Search Results for: oxygen

Not many people would justify the time and expense involved in being a proficient general aviation pilot without their spouse supporting the activity. While many spouses are pilots themselves, a great number are merely participants who enjoy the travel and other benefits of flying, without having been bitten by the flying bug itself.

These preferred passengers share a few traits. Theyre usually willing and able to help with some of the housekeeping chores like folding maps, watching for traffic and looking up frequencies. Some may take a pinch-hitter course or a bit of flight instruction in case the pilot someday gets a bad batch of oysters. Virtually all describe their pilot-in-command…

The article on the Payne Stewart accident [Critical Moments, January] was a well-written discussion of the hazards of flying corporate airplanes at high altitude. I would like to add two points.

When I first joined the airlines, I had not had the benefit of military training. My airline refused to allow their pilots to take altitude chamber rides unless they were in the National Guard or Reserves. Like most pilots who have not been exposed to the effects of hypoxia, I didnt believe the training movies. It wasnt until I left the airline and had to take the training that I became a believer.

Second, I think the rule requiring one pilot to wear a mask above FL350 or when the other p…

The checks in the mail.

Your airplane will be ready Tuesday.

Im from the FAA and Im here to help you!

Three of the Great Lies – but with the last, you actually have some control over what happens. If your encounter with the FAA involves a ramp check, there are several things you can do to protect yourself, including knowing what an inspector may and may not do, that may help it it go easier.

Getting ramp checked is one of the great fears of all pilots. Even the average, law-abiding pilot has a gut-level dread that no matter how righteous his intentions, the FAA inspector will find something wrong with either the pilot or the plane. Many fear that they will either get tem…

One clear, smooth night about 35 years ago, I was flying a load of passengers over Virginias Blue Ridge Mountains enroute from Dayton, Ohio, Washington, D.C. Suddenly, the Convair started losing altitude – big time. The airspeed dropped 60 knots in what seemed like just a couple of seconds.

I jammed the throttles as far forward as I could get them, heard the throaty roar of the two Pratt & Whitney engines as they ramped up to full power – but absolutely nothing happened.

I didnt know it at the time, but the combination of winds and jagged terrain below were teaching me my first lesson about mountain flying.

Just as suddenly as it began, the airplane stopped descending and righted…

I have two questions regarding the article Landing at the Max [Airmanship, March] You state: … with a 46 KCAS stall speed. Enter the flare in a 172 at 65 knots instead of 60 and you have 2.25 times as much kinetic energy to dissipate before the airplane will stop flying.

My first question is: How did you compute the factor of 2.25? Here is how I analyze this problem. Kinetic energy is proportional to the square of ground speed. For simplicity Ill assume that CAS is equal to GS. The airplane stops flying at its stall speed of 46 knots, therefore the KE (kinetic energy) that must be dissipated before the airplane will stop flying is the difference between the KE at entry and the KE…

The following information is derived from the FAAs Service Difficulty Reports and Aviation Maintenance Alerts. Click here to view “Airworthiness Directives.”

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As the result of a fatal stall/spin accident in Canada, the FAA is issuing Airworthiness Alert 2720 for Cessna 150/152s manufactured after 1966. In July 1998, a Cessna 152 with a student and flight instructor failed to recover from an intentional spin. A 150/152 should recover from a spin by simply releasing the flight controls.

Examination of the wreckage showed the rudder jammed past its normal travel limit.

A 50-hour inspection was completed the day before the acciden…

At about 09:05 eastern time, a Beech 200 lost its cabin door during cruise flight near Greeleyville. The pilot landed without further incident. The pilot said he was bound for Brunswick, Ga., to pick up passengers and was cruising at FL 200 in smooth air when the cabin door light illuminated and the aircraft lost pressurization. He went on oxygen and made an emergency descent. He looked towards the door and could see light from near the door area but did not know the door was separated until he landed at Savannah International Airport….

As pilot-in-command you are responsible for the safety of your passengers. Although commercial operations specify that passengers be given a safety briefing, Part 91 is considerably less specific. That leaves it up to the pilot to ensure passengers are thoroughly briefed – and that includes much more than telling them how to buckle the seat belt.

The briefing should begin before entering the aircraft ramp. Have a means for positive control over your guests. Teenage boy scouts playing football on a ramp are not under positive control.

You need to ensure that your guests dont endanger themselves, nor do they block or impede other aircraft operations, nor distract other operators, nor…

Pilot incapacitation? Who me? Im in great shape!

Though the greatest threats to pilots still remain alcohol, hypoxia, carbon monoxide and likely side effects of medication, these are conditions over which the pilot essentially has good control.

Among causes in the other category, are vertigo and anxiety. Vertigo is among the most frightening and most completely incapacitating sensations a pilot can experience. Though relatively rare, it is regarded with such seriousness that some types of recurrent vertigo are grounds for denial even of a special issuance medical. Anxiety attacks are subtler but are equally incapacitating. Neither of these conditions gets much press and misinformat…

The following briefs were selected from the 111 preliminary reports filed with the NTSB in December 2000. Statements in quotes were taken directly from the NTSB documents. The information is subject to change as the investigations are completed. Click here to view “Accident Totals, December.”

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Dec. 2, Cross Keys, N.J.
Cessna 152
At approximately 11:32 eastern time, a Cessna 152 was substantially damaged during takeoff from Cross Keys Airport. The two occupants were not injured. The pilot, who held a flight instructor certificate and was flying from the right seat, reported that the controls felt spongy during tak…