Pilot Proficiency

You may be reluctant to drink a lot of water before a flight because of the lack of in-flight facilities. Instead, you may drink a big cup of coffee right before you take off to help you stay alert. But caffeine is a diuretic, so not only does it make you want to go to […]

1. Fly with Discipline Do things right and do them the same way. Use checklists. Develop habits. Brief the approach. Focus during high workload phases, and observe a sterile cockpit, even when solo, on departure and arrival. 2. Make Things Easy Complex procedures, dicey weather, unfamiliar airplanes and new places all add to workload and […]

Sadly, it was a rare sight (and sound) over Geneva this week: a lone, single-engine airplane scooting overhead as a group of journalists together with our gracious dinner hosts from Rockwell Collins enjoyed the view from La Perle du Lac restaurant overlooking Lac Leman. A few miles away inside the city’s Palexpo Center, the site […]

__My wife’s sister invited my wife and I to spend Memorial Day weekend with her and her husband in Cape May, New Jersey. An early summer visit to the Jersey shore sounded like fun, plus I could fly us there in our Cessna Skyhawk. Our plan was to fly out on Saturday, spend a couple […]

For all you new aviators out there, here’s a simple tip that can instantly make you a better pilot while simultaneously impressing your flight instructor: Learn to relax. When they’re starting out, most new pilots tend to concentrate so hard on a particular flight maneuver, whether it’s a stall, a steep turn or approach and […]

There are great benefits to owning an airplane. You can fly whenever you want, wherever you want, without having to worry about rental restrictions, such as the number of hours you need to fly every day or where you’re allowed to fly the airplane. It’s very difficult to find an airplane to rent for a […]

In general, instrument-rated pilots do a good job of assembling all the information they’ll need to complete a flight as safely and efficiently as possible. They’ll diligently study approach procedures, weather forecasts, fuel minimums, runway lengths, alternates, and notams – in short, all the things we pilots should be considering before every flight, whether we’re […]

When it comes to diapers, razors, and contact lenses, disposable is definitely the way to go. But disposable electronics? Great for Apple’s bottom line, maybe, but a worrisome trend that will eventually turn your new iPad loaded with all those electronic charts, logbooks, checklists and POH apps into a fancy paperweight. A disposable product is […]

Owning an airplane, somehow, is far different from owning a car, a house or any other high-ticket item. For many owners, the airplane becomes part of the family. And so it was for me. I found my Cessna 170 in the middle of Michigan and picked it up with my friend David. David had hundreds […]

Flying IFR into new environments can be a serious challenge, particularly in busy airspace where controllers are talking nonstop, and it’s more important than ever to listen up and follow their instructions precisely. For flight in congested areas, pre-published, low-level IFR routes make both pre-flight planning and the actual flying much more straightforward and enjoyable. […]