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Tag Archives: judgment
Misconceptions About Landing
Wednesday, I wrote about a pilot flying a light twin who made a hot approach and floated down the runway. I think there are many pilots who carry misconceptions about flying into the cockpit with them when they learn how … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying
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Tagged aerodynamic control, airplanes, airspeed, altitude, Cessna 170, Cessna 182, Cessnas, crosswind landing, fast approach, final approach, flight training, floating down the runway, flying, flying landing approaches too fast, flying the approach and landing too fast, groundloops, gusty winds, inexperienced pilots, judgment, landings require precise speed control, learning to fly, Misconceptions About Landing, pilots, Pilot’s Operating Handbook (POH), professional pilots, runway excursions, scraping fingernails on a blackboard, short field landing, soft field landing, static control, student pilots, taildraggers, the secret to landing, training aircraft, transition from flying to rolling, “whiteboards”
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1 Comment
Crosswind Landings
We were leaving school about 6:30 in the evening. I was with my wife and one of our authors—they had been working on a book while I was teaching school and we agreed to give him a lift home afterward. … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying, Life in General
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Tagged airplanes, airspeed, altitude, bad landings, Cessnas, crosswind landings, crosswinds, discipline, drift, excessive speed, first solo, flight training, float, flying, incorrect crosswind landing technique, inexperienced pilots, instrument flying, judgment, landings and takeoffs, learning to fly, light twin on final, non-flyers, opposite rudder, pilots, Pilots’ Operating Handbook (POH), professional pilots, runway behind you, student pilots, taildraggers, the approach end of Runway 34, training aircraft, Trim the airplane, “aero-rudeness”
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3 Comments
Writer’s NATOPS
In the days of flying tactical jets, I spent time reading the NATOPS manual and pocket checklist (PCL). Carrying the PCL in the lower pocket of your G-suit could sometimes keep you out of trouble and if you found yourself … Continue reading →
Posted in Life in General, Personal, Writing
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Tagged "writer's NATOPS/PCL", a Skyhawk or a Corsair screaming through the air at .9 Mach, commas inside or outside of quotation marks, discipline, editors, flying tactical jets, G-suits, grammar, judgment, logical thought, memories, NATOPS manuals, parentheses, pocket checklists (PCL), publishers, spelling, syntax, the Internet, Writer's NATOPS, writers, “friends who can function as editors”, “word-emergency”, “writer’s NATOPS Manuals”
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2 Comments
Airports & Cats
Jeff and I stand at the front of the hangar. As we watch student pilots practice their approaches and landings, we revel in the wonderful evening. The weather is perfect for perfecting landings–except for the westerly winds, which forces the … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged a bobcat, a very pretty evening, airplanes, Airports & Cats, airspeed, altitude, cats, Cessna 170, Cessnas, Florida, flying, friends, Gracie, judgment, learning to fly, perfect weather, pilots, professional pilots, right at sunset, student pilots, sunset, taildraggers, the airport cat, the hangar, watching from the side of the taxiway, westerly winds, when I saw him
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2 Comments
Airports&Cats
Jeff and I stand at the front of the hangar. As we watch student pilots practice their approaches and landings, we revel in the wonderful evening. The weather is perfect for perfecting landings–except for the westerly winds, which forces the … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged a bobcat, a very pretty evening, airplanes, Airports & Cats, airspeed, altitude, cats, Cessna 170, Cessnas, Florida, flying, friends, Gracie, judgment, learning to fly, perfect weather, pilots, professional pilots, right at sunset, student pilots, sunset, taildraggers, the airport cat, the hangar, watching from the side of the taxiway, westerly winds, when I saw him
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2 Comments
Back in the Old Days
The old days. What is the definition of “the old days?” It depends on your point of view, that point of view being age. If you are young, the old days were back in kindergarten, perhaps. If you are in … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged accidently scraping the tail, aerobatic pilots, Air Force, airplanes, airspeed, altitude, AOPA’s weekend FIRC in Jacksonville, Back in the Old Days, barnstormers, Cessnas, charter pilots, Colonel Ernie Moser, drinking coffee, Flight instructors, flight training, Florida, flying, friends, Great Lakes 2T-1A, inexperienced pilots, Jim Holland, Jim Moser, Jim Moser’s Aerosport, judgment, learning to fly, memories, open cockpit biplanes, pilots, professional pilots, sitting around the FBO, student pilots, taildraggers, talking airplanes, the good old days, the St. Augustine airport, training aircraft, weekend airshow
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Why Should You Teach?
Why is it important for new pilots to teach younger pilots? Many young pilots question why they should teach others how to fly. For whatever reason, they fail to understand the concept that in teaching others, what you are really … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flight Instructing, Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged a hard job, airplanes, Cessnas, current or former flight instructors, demonstrating maneuvers, discipline, engage the autopilot, engine failures, first solo, flight training, Florida, flying, flying night cargo, flying skills, flying with finesse, friends, hy Should You Teach?, inexperienced pilots, instrument flying, judgment, learning to fly, memories, pilots, professional pilots, reinforcing your knowledge, serious pilots, stick-and-rudder pilots, student pilots, taildraggers, teaching younger pilots, the very best pilots, training aircraft, using CRM techniques, why they should teach
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4 Comments
Piper’s Comanche
One of the best single engine aircraft on the used airplane market today is the Piper PA-24 Comanche. Piper delivered the airplane with a variety of Lycoming engines ranging in power from 180 hp on the low end, to 400 hp … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Aviation History, Flying, Life in General
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Tagged a solid instrument platform, airplanes, airspeed, altitude, bona fide four-place airplane, Comanche, flight training, flying, inexperienced pilots, instrument flying, judgment, learning to fly, Max Conrad, pilots, Piper PA-24 Comanche, Piper's Comanche, professional pilots, standard "T" instrument panel, the non-stop speed record from Casablanca to Los Angeles, “oil-canning” in the aft fuselage
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The Wonder of Weather Technology
We knew the weather was coming today, and now it is here. Earlier today, Ardis was talking with her father and asked if we should spend the money to water the lawn. He told her yes, so now the lawn … Continue reading →
Posted in Aviation, Flying, Life in General, Personal
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Tagged a great instrument platform, airplanes, airspeed, altitude, another night of dodging thunderstorms, building experience, Cessna 210, Cessnas, computer screen, discipline, Florida, flying, flying only on my terms, flying Part 135, heavy rain, inexperienced pilots, instrument flying, judgment, learning experiences, learning to fly, Level 3 storms, Level 4 storms, memories, pilots, professional pilots, radar map, Tampa, The Wonder of Weather Technology, trying to stay VFR, weather, written tests, “paying my dues”
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2 Comments
The Mighty Mississippi
The first levee has failed in Louisiana. The Mississippi River continues to rise and now officials throughout the area are concerned other levees will not hold unless they take pressure off the entire system. How are they going to do … Continue reading →
Posted in History, Life in General
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Tagged Baton Rouge, Cajuns, fishing camps, friends, Governor Bobby Jindal, judgment, levee failure, losing everything, Louisiana, New Orleans, small businesses, small farms, the Army Corps of Engineers, The Mighty Mississippi, the Mississippi River, the Morganza Spillway, “the water is coming”
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