Aviation Safety

Ask any pilot in the lounge about oxygen and flying and youll get, Well, youve got to have oxygen on above 14,000 feet, and above 12,500 feet if youre going to be there for more than half an hour. Ask the same pilot how much oxygen and youre likely to get a puzzled look.

The FARs outline when to use oxygen and the Airmans Information Manual says cannulas may be used up to 18,000 feet. But other than that the aviation bibles are mute on the issue.

Pilots are left to guess how much oxygen they need as they climb into the oxygen altitudes.

In addition, lower fliers can be left wondering what to make of conflict between the regulatory oxygen altitudes and evidence that hypoxia…

The fear of stalls has led many pilots to grief. As they pad their airspeed to avoid stalling in the pattern, for example, they set themselves up for a poor approach and a less-than-optimal landing. Hounded over the years to avoid a low-altitude stall that can lead to a fatal spin, some pilots fear stalls like the plague.

There is no doubt that pilots should have a healthy respect for stalls, but they need not live in terror. Understanding stall factors can mean the difference between extracting the maximum capabilities from the airplanes flight envelope and just getting average performance.

Every pilot has learned, from the first days of pilot training, that an airplane in a bank h…

Sidle up to any pilot you see at the airport. Ask about his or her attitude toward safety. Whether flying the latest and greatest corporate jet or propping the most tired tube-and-fabric antique, that pilot will give the same answer.

Sure, Im a safe pilot. After all, its my behind thats riding just aft of the instrument panel.

Few people like to admit that they have shortcomings as pilots. And when they do, its usually tempered with some mitigating circumstance that demonstrates that bad things only happen to the other guy.

They dont fly instruments, but theyre conservative about the weather. They dont fly often, but when they do theyre extra careful. They skimp on mainte…

We had just had three to four weeks of absolutely beautiful late summer/early fall weather. I got in as much flying during that time as I could, but unfortunately other commitments prevented me from getting in more than a few hours.

I was buoyed by the knowledge that my wife and I were about to embark on an extended trip that would take us to a resort in South Carolina for a four-day stay, then on to a week in Florida visiting relatives, followed by a stop in Atlanta to visit our daughters family.

There were things that needed to be done to get the plane ready for the trip. In the last few weeks I had received two mandatory service bulletins on my 1995 A-36 Bonanza. Id also had a few…

Recently I strapped into the company Lance for the semi-annual Instrument Proficiency Check, which I take every six months regardless of my perceived proficiency or legal currency. For more than two hours, flight instructor extraordinaire Steve Brady had me put the airplane through its paces while he put my brain through paces of its own.

He kept looking for chinks in the armor, while I was determined to show as few as possible.

Steve is one of those flight instructors who knows that his job is more than pencil-whipping a log book. He probes for weaknesses and, once he finds them, assaults them mercilessly. As a consequence, flying with him is always demanding, exhausting and extremely…

The following information is derived from the FAAs Service Difficulty Reports and Aviation Maintenance Alerts. Click here to view “Airworthiness Directives.”

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Some current production aircraft and replacement fuel cap kits include metal retention chains. These aircraft, often not originally equipped with any type of fuel cap retention device, were not certificated to meet the lightning protection rules that are currently required. The current required lightning certification criteria, explained in FAA Advisory Circular 20-53A, recognizes the contribution of metal chains to the potential of fuel tank explosions induced by lightning st…

Ive subscribed to Aviation Safety for several years, and find it to be the most educational and useful publication in our circle. Thats why I was so surprised to see How Low Can You Go? [Proficiency, December].

A 4-page article dedicated solely to avoiding power lines? Is this a common problem that pilots routinely experience in normal flight regimes?

Mr. Snyder makes several poor excuses for those who operate aircraft dangerously low, and does not once mention the proper procedures for inadvertent flight into IMC.

And as far as short-field operations are concerned, use the performance specs published in the aircraft flight manual. If the numbers say you wont clear an obstac…

The following briefs were selected from the 98 preliminary reports filed with the NTSB in January 2000. Statements in quotes were taken directly from the NTSB documents. The information is subject to change as the investigations are completed. Click here to view “Accident Totals, January.”

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Jan. 2, Telluride, Colo.
Cessna Golden Eagle
At approximately 09:50 MST, a Cessna 421B crashed while maneuvering near Telluride. IMC prevailed but the pilot was not instrument rated and had not filed a flight plan. The flight had departed Montrose, Colo., approximately 30 minutes before the accident, en route to El Paso, Texas….

The accident record of overshoots and undershoots makes it clear that some people dont practice maximum performance landings enough, but you dont have to review the statistics to convince yourself its true.

Just sit out where you can watch the touchdown zone at an airport with a relatively long runway. Airplane after airplane will show that the pilot cares less about style points than somehow getting the thing on the ground.

Some will dive in at the speed of blazing heat and float halfway down the runway. Some will come in high and land 2,500 feet from the approach end. In either case, touchdown may be followed by the squeal of tires and a half-mile back taxi to the ramp.

A fe…

Moving maps may be what sell the top-of-the-line handheld GPS units, but one of the niftiest features common to all GPS units is the nearest feature that points you at the closest airports as quickly as you can push the buttons. Its a good one, for sure, but doesnt relieve you of your responsibility to constantly update your engine-out plan.

The moment of power loss is very, very busy. I have been there. After a rapid diagnosis of the problem and trimming for best glide, the next item is Where am I going? If youre flying IFR, Center may be of assistance – or maybe not, as the occupants of an MU2 found out in 1993 on their way into an Iowa barnyard.

The push of a button (or seve…