Aviation Training

Pilot Training Reform Symposium – What Would You Change?

by

What ideas do you propose for 1) Improving General Aviation Safety and 2) Improving the Pilot Training Process so that more people become pilots. Those are the two central themes of next week’s 2011 Pilot Training Reform Symposium being held by SAFE, the Society of Aviation and Flight Educators. Hats off to SAFE for having the vision to take on this challenge. By bringing industry leaders together, including senior members of the FAA, they’re providing a forum for getting the best ideas in front of the people who can implement them. What ideas do you have that this group should hear next week?

$5 million X PRIZE Needed for a Low Cost Electric Airplane

by

General Aviation needs the equivalent of an X PRIZE for the design of a new, low cost, electric aircraft that cuts the cost of flying by 80%. To be effective, a general aviation X PRIZE needs to spur the development of an electric aircraft that is the functional equivalent of the venerable Cessna 152, or the more modern Cessna 162 SkyCatcher. Criteria should include:

Two seats
Speed of 100 knots
Endurance of three hours with 30 minute reserve
Recharging or battery switch time of 30 minutes
Carry 400 pounds of pilot, passenger and baggage
Costs less than $10/hour to operate for electricity
Target production cost of $100,000

KLN 94 Gotcha Flying RNAV GPS Y and Z Instrument Approaches

by

A serious issue with the Bendix/King KLN 94 GPS, found in almost every Cessna built between 1997 and 2004, had been uncovered. When using the KLN 94 to fly RNAV (GPS) Y and Z approaches, there’s a huge gotcha that could kill an unsuspecting pilot. Specifically, the problem is that when you select a GPS approach on it, the letters Y and Z don’t appear in the approach titles, so it’s difficult to know which of these approaches you are selecting. Let’s look at the GPS (RNAV) Y 36L and GPS (RNAV) Z 36L approaches into the Napa County Airport, KAPC.

Seminar: How to Buy an Airplane for Business or Pleasure and Stay Safe

by

I have created a new seminar called Buying an Airplane for Business or Pleasure. We’ll discuss the buying process and alternate forms of ownership including partnerships, lease contracts, managed fractional ownership and leasing aircraft back to a flight school. I noticed a tragic downside that occasionally occurs when a pilot acquires an airplane. Some pilots crashed their dream airplanes soon after purchase and sadly a significant percentage of these accidents occur on the flight home. Here are some thoughts on how you can maximize safety while enjoying your newly acquired airplane.

Glassy Water Landing in a Lake Amphibian LA-4-200 Seaplane

by

Glassy water landings are among the most difficult water landings to make, since it’s often impossible for a pilot to judge his or her height above the water. Seaplanes pilots use a glass water landing technique where they descend at 100 to 150 feet per minute until they contact the water. In this case, with a narrow canal, there were many visual references around me, making my glassy water landing much easier than if it were performed on a larger body of water, far from shore.

Night Flying Safety—What Your CFI Didn’t Teach You!

by

There’s a common myth that flying at night is no different than flying in the daytime because the airplane doesn’t know it’s dark. While perhaps clever, that’s irrelevant. What does matter is that night accentuates the shortcoming of pilots’ senses and perceptions, which makes it harder to fly safely at night. Not surprisingly, the night accident rate is abysmal. Based on surveying hundreds of people who’ve attending my seminars, I’m confident that most GA pilots log less than 5% of their flight hours at night. Yet fully 21% of all fatal accidents in the U.S. occur at night. In the San Francisco Bay area, nearly 50% of all fatal accidents occur at night, probably because of the unique combination of fog and mountains.

Flying the Lake Amphibian LA-4-200 Seaplane

by

This video shows a series of water landings on canals in the Delta region of northern California. The canals in this video are a few miles northeast of Byron Airport. The pilot, Max Trescott, is the 2008 National Flight Instructor of the Year and teaches flying out of the Palo Alto Airport in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The Lake LA-4-200, also known as the Buccaneer, is an American four-seat light amphibious aircraft. Lake Amphibians have their roots in the grand tradition of flying boats maintained by the Grumman Corporation through the first half of the 20th century. The Lake’s basic design was created by former Grumman designers shortly after the end of World War II, and refined through the years. You can learn more about Lakes at www.lakeflyers.com.

Female Student Pilots – Barriers to Completing Flight Training

by

Men and women are different. But knowing how they are different when it comes to flight training is not well known. A review of FAA Airman statistics showed that over the prior ten years, women consistently comprised 6% of total pilots and 6% of CFIs, yet were 11% of student pilots. That suggested to me that women may drop out of flight training at a higher rate than men. Also, as an active flight instructor, I realized that I have had relatively few women clients, but that female CFIs seem to have a relatively large number of female clients. Thus I wondered, are women student pilots more likely to complete flight training and earn a certificate if they have a female CFI versus a male CFI? My mail survey was design to test that hypothesis and identify barriers to completing flight training.

Update: New Regulations To Raise Cost of Flight Instruction

by

I'd like to thank everyone who either wrote to Sacramento or attended the meeting on Monday to provide the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education with comments regarding new regulations and fees for the flight instruction industry. Clearly there was an impact, as the Bureau seemed surprised by the flurry of comments generated over the past … Read more