every flight in the firm belief it will be successful or we don’t fly. Too often, of course, events conspire against us—or we screw up—and the flight’s outcome isn’t […]

One of my fondest memories in aviation was the first flight I took in a Skyhawk. Even though my parents kept a kindergarten assignment where I said my goal in life was to be a pilot (after my career as an astronaut and a monster truck driver), I did not pursue aviation until after my […]

Due to Alaska’s wide-ranging geography and limited road system, residents are heavily dependent upon air travel. In October, the FAA released the final report of its Alaska Aviation Safety Initiative (FAASI), which provides an up-to-date look at the continued problems plaguing the state’s aviation infrastructure. Completed in response to a 2020 recommendation from the NTSB, […]

One of the first things an instrument student learns is to scan instruments in the panel, or their EFIS presentation, to determine the aircraft’s attitude. Focusing only on the attitude indication initially, we slowly learn to expand our scan to other instruments, however they’re represented, both for confirmation of what the AI is telling us […]

As a VFR pilot who likes to fly at night, I enjoyed Jim Wolper’s “Prepping for Darkness,” September 2021), and a couple of additional points come to mind. First, up your personal weather minimums a lot—four-mile visibility might be fine during the day, but I won’t go unless it’s 10 at night. Second, beware the […]

I made another long cross-country in October, of about the same length as the one I documented in September’s issue (“If X, Then Y”). This one didn’t feature airport fuel farms with no 100LL, or a thunderstorm right over my destination when I wanted to use it, however. In fact, after delaying my planned departure for […]

Thanks to personal and professional responsibilities, I had been out of the cockpit for a few years. Eventually, the time and cash-flow limitations lessened and I found myself at the local FBO signing up to participate in their “rusty pilot” training program. The airplanes were in good shape and I was happy with the instruction, […]