Features

What to bring to the table when entering the pattern… ATC: N1234, confirm you have current ATIS. N1234: N1234 has Whiskey. (Unidentified pilot): In that case, welcome to the party!

General Aviation Definition A letter last week decried the broad definition of General Aviation (AVmail, Oct. 31).Any group larger than one will have compromises (ask any married couple). However, the larger and more unified the voice, the greater its strength. For example, I recently spoke to an official from the U.S. Forestry Service, and he […]

With the coming of the very light jets (VLJs), I’ve had many folks ask me just what jet type-rating training is like. Although it’s hard to evaluate the programs currently under development, there is a general format they will all have to follow: the Practical Test Standard, or PTS, provided by the FAA for the […]

Clarity in communication… ATC: N1234 traffic 1 o’clock, 6 miles. N1234: Right … uh … we’re in a cloud. (short pause) ATC: Then you won’t see her. N1234: Roger. Negative traffic, 234.

I said it before but I’m going to say it again: The job of an air traffic controller epitomizes the saying, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” Imagine my surprise this morning when I saw a flight plan with BZM.T203.PSK in the route of flight. What the heck is T203? Turns […]

Fuel Prices After the FBO at my base airport raised their prices by more than a $1/gallon overnight, I started asking around to see what had caused it. The answer turned out to be that they were simply matching the price of the FBO across the field, not simply covering cost increases. The trickle-down results […]

I was working on my multi-engine rating at an airport where the controllers had apparently grown very familiar with the routine for training flights. While on downwind in the Duchess with my instructor, I heard this: Controller: Bonanza 123AB you will be following a Duchess on downwind … he’s about to lose an engine.