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Pilot Skills

Article: Sharing The Sky

Although birds will take evasive action to avoid us, and lights can make us more conspicuous, there are times when their and our best efforts aren't good enough. ...

Also labeled: Accident Statistics, Columns, FAA Regulations, Features, NTSB Reports, People and Places, Pilot Safety, Proficiency, Safety

Article: Staying Healthy

Pilots sit on their butts a lot. We might want to stay in shape.

Also labeled: Aviation Personalities, Careers, Columns, Features, People and Places, Pilot Safety, Pilot Talk

Article: The Joys Of Summer

It was late summer, and I nursed the old Bellanca Cruisemaster higher as we passed over Blue Mesa Reservoir near Gunnison, Colo.

Also labeled: Decision Making, Emergency Situations, Features, Flight Hazards, Flying Skills, Learn To Fly, Pilot Safety, Proficiency

Article: The Ultimate Choice

It was a particular flight in December of 2011 that really stands out in my mind.

Also labeled: Decision Making, Emergency Situations, Features, Flight Hazards, Flying Skills, Learn To Fly, Pilot Safety, Proficiency

Article: Do As We Say, Not As We Do

Over the years, you've no doubt heard urgings from various government agencies to always pay careful attention to the weather when you're in flying mode. ...

Also labeled: Accident Statistics, Columns, FAA Regulations, Features, NTSB Reports, People and Places, Pilot Safety, Pilot Talk

Article: Oh My God! There’s No Man In The Cockpit!

My friend Mark Magin, Onboard Images President, recently told me a hilarious story. Sitting in first class on a commercial flight, he noticed there was an all- female flight crew.

Also labeled: Aviation Personalities, Careers, Columns, Features, Learning Center, People and Places, Pilot Safety

Article: Getting Back Into It

Yeah, I got my license, but then I got married, had a couple of kids and got engrossed in building my career, so I didn't fly for a long time. ...

Also labeled: Features, Flying Skills, Learning Center, Pilot Guide, Proficiency

Article: 20 Things You May Not Know About Night Flying

To that end, I studied with one of Hollywood's hardest-working studio lead trumpet players, Bud Brisbois.

Also labeled: Features, Flight Hazards, Flight Planning, Flying Skills, Navigation, Pilot Safety

Article: Precision Flying

Precision and approximation: These are contradictory terms that, when applied to flying, have more to do with the pilot's mind-set than they do with skill. ...

Also labeled: Features, Flying Skills, Learning Center, Pilot Guide, Proficiency, Training

Article: Perception

I'm constantly asked about my unique line of work as an air show pilot, "Do you get dizzy?" or, "Do you wear those earrings when you fly?" But probably the question I'm most asked is about fear—"Aren't you afraid when you're diving toward the ground?"...

Also labeled: Aviation Personalities, Careers, Columns, Features, Guest Speaker, Learning Center, People and Places, Pilot Safety, Pilot Talk

Article: Helpful Suggestions

Aviation seems to promote camaraderie among many of those who relish being part of this unique affinity group.

Also labeled: Accident Statistics, Columns, FAA Regulations, Features, NTSB Reports, People and Places, Pilot Safety, Proficiency, Safety

Article: Setting The Selector

If you've flown a variety of aircraft, you know that some designers decided to make it awfully difficult to see for sure which fuel tank or tanks you've selected. ...

Also labeled: Accident Statistics, Columns, FAA Regulations, Features, Pilot Safety, Proficiency, Safety

Article: Birds Of A Feather

We're all part bird, aren't we? We have wings, but unfortunately they're only a steely imitation of the real thing.

Also labeled: Aviation Personalities, Careers, Columns, Features, Guest Speaker, Learning Center, People and Places, Pilot Safety

Article: A Part 142 Flight Review

Like so many aeronautical adventures, this was a quest for a signature.

Also labeled: Features, Flight Training, Flying Skills, Learning Center, Pilot Guide, Proficiency

Article: Drinking, Driving And Flying

When FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt resigned after being arrested by police in Fairfax City, Va., on a drunk-driving charge, some of my pilot acquaintances were quick to express astonishment at the irony of Babbitt himself likely having to face the...

Also labeled: Accident Statistics, Columns, FAA Regulations, Features, NTSB Reports, Pilot Reports, Pilot Safety, Safety

Article: How Low Should You Go?

