Long-time readers may recall my earlier screeds about the threat of privatizing the nations air traffic control system. The most serious attempt to privatize ATC is found in legislation pending before the U.S. House of Representatives, H.R. 2997, the 21st Century Aviation Innovation, Reform, and Reauthorization Act, or simply the 21st Century AIRR Act. In addition to privatizing the U.S. ATC system, the bill funds FAA programs for a multiyear period.
If I could only subscribe to a single aviation magazine, it would have to be Aviation Safety. Its that good. In the December 2017 article, Say Approach Request, while discussing the RNAV (GPS) Runway 35 approach at the Asheville, N.C., Regional Airport (KAVL), you say that circling west of the runway is not authorized at night. Then you say that circling west is legal in daytime, but not recommended because of the brown bits on the chart.
October 1, 2017, Klamath Falls, Ore.Cirrus Design SR22At about 1043 Pacific time, the airplane was destroyed when it impacted terrain while maneuvering in a remote mountainous area. The private pilot and the passenger received fatal injuries. Instrument conditions were reported in the area at the time of the accident.
The mission was to transport myself and my wife from the Northeast U.S. to Florida for the holidays. My chosen platform was a well-worn Piper Arrow II rented from a local flying club. This particular airplane wasnt my first choice, but it beat walking or taking the airlines. After a long week of work and travel planning, we launched late in the afternoon on a Friday and I put the heading indicator on S.
Beech Model 200 Super King AirWaterlogged ELTATC advised crew the ELT may be inadvertently transmitting. Inspection revealed the ELT was filled with water, possibly due to a heavy rainstorm the previous day. The ELT was replaced and the aircraft returned to service.
Pilots wanting to fly but who dont have the resources to own and operate their own airplane usually find themselves renting from an FBO or training organization, joining a flying club or entering into some kind of shared ownership arrangement. Renting or sharing airplanes often can be a good choice for someone with varying needs, but experiences can vary and your operational priorities, to put it gently, may not be shared by the organization supplying the aircraft.
Like most pilots, my primary training started at the local FBO. After a few months of the usual plateaus and valleys, I was progressing well and nearing the private checkride. But within a matter of a few weeks, all the instructors left for greener pastures and there was no one available to finish me off. In the meantime, the Cessna 150 and Cherokee 140 I had been flying were sold; there was nothing to fly…
Many years ago, I happened to overhear one pilot ask another, How did they find out? The question revolved around a situation resulting from an error in judgment concerning operation of an unairworthy (out-of-annual-inspection) aircraft. While there was no accident, a somewhat unusual event occurred that was traced to a mouse nest in the carburetor heater duct, which caused a rough-running engine. After a precautionary landing, mechanics discovered the problem and thought it was hilarious.
I read Jeb Burnsides article about ILS and LPV approaches, (Say Approach Request, December 2017) and therein was a comment that had me doing internet searches: Im sure all of us are completing that paperwork every 30 days, right along with logging when we update the GPS navigators database.
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