Aviation Safety

On June 30, 2020, during a night training mission, F-16 pilot First Lieutenant David Schmitz damaged his landing gear striking an antenna array as he attempted to land at Shaw Air Force Base. The 32-year-old Air Force pilot was nearing his 100th hour in the fighter jet. He was unable to make the cable arrest […]

Stop me if you’ve heard this story before. Some of the details may vary here and there, but the general plot is always the same. I had a morning departure time, right in that sweet spot where you are going to hit rush hour traffic no matter what time you leave. We rush to get […]

I was recently listening to AOPA’s podcast There I Was… during my drive to work. For those who are not aware, it’s a podcast that invites us into the cockpit of aviators as they encounter unpredictable situations, and we learn from their experience to improve our own skills and aeronautical decision-making. After all, it is a […]

It was delightful to see Ryan Motte’s thorough article on the circling approach (“The Lost Art Of Circling,” June 2021). It contained everything except the actual technique of flying such an approach. A couple of decades ago, a guy who began his career flying DC-3s into small airports in the Midwest with North Central Airlines […]

Buried down deep in the dense recesses of the FAA’s FDC Notams is one mandating that “aviators shall review” the FAA’s Aeronautical Information Manual and the interception procedures found in Paragraph 5-6-2. The Notam, FDC 4/4386, dated May 19, 2004, goes on to state, “all aircraft operating in United States national airspace, if capable, shall […]

Beechcraft A36 Bonanza Damaged Camshaft Gear Teeth During climbout, pilot heard engine noise. At 6000 feet agl, engine was shut down and pilot landed at nearest airport. Engine tear down revealed approximately 12 cam gear teeth damaged on p/n 655516A. Part total time: Unknown Cessna 172M Skyhawk Premature Camshaft Wear During a 100-hour inspection, cylinder […]

It was a beautiful day over South Florida, perfect for my flight instructor’s mission of racking up some practice approaches. I was in the right seat, acting as her safety pilot. We had chosen some non-towered airports for this practice, and were acutely aware we weren’t the only people out flying this fine day. In […]

April 1, 2021, Augusta, Kan. Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee 140 At about 1630 Central time, the airplane was substantially damaged during a forced landing following an engine power loss. The two pilots aboard were not injured. Visual conditions prevailed. The pilot-in-command reported that he was performing a practice VOR/DME-A instrument approach with a safety pilot. Shortly […]

About this time each year, this magazine includes some admonishments to those planning to fly to an airshow. They can be as basic as recommending familiarity with an associated Notam or include a detailed analysis of the challenges. In either case, risk-management concepts like checking and understanding weather, and avoiding such human foibles as “get-there-itis,” […]

There’s no question the global positioning system, GPS, has revolutionized the way everyone on the planet navigates. In little more than 25 years, the technology has become ubiquitous in automobiles, cellular phones and cameras, to name only a few devices. Oh, and aircraft surveillance/navigation systems, too, which may be its most critical application. None of […]