Search Results for: Citation X

As you’ve been reading, flying a jet single pilot is one of the most challenging piloting skills there is. It demands an unrelenting focus on the job at hand; the wherewithal to swap hats quickly; and the ability to use automation consistently and efficiently to ease the burden, especially during high-workload phases of flight. In […]

From the beginning the FAA has treated jets differently. In almost every area of certification the standards for jets have been more stringent than for propeller-driven airplanes, and one of those jet standards had been a requirement for two pilots. That rule remained in force until 1977 when Cessna won approval for single-pilot operation of […]

There’s a crosswind. A stiff one. Yuck. I sigh and do a conscious file-sort through the very dusty bins in the back of my brain. Let’s see. Slip to the left and land left-wheel first, being careful not to overreact on these super-light controls, be ready to add a little power if it bounces, and […]

The best way that I can think of to describe Cessna’s new light jet Mustang is that it is, in all respects, a Citation. That means it has pleasant and predictable flying qualities, uncomplicated and robust systems, good payload and range, and it delivers on all of the promises Cessna made when it introduced the […]

It has been 50 years since Safe Flight Instrument Company developed the first practical autothrottle system but only a small minority of pilots have been able to fly this most useful and safety enhancing equipment. But that is starting to change. Safe Flight is now offering its AutoPower system in midsize business jets, when before […]

One of the more difficult concepts for the student pilot to grasp is the idea of angle of attack. I pulled The Student Pilot’s Flight Manual, by William K Kershner, off the shelf and found that Kershner uses words like “confusing” three times in his description of angle of attack. Kershner starts with a simple […]

Although you might not tell the FAA about it, are you absolutely certain youre healthy enough for this flight?

Forcasting future trends is difficult in any business, but predicting the direction aviation will move has been particularly inaccurate over the past many decades. Part of the problem is that aviation is fundamentally cyclical, both in the manufacture of airplanes and in their use. Changes in the economy appear to have more to do with […]

There are two important measurements of turbine engine power output. The one published in basic specifications, and tossed around when pilots get together to talk, is the takeoff power rating. And that’s important. But a more difficult to define, and equally important, measure of turbine enginepower is how much is available at useful cruise altitude. […]

Whenever there is an accident, pilots should get into that old “learning from events” mode. The recent 737 runway overrun at Chicago Midway created a lot of food for thought. In a preliminary NTSB report, it was noted that the dispatchers and the crew had calculated that Runway 31C at Midway was okay for landing […]