November 17, 2016

Unprepared For The Ice

What happened to the EMB-500 Phenom 100 is clear, but why the pilot allowed it to happen is not.

By all accounts, the pilot of the EMB-500 Phenom 100 jet that crashed on December 8, 2014, while on approach to Montgomery County Airpark (KGAI), Gaithersburg, Maryland, was a brilliant man. The 66-year-old medical doctor was the chief executive officer of a pharmaceutical and medical device research company he founded. He also was the winner more »

November 16, 2016

Oshkosh

Reaffirming aviation’s future…one Wisconsin airshow at a time.

When I started to learn to fly, I began reading aviation magazines and soon heard about the big, big annual fly-in called “Oshkosh.” I heard about this amazing EAA-hosted gathering of airplanes, pilots and enthusiasts somewhere or other in Wisconsin. I have to admit, I was intrigued mostly because I had been wearing a pair more »

November 10, 2016

Should You Become An Airline Pilot?

Here’s what you need to know about life as an RJ pilot

If you’ve been around aviation for very long, you’ve watched airport fences get taller and more robust. At most airfields, the days of just walking up and introducing yourself are long gone. You must have security checks, key cards and a blessing from the Vicar of Christ on Earth to gain access to the ramp more »

November 7, 2016

Choosing A CFI

Not every CFI has been instructing for ages, and that’s a good thing. Here’s why a freshly minted instructor could be the best choice for you.

Would you want a surgeon to operate on you if he or she had never performed the procedure before? Most people would say not only “No”, but, “Heck, no!” So why would you want to get flight training from someone who’s a new instructor? While there are some limitations of “newbie” instructors, much like a more »

November 1, 2016

Accident Briefs: November 2016

Reports from the NTSB

Mooney M20C 2 Minor Injuries The private pilot reported that he conducted a preflight inspection of the airplane and noted that both fuel tanks were full. The pilot then took off for the personal cross-country flight. During approach to landing at the destination airport, the pilot extended the downwind leg due to inbound instrument flight more »

November 1, 2016

Plane Facts: Bizjets

Fun facts about business jets

Active business jets in the U.S. in 2014: Approximately 12,500 (on-demand charter included)* Number in 1980: 3,000* Number projected in 2035: 20,815* First bizjet: Lockheed JetStar Year introduced: 1957, to U.S. Air Force Number of engines: Four, fuselage-mounted, two per side, 14,800 lbs. thrust total Seating: 2 crew, plus 10 passengers Max weight/speed/range of JetStar: more »

October 27, 2016

Lessons Learned: Bizjet Destiny And A Jumpseat

Coming full circle in the world of bizjet flying

The Gulfstream IV’s distinctive T-tail jutted above the airport’s perimeter fence. “Now that’s an airplane,” my father whispered, as our car rolled toward the large hangar. The business jet’s paint gleamed against the low overcast; smaller aircraft parked nearby were trounced by its mammoth wingspan and Rolls-Royce engines. Gulfstream 650s and Global 6000s were distant more »

October 27, 2016

Accident Briefs: October 2016

Reports from the NTSB

Cessna 140 1 Uninjured The pilot reported that during a night visual meteorological condition flight he was about 5 nautical miles away from the destination airport and could see the runway lights. The pilot further reported that he was not able to see the terrain and it was a “black hole approach.” As the pilot more »

October 26, 2016

Into The Wind

It’s true you’ll experience headwinds most of the time, but this is ridiculous

I was awakened from a deep REM sleep by what sounded like sporadic repetition of “baaharalmminumm” (forgive my poor onomatopoetic translation). As I mentally park my red-and-white Ferrari SF-16H Formula One car after winning the Monaco Grand Prix and fight my way back to consciousness, the sound repeats itself over and over. Oh, yes, now more »

October 21, 2016

A Twirl In The Tucano

The challenge of flying a new plane to keep you inspired.

In 1993, I stood on the ramp at the Dayton Airshow keenly watching the jets and turboprops in the JPATS competition. The JPATS—Joint Primary Aircraft Training System—program was interesting. In a rare move, the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy decided to team up in an effort to modernize their training fleets and replace more »

October 19, 2016

Plane Facts: Seaplanes

Fun facts about seaplanes

First successful flight of a seaplane-like craft (towed kite): 1905 First actual seaplane flight: 1910, the Hydravion First flying boat flight: 1912 First amphibian flight: 1913, Glenn Curtiss, Model D First large-scale production seaplane: Felixstowe F.5 (100 produced during WWI) Number of Curtiss NC-4s that in 1919 attempted the first Atlantic crossing: 4 Number that more »

October 14, 2016

Ferry Flight Of Fancy

Getting a crew plane for the crash pad

When you’re an entry-level RJ pilot, crash-pad living invariably involves too many pilots, not enough showers and few outlets for aviation entertainment. As we settled into a routine, of sorts, my roommate Nick mentioned a mythical Citabria of which he professed partial ownership. “One day, I’ll run out to Louisiana and haul it up here more »

October 12, 2016

The Joy Of The Wayback Machine

You’d never see it from the ground. A small stream runs through an ignorable culvert under a county road. In a car, it’s just a bump, if even that. Perhaps a flash, a glimpse of sunlight reflecting off water. You’d never think it was important. You’d never think you’d just crossed history. This morning, however, more »

October 11, 2016

Mind-Controlled Airplanes?

The future is not only coming, it might be here already

Pulleys. Pushrods. Electrical connectors swabbed with stabilant goo. Aircraft have untold connecting points that translate an input to an action. And, as those long-ago games of elementary school “telephone” demonstrated, every time a command moves from one node to the next, there’s potential for corruption or failure. Of all these connection types, one holds an more »

October 5, 2016

Lessons Learned: Headwinds, Wishful Thinking And Get-Home-Itis

Low on fuel and feeling the pressure to get home, a new parent struggles to make the right call

When my daughter was born, my flight instructing career had to become, for the most part, a standard 8:00-5:00 day. That was a major change. Given the demands of the job and the unpredictability of scheduling students as they work their way through the flight syllabus from first forays to long cross-countries, the flight instructor’s more »

October 5, 2016

A Rapidly Closing Weather Window

The pilot of a JetPROP-converted Piper Malibu tried to thread his way through severe weather without airborne radar

It happened on June 18, 2014: With thunderstorms popping, the pilot of a turbine-powered Piper Malibu PA46-310P JetPROP conversion seemed to be doing a good job of weather avoidance, but then made a turn and flew into a monstrous cell. The airplane crashed at Lehman, Texas, killing the pilot and both passengers. It took two more »

September 29, 2016

Send In The Clouds

On the beauty of the billowy stuff, from the terrifying to the magnificent

I’m sitting in a hotel in Waco, Texas, watching what has been advertised as tornado weather blow through. Virtually all flying at Waco Regional, including my appointment to fly the Blackhawk King Air 200, has been canceled for the day because of the threat of tornados. As I sit in my room, watching the Brazos more »

September 28, 2016

The Art Of Pilotspotting

It takes one to know one.

I enjoy freaking my friends out because I can see someone with a certain characteristic and suddenly my pilot radar activates. I quietly gather clues and enough information to conclude that my radar was correct: That’s a pilot. My friends are in awe when I’m usually correct, and then I’ll verify by asking the target, more »

Pilot Stories