Author Archives: David Megginson
Canadian ATC Strike Tomorrow
[Update: tentative settlement.] The Canadian Air Traffic Controller Control Association (CATCA) has served notice of strike action beginning tomorrow, Wednesday 20 July 2005. As far as I can tell from reading the CATCA bulletins, there is no intention of withdrawing … Continue reading
Starting
There are two points in a flight when people outside the plane tend to watch and critique you: when you start the engine, and when you land. Granted, unless you’re hand-propping, a starting error is much less dangerous than a … Continue reading
Tagged aviating, tips
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Float Planes, redux
A short while ago, I wrote about the problem with float planes — the fact that there’s normally no way to get out when they flip upside down or sink — and about the war of words between the Canadian … Continue reading
Tagged news
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The alpha-beta of flying
Here’s some flying Greek from a flying geek: α alpha Angle of attack The vertical angle between the oncoming air and the zero-lift line of the wing, as shown (partly and imperfectly) by the airspeed indicator. β beta Sideslip The … Continue reading
Tagged numbers
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Aviation Blogs Update
The aviation blogosphere is getting big, or at least, I’m finally starting to find the other bloggers, especially beyond the typical student-pilot blog. I’m doing an update to add some more blogs to my blogroll, copying them over from my … Continue reading
Tagged web
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Low wings and the flare
Very often, I see people write that low-wing planes like my Piper Warrior have a longer flare (i.e. they float longer) than high-wing planes like the Cessna 172, usually based on the argument that lower wings benefit more from ground … Continue reading
Tagged aviating, numbers
10 Comments
Renewed
I flew my 24-month renewal IFR flight test on Wednesday morning. It was a very different experience from my PPL flight test in 2002 and my initial IFR flight test in 2003. Back then, I had been in nearly constant … Continue reading
Tagged aviating, system
4 Comments
Approach Ban
The weather at the airport is reported below minima — is it legal to try the approach anyway, just to take a look, before heading to your alternate? This is one area where the rules in Canada and the U.S. … Continue reading
Tagged canada-us, regulations
6 Comments
How airshows hurt aviation
It’s airshow season, and (unfortunately but predictably) the fatalities have begun, with three pilots dead and one missing in two separate incidents over the weekend: a midair collision at an airshow, and a midair collision practicing for an airshow. It’s … Continue reading
Tagged aviating, news
6 Comments
IFR Training in Canada
Doug Robertson in Calgary is about to start training for his instrument rating, and has mentioned that there are few online resources specifically about IFR training in Canada. Obviously, though, there are a lot of American resources. Here are some … Continue reading
Tagged canada-us, regulations, system
4 Comments
Land and Hold Short 