All Blogs / Hobbies / Aviation / Popular
Hot Off the Press
With the kind help of the iBooks support team (seems there's a bug in iTunesProducer 2.9), the 4th edition of my book the Concise Guide to IFR is now available on the iTunes store. This edition contains some editorial changes as well...Show More Summary
Circle-to-Land Complications
The FAA is adding new circling radii for some (but not all) approaches. Sounds good on paper, but I can foresee some unintended consequences that might not be too pleasant.
Related posts:
Visual Descent Point Hazards Visual Descent Points...Show More Summary
Flying Club Scholarship Receives 126 Applications
Several months ago I joined forces with three other Chicago based pilots to form Ground Effect Advisors and to offer the first ever scholarship to help create a flying club. We realized that there is a need across the country...
Pretty Talk
Congress got off it's rusty-dusty and passed legislation allowing the FAA to shift funds to apparently end most air traffic controller furloughs, which allows said members of congress to fly home on the weekend with fewer delays. ItShow More Summary
Looking Back: How I Got Started in Aviation
Hard to believe I've been in the flying game for 15 years now. Let's take a look back and see how it all started.
Related posts:
Getting Better: Simulators for General Aviation Most of the big technological advances in flying have been...
Aviation...Show More Summary
Blogging in Formation
You can fly in formation... but can you write in formation? I join five fellow bloggers as we decide to find out.
Deadline Approaches For Part 121 Pilots To Have ATP And 1st Class Medical Certificates
As you may know, when Congress passed the Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Extension Act of 2010, Public Law (P.L.) 111-216, it imposed an August 2, 2013 deadline upon Part 121 pilot flightcrew members by which time the pilots must hold ATP certificates in order to fly for a Part 121 air carrier. Show More Summary
Fighting Back at SMO
The Santa Monica city council has set a new low with their recent shellacking of the airport. It's time to stop playing nice and start communicating with them in a language they can clearly understand.
The Flying Life
Sure the hours are long, you get paid by the hour, and the wages aren't great, but being a professional flight instructor has many advantages. One benefit is that you fly regularly and spend a lot of time in aircraft and at airports, which allows you to encounter and experience things you otherwise wouldn't. Show More Summary
Last Minute Flight to Muskoka (CYQA)
It was Sunday afternoon when I decided to see if there was a plane available at 6pm. I called up the airport, and indeed there was!
So far, the new booking policy at TAL has paid off. For me specifically, I’ve been able to fly exactly...Show More Summary
April Flying, 2013
Approaching South Lake Tahoe
Colorado River, California on the Left, Arizona on the Right
Crossing the Mojave
Los Angeles
Near Gnoss Field
Starting VFR descent to KOAK
Pilatus at Rest
En Route from Vegas
Starting Descent
Checking O2 saturation...
Salton Sea
Mission Bay, San Diego
Sierra Stratus
Central Valley Haze
Over Yosemite Falls
South Lake Tahoe
Finding New Legs
Take a look at these two approach charts and you'll notice something usually not seen on RNAV (GPS) approaches and non-RNAV approaches: A curved approach segment called a Radius-to-Fix or RF leg. Previously RF legs were only used inShow More Summary
Back Up In The Air & Status of Buttonville Airport
Yesterday involved a 1.5 hour checkout with a flight instructor at Toronto Airways. It had been 8 months (damn, time flies) since I was last up in the air.
Toronto Airways has changed their checkout policy for the better. Checkouts now involve 0.5 hours of ground briefing plus 1 hour in the air. Show More Summary
The Classic Flight Bag Adds a Touch of Class to the Cockpit
Paul Lemley, a fellow pilot, was dissatisfied with the quality of flight bags available on the market. At first he settled for what was available. Then finally decided he would solve the problem and build his vision of the perfect.....
The Good Life
To me, flying is The Good Life, even when you're not in the air. Here's a video that says it better than I ever could.
Judgement: Knowing When to Say When
Flying is less about physical aircraft control than it is about good judgement. Unfortunately, many of the situations we face as aviators are not cut-and-dried. We'll all get along a lot better if we can remember that.
When Aircraft Go Bump On The Ramp
Ever wonder what your obligations might be if you accidentally taxi your aircraft into another aircraft on the ramp? Can you just inspect the damage to your aircraft, decide it looks OK and then go flying? And if you do, what will the FAA say if/when it gets involved? For answers to these questions, please read my latest article on the subject: When Aircraft Go Bump On The Ramp.
2013 Spring Photos
A few photos from various trips over the last month or so.
Altamont Fog
Final Approach, KSAC
Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta
Sacramento Delta Stratus
Delta Windmills
Sierra Snow Showers
Approaching Left Base, 31L at KPSP
Klamath Falls Ramp
Klamath Valley
Clouds Over Livermore
Mt. Show More Summary
Getting Better: Simulators for General Aviation
Most of the big technological advances in flying have been in the instrument panel. But now they're starting to make serious strides in the area of flight simulation, and GA stands to reap a huge benefit.
Photo mission 3 - the Wind Farm
One of the recent additions to the Waikato skyline is the wind farm. At present it is only a fraction of its proposed size, but it did offer me and amateur photographer Chris another opportunity to commit aviation photography. The day was simply breathtaking. Show More Summary
