Do you have Air Traffic Control Mike Fright? Are you unsure about what to say, or how to talk to ATC? Want to get over Air Traffic Control Mike Fright? You are not alone. Many are unsure of what to say. As an experienced CFI (Certified Flight Instructor), I’ve seen this with students and heard […]
How long since you’ve done any cross-country flight planning? Maybe your flying is local in nature, less than 50 miles from your home airport for the $100 burger, so it’s been a while. Well, there are common problems that some pilots encounter with cross-country flight planning, among them, basically; not understanding weather well enough; inadequate […]
I recently had the experience of working on my Cessna 150. It was fun to get out my wrenches and do some airplane maintenance on this vintage airplane. Let me tell you how this happened. About two weeks ago, I had flown my Cessna 150 to nearby Torrance Airport, KTOA, on Sunday, June 27, for […]
After a yummy breakfast at the Airport Café, with my training Captain and Instructor, Bob, and his brother Tim, both of whom are retired airline captains and are now DC-3 pilots, flying Flabob Express, we went out and inspected the airplane. We did a ‘preflight’ or ‘walkaround’ as we call it. They actually kidded me […]
Do you know the difference? This is area of confusion among some pilots. The rules, that is, the Federal Aviation Regulations, aka the ‘F-A-Rs’ or ‘regs’, for short, spell out the many requirements that we follow, as pilots, mechanics, and air traffic controllers, to operate an aircraft safely, in the National Airspace System (NAS), and […]
Someone asked this recently on a FB page for student pilots; what’s the difference between “The Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge”, or PHAK, and “The Airplane Flying Handbook”, or AFH? It’s a good question. Do you know? These books are complimentary. Each alone is not sufficient. Generally speaking, the PHAK is ‘the big picture’. It […]
On Saturday, April 24, 2021, on AOPA Live, it was reported that the FAA recently issued an Advisory Circular, AC 91-92, that addresses the “Pilot’s Guide to a Preflight Briefing’. With the widespread use of Smartphone’s, devices and online briefings, many pilots now ‘self-brief’. The FAA is addressing this, and this AC provides guidance to […]
Welcome to my blog! Last year, on April 30, 2020, I was suddenly informed that my services as classroom and simulator instructor were no longer needed! I was initially surprised but quickly figured it out. My boss, the Center Manager at a large FAR 142 Learning Center, thanked me for my service (teaching pilots to […]
Opportunity Knocks for my Learjet SIC Type Rating On Tuesday, May 12, 2020, I drove 6 ½ hours north from Long Beach, up through the San Joaquin Valley to Sacramento, California, for the opportunity to fly a Lear 35 and earn my Learjet SIC Type Rating! I have been wanting to fly a Learjet for […]
