To Balk or Not to Balk, that is the Question. (Hamlet) And if so, how to do it better. By Hank Canterbury Why do so many Loss of Control [LOC] incidents / accidents happen on takeoff or during a go-around? The Airplane Owners & Pilots Association [AOPA] conducted a study of LOC accidents in … Continued
1. When may hazardous wind shear be expected? A. When stable air crosses a mountain barrier where it tends to flow in layers forming lenticular clouds B. Following frontal passage when stratocumulus clouds form indicating mechanical mixing. C. In areas of low-level temperature inversion, frontal zones, and clear air turbulence. D. In a tailing … Continued
What About Tailwind Takeoffs and Landings? By Jason Blair ATP, CF-I, MEI-I, AGI, FAA Designated Pilot Examiner Many CFIs and fellow pilots will extol the hard point, “you shall never take off or land with tailwind condition.” But, is it that hard and fast? Yes, and no. Some risks come with operating … Continued
Personal Weather Minimums and Weather Cameras Aeronautical decision-making (ADM) covers every task pilots perform from preflight to securing the aircraft after flight. How we go about gathering relevant information and acting appropriately on that information is critical to our success and sometimes, to our survival. One aspect of ADM is knowing … Continued
Mistakes Happen How the FAA’s Compliance Program Promotes Accountability for All Pilots By Jeffrey Smith, FAA Flight Standards Safety and Compliance Team “Mistakes happen.” Certainly not a profound statement and there are plenty of affirmations that can be found about mistakes, how to recover from them, and how to learn from them. … Continued
VFR Into IMC Conditions: Altitude is Your Friend! by Michael J. “Mick” Kaufman I recently received a text message from a friend, who was looking to purchase a PA32. He found an airplane at in Controller Aircraft Sales that he wanted me to look at. While I was looking in the publication, I noticed … Continued
The Dreaded Steep Turn Yes, you can fly and enjoy steep turns with precision! By Hank Canterbury Performing a “steep turn” does have a place in a pilot’s “bag of tricks.” Being able to accurately perform steep turns is a good indication of a pilot’s proficiency, knowledge, situational awareness and control smoothness. Done properly, steep … Continued
1. What is the obstacle clearance a pilot must maintain within 4 nm of mountainous terrain on an IFR flight that is cleared to operate VFR on top? A. 3,000’ AGL within any obstacles within 5 nm B. 2,000’ AGL within any obstacle within 4 nm C. 4,000’ AGL within any obstacle … Continued
No Air Up There Hypoxia Awareness By Jennifer Caron, FAA Safety Briefing Magazine Copy Editor Mid-flight is not the time to learn about hypoxia, the medical term for oxygen deficiency. It doesn’t give you much warning, and if you don’t detect it early enough, it can be a real killer. Some pilots believe that … Continued
Introduction to Safety Risk Management Risk management is a formalized way of dealing with hazards. It is a logical process of evaluation where you weigh the potential costs of a risk against the potential benefits you might receive, if you allowed that risk to stand uncontrolled. In order to better understand risk management, … Continued