Pilot Proficiency

A Pilatus PC-12 crashed late Monday night four miles short of its destination of Santa Fe, New Mexico. The 54-year-old pilot — the sole occupant — was killed in the fiery crash. There were no distress calls, and communications were apparently normal for the IFR flight. Of course, the NTSB investigation is just beginning, so […]

I’ve never been a big fan of touch-and-goes; and since my home runway is only 2,700 feet long — with a displaced threshold, to boot — it’s really a moot point. For those who train or do their recurrent work on long runways, I suppose I see value in saving the time it would take […]

As the days slowly get shorter, it’s worth considering that statistics prove flying after dark increases risk. While hazy, marginal weather may still provide a visible horizon during daylight hours, after dark, distinguishing the blend between sky and landscape becomes even more difficult. Even on a clear night, ground lighting can blend dangerously with starlight […]

Aircraft owners in Wisconsin, where I lived for a while, almost all keep their airplanes in hangars. But inside storage space in the high-rent Northeast is not only more expensive, but sometimes unavailable at any price. The ultimate in luxury, a heated hangar, is the best answer to winter aircraft care. But for those of […]

I thought I had covered the whole subject of the controller/pilot interface pretty thoroughly. In the January 2008 issue (“The Controller Failed to Inform…”), I used two accidents to illustrate the perils of depending on the controller to keep out of weather and away from high terrain. In the July issue (“Saved by the Controller”) […]

“Noting my hands gripping the control wheel as if it were a lifeline, Bob would say, ‘Loosen up. Use your fingertips. Remember, flying is a lot like playing the flute: if you try too hard, it doesn’t come out right.’” So reminisced author Frank Kingston Smith in his 1982 book, Weekend Wings. Smith learned to […]

With today’s glass cockpits, “partial panel” now probably means reverting to a backup gyro artificial horizon, either electric or vacuum driven. Even some six pack-equipped aircraft (with vacuum primary gyros) have had their old-fashioned turn coordinators replaced by backup electric-powered gyro horizons — much better because they afford pitch and bank information as well as […]

John Eckalbar’s superb book, Flying the Beech Bonanza, has some timeless advice that applies even if you don’t operate an aircraft that rolled out of the Beech factory in Wichita. You’ll find my sweaty fingerprints all over pages 108 to 123 — the section he calls “IFR By the Numbers.” Starting with what he labels […]

It should be a fairly simple relationship. Pilots fly airplanes. Controllers watch the airplanes, either visually or using radar, and provide instructions that help those pilots reach their destination safely. However, we all know that any interaction involving lots of communication can quickly get complicated. To make matters more difficult, pilots and controllers can’t see […]

Overnight or weekend flights probably require only light packing, but a week-long vacation jaunt — or longer — can tax many airplanes’ baggage capacity. Especially if all or most of the seats are full. As an alternative, consider shipping most of your luggage ahead to your destination, saving a small bag for essentials you might […]