Training & Sims

There’s an old joke about the retired airline pilot who checks out in a Cessna 172 after years of flying heavy iron. The pilot calls Tower from the hold short line saying, “I’ve lost my first officer, have only basic functioning equipment, and I’m down to one engine … I’d like to declare an emergency […]

Annual recurrent simulator training takes multiple forms. For more advanced aircraft, typically turboprops and jet aircraft, that training takes place at a large formal facility such as Flight Safety, CAE, SIMCOM, or Recurrent Training Center (RTC). These facilities typically employ custom simulators that are aircraft-specific Flight Training Devices (FTDs) all the way up to airline-style […]

When your instrument ticket was brand new your skills were ultra-sharp. But over time, winter doldrums, aircraft maintenance, etc. that proficiency atrophied. Indeed, research backs up the “use it or lose it” proficiency adage—see the sidebar. Flying in IMC is unforgiving, with the chance of an occupant perishing in an accident nine times higher than […]

Flying a reliable but legacy-equipped airplane, you’re looking for a way to make it into Tucker-Guthrie Memorial Airport, Harlan, Kentucky, (I35) with an IFR flight plan ending with a visual approach, or just VFR. It’s a long way from home in the flatlands of central Illinois—a one state to the southeast—but a 50-gallon getaway is […]

Recently we heard from a salty aviator having trouble flying his Aspen PFD even though he’s had it for years. Adding to his frustration, he can fly his legacy round-dial instruments accurately. He believes he’s not alone, and he’s right. What’s going on? Superficially, you wouldn’t expect much difference between round dials and vertical tapes. […]

Assume you’re about to buy a new airplane. All the pre-buy inspections came back clean, the money cleared out of escrow, and you’re already planning your triumphant maiden trip home. Now you just have to figure out where you’re gonna park this thing. Setting up your home sim is no different—you must consider its location. […]

For this sim challenge, we’re back in the mountains because it’s just so much fun in the sim. You’ll fly two short hops over the Rocky Mountains. The trip begins at in Kremmling, Colorado (20V). Then, you’ll stop at Eagle (KEGE), on the way to the notorious LOC approach to Aspen (KASE). You’ll need a […]

Once a great add-on, wing levelers have been relegated to museums. The current automated flight control systems (AFCS or autopilots) have all the lateral and vertical modes needed to remain engaged from the initial climb to short final. Then there are the amazing capabilities in Garmin’s Collier-Trophy-winning Emergency Autoland. Latest improvements Where is our cockpit […]

While even the classic aircraft typically have at least a portable GPS on board, going IFR can mean relying on something like a localizer or (gasp) a VOR to get to a runway. If it’s been a while since using these, don’t forget that there’s more to know than tuning, twisting, and following the needle. […]

Despite normal/recurrent training and obvious statements in the AIM and advisory circulars, I’ve had a lot of pilots recently be very confused on where the line starts. What line? While there are many lines in aviation, the top three I’m concerned about are on the ground at most tower-controlled fields. Time for a refresher. From […]