Readback

Any dummy can figure that one needs a Direct entry when approaching the holding fix on the hemisphere containing the racetrack. The head scratcher is whether, from the other hemisphere, to do a teardrop or a parallel entry to the hold.

My iPad was shipped the first day the devices were sent to the general public. Why did I buy one? Availability of charts, cockpit management and cost.

During a flight originating in Allegheny County, ATC amended our flight plan on a VOR/DME-equipped (no GPS, at least not in the equipment suffix) aircraft: KAGC AGC073 HOMEE JST300 JST SEG…The change is easy to execute-depart, intercept AGC073 which leads to HOMEE, then fly JST300 to JST-but came a bit as a surprise, because the system would not accept a flight plan that includes intercepting radials (the AGC073 and JST300 components) instead of radial and DME fixes. In talking to FSS their and our assumption was that the AGC073 component was a local ATC operational addition to route us out of busy airspace more precisely.We were wondering if there is a way (or trick) to include such intercept element when filing a flight plan.

On page 11 of the July issue, Jordan Miller implies that you can slow down to extend your range to the alternate. That makes a ton of sense to me since I sometimes do that anyway. But I seem to remember reading that the FAA doesnt agree with that method. I believe they expect you to use the full normal cruise speed for the whole flight, including to the alternate.

Toward the end of his excellent article, Gaming the System in the August issue, Mr. Kramer talks of cancelling IFR when the frequency is busy and you have gone into VFR conditions. I have always tried to do this to relieve ATC of unnecessary responsibilities.However, this may be a little different in Bravo airspace. On a westbound flight through Washingtons Class B, I cancelled IFR after passing Baltimore and many of the buildups. The controller thanked me, replying, Maintain VFR, report any changes in course or altitude. A few minutes later I had more buildups in front of me. I reported it, and worked my way through. I have always wondered under circumstances like this if I had returned to IFR what the proper communications would have been in the Bravo air space.

I thoroughly enjoy your IFR magazine and eagerly look for it every month. I do have a concern about the front-page caption, Bitch-slapped by physics, found on the cover of the October 2010 issue. Come on, Jeff. All of you at IFR magazine are excellent writers who know how to get the information out in a comprehensible form and fashion that is entertaining and useful. Using that description for your article about V-speeds is inappropriate.

Can You See Me Now?The first question on your June Quiz left me scratching my head. You say the correct answer involves flight visibility as determined by the pilot and I understand that point for making an approach. By the time I got Microsoft’s FSX up on a custom built PC with 3 monitors, an […]

I read with interest-and a chuckle at the question why no one wants to be a pilot today-your editorial, Pilot Shortage Arrives in April 2013. Bottom line is that its just too damned expensive. Getting into the game costs tens of thousands and takes precious time people do not have these days. They see no value in being a pilot. People today have many alternatives for their hard-earned discretionary/recreational funds.

Your editorial in the May issue, Looking for Eight More Lives, quoting from the Air Safety Institutes 2012 TAA Special Report, provides an example of how easily summary statistics can lead us astray. Different reports use different methodologies.

Steam (Gauge) PowerYour last editorial really resonated with me (“Black Ops for Black Boxes,” April 2012 IFR). I have been flying on and off for over 50 years, and almost always behind round gauges; sometimes not very many of them. When I bought my new Commander 114TC in 1999, I opted for what was then […]