Pilot Proficiency

What does it mean to gain experience as a pilot? Some say it’s about “filling the experience bucket before you empty the luck bucket.” There’s a lot of truth to that old saw, but becoming a safe pilot surely means more than just racking up hours. After all, 10,000-hour ATPs are not immune to having […]

It’s become a ritual: flying every autumn to my “secret place” in south central Ohio. This unique area exists because a series of glaciers, having scoured everything to the north and west into flat prairie, mysteriously (at least to me) came to a halt. The sudden, abrupt change in topography here at “the edge of […]

Each year, the National Business Aviation Association’s Safety Committee convenes to decide which business aviation operational issues are most in need of risk mitigation. The NBAA Safety Committee’s goal is to promote safety-focused discussion and advocacy throughout business aviation, as well as to help the association prioritize its safety-enhancement efforts. The list’s creation each year […]

How long does it take to get comfortable in a new airplane? Familiarity with type and class may shorten the honeymoon, but with every new airplane comes a new set of quirks and personality traits. It is like a marriage. With the Premier 1 that my wife and I bought recently, some things were familiar […]

The first few pilots to train for their type ratings in Pilatus’ PC-24 Super Versatile Jet using FlightSafety International’s full motion simulator are hard at work at the company’s learning center in Dallas. They’re training in FlightSafety’s FS1000 PC-24 simulator, which includes the VITAL 1100 visual system, electric motion, control loading and a new instructor […]

Do you know the difference between civil twilight, nautical twilight and astronomical twilight?

During the winter months, when the temperatures drop in Northern climes, the sky turns gray and days are cut short as the sun spends more time on the opposite side of the equator, there are fewer opportunities to fly for most of us. Airplanes begin to collect dust, and some engines even get pickled as […]

I overheard a conversation years ago on a Colorado mountain flying trip that really stands out in my mind. It was long before I began running my own mountain trips (I was a hired gun on this one) and it stands out because I lost all respect for one of my colleagues that day, an […]

Learning to fly is simply too expensive, especially for young people … or at least that’s the complaint the industry hears again and again. Julia Lair, a high school sophomore in Sioux Falls South Dakota understands budget concerns, as well as any other fledgling aviator, but she didn’t let the cost become a barrier to […]

When temperatures dip below freezing, there are many good reasons to preheat the engine. The different metals inside expand with heat at different rates, so quickly cranking up the engine when the pieces and parts are cold can cause damage. Additionally, cold oil doesn’t lubricate the parts as well. Starting the engine at temperatures below […]