Unicom

In “The Engine-Out Glide” article in your August issue, there was a sidebar about stopping the prop bringing an eight-percent improvement in glide distance. Many years ago, I took the GAMI Advanced Pilot Course. In that course, there was a discussion that it’s best to move the throttle to the wide-open position during an engine-out […]

In discussing how to determine if an alternate is required for an airport that does not have a TAF (“Non-Towered IFR,” July 2021), Mr. Motte advises we consider the “oft-forgotten area forecasts.” Not only were they oft-forgotten in the past, the NWS decided that rather than have pilots forget them, it was simply better to […]

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 […]

I read with interest Colleen Mondor’s “Moose Stalls” piece in the May issue. As a pilot who avoids both scouting for moose and low-altitude turns, I wonder if there’s another factor. At low altitude, a pilot likely subconsciously perceives the greater relative motion of the aircraft over the ground as greater airspeed, perhaps leading the […]

I love Aviation Safety, and actually read it. The May 2021 article, “Moose Stalls,” echoes a difficulty also seen in soaring, the stall-spin in the turn from base to final, where the glider is closest to the ground. Your box on page 5, “Steep Turns, Low To The Ground,” implies that the danger is angle of […]

I was struck by what I believe was an omission in the commentary in “Real-World VFR into IMC” (February 2021). Prior to my instrument rating, the procedure upon entering IMC I had committed to memory was a variation of aviate, navigate and communicate: Trust instruments completely, turn 180 degrees while maintaining level flight to get […]

After reading Tom Turner’s excellent article on non-precision approaches (“Non-Precision Stability,” January 2021), I’d like to add a couple of comments as a “legacy dive and driver” (instrument-rated in 1961). First of all, the Instrument Flying Handbook talks about the benefits of stable descent for swept-wing jet aircraft, and they do exist; I flew them […]

Regarding the discussion about whether or not to use the aircraft N-number when self-announcing at a non-towered airport (Unicom, February 2021), the most definitive answer would probably be the current issue of the Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM). Aviation Safety is correct in asserting that Advisory Circulars are advisory in nature. The AIM is as well […]

After resolving a glitch in my subscription dating back to March, I sat down to catch up with the back issues I missed. I began reading the April 2020 issue last evening. In “Hear Me Out,” the article covering communications with ATC, Mr. Burnside supplied a sidebar about operations at non-towered airports. He stated, “Personally, […]

With reference to Mike Hart’s article, “Landing On The Shore” in the October 2020 issue, I, too, have utilized many remote mountain airstrips, including many in his native Idaho. I, too, enjoy the adventure of new challenges, but have some questions about his tradeoffs between legal versus safe. In a sidebar, he documents the legality […]