Cross-Country Flying Stories
Cross-country flying stories from Bill Cox offer fantastic insight into what pilots face on long distance flights. Dig into our X-Country Log today.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012 Autopilots Equal SafetyIt may seem counterintuitive for macho pilots, but an autopilot will nearly always do a better job than you will One of the most common questions I get about flying the oceans is, "How do you stay awake on a 10- to 15-hour leg?" My standard answer is, "Consider the alternative." |
Monday, December 5, 2011 The Nature Of CloudsThey can be challenging, fun, entertaining and, occasionally, deadly In my part of the sky—at least, the part I watch most often—we don't see many clouds. |
Tuesday, October 25, 2011 Coast-To-Coast JavelinYou don’t need to travel overseas to see some of the world’s best flying venues Pressurization is something like power windows. Once you've lived with it for a while, you wonder how you ever got along without it. |
Tuesday, September 20, 2011 The Thrill Of SoloDo you remember your first solo flight? I'd like to say I remember my first solo experience as if it happened only yesterday, but in truth, yesterday was a long time ago, and the memory isn't that vivid. |
Tuesday, August 23, 2011 The Value Of Corporate TimeIt has to do with misinformation, not politics Back in November 2008, when the CEOs of Chrysler, Ford and General Motors flew to Washington to ask for a government bailout, congressmen made much of the fact that the executives had all used corporate jets for the trip. |
Tuesday, July 26, 2011 Should We Rely On GPS?Is GPS too good to be true? Ido some post-maintenance test flying for a Cessna 300/400 shop in Long Beach, and a month or so back, I got a call to fly a 421 just coming out of an annual inspection. |
Tuesday, May 24, 2011 Low Level By ColumbiaWhen is it necessary to ad lib, and when is it just plain dumb? What had begun as a simple, 4,500 nm, late-winter ferry flight in a capable airplane had deteriorated to an ignominious retreat. |
Tuesday, April 26, 2011 When Not To GoContrary to popular belief, ferry pilots aren’t brave. Bravery is being the only one who knows you’re afraid. There's a sign-in guestbook in the pilot's lounge at Avitat in Bangor, Maine, that contains the names and missions of most of the international ferry pilots who have come through here in the last 30 years. |
Tuesday, March 22, 2011 There’s No Such Thing As TailwindsWhy is it that we always only remember headwinds? I know what some of you may be thinking. Bill Cox has finally gone off his rocker. |
Tuesday, February 22, 2011 Flight Recorder For The Little GuyA partial solution to the flight-recorder problem that doesn’t cost a fortune I like to think pilots read accident reports out of a sense of self-preservation rather than ghoulish curiosity. |
