Risk Management

Only a small percentage of the controller work force in the system today—or for that matter, in the past—are or have been pilots. Controllers are taught to perform the duties and provide the services that are outlined in the controller’s bible, the FAA Order 7110.65, Air Traffic Control Manual. While they have been made aware […]

Letter of the Week:Personal Airspace I would register my drone prior to flying it above 200 feet AGL. I think it is clear from U.S. v. Causby (1946) that the FAA has no authority to regulate “the immediate reaches of the enveloping atmosphere” of my property, which in the Causby case is at least 83 […]

Things can go “bump” in the night. Daytime, too. Most of them either have been considered before or encountered by someone, resulting in a section of your AFM/POH labeled “Emergency Procedures.” But not everything that can happen is covered there: Pilots are constantly inventing new ways to screw up, and the aircraft themselves can present […]

The Single Pilot Safety Standdown seminar at this year’s NBAA Convention focused on loss-of-control events. Tom Turner of the American Bonanza Society was part of Monday’s slate of safety programming. He spoke with Paul Bertorelli about the event and currently spotlight on LOC in aviation safety. Duration: 6:18 File Size: 5.6 MB download here

This much we can all agree on: Pilots are supposed to give their passengers a detailed, pre-takeoff safety briefing. But I have sleepwalked through more of these than I care to remember. I know, I’m a terrible person, but I’ve gotten used to myself. I urge others to do better. The pre-takeoff briefing topic caught […]

The neutering of Chicago O’Hare, once not only the busiest airport in the world, but also the baddest, is nearly complete: The 2015 version of ORD has three control towers, half a dozen east/west parallel runways … and no character whatsoever. While a couple of the old diagonal runways escaped the bulldozers, they might as […]

With sunny skies and calm winds, it’s a surprise to reach cruise altitude and find a bumpy ride. Though computer modeling is beginning to overcome many limitations in turbulence prediction, the products aren’t always accurate and don’t convey the nature of the problem. So, it’s pretty important for pilots to be well versed in what […]

This month’s doing-it-right mention goes to my friends at Skydive City, my home drop zone in Zephyrhills, Florida. Last week, in a sporting crosswind, the DZ’s Twin Otter had a runway excursion of the sort that happens every day in general aviation. The Otter is built like a locomotive so damage to the airplane was […]

When did you last experience an embarrassing moment on the takeoff roll? Have you ever had to taxi back to the ramp to deal with a problem discovered during the run-up? Any moments of tension or near-terror because you missed something during the pre-flight? Most pilots can recite at least one tale about discovering they […]

A couple of weeks ago, the local paper ran a headline on the front of the inside section: Plane Lands on 301 … Safely. I look at such a head on two levels; one as a pilot and a second as an editor. In some ways, it’s the equivalent of a headline that says: No […]