Risk Management

Learning to manage risk appropriately is a critical component to being a flight instructor.

Loss of aircraft control remains the No. 1 killer of general aviation pilots, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). At an industry roundtable hosted by the NTSB at its Washington, D.C., headquarters in April, the hot topic was how better training and technology can help pilots do a better job of flying their […]

On paper, it looks like a very doable day: Depart from your home base of Scottsdale, Arizona (KSDL) in your Cirrus SR22T by 7:30 a.m., fly 224 nm to North Las Vegas Airport (KVGT) for a 10 a.m. business meeting at the Stratosphere, head 100 nm east to check in at your St. George, Utah, […]

Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you’ve likely seen some type of anti-texting-while-driving campaign, even where it has not yet been outlawed. While it’s obvious that taking your eyes off the road while driving can lead to collisions, it’s also human nature to multitask — tune the radio, drink coffee or read that “urgent” […]

Aircraft ownership is expensive. Between fuel, insurance, hangar or tiedown expenses and possibly a loan payment, by the time you get to the annual inspection, there’s a temptation to do it as cheaply as possible — to do the minimum and skip preventive maintenance actions. Occasionally, aircraft owners will even admit such things to friends […]

Pilots are imperfect by design. We’re human, after all. On any given flight, a pilot is faced with dozens of interrelated decisions that guide the airplane to its destination, hopefully intact and without incident. Most of the time, we make good decisions and our flights end safely, even if we execute some elements of the […]

General aviation pilots are having problems landing their airplanes. According to the insurance industry, landing losses – accidents and incidents in which aircraft are damaged during the landing phase – continue to be a persistent issue. What’s going on here? Hang out at your local airport on a windy day and it won’t take long […]