IFR Magazine

A long-awaited family reunion is finally happening in Buffalo, New York, just over two-hours’ flight time from your home in Elkhart, Indiana. Two hours, that is, going direct, 331 miles, KEKM-KBUF. You’ve never flown to Buffalo, but you already know direct won’t be possible thanks to some busy airspace up ahead. So you’ve set aside […]

Safest Word In Flying

With a new private ticket in his wallet, the now-instrument student finished his preflight. No supervision needed, right? Out strode his CFII, who walked around the airplane, checking critical items. He glanced up and spotted a missing inspection cover under the wing. Pointing out this omission, the student asked, “We can still go, right?” The […]

Remember VORs?

Area navigation using GPS has been around (for us) for about 30 years. Before that we did mostly the same thing using LORAN for a while. But, the National Airspace System was designed around VHF Omni- Range navigation stations, VORs, that long preceded GPS. Technically, there are three types: VORs that just provide azimuth information, […]

Q&A For Better SA

Not long ago, I was kibitzing with Mike, my longtime friend and hangar-flying buddy. Aviation was, of course, the topic of choice. I was in the midst of a compelling (or so I thought) “there-I-was” story in which I referred to a colleague as a “good” pilot. Mike stopped me with a deceptively simple question: […]

On The Air: December 2020

At the end of a five-hour final leg of a cross-country trip from the west coast to Michigan, I was very much ready to stop and stretch my legs. I was descending from 17,000 over Lake Michigan towards Traverse City. I broke out of clouds at the edge of Wisconsin and could see the other shore. […]

Readback: December 2020

“X” Not Always the Spot Reference September’s article, “Do You Know ICAO?” It might be interesting to note that, while the FAA usually follows ICAO standards, particularly for navigation, the FAA’s computer navigation fixes (an “×” on our instrument charts) are neither adopted nor recognized by ICAO. Adam Vance Allston, MA Tow Bars: Ground Use […]

Briefing: December 2020

NTSB INVESTIGATING REMOTELY The NTSB hasn’t sent staff to an accident scene since last March and it’s unlikely to start doing so anytime soon. The board issued a travel ban at the outset of the pandemic and it won’t be lifted until COVID-19 is under control. “The safety of NTSB staff is the Chairman’s and […]

Go or No Go?

Every pilot has been faced with a marginal go/no-go decision. Sometimes it’s marginal weather that, if it gets no worse, is a go. But, if it gets even a little worse, it’d be no-go. And, sometimes it’s a mechanical issue that might not quite rise to the level of being unairworthy. But it could. For […]