Tag Archives: tips
Cheers and jeers
Over the past couple of months, I had two exceptionally good experiences with aviation-related businesses, and one exceptionally bad one. As a service to my fellow owners, I’m going to name them all here. Cheer: Great Lakes Aero This company … Continue reading
Tagged owning, tips
6 Comments
Winter Warrior wrangling
My plane’s back on the line today. After doing some high-speed taxi checks to make sure nothing was leaking or running too hot or cold, I had to try to push the plane back into its spot through snow and … Continue reading
Tagged owning, tips
2 Comments
Winter flying around the Great Lakes
There is one really, really, REALLY important rule about winter flying near the Great Lakes: Remember which way the wind’s blowing. Even if there are blue skies everywhere else, a cold wind will often pull streamers of lake effect weather … Continue reading
Wikipedia on surviving summer storms
If you fly much in the summer, thunderstorms are a huge concern. You might want to take a look at the new Lightning detector article on Wikipedia — I started the article, but then “Pierre cb” (a meterologist from Environment … Continue reading
Another contact approach
I’m writing this posting from the courtesy computer at the Esso FBO in Toronto City Centre airport (CYTZ). I just finished a Hope Air flight from Sault Ste. Marie (CYAM), my fourth consecutive day of flying. Fortunately, I was able … Continue reading
Crosswind landings
Aviatrix’s latest post on flying up north talks about crosswind landings. When I was a student pilot, and for a while after I got my PPL, I found crosswind landings fairly difficult. Then, one day, I suddenly realized that I’d … Continue reading
Tagged aviating, tips
4 Comments
The perfect start
There are a few times when pilots become especially self-conscious about being observed by others: when talking on the radio, when landing, and when starting the engine. Of the three, as I’ve written before, starting a piston engine is by … Continue reading
Tagged tips
4 Comments
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
3 Comments
Analog Flying
I was recently reading yet another review about the glass cockpits starting to appear in general aviation aircraft, when one comment struck me — the review mentioned how much pilots rely on the position of needles on analog (steam) gauges, … Continue reading
Land and Hold Short 