Flight Safety

Updated August 24, 2003, with information on new PLBs from Pains Wessex. I was ferrying my antique open-cockpit biplane — a rare Flaglor High Tow — from my home base in Driggs, Idaho (just west of Jackson Hole) to the maintenance shop at Idaho Falls. That’s about 45 nautical miles, which doesn’t sound like much […]

This article originally appeared in the July 2002 issue of IFR Magazine and is reprinted here by permission. Mnemonics, such as GUMP or CIGAR, are popular in aviation, although one of the most useful when approaching a terminal area might be hard to relate to: WCRR, or West Coast Rail Road. The only relationship between […]

Most days when I come home from work, no matter how bad things are (and they usually are), I take a few moments to calm down and take stock of my life. Invariably, I come to the conclusion that I’ve got it good. I’ve got a good home, a good wife (a great one actually), […]

I‘ve always liked Grumman airplanes. They range from the funky (the Duck and the Widgeon) to the awesome (Bearcat). What does that have to do with the Gulfstream? The lineage, and history. Grumman built the first Gulfstream, a Gulfstream I (a twin turboprop). Over the last 40 years the company has gone through the now-common […]

Every once in a while I find myself leaving the pleasant confines of the Pilot’s Lounge at the virtual airport and speaking to a group of pilots. So long as they don’t throw produce and I depart before my tires are slashed, I consider such endeavors successful. I usually discuss the contents of whatever talk […]

Finally, the long winter has passed, and we pilots are finally able to shed our heavy uniform coats and show up for work in our summer attire — white shirts with epaulettes.The winter uniform coats are great for “experienced, healthy” (meaning chubby) captains like myself, because the formal jacket covers a lot of the results […]

My company specializes in providing pilots with the lowest term life rates available … if you qualify medically. Typically, an insurance company requires a life insurance medical exam before they can approve your policy and provide you with a final premium rate. After taking your application for life insurance, your agent will call a paramedical […]

This article originally appeared in the October 2002 issue of IFR Refresher and is reprinted here by permission. You couldn’t buy a warm day in central Canada during April and May, and that cold pool of arctic air drifted south over the northern plains and pushed deeply into the Ohio River Valley, where it faced […]

For those who haven’t been counting, this concludes my second year of writing for AVweb. No one is more surprised than me. It doesn’t seem that long. I guess it’s true. Time does fly when you’re having fun.And it has been fun. Even more important, at least in my book, it’s been educational. Everyone’s heard […]

Before we get into this month’s column, a little “housekeeping.”I’d like to remind readers that my old email address (jdeakin@avweb.com) is no longer valid, as the new owners have done away with AVweb email for columnists and other staff. My current addresses are my “Old Faithful” for more than 20 years, jdeakin@compuserve.com, and my newer […]