Flight Safety

It had been a lousy afternoon. Dealing with a case involving someone from the dregs of aviation always depresses me, but this one had been worse than usual. When everything was over for the day, the only thing I could think to do was to retreat to the pilot’s lounge at the virtual airport. With […]

The flight to Denver was going well enough. Light chop in the clouds at three-three-oh and only an hour and a half before we got to the front range of the Rockies.Today’s cockpit conversation wasn’t about the ride or the destination, though. It was about next month and our holiday schedules. The line-of-time bid results […]

One of the less pleasant aspects of my job is the fact that I occasionally have to work a midnight shift. The biggest challenge for me (besides staying awake) is finding something useful to do. Fortunately my Area doesn’t have a freighter operation (yet) so I spent the quiet parts of the shift trying to […]

NOTE: This article was updated in November 2003 to reflect the unavailability of the previously recommended AIM and Senco detectors (both of which are no longer in production), and the introduction of the CO Experts Model 2002 which has now become our top choice for aircraft use. The dramatic crash of Piper Dakota N8263Y madeall […]

“And the Lord spoke again unto Moses from the burning bush, and said, “Get thee up the slopes of Mount Sinai yet again, and there I shall cause to be written in stone a whole host of tablets. These tablets shall each bear a name that will be strange unto you, such as Piper, Beech, […]

There is a nearly unanimous sentiment among those who frequent the pilot’s lounge here at the virtual airport that one of the best things a pilot can do when not flying is to spend time at a good aviation museum. For many of us, a good aviation museum, no matter what size, is something to […]

The warm, carefree days of summer appear to be over as I sit in my 757 pondering the outside conditions as we prepare to yet again to voyage to Schwarzenegger’s lair — Los Angeles Intergalactic Jet Port.”Information Juliet is current,” began Todd, my co-pilot for this four-day hostage crisis. “One thousand overcast, two miles in […]

NOTE: This article originally appeared in the Cessna Pilots Association Magazine, and is reprinted here by permission. I tend to fly fairly long distances in my airplane, and have done so for decades. Since I acquired my Cessna T310R in 1987, I’ve probably averaged around three transcontinental trips a year. I figure if you’re going […]

What’s not to like about October? It’s my favorite month of the year. I don’t know what it’s like in your neck of the woods but here in the Southeast it’s just about perfect. Cool nights, warm days and the sky: the crystal-clear, beautiful, blue sky.They’re the kind of days that are perfect for flying. […]

Editor’s Note: This is the second of a two-part series on flying the Hurricane. Read Part 1 first. First, there is excellent news. The main electrical panel for the Zero has been repaired after my little smoke and fire event, and I should be able to test hop it today (10/7/03). The Hurry has been […]