mtrescott Free flight training in a used Cirrus? Yes, the Cirrus Embark program does just that. It provides free flight training for recent buyers of used Cirrus aircraft, such as the SR20 and SR22. This is big news; I don’t recall any manufacturer of any aircraft type paying for training for buyers of their used aircraft. … Read more
Did you ever wonder exactly what a tower controller means when he or she says “Make Right Traffic?” It means, fly to a position where you can enter the traffic pattern on the 45, then turn to downwind and fly the traffic pattern. It doesn’t mean to enter on the downwind, or any other way to join … Read more
Air Canada A321 photo by Brian Bukowski, CC BY-SA 2.0Air Canada flight 759 had a near miss at SFO last week, when it inadvertently lined up to land on a taxiway instead of on the runway. FlightAware.com showed the Air Canada Airbus 320 dropping to as low as 175 feet before initiating a go-around and … Read more
You’d think it would be obvious, so you shouldn’t have to tell a student pilot. That was a theme at a recent discussion of flight instructors. Of course everything is obvious in hindsight. This week's Aviation News Talk podcast lists over 20 tips picked up from this discussion. All of these stories are about things … Read more
Six years ago, I started an article on the Obama Administration proposal to implement user fees on aircraft flying in controlled airspace with the words, "Here we go again." And yes, once again, the specter of ATC Privatization has reared it's ugly head again. While I always knew that privatization would likely be bad for … Read more
California and the southwest are in the grip of a heat wave, and temperatures are forecast to reach 120 degrees in Phoenix today for just the fourth time in history. Of course when the temperatures soar, it's harder for planes to take off and American Airlines has already canceled over 30 flights scheduled to fly in … Read more
Garmin recently announced that their low-cost, G5 Electronic Flight Instrument will now be available for use in certificated aircraft. It fits directly into a standard 3 1/8 inch hole used for instruments in most aircraft, which reduces installation time and cost. On the Aviation News Talk podcast episode, I interviewed Garmin software engineer Joe Gepner, … Read more
I was teaching a pilot yesterday and was surprised that he didn't know that his portable ADS-B receiver often won't show the traffic closest to him, which is the most important traffic. I thought everyone understood the limitations of these devices, but apparently not. So that's the topic of the episode 12 of the Aviation … Read more
Last month I spoke on the AviationNewsTalk.com podcast about Cirrus Aircraft receiving a Production Certificate from the FAA to build their new SF50 Vision Jet. So a week ago, I flew to Knoxville, Tennessee to tour the new Cirrus Customer Experience Vision Center, and to spend some time in the first Cirrus Vision Jet delivered to … Read more
Flight planning a 1300 NM cross country flight; that's topic of the latest episode of the Aviation News Talk podcast! I'm not saying my techniques are the best way to flight plan a trip, but they are the ones I used for this trip. And I'm sure with listener feedback, I'll learn even better ways to flight … Read more