Pilot Proficiency

As an airline pilot, I was anxious to watch Sully. Finally, I could attend an aviation movie without my wife having to bear witness to eye-rolling and corrective commentary. Most likely, as a Flying reader, you have already seen the film; if you haven’t, consider this a spoiler alert. Regardless, I thought it would be […]

People like to ask, “What was your favorite flight?” There are so many, I wouldn’t know how to choose. But ask me to choose my least favorite flight, and I can tell you in a heartbeat. It started on a beautiful February day. My buddy Shaun decided to join me. We made a lot of […]

An inescapable part of flying the line as a junior pilot is working on birthdays, anniversaries and holidays — Christmas above all. Most everyone wants it off, especially those with young children, and many resort to tactics such as bidding a reserve line to get it. Under the old rules, Part 121 pilots were limited […]

Automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast is a GPS-based system meant to replace the traditional radar-based technology ATC has relied on for decades to detect and manage aircraft traffic. Accuracy and Efficiency ADS-B relies on an aircraft’s GPS receiver to determine highly accurate position and groundspeed information, which it calculates by receiving radio signals from a network of […]

At first glance, approach plates like Louisville’s ILS Runway 35R are easily discernible to instrument pilots. But during a recurrent training session when an instructor or examiner begins digging into the specifics, sweaty palms can easily follow. Here are a few penetrating questions to test your knowledge. For our quiz today, assume the DME-equipped aircraft […]

Here are the answers to the March 2017 Chart Wise quiz: 1. B 2. C 3. D 4. B 5. C

Think about all of the decisions a pilot makes every moment he or she is in command — choices that must fit together just so to ensure a safe flight. Sometimes the choices are simple, like correcting for a gusty crosswind in a light trainer. Other times they’re considerably more challenging, like successfully controlling an […]

Through the years, I have enjoyed relating to ILAFFT stories in Flying and have even corrected a few bad habits based on what I’ve read. I thought there would come a time when the lessons I personally learned while flying would no longer translate to GA flying, and my window of opportunity to submit to […]

Both UAV novices and experts are invited to enroll in the upcoming Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) online course created to bring students one step closer to better understanding where a drone, as well as the drone operator, can safely fit into the U.S. National Airspace System (NAS). The course begins February 6 and runs through […]

Many instrument procedures, such as ILS approaches, allow you to fly your airplane very close to the ground while in clouds. When the decision altitude or decision height is as low as 100 to 200 feet above the ground, it is particularly critical to know the approach procedure and make sure that your altimeter is […]