Search Results for: Citation X

Nutjob. Thats what we all called him. He was one of my trainers at my first tower. Extreme skydiving and off-the-grid adventure travel earned him the title. His not-safe-for-work There I was… stories were legendary throughout our ATC community.

When I first started flying, the concept of altitude was confusing. For pilots the reference, of course, is this thing called mean sea level. But all I was interested in at first was my height above the ground-a measurement with some substance that made sense to me.

Years ago I was flying my RV-4 in the narrow VFR slot between the old Washington ADIZ and the expanded Camp David TFR when I lost my GPS. Without a VOR receiver, I contacted Washington Center. The Call went as follows:Me: Washington Center, Experimental One Four Foxtrot Tango.Washington Center: Experimental One Four Foxtrot Tango, go ahead.Me: Ive lost all navaids over Frederick and Im concerned that I will violate airspace and cause a little excitement.…

The White House responded to a 8500-signature petition titled Take Aviation User Fees off the Table with a treatise called Why We Need Aviation User Fees. It concludes that a $100 per flight user fee is an equitable way for those who benefit to bear the cost of this essential service and is signed by OMB associate director Dana Hyde. Hyde has twice called for all users to pay or do their fair share. The…

Parkersburg Express from the January 2012 edition reminded how a similar T-type RNAV approach to Tupelo, Miss., gave me troubles when I was cleared to the IF/IAF (ARMRR) as I requested. The Tupelo approach is in a non-radar environment; I was coming from the southeast, and I was cleared direct ARMRR, maintain 4000 until ARMRR, […]

Heard this one on a hard-IFR trip down V27 off the California coast. The weather was scuzzy with heavy rain from the surface up to the flight levels with no layers at all. Despite this, ATC valiantly continued trying to call traffic:NORCAL Approach: Skywest Two Niner Six Five, traffic is a Beech Sierra, 12 oclock, opposite direction at 8000.Skywest 2965: Approach, Skywest Two Niner Six Five is IMC.Approach: Beech Seven Four Papa, traffic 12 oclock,…

A Learjet was waiting for a clearance prior to engine start. The Ground Controller couldnt help but ask a question.Ground: Lear Five Five Quebec, Is that thing as fast as she looks?Lear 55Q (male voice): She sure is.(Pause.)Lear 55Q (female pilots voice): And the plane is pretty nice, too. Charles P. GendrichLansing, MI…

Judgment is the cornerstone of the air traffic control profession. This basic trait, common among thousands of successful air traffic controllers worldwide, allows controllers to face a variety of situations-including unusual pilot requests-and act appropriately.

Our CRJ-200 was sliding down through an overcast layer, following the glideslope to Runway 28 at Chicago OHare. Everything was normal, just like it always is. My airline job means I make this approach a couple of times a week.

Under the Unleaded Avgas Transition-Advanced Rulemaking Committee (ARC)s recommendations, it will be at least 11 years before a suitable replacement (or replacements) for 100LL is approved. Total cost could reach $73 million with $60 million having to be approved by Congress. Despite the many pitfalls outlined in the report, the authors try to strike a hopeful tone: We are in fact very encouraged that a satisfactory solution will be deployed in a timely manner and…