Training

In the beginning — well, the beginning of my airplane love affair — you could get your medical/student pilot certificate from the doctor if you were 16 years old, warm, breathing, had most of your important appendages and $30, preferably in cash. For some fledgling aviators, that’s as far as it went — which is […]

I could see the cecum quite clearly and the obviously inflamed appendix sticking straight out of it. This had to be the easiest appendectomy of my surgical career. With a grasper in my left hand and a Maryland dissector in my right, I knew just where to look for the appendiceal artery. Geoff Bates held […]

The standard instrument departure (SID) is a published flight procedure that pilots flying IFR follow immediately after takeoff to transition from the terminal environment to the ATC route structure or, in the case of the SID below, directly into other nearby airports. The procedures can get complicated, making it crucially important to read and understand […]

In spite of our best efforts, the weather is still a problem. Though we have better access to weather-focused graphics, both through aviation sources as well as those for the general public, confusion reigns when it comes to interpreting that data and displaying that knowledge on a check ride. In other words, everyone knows about […]

Early on in every pilot’s lifetime there’s a moment when he or she is faced with the yin and yang of flying alone. Viewing the majesty of the sun as it disappears below the horizon from a vantage point that no one else shares is a reason many of us learned to fly. Then there […]

I now have thousands of hours in my logbooks, but despite my best efforts, none represent a perfect flight. Many come close, but there was always something I could have done just a little bit better. So I reflected on the opposite type of flight entry: Which one represented my worst flight? That would be […]

When you took the exam to get your pilot certificate, you were asked questions that perhaps did not relate to the realities of everyday flying. You got the written test out of the way and promptly forgot the stuff that didn’t seem important. Now, with new test standards due out soon, there’s a solid link […]

According to BRS, tests have shown that its parachutes can be pulled and still fully inflate at altitudes as low as 260 feet and speeds as high as 187 knots. Individual pilots have testified that they successfully deployed their chutes ­below 100 feet. BRS does not provide a specific minimum-altitude limitation (Cirrus recommends a minimum […]

Pilots sometimes overlook missed approach procedures because they don’t expect to have to execute them. But it’s crucial to understand and comply with all missed approach instructions. The entire missed approach procedure will be written textually in the briefing strip at the top of the approach plate. The procedure above has a lengthy missed approach […]

JetAviva, the Austin, Texas-based light jet sales and training specialist, has reached an agreement to buy Kansas Aircraft Corp., a Kansas City-area piston aircraft and turboprop sales broker, creating one of the country’s most formidable light aircraft resale firms. KAC, a former Cessna authorized dealer, was purchased three years ago by Tim and Dianne White, […]