Unicom

Expanded Preflights Thanks for Ryan Motte’s January 2024 article on pre-flight inspections, “Expanding Your Preflights.” I especially appreciate the sidebar on post-flight inspections, which I think are under utilized. I’d expand your list of items to check after a flight. Of course, the extent of a post-flight we perform has a lot to do with […]

I couldn’t agree more with Jim Wolper in his excellent November 2024 article, “Using The Rudder,” that without some kind of yaw indicator, we can’t trust the seat of our pants. I take that literally. As a long-time ag aviation pilot, where aggressive and repetitive stick and rudder inputs are part of the job, my suggestion […]

Passenger Safety Briefings Of all the aviation magazines I subscribe to, I appreciate yours the most. “Experience is one of the cheapest things you can buy if you’re fortunate enough to get it second-hand.” Or, “You don’t live long enough to make all the mistakes yourself, so you need to learn from the mistakes of […]

I very much enjoy your magazine. I have a question I would like your opinion on. Reading “Riding The Storm Out” (September 2024)  was very informative. However, the question I have is this: What weather would be safe to fly through? I have asked many experienced pilots the basic question: What specific weather should I not […]

Ground-Reference Illusions During my career, I’ve spent a good bit of time analyzing the perceptual illusions to which we humans are prone, as they affect us pilots. It’s easy to find examples of simple or classic illusions, but when piloting an airplane, the things we see and feel are so complex that they don’t allow […]

Hover Mode Cooling Having long been a lean of peak (LOP) exhaust gas temperature (EGT) advocate (25 years), I think some further explanation to Andrew Strauss and some of your other readers about that form of mixture control might be in order (Unicom, August 2024). First of all, not everyone has mixture distribution that is […]

Riding The Storm Out Thanks for Ryan Motte’s “Coping With Turbulence” in your June 2024 issue. The article didn’t spend much time discussing clear air turbulence. Is it simply not a factor with personal airplanes? Also, can you go into more detail on how to handle a turbulence encounter? Thanks in advance! —Charles Klaine, Via […]

Checking Engine Oil Levels Thanks for the article on preflight inspections (June 2024 Accident Probe, “Preflight Inspections 101”). I know I have not been diligent in looking for liquid spills under the aircraft. I will try to improve my process. I’m wondering about the statement “always a good idea to check engine oil levels before […]

Air Show Arrivals I have enjoyed your magazine for many years. Your airshow arrival article (April 2024) reminded me of a 2015 experience I had in Salinas, Calif., when I attended an AOPA fly-in there. I flew in IFR, because I had recently obtained the rating. The coastal stratus at 1000 feet was still burning […]

Military Training vs. GA Good article by Matt Johnson in the April 2024 issue, “Military vs. GA.” The picture of the A-4 Navy Skyhawk is from my old squadron, VA-172 Bluebolts. I also became a civilian CFI after five years of active duty and three of reserve flying, and 30 years without flying. In 2001, […]