The indiscretions of youth. It's all too easy to examine stupid pilot tricks and dismiss them as functions of immaturity.

Also labeled: Features, Flying Skills, Safety, Takeoffs and Landings

Article: Combating Crosswinds

Neither the wind given to you by the tower, nor that shown on a mid-field wind sock, is likely to be what you actually experience when landing. ...

Also labeled: Features, Flying Skills, Safety, Takeoffs and Landings, Weather, Weather Flying, Weather Skills, Winds

Article: Weather Avoidance: Back To Basics

It's one of the great paradoxes in aviation that one of the biggest killers of pilots —weather—is one of the least understood and least taught subjects in primary flight instruction.

Also labeled: Flying Skills, Safety, Takeoffs and Landings, Weather, Weather Flying, Weather Skills, Winds

Article: When Procedures Fail

Pilots are a conscientious group. We do preflights, use checklists, and respect our physical and technical limitations.

Also labeled: Aviation Personalities, Careers, Columns, Features, Guest Speaker, Learning Center, People and Places, Pilot Safety, Pilot Talk

Article: May I See Your Driver’s License?

Others believe the resources the FAA devotes to medical certification could be put to better use elsewhere.

Also labeled: Accident Statistics, Columns, FAA Regulations, Features, NTSB Reports, People and Places, Pilot Safety, Pilot Talk, Proficiency, Safety

Article: Include, Don’t Exclude

We all love stories of how people are seduced by aviation, but it's just as interesting to know what keeps them out.

Also labeled: Aviation Personalities, Careers, Columns, Features, Guest Speaker, Learning Center, People and Places, Pilot Safety

Article: Air Race Accidents

The death toll quickly rose to 11, including the pilot with about 70 injured.

Also labeled: Accident Statistics, Columns, FAA Regulations, Features, NTSB Reports, People and Places, Pilot Safety, Pilot Talk, Proficiency

Article: Landing Without Flight Controls

The airplane had been climbing through 8,000 feet out of Baghdad for Bahrain when it was hit in the left wing by a shoulder-launched, surface-to-air missile, fired by a Fedayeen terrorist.

Also labeled: Features, Pilot Guide, Pilot Resources, Pilot Safety, Proficiency, Situational Awareness

Article: Coast-To-Coast

The faster I go, the harder I want to pull back on the yoke. The grey turns into blue, and all I see is sky.

Also labeled: Aviation Personalities, Careers, Columns, Features, Learning Center, People and Places, Pilot Safety

Article: The Dangers Of Noise Fatigue

I was tired. No, beyond tired. I was fairly well-whipped. There are no legal limits imposed on flight hours associated with ferry flying, and stupidly. ...

Also labeled: Features, Gear, Headsets, Passenger Comfort, Pilot Gear, Pilot Guide, Pilot Safety, Pilot Supplies

Article: Fire In Front

According to a search of NTSB data, in 2010, there were only four general aviation fixed-wing accidents investigated that involved in-flight engine compartment fires. ...

Also labeled: Accident Statistics, Columns, FAA Regulations, Features, NTSB Reports, People and Places, Pilot Safety, Pilot Talk, Proficiency, Safety

Article: Flying Fifi

My most memorable flying experience was on September 20th, 2011, when I got my copilot checkout in Fifi, the only flying Boeing B-29.

Also labeled: Aviation Personalities, Careers, Columns, Features, Guest Speaker, Learning Center, People and Places, Pilot Safety, Pilot Talk

Article: Fuel Imbalance

Most pilots know what it feels like when an airplane is wing heavy because there's more fuel on one side than the other.

Also labeled: Accident Statistics, Columns, FAA Regulations, Features, NTSB Reports, People and Places, Pilot Safety

Article: Angle Of The Wing

I was introduced to an angle-of-attack indicator back in the early '80s. I was ferrying a V35B Bonanza from Atlanta, Georgia to Palo Alto, Calif., where it was to be fitted with one of Victor Aviation's balanced, blueprinted, Black Edition engines. ...

Also labeled: Features, Pilot Safety, Accident Statistics, Angle of Attack, Decision Making, Flight Training, Navigation, Safety

Article: Safe Turnarounds

Over the years, I've made frequent mention of a controversial number: "safe turnaround altitude."

Also labeled: Aviation Personalities, Careers, Columns, Features, Guest Speaker, Learning Center, People and Places, Pilot Safety, Pilot Talk