Search Results for: Lear 45

In 1984 when I got my instrument ticket, I was taught to use FROM when identifying crossing radials. I dont know if that is a standard practice or simply my instructors way of doing it. In Octobers Killer Quiz, Gone to the Dogs, you are identifying PLAZA via TO the 173-degree radial. My way would have been to dial in 353 and use a FROM indication.

The pilot of the Cessna Conquest that crashed about 60 miles northwest of Indianapolis a few weeks ago was ATP-rated and filed an IFR flight plan for the nighttime run from Eagle Creek Airport to Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Cessna 441 Conquest is a twin turboprop capable of carrying 10 passengers and has been out […]

Some pilots believe a great aircraft, like a fine wine, only improves with age. Others turn up their nose at the thought of flying an airplane based on a decades-old design. Passing up a Beechcraft Baron G58 simply because the first Baron flew in 1962 would be a major mistake. The G58 is definitely not […]

Just because some business aircraft meet the technical specifications of Level 4 Automation guidelines doesn’t necessarily mean all the flight crews operating these sophisticated systems completely understand the procedures they’re asking the computers to fly. Recently, two airports separated by some 2,500 miles have experienced nearly the same number of pilot deviations on respective RNAV […]

The pilot reported attempting to activate the airports pilot-controlled lighting (PCL) system, but was unsuccessful. He continued toward the airport and, while maneuvering for a landing, he lost sight of the airport. The pilot continued to descend, however, and the airplane sustained substantial damage when it impacted a fence adjacent to the runway at around 1650 Central time. The private airports owner reported the PCL does not receive signals from the southeast, due to obstructions. The accident airplane was approaching from the southeast.

If youre lucky, youve gotten some of your aviation education from an instructor with extensive real-world experience. One CFI who fits that description-having flown freight, charter, airline and corporate without ever giving up teaching in the 35 years hes had his certificate-likes to remind students of the difference between procedure and technique. The former is what you have to do; the latter is how you choose to go about doing it. Before landing, for example, a constant-speed prop should be moved to its full-forward high-rpm setting to prepare for a possible go-around. Whether its done after turning final, on base or immediately after reducing power on downwind is entirely at the pilots discretion, provided it gets done. Reasonable arguments can be made for each alternative.

I was in the left seat of a Beech Bonanza, receiving an instrument proficiency check in the Kansas City, Mo., area. We departed Lees Summit Municipal Airport (KLXT), simulating a takeoff into instrument conditions, and proceeded toward Midwest National Air Center Airport (KGPH), a short distance to the north. My instructor gave me headings to simulate radar vectors in the clear, cold and turbulent low-level air.

at the top of the triangle lies “adventure

In Valdez, Alaska for the annual fly-in and STOL competition, a Lake amphibian (not known for its STOL capability), in town for the fly-in, departed early to beat the weather just before the last round of the competition. Heard on the temporary tower frequency as the competition continued and the Lake departed:

The first sign of trouble came when the pilots yoke-mounted GPS announced External power lost. Switching to battery. Before the pilot could wrap his head around that, the instrument panel went as dark as the inky night outside. Central Florida is thinly inhabited, offering few ground references. Fighting vertigo but keeping his cool, he knew that his Bonanza was trimmed for straight and level cruise. Using his GPS, he gingerly turned east toward the ocean with well-lit towns and cities hugging the shore, aiming at his home base, Boca Raton airport, KBCT. The engine droned along as if all was right with the world.