Cold, Dark And Lonely: Lessons Learned From My Flights
There are airline pilots who make far northern or even transpolar flights on a regular basis. Business aviators become familiar with the requirements for these flights, but we seldom do it often enough for it to be considered routine.
Energy Is Life: Manage It Well
The most important consideration when deciding about effective go-arounds from low altitudes is having an energy state from which that go-around can be made.
‘Snap Out of It and Fly’
Are we not flying manually enough, or are we flying automatically too long? Many cockpits are missing a system or a technique for initiating go-arounds.
The Infrequent Flier
If it’s your first transoceanic crossing, or the first in a long time, there’s much to do in preparation.
How To Recover From Engine Out On Takeoff In A Light Twin Aircraft
Still thinking like a professional FAR Part 25 aircraft pilot, I ask what I need to learn first about operating a multiengine FAR Part 23 airplane? The answer came to mind almost immediately: What to do when one of the powerplants takes a vacation right around liftoff.
It’s Not About Breathing
I recently sat in a room full of aviation professionals and, unbelievably, heard the comment that “the so-called oxygen bottle is really compressed air, just like scuba divers use.” While I sat there with my mouth open, more than a few in the room nodded agreement. They may not be the only folks thinking this to be true.
Rudder Review
In June 1968, I was among a group of despondent U.S. Air Force lieutenants hanging around the operations desk at the 416th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Phu Cat Air Base in South Vietnam. One of our friends had spread himself and his airplane over a quarter mile of rice paddy that morning. The most likely cause of the tragedy was that he’d stared a second too long at the target on his second low-angle pass. Nevertheless, he was dead, we were dejected and facing a reality, given this man’s suddenly changed status, that we had not seriously considered.
