Glass panel displays, ballistic parachute aircraft recovery systems, portable tablet computers enabling paperless cockpits, and widely available three axis autopilot systems have changed the way we fly, the way we train, and the way we are expected to perform on check rides. Our training and testing paradigms have tried to stay in synch, yet always…
When I was working on my instrument rating back in 2007, my instructor and I did a lot of unpublished holds. In ground school, I heard a lot about holding for weather or holding due to a traffic delay. At my first job, my chief flight instructor was also a Continental (now United) captain and…
There are a multitude of weather products out there today to assist pilots in preparing for a flight. Aviationweather.gov is the best source for getting all the information a pilot needs for planning a flight. Aviationweather.gov is the National Weather Service’s source for all aviation related weather products. When I teach about weather and weather…
Takeoff briefings are one of those things that most pilots are taught when they first learn how to fly, but once they get into flying themselves around, quickly fall by the wayside. There is a reason student pilots are instructed to perform a takeoff briefing before departure. It gets them thinking about what the plan…
The AOPA’s Air Safety Foundation will be returning to Texas this coming week with their After the Crash: Surviving An Aircraft Accident seminar. Though aircraft accidents are rare to most pilots, they still happen. It is best to be prepared with the proper knowledge and supplies in case you are stranded in a remote area…
