Search Results for: general aviation inc

In reference to A Better Mousetrap [Reality Check, November], logic fails to explain the complete prohibition on antidepressant medication for aviation. Depression is common, especially among middle-aged men and people who have given up smoking, which is why Zyban – an antidepressant – is often prescribed as an aid to smoking cessation.

Depression is treatable but, as with most mental illnesses, it is prone to widespread misconception. Prozac, for example, is widely equated with Thorazine – a tranquilizer that turns agitated people into placid, happy zombies.

Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Celexa, drugs that combat the most common forms of depression and anxiety disorder, are selective ser…

Its somewhat astonishing to see how many accidents, or at least scary moments, occur on the first flight after maintenance. Perhaps the most striking one is the notorious case of a Navajo, in which the aircraft came out of the shop, took off, rolled over,and crashed, killing the pilot. The investigators discovered that the ailerons were connected backwards – yoke left rolled the plane right.

Its pretty easy to sit back in the cold, hard light of day and think, What a dummy! about that pilot. If the pilot really did follow the preflight checklist and note controls free and proper, theres a lesson for another day about seeing what you expect to see rather than what you really see. F…

Many pilots consider takeoff to be almost a no-brainer. Point the airplane down the runway and advance the power. A little footwork keeps the prop pointed in the right direction, then lift the nose.

Yet from an operational viewpoint, takeoff has proven to be one of the most critical phases of flight. NTSB accident statistics from 1998 – the latest available at this writing – show that general aviation airplanes of less than 12,500 pounds operated non-commercially suffered 262 takeoff accidents, 35 of which were fatal. That year, like each year in the five previous years, general aviation pilots averaged about 22 total and 3 fatal takeoff accidents per month, with no improvement as time p…

Telluride, Colo. Missoula, Mont. Kalispell, Mont. Jackson, Wyo. Aspen, Colo. Hayden, Colo. Sun Valley, Idaho. Welcome to the high and clean air of the Rockies.

Even if you havent been to Jackson, youve undoubtedly seen the pictures of the Tetons. Yes, they are very real, very gorgeous – and very high. The valley that houses the airport at Jackson is surrounded by high mountains that quickly reach over 13,000 feet. During a daylight approach in good weather, Jackson is gorgeous.

However, add night or bad weather and a place like Jackson is enough to make your blood chill. Back when I flew air ambulance, a co-captain friend of mine said he would hold his breath on the departures out…

Accident prevention is a big part of most pilots training. You learn whats most likely to go wrong, and then you try to figure out how to handle it with the highest probability of a safe landing.

Weather briefings, preflight inspections, recurrent training, annual inspections, proper maintenance and pilot proficiency are all important pieces in the risk management puzzle. Without all of them, the picture is ruined.

And so it was on one August morning that a Grumman Tiger was flying VFR from a private strip near Ketchum, Okla., to Oklahoma City. Skies were clear, the wind was calm and visibility was reported at 10 miles.

At the controls, and alone in the airplane, was a 66-year-o…

Airplanes share the air with birds and the ground with animals. Unfortunately, bird strikes and animal strikes are a serious economic and safety problem.

Researchers estimate that wildlife strikes have cost the civil aviation industry more than $300 million a year every year for the last decade. Add in the cost to military aircraft, and the costs resulting from wildlife strikes likely exceed $500 million a year in North America alone. The cost isnt just financial, either. More than 300 people have been killed worldwide from bird strikes.

Many airports are located close to water and have large expanses of grass – both of which are attractive to birds and other wildlife. Many times the…

An occasional layoff from flying isnt that uncommon for most general aviation pilots. There are many possible reasons: weather, workload, a family or personal emergency, a job change or move from one part of the country to another, illness, or a host of other reasons beyond your control.

A layoff from VFR flying isnt the end of the world, although your skills can certainly get rusty. A layoff from flying IFR, however, can result in a fairly rapid decline in important skills youll need to stay ahead of the airplane during poor weather.

Whats most important – regardless of how you got here – is recognizing that youve been out of the IFR cockpit for too long and want to get back.If…

I read the angry letter Young & In Charge from CFI Ben Wielenga [Unicom, February]. He clearly has a point about the error of stereotyping all young CFIs as lacking certain training qualities, but your editors comments are right on point in indicating the excessive increase in the fatal accident rate while the age and experience of the flight instructors has decreased.

I am a 1000-hour, instrument-rated pilot and former owner of a very nice 1981 Cessna 210. I have read your newsletter for many years and passed archive copies on to two of my younger brothers as they became interested in learning to fly. Unfortunately for my youngest brother Steve, who had approximately 200 hours and an…

Judging from the NTSBs files, more than a few pilots have had the misfortune of encountering flutter. Whether induced by the pilots actions or by improper maintenance procedures, flutter is a very serious problem that requires instant corrective action in flight. The stakes are high. Flutter can disfigure your airframe or even rip it apart.

I personally encountered flutter in flight a few years ago – and at a speed that greatly surprised me because it was relatively low.

I was in a sailplane working an afternoon thermal with my wife in the front seat. I was circling in the thermal at about 55 knots when the wing started to vibrate. It was enough that we definitely felt it in the coc…

• Myth number 1: If you encounter an accidental spin, unload angle of attack and hold the control wheel/stick full forward.

• Myth number 2: If you snap out of control accidentally, hold full throttle to keep the air flowing over the tail and drive it out with power.

• Myth number 3: Weight and balance is not a problem as long as only one or two people are aboard.

• Myth number 4: I know the airplane is not certified for spins but I spin mine all the time so it must be safe.

• Myth number 5: In an accidental spin, use standard light plane spin recovery procedures.

Myth numbers 1 and 2 are alive and well. Consider the following mishaps:

Th…