The flight began normally. Little did I know how crazy and funny things would end up becoming. It was my student’s last flight before his first check ride in the private pilot portion of our Part 141 curriculum, which comes just before a student’s first solo. We were flying a Cessna 152. We had a […]
When you combine rockets, planes, boats and kids, you have it all.
An in-depth look at the accidents that result from loss of power on departure.
Planning the high-speed descent phase of a flight requires some judgment, especially during summer months when we like to cruise in cool comfort above the build-ups and the haze layer. That’s usually 10,000 feet or higher in summer, at least where I do most of my flying on the eastern half of the country (mountain […]
We all know that as density altitude increases, there is a corresponding decrease in the power delivered by our airplane’s engine and the effectiveness of our propeller. For a typical non-turbocharged light single-engine airplane, this can result in a takeoff roll that’s 25 percent longer for every 1,000 feet of elevation above sea level. The […]
The takeoff is the only maneuver in flying that gives a pilot unlimited time to plan.
As time goes on, most memories of the past take on a glow that wasn’t experienced in real time. A flight full of frustrations becomes a triumph of perseverance and skill when viewed in hindsight. I’m beginning to think that my early flight training is so sepia-colored by now that I have a hard time […]
A certain amount of an airline pilot’s life is given over to marking time on and around airports, and that is doubly true of the junior captain on reserve. I am currently ensconced in the midcentury-modern environs of the TWA Hotel, built around Eero Saarinen’s soaring TWA Flight Center at John F. Kennedy International Airport. […]
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