Probable Cause

This article originally appeared in IFR Refresher, August 2005. Flying in the clouds requires currency and proficiency at flying on the gauges. It’s the pilot’s responsibility to meet the legal requirements before taking off into or flying through instrument conditions.A problem we see too often, though, is when pilots who are not current or proficient […]

Walking out of the doctor’s office, holding the piece of paper on which the duly authorized Aviation Medical Examiner attested that, as of a few moments ago, I met the minimum standards to hold an airman medical certificate, I breathed a sigh of relief and headed out to the Pilot’s Lounge at the virtual airport. […]

This article originally appeared in Aviation Safety, December 2003. Each pilot rating or certificate is a hard-earned trophy that rewards pilots for their efforts, not with a shiny sparkle from a shelf in the den, but with heightened skill for flying the airplane. They stand as testaments to the pilot’s ability to eke utility out […]

This article originally appeared in IFR Refresher, April 2005. When we depart on an instrument flight we expect that the journey will progress normally to our intended destination. That, of course, is not a realistic expectation, as anybody at the NTSB can tell you. Because the chance of something going wrong is always there, we […]

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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 […]

I pulled my Cessna T310R out of the hangar, and performed the usual pre-flight walk-around. I climbed into the left seat, watched my two passengers take their seats and fasten their seat belts, and checked that the cabin door was properly secured. Pre-start checklist: flight controls free and correct, switches and dimmers off, circuit breakers […]

Editor’s Note: Because of ongoing controversy with the Beech T-34 wing spars, John Deakin updated this 1999 column in May 2005. His updates are [bracketed in red], but the entire column is even more relevant today than it was then. Ground all Bonanzas?Well, no, not immediately, and all parties will deny that this is even […]

Pelican’s Perch #80: Gear-Up Landing In A 747? – (Articles – Nov. 21, 2004) You know the cliche: There are two kinds of retractable-gear pilots in the world – those who have landed gear-up, and those who will. AVweb’s John Deakin is back with his Pelican’s Perch column, and relates his own heavy-jet gear-up story. […]

Ask any aircraft owner what the TBO is for the engine(s) on his aircraft and you’ll almost always get the correct answer without hesitation: “My engine has a 1,700-hour TBO.” But ask that owner to explain the significance of that TBO figure and you’ll get all sorts of answers, most of them flat wrong. Here […]