Flight Safety

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Question: What were non-radar operations called before radar?Answer: Air Traffic ControlYou may wonder why I’m putting the very basics — the bedrock — of Air Traffic Control in an advanced class in my series of ATC courses. The answer is simple: Because it’s complicated. It also involves a lot of math. I hate math. Be […]

As do pilots all over the world, we who gather here in the Pilot’s Lounge at the virtual airport read and discuss aircraft accident reports. Recently we got to perusing a fatal accident involving a relatively new, inexperienced, private pilot flying in the Midwest.While I’m amending the details a bit to preserve anonymity, the gentleman […]

The end of a not very long day. One leg from SFO to home at the end of a four-day safari and we were almost officially at the end of our week.Humping our suitcases out of the luggage rack and with our flight kits dragging them to the front door, we paused only to hook […]

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared in Twin & Turbine, May 2005, and is reprinted here by permission. Pilots are generally pretty savvy about the weather. We can decode METARs and TAFs, get satellite weather pictures, and understand NEXRAD radar images. Most of us even remember how to read winds aloft, constant pressure analysis, and […]

On January 1, 2006, Warren “Chip” Jones replaced Don Brown as the Facility Safety Representative of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) at Atlanta Center. Don will continue his work as a Safety Representative for NATCA while he prepares for his upcoming retirement. Don’s column this month is his advice letter to Chip. Dear […]

One of the nice things about the Pilot’s Lounge at the virtual airport is that I get to stay in touch with some very interesting pilots. One of my favorite people on the planet is a guy I’ve flown with off and on for over 20 years. Among other things, he is considered to be […]

Our 767 was number three in line at the de-icing pad and with the snow continuing to drop heavily, it looked like we had a little time to pass.Keith, my copilot, was a little apprehensive and was making damn sure we were ready to follow the de-ice procedures. About 10 years back, he and his […]

I‘m always fascinated by how little I know about the things I use every day. The ILS is one of those things. The ILS is the “bread and butter” of the instrument approaches. If there’s a choice, most pilots and most controllers will go with the ILS. (Actually, most would prefer a visual approach, but […]

While in the Pilot’s Lounge here at the virtual airport, I got to checking my email and found one that took me to task for asserting that the Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) created as a result of Hurricane Katrina were ill-conceived and poorly planned. I had complained because of the difficulties reported by some pilots […]