IFR Magazine

While on a night freight flight to El Paso descending in the early morning, the sleepy controllers were working the only aircraft in the area-me. Approach: N1234, traffic at 12 oclock and 10 miles. Could be an aircraft or a truck driving up the mountain. Me: I am impressed you can see a truck on your radar. No one can sneak up on you. …

I once undertook a ferry flight that was, well, dumb. Similarly, a type-specific magazine I get recently ran a true-confessions story by a pilot who, in the clarity of hindsight, probably should have missed, not landed.Most of us accomplished pilots (as the masthead says) can do far more in an airplane than we should. What does that mean? Well, I mean we probably could, for example, safely fly an airplane that isnt quite airworthy or perhaps we could complete an approach to a landing using abnormal maneuvers and live to tell (or brag) about it later.

In the far reaches of the Upper Midwest, an island vacation can mean youre heading north. Way north. Yes, there are islands in Wisconsin and Michigan, even some with sandy beaches. The sunsets are amazing. But dont expect any palm trees, and bring your rain gear. Like most islands, youll arrive by ferry or by air, but this isnt a boating magazine.Beaver Island, Michigan, the largest blob in a small archipelago, is 13 miles long and six miles wide. Its only 40 nm from the more-famous Mackinac Island. Youll want to spend some extra time planning the possible arrival routes-all of them-with the island sitting smack in the middle of upper Lake Michigan. Ignoring the water hazard, this scenic tour of northern Lake Michigan makes the perfect summertime trip. Just know that lake fog and cool, stratus-cloud days with rain are common up there even in the warmest months, so be prepared to file.

Yes, weve done a couple updates on ATC moderization recently. But the negative responses to editor Bowlins recent comments in favor of ADS-B suggest yet more information is needed. Plus, if you still think the 2020 deadline will get extended, well, the FAA is completing its tasks with an unfamiliar but refreshingly high speed and efficiency.

A number of years ago a friend called to tell me his chilling tale of a low-IFR departure in his turboprop. Shortly after takeoff, the controller warned him of an impending collision with a mountain range two miles ahead.

While the HSI was a game-changer for the instrument pilot by raising the bar on situational awareness, it introduced more avionics complexity, especially when connected to multiple nav sources. In failure mode, and for the pilot who doesnt know how to operate it, the instrument can be a killer. When I was a new avionics technician, Narcos DGO-series HSI system was the ground breaker. But, not all pilots fully understood what an HSI would do, and fewer yet understood how they worked. Thats somewhat true even today.

Receiving my instrument ticket from a university pilot-mill, flight and weather planning was grueling and intense. For flights over an hour, a Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (TAF) is used. For secondary airports within five miles of a field with a TAF, the TAF from the primary airport can be used No TAF? Use the Area Forecast (FA).This originated from the Aviation Weather Services advisory circular, which states that an FA is used to interpolate conditions at airports which [sic] do not have a Terminal Aerodrome Forecast. Determining forecast weather, particularly ceilings and visibilities, is essential for instrument pilots to ascertain if an alternate is needed and to select one that meets requirements.

Pilots retiring from professional flying and downsizing into personal aircraft often want to fly something thats capable, yet simple and efficient. Thats understandable, as they want to use their extensive experience. Theyre also flying for themselves (and paying for it), so an airplane that economically delivers practicality and enjoyment is the goal. The following examples reflect the common downsizing profiles Ive seen.

Shrinking size, horsepower and number of engines requires big adjustments as you ease into the life of a light-airplane pilot. But smaller and simpler still requires proper transition training.

Many of our ranks are professional pilots because they simply love to fly. They find a way to fly no matter what. For them, retiring from a career in aviation simply means they no longer get paid to fly, but theyll find a new ride. These are usually superb pilots-pilots pilots-but they can sometimes struggle when transitioning from a magic carpet with dual FMS, dual radar, dual engines, surplus power, autothrottles…and redundant redundancy. Of course, there are also many owner-operator pilots who fly sophisticated aircraft ranging from bizjets to piston twins who similarly find themselves looking for a new way to sustain that aviation fix as they retire.