Search Results for: vfr

One thing all pilots feel at some point on any flight is a sense of pressure. On a good-day local flight, it could be something as simple and routine as wanting to make an “are-we-down-yet-smooth” landing to impress someone. At the other extreme might be a boss who absolutely, positively needs to be at a […]

Years ago, I had gotten pretty used to skirting VFR in my Grumman AA1-B around the western edges of New York’s Class B airspace as I headed north-south to-and-from my home in New Jersey. The busiest time on the radio was overflying Caldwell and Morristown Airports (KCDW and KMMU) because their airspace almost overlapped, and […]

Garmin International announced this week it expects to complete an FAA supplemental type certificate (STC) this month for its GI 275 electronic flight instrument for Part 27-certified VFR Bell 206 helicopters. The announcement came at the annual Helicopter Association International HeliExpo trade show in Dallas. More models expected to be added to the certification list […]

I’m a firm believer in using supplemental oxygen; there’s a portable O2 tank in my airplane right now. For a variety of reasons, I usually go on oxygen when I’m going to be at 10,000 feet or higher for any length of time. I typically fly long legs, and when I use oxygen, I’m not […]

Aircraft homebuilders have traditionally faced a choice—either they studied and researched fast-moving avionics technology and became proficient in locating and connecting complex components; outsourced that expertise; or deferred on the wonders of modern computer-based avionics systems and settled for old-school, hand-me-down VFR panels. With its roots firmly planted in the experimental aircraft movement, Woodinville, Washington-based […]

Consider that moment when you’re in the swirling bisque, fingernails clutching the rim as unpleasant consequences mock your lack of exit strategy. Like my first day in the Army when a drill sergeant expressed his unvarnished displeasure with my existence, or the time I accepted a party invitation only to discover, as the deadbolt clicked […]

Humanity On The Wing: Gail Halvorsen’s Lasting Legacy Great story with an appropriately excellent title Paul! In 1995 while temporarily based at Tempelhof I had the good fortune to be invited by long time acquaintance Ake Johnasson aboard his DC-3 on a VFR Berlin sightseeing charter flight. Most passengers on that flight seemed to be […]

Aircraft using controlled airspace above 12,500 feet in Canada will have to be equipped with ADS-B capable of transmitting to Nav Canada’s Aerion space-based ADS-B system by Feb. 23 of 2023. The firm date was announced jointly by Nav Canada and Transport Canada. To be compliant, aircraft must have ADS-B antennas on the top of […]

Being both a pilot and air traffic controller, I enjoy learning the dos and don’ts from both sides of the mic. We’re all human and everybody makes mistakes—yes, even controllers as I’ve observed from the pilot seat. But, I’m hoping you’ll ride along with me as I share some observations from the tower cab about […]

We’ve long maintained that one of the best ways for a pilot to enhance his or her aviation risk management is to earn and use the instrument rating. This is especially true if the pilot in question has plans to use their pilot certificate for transportation on anything resembling a schedule. That’s because the skills, […]