My personal aviation lineage and the first time I knew I wanted to be a pilot trace back to my grandfather. Shawn Arena Those of us who have been fortunate to have received the gift of flight or just the enjoyment of aviation can usually trace back to where that flame to be a pilot was first […]
Dr. Mary Ann O’Grady Your aircraft and flying skills represent wonderful business and personal capabilities, but they may also constitute one of the largest exposures to catastrophes that you can imagine. So, the following summary details a list of the most critical aircraft insurance coverage types and [potential] losses: Aircraft Hull Insurance Aircraft hull insurance […]
Beware. The Mesoscale Convective Complex feeds on itself and grows like rapidly-spreading cancer. Vern Weiss It is called the Mesoscale Convective Complex and pilots should be keenly aware of the term when it appears in a weather briefing. Of course, all thunderstorms require caution but what makes the MCC so nasty is that it becomes […]
A pilot’s salary can vary just as they do with any other job. Experience plays a big role as far as what a pilot makes, mainly because the different companies and positions available depend on the experience of a pilot. First, if we look at what the different types of jobs there are for pilots, then we […]
Avoid rattlesnakes and falsified flight log books. Each has a nasty disposition and sharp fangs that bite. Vern Weiss In August 2012, a Federal Court in Des Moines, Iowa sentenced a pilot to 4 years probation and fined him for falsifying his pilot logbook hours when going for an FAA instrument rating.1 Federal court! We’re not […]
You can make flying planes a little easier by applying a few different rules of thumb provided below. Vern Weiss There’s a lot of minutia and head work involved in flying planes and sometimes a pilot can get bogged down with the calculations and mental gymnastics required. “East is least and West is best” and […]
Unsolved Issues: Part V, Amber Berlin To read Part 1, click here, Part 2, click here, Part 3, click here, and Part 4, click here. Are you tired? Maybe you need a nap. Naps decrease the homeostatic drive for sleep by reducing the number of hours continuously awake, which results in a greater ability to focus. […]
A Private Pilot Certificate doesn’t necessarily preclude earning money in aviation. Vern Weiss “No person who holds a private pilot certificate may act as pilot in command of an aircraft that is carrying passengers or property for compensation or hire, nor may that person, for compensation or hire, act as pilot in command of an […]
Declaring an in-flight emergency is not something to take lightly. Play this trump card if you need it but only if you need it. Vern Weiss What is an emergency? The FAA defines it as a “distress or urgency condition.” H-m-m-m…so would “I have to get home because the Super Bowl starts in ten minutes” […]
When looking for a helicopter flight school, here are the 3 “W’s” you should pay attention to. Margie O’Connor You are outside enjoying the gentle breeze of a pure, blue-sky day when up above you hear the wap-wap-wap of a helicopter as it flies overhead. For a moment, you fixate on the helicopter, amazed at […]