From The Editor: Going The Distance

Being prepared for a cross-country trip is important for a safer and more enjoyable flight. Joe Shelton, who regularly crisscrosses the U.S. in his Columbia 350, offers tips for planning your long trip. Flying slower might reduce the duration and expense overall if it saves you a fuel stop. When selecting fuel stops, in addition to checking fuel prices, consider field elevation. Higher airports within the capability of your aircraft's performance range may save you time and money.

Contributor John Hayes recently flew the new Cessna Citation M2 from Southern California to Sedona, Ariz. The M2 jet represents a clear upgrade path from the Cessna Mustang, and offers improved performance, features and value. Cessna worked with their customers when developing new features, which include Garmin G3000 avionics, two additional cabin seats and a heated windshield.

With 36 training centers around the country, ATP is one of the largest schools that turns out professional airline pilots. An agreement between the school and Republic Airlines essentially guarantees ATP graduates a job upon graduation. ATP's training fleet ranges from Skyhawks to Citation jets and includes 100 Piper Seminoles that are used for multi-engine training. In this issue, Senior Editor Bill Cox speaks with ATP's marketing director, Michael Arnold, and takes a closer look at why the PA44 works so great for the school's needs.

For those looking for a nonflying career, Marc Lee talks to a host of aviation universities and gives us an update on which sectors are in demand. Aerospace has a bright future, and UAVs remain a hot topic. Marc's report includes a salary comparison chart and outlook projection for both pilots and aviation technicians.

Marc also caught up with ForeFlight CEO, Tyson Weihs, at the recent Heli-Expo in Anaheim, Calif. They discussed the company's focus on collaboration within the industry to help GA as a whole and bring more capabilities to GA cockpits. Tyson offers insight on a company that has had a great impact on how we flight-plan today.

We've all heard of the accident chain. Accidents, whether minor or not, aren't caused by one single thing, but rather one event that follows another. Often, there are red flags along the way. John Hayes examines the factors that may lead to an accident: multitasking, "inattentional blindness" and rushing. He has advice on how to be more aware, avoid these traps and break the chain.

In her column, Let It Roll, Patty Wagstaff talks about the importance of learning good airmanship, specifically stick-and-rudder skills. She laments that often, bad habits need to be corrected, and she emphasizes that these skills should instead be ingrained at the beginning of a pilot's flight training. She questions the difference between "upset recovery" and "aerobatics." Let us know your opinion at editor@planeandpilotmag.com.

Jessica AmbatsWriter

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