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Tag Archives: pilots
Looking Both Ways
In teaching student pilots, I have been amazed that a few will cross a runway or taxiway without looking. At airports with control towers and active ATC, the instances of this happening are more pronounced than at airports without ground control. The … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying, Personal
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Tagged a late Friday afternoon, airplanes, airports with control towers, Cessnas, clearance to our ramp, crossing a runway or taxiway without looking, discipline, Flight instructors, flight training, flying, inexperienced pilots, judgment, learning to fly, look both ways, Looking Both Ways, making the approach to another airport, pilots, professional pilots, similar runway patterns, student pilots, teaching student pilots, the mighty PA-44 Seminole, using the radio
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2 Comments
Precession – Is It Really A Left Turning Tendency?
Flight instructors teach their students about the left-turning tendencies an airplane encounters on takeoff. Unfortunately, some flight instructors may not fully understand the dynamics of takeoff and might pass a misconception or two on to the next generation of new … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying
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Tagged airplanes, airspeed, altitude, Back in the Old Days, Cessnas, conventional landing gear, flight controls, Flight instructors, flight training, flying, full throttle, high power settings, high-angle-of-attack-flight, inexperienced pilots, judgment, learning to fly, left-turning tendencies, Newton’s third law, nosewheels, novice pilots, P-51 Mustang pilots, P-factor, pilots, precession, Precession - Is It Really A Left Turning Tendency?, professional pilots, propeller blade, right rudder, spiraling slipstream, student pilots, students, taildraggers, tailwheels, torque, training aircraft, World War II
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6 Comments
Downed Raptors
The Air Force Times reported on an interesting development this week on July 27. According to the AF Times, the entire fleet of F-22 Raptors in the Air Force inventory has not flown since May 3, 2011—the result of problems … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flying
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Tagged a complex machine, aircraft life support systems, Anchorage AK, Captain Jeff Haney, cognition, Downed Raptors, F-22 Raptors, hitting trees on landing, hypoxia, liquid oxygen (LOX), military O2 systems, OBOGS, On-Board Oxygen Generation System, pilots, system concerns, the 525th Fighter Squadron, The Air Force Times
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The Thing About Flying
My friend, Holly, sent in this account of one of his latest adventures. He wrote it so well and supplied great photos, I had to have him debut as my first guest colmnist. ——————— The thing about flying, the adventures … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flying
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Tagged airplanes, airspeed, altitude, Atlanta, Epps Aviation, Florida, flying, friends, instrument flying, judgment, Larry King, memories, PDK, pilots, Pipers, training aircraft, Yaks
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Off to School
Every two years flight instructors must renew their credentials in order to continue teaching. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) provides three ways to accomplish this task. The easiest way is by providing documentation of flight activity showing at least an … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Personal
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Tagged 80 percent success rate, Air Force, airplanes, airspeed, altitude, Avon park bombing and gunnery, Cessna 150, Cessnas, CFI endorsements, discipline, documentation of flight activity, F-16 Falcons, FAA check ride, first solo, Flight Instructor Refresher Clinic (FIRC), Flight instructors, flight training, flying, friends, Guantanamo, gun sights, judgment, learning to fly, memories, Off to School, pilots, professional pilots, rolling in “hot”, student pilots, The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), training aircraft
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1 Comment
Being There
Sometimes inspiration comes from the oddest places and in the strangest ways. Following the Fourth of July weekend and the tiring drive home, I found myself dozing at the computer. And in the middle of my dozing, I found myself … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flying, Personal
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Tagged "crack back a couple", a thumbs-up, A-4 Skyhawk, airshows, be smooth and perfectly in sync, Being There, discipline, dozing at the computer, F/A Hornet, finesse, flying, formation takeoff, inspiration, judgment, memories, military service, Navy, pilots, professional pilots, refusal speed, rotation speed, section go, the Fourth of July, the lead pilot, the real magic, the training command, wingman, You had to be there
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2 Comments
More on G and the Envelope
Yesterday, in G-Loads and the Envelope, I explained the basics of the Vgn diagram and the limits of the operational categories. Today we’ll discuss more about what it means to operate within the envelope. First, its all about what the wing … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying
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Tagged accidently “falling” out of a maneuver, acrobatic category, afternoon thermals, airplanes, airspeed, altitude, Cessnas, Charlie’s Cubs, flight training, flying, g-loads, G-Loads and the Envelope, g-meter limits, inexperienced pilots, judgment, learning to fly, maneuvering flight, More on G and the Envelope, most humans become uncomfortable over 2g’s, normal category, pilots, power available, professional pilots, stall speed, structural damage, the accelerated stall curve, trading altitude for energy, training aircraft, utility category, Vg-Vn diagram, Vgn diagram, your mother’s favorite silverware, “the envelope”, “the heart” of the envelope
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G-Loads and the Envelope
When I learned how to fly in 1971, I was a kid who really did not know much about anything, but thought I knew everything. When it came to airplanes and flying, I knew even less than I realized. When … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying
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Tagged acrobatic category, afternoon thermals, airplanes, airspeed, altitude, Cessnas, Charlie’s Cubs, flight training, flying, g-loads, G-Loads and the Envelope, inexperienced pilots, judgment, learning to fly, maneuvering flight, most humans become uncomfortable over 2g’s, normal category, pilots, professional pilots, stall speed, structural damage, student pilots, the accelerated stall curve, training aircraft, utility category, Vg-Vn diagram, Vgn diagram, your mother’s favorite silverware, “the envelope”, “the heart” of the envelope
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2 Comments
Flying, Learning, and Thunderstorms
The FSS flight specialist reported weather along our route with ceilings of 1,000 broken to overcast with tops about 12,000 feet. There was a chance of imbedded thunderstorms. It appeared as though the front was in the process of becoming stationary … Continue reading →
Posted in Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged a fatal aircraft accident, a sense of relief, actual instrument time in my log, airplanes, airspeed, altitude, breaking out into brilliant sunlight, canceling instruments, Cessna 182, Cessnas, cleared as filed, discipline, flight specialists, Florida, flying, Flying Learning and Thunderstorms, IFR operations, imbedded thunderstorms, inexperienced pilots, instrument flying, judgment, Lake Okeechobee, learning to fly, lived by the rule of always being able to see thunderstorms, Pahokee, Palm Beach Approach, pilots, professional flying career, professional pilots, Tampa, Tampa Departure, the FAA called, the Pahokee VOR, too many pilots die by breaking that rule, “VFR is not recommended”
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2 Comments
Wow! Thanks!
I was surprised this week, when I found my blog had attained the distinction of acquiring more readers than I could possibly have imagined. From all over the world! And all this since I started the blog last August. For … Continue reading →