mtrescott Normalization of Deviance. According to aerobatic national champion and air show pilot Michael Goulian, if a pilot or an organization gets away with deviant behavior, over time it becomes normalized and can lead to disaster. You've probably heard of Normalization of Deviance in connection with NASA and the loss of both the Challenger and the … Read more
If you’re like me, you’re looking for a little comic relief from the nonstop news on the COVID-19 coronavirus. Not that I’m not taking it seriously; I do. I started sheltering at home 8 days ago, while in my county, sheltering at home only became mandatory yesterday. I do a week aviation podcast called Aviation … Read more
Ever since the Lightspeed Tango Wireless Headset was introduced in 2016, I’ve wanted to try it. The idea of no longer being tethered by cables to an aircraft is appealing, yet few headset manufacturers offer such a solution. So last month when I had a long ferry flight to move a Cirrus SR22 from Miami … Read more
I'll be giving my How to Fly the S.F. Bay Tour seminar at the AOPA Flyin at Livermore later today, Friday at 3 PM. I'll also have my Bay Tour maps for sale for $15. There's also a meetup for Aviation News Talk listeners today from 5-6 PM at the Starbuck at the corner of … Read more
It's Black Friday! Here's a list of deals that I compiled and shared with listeners of the Aviation News Talk podcast earlier today. Normally the weekly podcast consists of general aviation news and pilot safety tips and an occasional interview. But this week, I decided to share some of the deals that I've run across. … Read more
The NTSB adopted seven recommendations today in the wake of the Air Canada Flight 759 incident, in which an A320 jet nearly landed on a taxiway occupied by four fully loaded passenger jets. Here’s my analysis.
There are many lessons that pilots can learn from the incident yesterday in Atlanta in which a man climbed up on the wing of an arriving airliner, jumped off, and ran naked onto the runway. The ATC audio from Atlanta Tower is instructive and a little entertaining to listen to, so I encourage you to … Read more
In May 2018, Mike Bush on Engines was released. I purchased the book when it was released and have learned a lot since I started reading it. In addition to teaching the reader about the many engine components and how to operate engines properly, he talks about the missing art of troubleshooting as a general practice in general aviation.
When it comes to buying tools that can help in flight, pilots don’t like to compromise. After all, it’s our lives at stake as we thread traffic and weather to our destination. So I was delighted when Garmin Aviation Marketing Manager Joey Ferreyra contacted me and asked if I’d like to evaluate Garmin’s new GDL … Read more
John Ferrell There’s been much discussion in our industry of a CFI shortage, yet there’s a huge supply of potential CFIs among the ranks of airline pilots. However, many airline pilots are reluctant to take up flight instruction as a side job because of concerns over their exposure to increased liability that might put their … Read more