Aviation Interest

Getting Back in the Game Is your logbook dusty, your flying skills rusty, but you want to get back into flying? The latest issue of FAA Safety Briefing includes an article with pointers on “Getting Back in the Game.” It addresses changes in medical certification, the importance of brushing up on your airspace knowledge, making…

Think about the two scenarios:
1.  It is a clear sunny day at your airport. You are taxiing out for a VFR flight to your favorite back country airstrip.
2.  It is a cloudy, heavy overcast day with visibility near minimums. You are taxiing out for an IFR flight to your corporate headquarters 250 miles away.
Now thinking about these two scenarios, what is the common operational element in each?

Plane Talk Radio premieres

Stewart Lapayowker, an attorney whose practice focuses on private and corporate aviation, has launched a new Internet radio show, “Plane Talk Radio.”

DENVER — The Federal Aviation Administration has granted the Army permission to fly unmanned aircraft in national airspace at night using ground-based radar and GPS systems to avoid civilian and commercial traffic. “This is a landmark event,” said Col. Gregory Gonzalez, project manager for Army unmanned aircraft systems.

Pilots who think there’s “nothing good to watch on TV” might want to check their PBS listings. PBS has started to air “The Aviators” in certain markets around the country and will expand to more as the year progresses. “The Aviators” was developed by pilots and features topics ranging from “new aircraft designs to the latest GPS technologies, accident and safety awareness, airline profiles, and remote fly-in getaways,” according to the show’s website.

The 47th annual National Championship Air Races and Air Show takes flight Wednesday in Reno, Nev. The airshow features aerobatic and military aircraft, and the air races will include six classes of racing aircraft. The event will also showcase aircraft in static displays, and continues through Sunday. KRNV-TV (Reno, Nev.)

While a lot has been said about the Next General Air Traffic Control system, also known as NextGen, there may be some pilots who aren’t sure what it is. A “laymen’s explanation” was just released from U.S. Rep. John Mica’s office, which notes that NextGen is an umbrella term for the ongoing, wide-ranging transformation of…

Holm Center Commander To Address 500-plus CAP Members

More than 500 Civil Air Patrol members are heading for California’s South Coast for the all-volunteer organization’s 2010 Annual Conference and National Board. The 2010 conference is set for September 1-4 at the San Diego Marriott Marina.

Based on recent history, the NTSB Friday sent two safety recommendations to the FAA requiring operators to inspect the mountings of all ELT transmitters installed on general aviation aircraft to ensure the units don’t break free in a crash. The recommendations (PDF) are the byproduct of the de Havilland turbine Otter crash in Alaska on Aug. 9, 2010, that killed five, including former U.S. Senator Ted Stevens.

Climbing Into Thin Air
How does an airport suddenly go from being 2,000 feet to more than a mile high? Barring a “Hollywood-style” seismic event at your airport, the answer is density altitude; in other words, how high an aircraft “thinks” it is. When density altitude is high as a result of temperatures above standard at a given altitude, the air is less dense than normal. As a result, your aircraft will perform as if at a higher altitude with degraded climb performance and acceleration, which are two important factors on a hot, humid day with a short runway and 50-foot pine trees looming at the end.