Test Your Knowledge

  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

Avemco Whitepaper

    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

Safety First

    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

Tips n’ Tidbits

  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

Captain’s Corner

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

Hank’s Handy Flying Hints

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