Flight Safety

This article appeared in the July 2002 edition of IFR Magazine and is reprinted here by permission. Most autopilots are happiest if they intercept the localizer four or five miles outside the marker from a 45-degree intercept. Most pilots are, too. Why then does a certain subspecies of pilot — Canis familiaris nocturnis, a.k.a., a […]

There are few things that have influenced the National Airspace System (NAS) as much as the implementation of the “hub and spoke” system the major airlines developed decades ago. Depending on which side your bread is buttered, it’s the best thing that ever happened or it’s the worst thing to ever happen. There’s not much […]

Before continuing where we left off in last month’s column, I have a little housekeeping, if I may. AVweb has very kindly allowed me to use “jdeakin@avweb.com” as my primary e-mail address for these past five years. That has worked very well. It has been very reliable and quick, and it has also allowed some […]

There are days in the pilots lounge at the virtual airport that I learn by just sitting and listening to my betters. It so happened that I recently had an opportunity to pick up some pointers on dealing with emergencies due to a drama that played itself out over two days. Not surprisingly, Old Hack […]

Communications between the various crewmembers aboard military airplanesis typically accomplished by means of interconnected electronic devices.The interphone system is a vital part of the equipment required for efficientand coordinated flight crew operations. Pilots communicate with navigatorsfrequently to assure mutual understanding of headings to fly, time to goand estimates to targets or destinations. Pilots and co-pilots […]

Betty Darst was born November 11, 1939, in Gomer, Ohio. Like all Buckeyes — your author included — she got a healthy dose of Wright pride growing up. Then, in 1979 she moved to Dayton, just a few blocks from the Hawthorn Hill, the Wright home. She’s a lifelong educator, specializing in teacher training and […]

What is this CRM stuff we’ve been hearing so much of lately? I can tell you some of the things it isn’t. Although air carriers may call it Company Resource Management, and the manufacturers of some air carrier aircraft in their manuals refer to Crew Resource Management, the FAA (Friendly Feds) mean Cockpit Resource Management […]

First, a shameless plug, and a disclaimer, so that you know where I’m coming from. I am one of three partners in the new “Advanced Pilot Seminars, Inc.” a company formed for the purpose of educating pilots in engine management. The other partners are George Braly and Walter Atkinson. We have now completed two seminars, […]

Among the many things that have surprised me in writing for AVweb, one of the most surprising has been the number of military fliers that I’ve heard from. I don’t know why it surprised me. There certainly are enough of them. I guess I just never thought they’d be interested in what I have to […]

The controller rapped out the approach clearance with the ease of ordering a pizza: “Cross HOLOW at 3000, cleared approach, radar service terminated, change to advisory frequency approved, report canceling IFR this frequency or on the ground with flight service.” The airplane was miles from the airport, and the pilot later said that he “felt […]