Pilot Proficiency

They say a pilot never stops learning. But that’s not true. Complacency can set in right around the time we’ve forgotten what flaming tomatoes have to do with flying airplanes. We realize that most flights go just fine, and without a healthy spook now and then, we reach a learning plateau. My first spook hit […]

FlightSafety International says customers will soon be able to take advantage of a number of new business aviation training initiatives including simulators, eLearning programs and custom training packages. In an announcement yesterday at NBAA-BACE, the company said its third full flight Gulfstream G280 simulator is expected to come online in Savannah, Georgia, by March 2018. […]

In its most basic form, a yaw damper inhibits movement of an aircraft around its vertical axis, performing like an automated set of feet on the rudder pedals. A yaw damper pulls aircraft movement information from a series of accelerometers or rate sensors in the rudder and translates it into the proper amount of calming […]

With a quick handshake and a soft thank you, Lyle and Kurt pulled up the airstair and started up my airplane. I watched in the rain as the props came up out of feather and the nav lights blinked on. Stricken, I retreated to the observation platform at the FBO and watched as Lyle taxied […]

Relevant Discussion: AIM 5-4-5, 7-1-11, 7-2-1 through 7-2-5, P/C Glossary, FAA-H-8083-16, AC 00-45, AC 91-70, AC 120-28D, Order 7110.65T Q codes are basic three-letter tele­communications codes designated in the early 1930s, back when Morse code was still the most popular form of long-distance information exchange, to facilitate the transmission and reception of common questions and […]

The C35 Bonanza, N5946C, was cruising at 6,500 feet when there was a sudden loud bang from the engine compartment, followed by a smell of oil.

Most ILS approaches are constructed pretty much the same way. The environment in which a pilot might fly them can vary widely, however, and is important to consider. At an airport like New York’s La Guardia, which sees 375,000 annual takeoffs and landings, the ILS Runway 13 at the airport is used often. These traffic […]

There’s a decent chance that as you’re reading this you are also waiting for your brand new iPhone 8 to be shipped. Or the more patient among us are practicing Zen-like restraint in holding out for the iPhone X. (Of course, you could also be an Android user, or simply someone who fails to see […]

Short final was normal. Winds were manageable, we were cleared to land and the airplane touched down straight and on the centerline. In no particular hurry, we slowed and exited on the taxiway abeam our hangar line when my student said to me, “Why is my 430 dark?” Face palm. I knew instantly why the […]

On Saturday, September 23, organizations and pilots around the world will celebrate Girls in Aviation Day to promote “the passion, exploration, learning, and excitement of aviation and aerospace.” The timing is obviously perfect, as Miss Vermont Erica Connor stole the spotlight at Miss America by flying her own airplane to Atlantic City, and Shaesta Waiz […]