Flight Planning

Compared to landing, taking off is relatively simple. Our instructor lets us make the first takeoff of our very first flying lesson—or at least makes us think we made the takeoff. If everything goes right, it’s easy. But how do you know everything is going right? And how do you know what to do in […]

The Collings Foundation’s bombers were giving rides while I was getting ready to depart the airport at Ramona, CA early this summer. When I called for takeoff, I was told to hold short while a B-17 landed. After that beautiful plane cleared the runway, the follow exchange happened: RNM: Cessna, cleared for takeoff, caution wake […]

JAX Approach: American 123, airport 11 o’clock, 8 miles. Report in sight. AA123: (obviously, the co-pilot) The man says he has the airport in sight. JAX approach: Tell the man he’s cleared to the airport, expect a visual runway 8. AA123: I’ll break it to him gently.

The pre-private, 16-year-old, 12-hour total time solo glider student called the TFR-fire base temporary tower staff. Glider Student: “Santa Ynez Tower, Glider 28 Tango, 45 entry to right traffic, Runway 26, Santa Ynez.” This was followed by a deep baritone, “Santa Ynez, Skycrane 2C, inbound three miles from the southeast.” Tower: “Glider 28 Tango , […]

I am an instructor in Germany and was with a student flying to his first towered airport. The aircraft has no GPS installed and visibility was around 4-5 km in mist. We were given the entry into the control zone via VFR reporting point “November.” Tower (in a kind, investigative voice): “D-HR you are a […]

You’re in the airplane, strapped in and about to start the checklist when it hits you—filling the right half of the windshield is The Hangar. The one in the famous picture. The picture showing a Maule M-4 blasting out the hangar’s open door in full and fearless flight. Right there is where the legendary B. […]

My brother slipped me a piece of paper on which he’d jotted three numbers: 260, 240 and 180. If you haven’t guessed, they’re weights. Add me and the load is 860 pounds well-marbled (not 170-pound), above-average Americans. Add full tanks, 56 gallons of fuel and we would approach gross weight. I had yet to add […]

Family and friends were watching the first takeoff of an experimental home built.As he came down the runway he over pitched then pushed the nose down hitting the runway causing a ground loop off the runway with dirt flying. He then taxied back on the runway. Tower: “What are your intentions?” He said there was […]

Tri City Departure: Cessna 12345, squawk 4305 Cessna 12345: Tri City, um, we just noticed we are missing the knob for the last dial on the transponder. Tri City Departure: What number is it on? Cessna 12345: Zero Tri City Departure: Standby, let me see if I can get you a code that ends in […]

Climbing out of my home airport with our friendly (and funny) tower controllers, I heard: Tower: Cardinal XYZ, check transponder. XYZ: Turning it on, sorry, guys, XYZ. Tower: Cardinal XYZ, never admit your mistakes on frequency, just say it was warming up. XYZ: All warmed up! XYZ. Tower: That’s the spirit. Daniel Rasin