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Practical Test Standards

Posted on by Bob Martens
As we continually build upon the foundation that supports our aviation activities, I fear that many of us are neglecting a very important cornerstone. The Practical Test Standards (PTS) are the basis for all training and evaluation in the US, yet few know where they are, what they say, or most importantly, how they can […]

Professionalism – On Being a Cockpit Skeptic

Posted on by John Krog
Professionalism in aviation has been in the news a lot recently. FAA Administrator Randy Babbit has spoken on the need in light of several recent high profile events such as the Colgan crash in Buffalo and the NWA overshoot of its destination. One of the hallmarks of a professional aviator is being a skeptic – […]

“Hold Short of Runway 23!”

Posted on by John Krog
How many times as a pilot, have we heard that phrase? Well, as of June 30th we will be hearing it a lot more. The FAA instituted a change to the Air Traffic Controller’s handbook (the 7110.65) that changes the way taxi instructions are issued. Previously, a taxi clearance (as we all know from the […]

Engine Failure

Posted on by Bob Martens
Last week, two of my Civil Air Patrol (CAP) comrades were out on a training mission in the vicinity of the Laconia, NH Airport in our CE 182. About five miles from the airport at 3000ft MSL they experience severe engine vibration and a loss in power. They had just reduced power to 19in manifold […]

Proper use of CTAF (Common Traffic Advisory Frequency)

Posted on by Wally Moran
CAN WE TALK? Can we ever! Just tune in 122.8 on a nice weekend and you will hear lots of pilots talking, but many of them are not communicating very well. The use of the common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) for traffic information is a great tool when it is used correctly. Sadly it too […]

Malfunction & Defect Reports

Posted on by Bob Martens
I think we all like stories with a happy ending, so here goes….. I received an email message recently from a very nice couple who attended my monthly FAA safety seminars in Danbury, CT. They owned their own single engine aircraft and flew it regularly. Several weeks back they experienced a very real inflight engine […]

Want to be a better pilot?

Posted on by Wally Moran
Bob Martens has recently written about maintaining proficiency through the use of more frequent training and I strongly agree with his thoughts. Nothing is better than practicing maneuvers and procedures to keep us sharp,  I would like to offer another route to broadening you flying skills beyond the usual flight review maneuvers by suggesting you […]

California adds major fees to CFIs and schools

Posted on by Bob Martens
Max Trescott posted this on his blog. If you are in California, check this out: California Regulations From Max’s blog: “To quote a story by EAA, “Each instructor would be charged an initial application fee of $5000 and a $3500 renewal fee every three years. If the instructor has a second location an additional fee […]

Minimum Descent Altitude and How to Get There

Posted on by Wally Moran
In the Pilotworkshops.com IFR Proficiency series, titled “Descending on a non precision approach” respected flight instructor Rod Machado explains the benefit of descending to MDA early on non precision approaches. Rod makes the point that getting to the minimum descent altitude (MDA) prior to the visual descent point (VDP) allows the pilot a greater opportunity […]

Emergencies and ATC

Posted on by John Krog
Declaring an emergency is one of the easiest actions a pilot can take. FAR 91.3 spells it out very clearly. “The pilot-in-command of an aircraft is directly responsible for and is the final authority as to the operation of that aircraft. In an emergency requiring immediate action, the pilot-in-command may deviate from any rule in […]
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