Tag Archives: aviating
On Top
When weather permits, VFR is often a good choice: it gives you more control over your route and altitude than you would have IFR, generally speeds up the trip (since you don’t have to be spaced and sequenced as much … Continue reading
Tagged aviating, regulations, weather
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New York and Teterboro
I just got back from a short trip to New York with my family and my first visit to Teterboro airport. A big advantage of Teterboro is that it has customs at the airport, so I was able to fly … Continue reading
Tagged aviating, places
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Mnemonics
Aviatrix has a great posting on the pointless mnemonics we learn during flight training, such as GUMPS (Gas, Undercarriage, Mixture, Props, Switches) for last-second pre-landing checks and CCCC (Cram levers forward, Carb Heat [or Cowl Flaps], Climb, Call ATC) for … Continue reading
Tagged aviating
5 Comments
Backup
Yesterday, I got into a situation that I couldn’t handle on my own and needed to call in backup; fortunately, it had nothing to do with flying. I was a few kilometers from home just before 7:00 am, running in … Continue reading
Alternate Reality
I just received my January copy of the so-so IFR Refresher, and I came to an article “Choosing Wisely” about picking IFR alternates. IFR flying, I think, is 20% about flying and navigating the plane on instruments and 80% about … Continue reading
Tagged aviating
3 Comments
Leaning the Mixture
Student pilots and renters rarely worry much about the red knob or lever that controls the fuel/air mixture to their engines; owners worry about it a lot. For a while, there has been a big controversy about how far to … Continue reading
Greenspun on ice
To follow up on my last posting about ice, here’s an interesting piece by Philip Greenspun about dealing with light icing over the New York area in a Diamond Star. There’s nothing exciting here, no “ohmygodwe’regoingtodie” moments, just the practical, … Continue reading
Ice ice ice
Some time in the middle of October my instrument rating became a lot less useful, and it will stay that way until some time in the middle of next April. For half the year, the rating is almost a guarantee … Continue reading
Land and Hold Short 