Category: Opinion Leaders

Time for a Shakeup

Flying is a considerably safer today than it was when the NTSB was first established. But the Board’s safety recommendations have picked most of the low-hanging fruit over the past ninety years, and the things they suggest nowadays are sometimes divorced from reality because they don’t consider the cost their proposed enhancements place on an overburdened industry. Perhaps it’s time to change that. Read more →

Where Do You Belong?

I’m often asked what flying professionally is like. It’s not an easy question to answer. A day in the life of a Alaskan fish spotter bears no resemblance whatsoever to that of a cruise pilot on an Airbus A380. The guy in the Gulfstream at Mach .80 isn’t in the same league as the one flying the blimp at 40 miles per hour. Each job requires different skills and talents, so it’s vital to honestly assess your strengths and weaknesses in order to find the career that best fits you. Read more →

Expectation Bias

A massive Boeing Dreamlifter recently landed at the wrong airport in Wichita. As a pilot, by definition I live in a glass house and will therefore refrain from throwing stones. But the incident does provide a good opportunity to review the perils of what’s known as “expectation bias”, because this phenomenon can bite hard — if you let it. Read more →

The Missing Link in Flight Simulation

Several months ago I mused about the how ever-advancing computer technology has led to a marked improvement in simulators for the light GA market. Reader Keith Smith later alerted me to a corresponding service he had developed called PilotEdge. His company’s mission is to add a level of realism to the general aviation FTD that not even the multi-million dollar Level D boxes have thus far been able to offer. I was intrigued. What could possible transform an inexpensive Flight Training Device that way? In a word: radios. Read more →

The Universal Headset

Headsets are the Rodney Dangerfield of aviation. They get no respect — at least, not until an otherwise pleasant flight is ruined by a throbbing headache brought on by the weight and clamping force exerted by a cheap, beat-up, or poor-fitting unit. I’m fortunate to fly a wide variety of aircraft on a regular basis—it’s one of the things that keeps aviation fresh and exciting—but unfortunately, it also means a big pile of equipment, especially where headsets are concerned. Wouldn’t it be great if there was just one headset that worked perfectly in every airplane? Read more →

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