Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Serving Midwest Aviation Since 1960
Sorted by date Results 51 - 64 of 64
Just over a year ago I completed In Operations Experience (IOE) at a Part 135 Certificate Airline and was in my first week of single pilot operations when the weather turned icy and cold. The radios were chaotic that dark morning and in all the confusion I exceeded a clearance in taxi and got the dreaded call to copy a phone number. A tough pill to swallow for an FAA Safety Team Representative, Commercial Pilot, Certificated Flight Instructor Single and Multi-Engine and Instrument. I, of all pilots, should have known better, having harped on... Full story
As we set our clocks back an hour each November, our thoughts shift toward coping with Old Man Winter's impending visit, and the best ways to cope without hibernating for five months. For those that choose to remain current and proficient, the following tips will help endure the season: Be Prepared When planning your flight, be sure all elements are covered such as: Weather - The night before the flight, obtain a standard weather briefing. Knowing what to expect in the form of frost or snow the... Full story
Flying Technologically Advanced Aircraft is a lot of fun. A few years ago, I was giving an IPC check to a commercial pilot in a Cessna 182 with a G1000, a nice aircraft to fly with unlimited amounts of information available, as well as integrated auto pilot for those long solo flights. As we prepared for the flight, we went over planned activities and my expectations for a good flight. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot engaged the auto pilot and programmed the approach in. I let him take off and... Full story
While flying over various parts of Minnesota every day as part of my job as a Conservation Officer Pilot for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, I get to hear many conversations between pilots over the VHF airwaves. Some are rather innocuous such as, “How’s your temps?” or “Can you see the airport yet?” Others, on the other hand, are long, drawn out conversations about everything under the sun. It doesn’t really matter to me. Everyone has different ways to enjoy their flight, except for this... many of these conversatio... Full story
As student pilots, we all remember learning how to use a chart to determine the crosswind component of the wind, based on the wind velocity and the angle between the wind direction and the runway. That's great for a table-top exercise, but can be a little cumbersome when actually flying the airplane. (See Figure 1) Here's a quick and easy way to do it in your head, without the need to bring out your crosswind component chart. (Warning: there's a little bit of mental math involved, but nothing... Full story
Its finally warm and you are all set to fly your plane or go up in the club plane after not flying much over the winter. How do you get current safely and how long has it been since you flew? Can you go take off and have fun after months of not flying by just taking off and going for it? What does the FAA say? 14 CFR 61.57 states for day VFR, 3 take offs and landings within the preceding 90 days to take up passengers. According to the rules, if its been over 90 days that means you can get curren... Full story
Safety in aviation is a big part of everything we do as pilots and, as an instructor, one of the first things I think of is VFR into IMC. This is a major accident causal factor, which is why I focus on this with my students. When I took my instrument rating I did not get hard IFR and after I flew into the clouds for the first time I realized I wanted more training so I decided to get my CFII and get confident with flying IFR. As a result of my experiences, I make every attempt to get my private... Full story
Have you ever flown an ASR approach? Have you ever even heard of it? Most pilots haven't, and that's a shame because it could save your life. ASR is a Surveillance Approach that is offered by an air traffic controller utilizing a terminal radar (meaning you can only get it from an approach control and not a center controller). The controller is using the radar to talk you through the non-precision approach. When might you use this? Well, in an emergency is the most common time. This type of... Full story
With Spring fast approaching, we are all eager to get back to summer flying and the exciting activities such as fly ins, trips to the lake, and not having to log night flight at 4:30 in the afternoon! With this excitement, it is easy to overlook opportunities that we can take advantage of to make our aviation activities safer and more enjoyable. Many people are unaware of the excellent educational opportunities (and many are FREE) that the WINGs program offers. For seminars near you, visit... Full story
Many of us keep emergency kits in our vehicles to help us deal with the unexpected, but how many of us keep a similar kit with us when we fly? Not many, especially not many renter pilots. I get it, hauling a bunch of stuff to the aircraft each time you fly is a pain. The best possible outcome is you never use it, which happens so frequently, so it's easy to rationalize not really needing it. Now consider that you've just survived an unexpected landing in the middle of a forested area; you've... Full story
Drones have become a rapidly growing industry in the last few years. People fly them for a variety of reasons, including photography, research, farming applications, survey work, rescue work, and pleasure. With the growing number of drone owners, we can count on a growing number of manmade objects in the sky being flown by people who know nothing of aviation. Don’t get me wrong, there are numerous people who are very conscientious about their operations and conduct them safely and within regulation. Unfortunately, not everyone does so. You may... Full story
No, not clear icing; I mean "windshield caked over icing" while flying in VMC with 10 miles visibility and no detectable precipitation. We all love flying stories, so here's a winter flying story. On a December day with reported ceilings at 2,000 feet, overcast, visibility better than 10 miles and surface temperature about five degrees Fahrenheit, I set out on a routine auto-pilot test flight in a Cessna 206. On take-off I noticed the right side of the windshield spotting with what I thought... Full story
At the risk of being criticized for already bringing up the subject of Christmas, please let me remind you the Holiday Season is upon us. Another year has sped by. It seems like yesterday we had Christmas. It is no small frustration for me to have already seen Christmas decorations and displays in many stores. So, why do I choose to bring this up? The Tree of Hope drive, that's why! For those of you who do not know, there is a terrific team of aviators and aviation enthusiasts who collects toys... Full story
Do you remember Carla Corbus? You should. She helped play a part in keeping you safer on every general aviation flight. Thoughts of Carla should include ELT's, preflight preparation, flight plans, flight following, survival preparations, aeronautical decision making, operational risk management and anything else you can do to survive every flight. So you don't remember Carla? Carla was in the news in 1967. She was 16 years old. Let me tell you about Carla and why remembering her should be... Full story
