Remarks

Although my Twin-Cessna 340 has been amazingly reliable, it is still a complex aircraft with two turbocharged engines, pressurization, and known-ice certification, among other items. So, predictably, it has presented me with some situations that were obvious no-go items, some that clearly were just deal-with-it-later, and some that required some careful analysis. I tend to […]

Years ago, I wrote an article for these pages in which I opined that there was no need or fiscal justification for the dual GPS navigators that seem so common in a well-equipped panel. I stand by that, but times have changed. In the article, I first explored where that “dual-think” came from. Many of […]

Frequently we discuss that complying with the regulations isn’t necessarily safe. The common example is instrument currency where six in six isn’t always enough to remain proficient. But, I just encountered an opposite situation where an operation could be safe, but not legal. This year’s Twin Cessna Flyers owners’ organization convention was held at the […]

Every once in a while, we get an opportunity to promote general aviation, or just to expose someone to our preferred mode of travel. Some of us do that with structured familiarization flights, like those organized by the EAA. Others, like me, just take those opportunities as they arise. And one arose not too long […]

Simulators first made a believer of me when I got a Pacer Mk II in 1978. In 10 years, I put over 1000 hours on it. It augmented my Cessna 172 so faithfully that I successfully moved 15 pilots through their instrument rating and completed 40 IPCs with its help. An FAA authorization allowed 15 […]

Recently I attended a Rusty Pilot session and learned (or re-learned as the case may be) several aspects of our aviating world that laid dormant in my little gray cells for far too long. Although I have been an active presenter of this constructive AOPA educational series for three years, it has been on hold […]

When I needed (well, wanted) a step-up airplane 20 years ago, I decided it would be a twin. Ultimately, we sold our Mooney and purchased our current Cessna 340. But long before that purchase, I joined The Twin Cessna Flyers (TTCF) for education and research on these pressurized cabin-class twins. The magazine alone helped me […]

Each new year presents an opportunity to review the last 12 months. Like our editor in 2020, 2021 saw me receive the FAA Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award for a half-century of flawless flying. Okay, it wasn’t truly flawless, but nothing got bent. As I review this period, I am somewhat amazed at the metamorphosis […]

Mental processes of multitasking are not well understood and probably few of us look at this from the perspective of flying. We scan and interpret instruments relative to our current flight profile, review the approach, respond to ATC, and—oh yeah—fly the airplane. We might redirect our scan or perform other tasks based on sights, sounds, […]

Many of my previous Remarksmhave touched on what’s safe in general aviation, but that’s a conversation worth continuing. Long ago I concluded that “safe” is a concept and a goal, not a measure. What’s to say that one activity is safe but another is not? It’s mostly just relative to the skill and comfort of each individual […]