Pilot Proficiency

There can be many reasons for running low on fuel sooner than expected: headwinds that prolong a flight, tailwinds that make you optimistically skip a planned stop, tanks not filled to the brim, too rich a mixture, a miscalculation in flight planning.

It was scary. We were more than a mile from the short runway, skimming the treetops in a Chinese-made Socata Trinidad look-alike. We were so low we couldn’t even see the runway. It took me a little while to figure out what was going on. This was the pilot’s idea of how to make a […]

Relevant Discussion: (FAR 71.41, 91.117, 91.126, 91.127, 91.129, 91.130, 91.131, 91.155, 91.215, AIM 3-2-1, 3-2-3) Class B Airspace: Surface to 7,000 feet msl (e.g., in Miami) or up to as high as 12,500 feet msl (e.g., Atlanta) surrounding the busiest airports. (The illustration above is an example only.) Individually tailored upside-down wedding cakes — and […]

Flying is the only magazine I subscribe to. I always make a point of reading each issue front to back, although sometimes out of order, and I’m always eager to read the stories in the I Learned about Flying from That column. Now I have my own story to tell of a recent adventure — […]

Instrument approach plates contain considerable amounts of valuable information. But that information only has value to a pilot who understands the symbology displayed on the chart and possesses a reasonable understanding of the ATC system and the procedures around which the approach was created. All too often, pilots expect air traffic control to simply use […]

There are three levels of WINGS: the Basic, Advanced, and Master phases. Each level has multiple phases. Unlike the previous program, multiple phases can be earned each year. To complete a phase, pilots must get three flight and three ground credits which can be chosen from a wide range of activities.

After a few days of unusually nasty weather, the day of my postponed IPC dawned bright and clear. There wasnt even much wind. It was the perfect day to fly, and as it turned out, it seemed like just about every other pilot around thought the same thing. There was traffic everywhere and everyone wanted something different. I was caught in a perfect storm.

On occasion I have a flight across the pond. No, its not an ocean crossing, although it sometimes feels like it. These flights cross Lake Michigan, and require a bit more planning than flights over land. When you fly around the Great Lakes, its taken for granted that if youre in a single-engine piston aircraft, you have to carefully examine the risks and mitigations. Dont want to cross the lake at all? Fly around it and spend that extra time to stay over land. Not good weather for a crossing? Same deal.

Did you know that even piston airplanes can occasionally leave a contrail? Sure, its unusual, but it can happen. Many of us often wonder why some airplanes leave contrails that can last seemingly forever, while others leave a contrail that doesnt last but a few seconds. Plus, of course, sometimes theres no contrail at all. Contrails are an interesting phenomenon. So, lets have some fun examining the science behind contrails. Along the way we can use that as a basis to learn a bit more about how the atmosphere behaves.

Thunderstorm Avoidance without Onboard Radar: Maintain VFR conditions on top as long as possible to observe and avoid buildups. If getting on top is impossible or becomes impossible to maintain, the best option is to descend as low as possible to what may be VFR conditions below the clouds. Maintain VFR conditions below the bases […]