Search Results for: Lear 45

Since I’ve turned more pages in my personal calendar, my insurance required recurrent training increased from once in two years to every year. As much as I hate to admit it, the performance I demonstrated this year—although I was legally current and felt somewhat proficient—suggests that is a reasonable demand. This year, I chose Recurrent […]

The rumble of tire rubber on asphalt suddenly ceases. Runway 9 falls away as you climb straight ahead, assigned runway heading up to 3000 feet. Your requested cruising altitude is 9000. “Contact Departure,” Tower says. Your next fix—FFFIX—is a right turn to the southeast. But in that direction lies a large air-carrier airport. Airliner departures […]

Recently I got a request from an instrument student. He needed help fielding the inevitable systems and scenario-based questions about the G1000’s many failure modes. I authored an article on that topic in 2010 for IFR, but it was insufficient given the depth and breadth of questions he could face. So I added that he […]

Departures into low clouds might not be your thing, and that’s fine. Staying on the ground is the ultimate risk mitigation for absolutely any concern. But departing in IMC is common practice and can mean anything below three statute miles of visibility and/or ceilings below 1000 feet. That’s a wide weather window when deciding if […]

Part of being able to forecast comes from reading the sky, because so much of what’s taking place in the atmosphere can be seen visually. When I worked the forecast counter in the Air Force, I occasionally stepped over to the window for a quick look while filling out the weather briefing forms. The pilots […]

Before EFBs and apps displaying electronic terminal and en-route charts, we went through a monthly update ritual with paper charts. Every 28 days Jeppesen chart subscribers got new and updated paper sheets. The new sheets had to be placed into the famous Jeppesen seven-ring binders. Then obsolete charts were discarded. Depending on the subscription coverage, […]

The Stinson 108 is one of the more iconic designs to come out of the post-World War II aviation boom. The Stinson 108 Voyager, as it is also known, was built by Consolidated Vultee from 1945 to 1950. The aircraft has a distinctive curved yoke and tear-drop shaped wheel pants, harkening back to a time […]

The command structure is set. The official military doctrine outlining the theory of independent space power has been codified. The official seals, motto, and flags have all been signed off on. Even the PT uniform, emblazoned with the Star Trek-esque delta emblem at the running shorts hemline, is being wear tested. It’s all part of […]

I spend a lot of time with venture capitalists (VCs) and in Silicon Valley. Part of this is because one of my companies, FreightWaves, is venture-funded, but it’s also because I enjoy staying close to disruptive technologies and founders. VCs approach the world dreaming of what technology or disruptive business plan is possible, while thinking […]