Flight Planning

I had just departed a famous airport and proceeded on course. Tower: Cessna XYZ, what is your heading? Cessna XYZ: XYZ heading Southwest. Tower: Cessna XYZ, what is your heading? Cessna XYZ: XYZ heading Southwest. Tower (agitated): Cessna XYZ, I need to know your heading Cessna XYZ: XYZ heading Southwest. Tower (very agitated): Cessna XYZ, […]

Every year around this time, when the days are short and nights are long and cold, we can’t help spending some time thinking about the future. A new calendar provides the illusion of a fresh start, though in reality the Earth continues its elliptical orbit, as it has for millions of years, oblivious to our […]

Heard at ILG (Wilmington, DE) on a Sunday. ILG is a training site for ATC, and also has very, very patient controllers. Tower: Cherokee XYZ, let me explain how we do things. When I give you a clearance, you need to read it back so I know you understood. Cherokee XYZ: OK, I understand. Tower: […]

I was that stage of my instrument training where I was struggling to keep the shiny side up while monitoring radios, tuning navaids, and looking at approach charts. My instructor and I were shooting a Localizer approach to 17R at David Wayne Hooks airport in Houston. It was during the winter and already dark. Thankfully, […]

If you’re setting up a personal hangar for light DIY wrenching, it’s worth following the lead of maintenance shops that know what’s good. Walk through a real maintenance hangar and you won’t have to look hard to spot the Snap-On tool logo. Whether it’s a gigantic rolling tool cabinet or a pair of cutters, there’s […]

Ed. Note: Each Friday we will be offering glimpses from the training world. CFIs are welcome to add their stories to the never-ending lexicon of student miscues. Send to newsteam@avweb.com. Mismanaging fuel—as in managing to miss fueling—is a perennial favorite as pilots try to go the extra mile without the extra juice. Consider a California […]

The FAA has responded to recent complaints from AOPA and others about rising costs and limited access at some FBOs at public-use airports, issuing a document that aims to clarify the issues. The six-page Q&A (PDF) spells out the various obligations of the FAA, the airport sponsors, the FBO and aeronautical users. “This is an […]

We were in a long holding pattern at STL on a typical bad day there. Approach Control gave a direct clearance to another aircraft and canceled his hold. Pilot: “Roger, cleared direct; you read my mind.” Anonymous voice: “It was a short book.” Tom Wilson

The potential for in-flight icing during an IFR flight—regardless of whether the airplane is approved for flight into known icing or not—means doing serious plotting and scheming prior to departure, and throughout the flight. As has been demonstrated for years, structural icing does bad things to airframes. Best to presume every cloud will contain ice, […]

A Cessna wheel/float aircraft was being ferried from the Lower 48 to Talkeetna Alaska.Upon arrival the pilot called the FSS station for landing information. FSS: Altimeter 29.92, wind calm, runway 01 or 19, your choice.” Pause Cessna: “Which one is the longest? Tom Mackle