Search Results for: Lear 45

April 1, 2021, Augusta, Kan. Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee 140 At about 1630 Central time, the airplane was substantially damaged during a forced landing following an engine power loss. The two pilots aboard were not injured. Visual conditions prevailed. The pilot-in-command reported that he was performing a practice VOR/DME-A instrument approach with a safety pilot. Shortly […]

While visiting France a few years ago, I found an Aero Club that would let me fly with one of their pilots. At the club I was introduced to M. Bus, a retired businessman. My French was barely better than his English, but we spoke the common language of aviation. The airplane was a Piper […]

When considering the industry’s take on risk management, one of the arrows in the quiver is something called personal minimums. One idea behind personal minimums is that the FAA’s regulations are minimum standards—we’re free to exceed them: If VFR requires three miles and 1000 feet, why not bump that up to five miles and 2000 […]

With a respectful nod to Don Brown, a now-retired ZTL controller who helped popularize the phrase, a “flick” is the “big picture.” In the ATC biz, this typically refers to traffic load, major runway flow directions, widespread poor weather, staffing/sectorization and a host of other factors. In other words, strategic information. Pilots need the same […]

One of the benefits (and frequent challenges) of flying IFR is operating under positive ATC guidance and control. If you are operating only at towered airports, this is fairly simple. Clearance or ground control will issue your clearance, and when you land safely at your destination, they will make sure to close your flight plan. […]

I read with interest Colleen Mondor’s “Moose Stalls” piece in the May issue. As a pilot who avoids both scouting for moose and low-altitude turns, I wonder if there’s another factor. At low altitude, a pilot likely subconsciously perceives the greater relative motion of the aircraft over the ground as greater airspeed, perhaps leading the […]

Just 18 short months ago, pilots chasing an airline job had a nearly bottomless well of opportunities to draw from. Industry experts compared the scarcity of experienced cockpit crewmembers to the 1960s—when the major airlines were so needy, they actually subsidized pilot training. As 2019 drew to a close, it was fairly common for regional […]

Few of us will never need a 180-degree turn back to a runway following a power failure. But, if you ever do, here is a trick for you to consider. Recently, a Beechcraft B36TC Bonanza was cleared for takeoff from Runway 10L at North Perry Airport (KHWO), located six miles southwest of Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International […]

When the text blipped across my iPhone screen, I couldn’t help but grin. My friend—and JetBlue captain—Mike Strauss and his wife, Christa, were inviting my wife and I to his newly purchased home in Colorado. One of the attractive aspects of the invitation was that the trip out west would be flown in his Cessna […]

A flight school (otherwise known as an aviation training organization) conducts the business of teaching people to fly. It can take on a variety of guises, from the small, traditional flight school at a local airport using a light aircraft or two all the way to those international ATOs that train pilots for the airlines—and […]