The most common landing procedure used by IFR airplanes is the visual approach. It’s fast, efficient, and simple. So why did the crew of Asiana 214 have such a hard time with it on a good clear day? Because quality IFR flying starts with a solid VFR background — and VFR flying is something ab initio pilots see very little of. Read more →
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 biasâ€, because this phenomenon can bite hard — if you let it. Read more →
The stick-and-rudder skill deficiencies in today’s pilots didn’t start today. It began years ago when they were learning how to fly. Fixing it will require a journey into the past. It’s time to get back to basics, and you won’t cover all the bases unless spin training is a central part of the mix. Read more →
Dutch pilot Jaap Rademaker recently landed his Foxbat A-22 on the deck of a new kind of cargo ship which features a completely flat top deck. The resulting video has been making the rounds on the internet, and was recently picked up by AOPA. From the comments posted therein, the prevailing opinion seems to be that Rademaker’s landing was an ill-conceived stunt by a low-time pilot with poor judgement. I say it ain’t necessarily so. Read more →
A highly experienced airline captain and ERAU aviation professor has opined that automation management skills should be receiving more focus than basic stick-and-rudder aptitude. Wanna guess what I think of that idea? Read more →
The FAA may begin allowing non-required crew to fly on Phase One test fights. I think this might be a bad idea… and I’m strongly in favor of allowing it. A contradiction, you say? Not at all… Read more →
The FAA is adding new circling radii for some (but not all) approaches. Sounds good on paper, but I can foresee some unintended consequences that might not be too pleasant. Read more →
Flying is less about physical aircraft control than it is about good judgment. Unfortunately, many of the situations we face as aviators are not cut-and-dried. We’ll all get along a lot better if we can remember that. Read more →
Are airline standards a laudable goal for general aviation? Is there such a thing as “too safe?” The NTSB wouldn’t think so. But then, they’re not necessarily concerned with the time, money, or effort required to comply with their own recommendations. Read more →
The NHTSA reports that the highways are safer than ever, so it seems like an opportune time to see how the relative fatal accident rate between cars and general aviation aircraft compare. Read more →