As an active instrument instructor, I frequently see confusion in my customers about making the transition from an approach to the missed-approach procedure using a GPS. Even many pilots with a great deal of instrument time don’t demonstrate mastery of a GPS navigator’s “suspend” mode, or know how vital its proper use is to safely executing a missed approach.
It’s a beautiful day and you’re enjoying the view from your cockpit. There is not a burble of turbulence in the air and you have a 15-knot tailwind pushing you along. So far it’s a perfect flight. But suddenly you smell smoke in the cockpit. You look around trying to determine where the smell is […]
A controversial airworthiness directive that affects certain Superior Air Parts cylinders took effect April 25 despite widespread opposition from the maintenance industry and the manufacturer. The AD grounds any aircraft with Continental 550, 520 and 470 engines with SAP cylinders that have been in the engine for more than 12 calendar years.
I read with interest-and a chuckle at the question why no one wants to be a pilot today-your editorial, Pilot Shortage Arrives in April 2013. Bottom line is that its just too damned expensive. Getting into the game costs tens of thousands and takes precious time people do not have these days. They see no value in being a pilot. People today have many alternatives for their hard-earned discretionary/recreational funds.
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.
Standing to get a closer view of my towers radar display, I said, That doesnt look right. Somewhere in the dense, ragged and choppy 300-foot overcast outside the tower windows, there was a Piper Matrix inbound on the ILS. Well, supposedly on the ILS. His target was crossing the final approach fix several hundred feet lower than published and a half mile to the right.
This past spring BendixKing announced the AeroWave 100 inflight Internet system for general aviation. Now the avionics maker has revealed a pricing plan for the service that’s unique for charging customers not for how much data they consume but for the amount of time they’re logged on. The AeroWave 100 system transmits its data through […]
In remote regions of the world, general aviation serves as a vital tool for countless people who rely on the life-saving transportation it provides. Flying enthusiast Peter Neal gives us a closer glimpse into the types of incredible missions aviation makes possible with this video footage of service flights to the Borneo Jungle. Check it […]
The “good ol’ days” of aviation often weren’t all that good. When I learned to fly instruments in 1970 in our Cherokee 140, we had a single navcom and no DME. Trying to determine my position by using cross-radials from nearby VORs often left my head, as well as the OBS, spinning. And in the […]
Get the latest stories & special offers delivered directly to your inbox.
SUBSCRIBE
