Pilot Proficiency

During homecoming weekend at The Citadel, the past came alive for hundreds of Citadel grads from around the nation and, in a few cases, the globe. Old times, old tales, old pains and old pleasures — one way that time effects us all is that good times get better and bad times lose their sting. […]

It was a growing cumulus cloud, cauliflower-shaped with distinct edges. Our IFR route was taking us right through it. “You’re not going to fly through that, are you? That’s a thunderstorm,” said Martha, clearly alarmed. “Well, yeah. But that’s not a thunderstorm. It’s not tall enough. We’re only at 17,000 feet. Besides, it’s right in […]

One Friday morning, Brennan Parrish and his girlfriend, Ann Elizabeth, flew out of Savannah-Hardin County Airport in Savannah, Tennessee, in a 1967 Piper Cherokee Six. What looked like a quick loop in the pattern suddenly turned into a diversion to a nearby pasture. Painted in all caps were the words, “Marry me.” The 15-foot-high by […]

In the increasingly sophisticated field of computer-generated imagery (CGI), even an aircraft in the earliest stages of development can take shape with a likeness that will be almost indis­tin­guishable from the first prototype that will eventually roll out of the production facility. So advanced are today’s digital images that, even for some with the most […]

For many parts of the country, spring is here or at least it’s getting close. But winter conditions still prevail in some areas. The northeast got hit hard last week, resulting in a Delta Airlines MD-88 ending up on the side of the runway. Water and snow have a great impact on landing performance. Here […]

In todays age of accurate forecasts and effective detection, its easy to avoid thunderstorms. However, with tight schedules and overconfidence leading to a failure to exercise proper thunderstorm avoidance, thunderstorms remain a significant cause of aviation accidents, with wind shear often playing a leading role. A recent memo by Airbus stated that wind shear is involved in four percent of approach and landing accidents and is the ninth leading cause of fatalities.

The January day was crisp and cold with just wisps of high clouds painting the Texas sky as we, my two Air Force cadet student pilots and I, began our IFR cross-country. Before starting back to our base in west Texas, I checked the weather and was gratified to see the forecast we had received […]

I read a startling statistic recently. In 2013, there were more than 11,000 reported bird strike incidents among commercial, military and general aviation airplanes in the United States. That’s a lot of birds hitting a lot of aircraft. And now researchers think they know why bird strikes are so common in aviation. It turns out […]

Looking for a spiritual lift, I entered Signature Flight Support in Boston with its soaring cathedral ceilings and even higher fuel prices. I had hoped to beat Capt. Courtney Crain to the FBO as she was airlining in from Palm Beach, Florida. We had not flown together in months. Alas, she was already hunched over […]

I am fortunate that the majority of my trips can be categorized as mundane, a characteristic that all airline pilots aspire to for the sake of our passengers. The law of averages indicated I was due a trip that fell out of that category. And on this particular flight, it almost seemed as if the […]