Flying
- Washington Post: Pilots hide mental health issues so they don't lose their wings (gift link)wapo.st Pilots hide mental health issues so they don’t ‘lose their wings’
Airline pilots say the FAA’s system for evaluating their mental health is ‘broken.’ Some hide or ignore problems to stay in the air.
It's an issue that needs greater visibility, so I hope this kind of reporting is a step towards reform.
- Need help with Part 103 questionskyvector.com SkyVector: Flight Planning / Aeronautical Charts
Make your Flight Plan at SkyVector.com. SkyVector is a free online flight planner. Flight planning is easy on our large collection of Aeronautical Charts, including Sectional Charts, Approach Plates, IFR Enroute Charts, and Helicopter route charts. Weather data is always current, as are Jet Fuel Pri...
PPG pilot here. Part 103.17 states that class B, C, D, and the lateral area of E to the ground are prohibited. But PASC shows an Ultralight Activity Warning symbol right in the middle of a Class E to the ground. How is this possible? Maybe the class changed and the symbol was just left on the map? Commercial 737-ish [and larger cargo] planes have been flying in and out of this place every day for nearly 50 years. I can't imagine it wasn't a class E to the ground with that level of traffic any time after the 80s. Any ideas?
From CFR:
> § 103.17 Operations in certain airspace. No person may operate an ultralight vehicle within Class A, Class B, Class C, or Class D airspace or within the lateral boundaries of the surface area of Class E airspace designated for an airport unless that person has prior authorization from the ATC facility having jurisdiction over that airspace.
- Pilot pleads not guilty to 83 counts of attempted murder after emergency landingwww.kptv.com Pilot pleads not guilty to 83 counts of attempted murder after emergency landing
Joseph Emerson told police he ingested psychedelic mushrooms 48 hours before the flight, according to court documents.
Alaska Airlines pilot takes shrooms and tries to pull fire handles in flight.
- Richard McSpadden of Air Safety Institute dies in crash
Really tragic news. Richard was an excellent voice for aviation safety and the greater industry, his interviews and presentations were top notch. Heart goes out to his family and that of the unamed other person in the plane.
- Storm damages many hangars and aircraft at Falcon Field in Phoenix, AZwww.aopa.org Storm wrecks aircraft at Arizona airport
A powerful storm tore through Mesa, Arizona, September 12, leaving a swath of destruction at Falcon Field Airport.
Really sad, sounds like lots ot planes lost including an entire training fleet.
- Mig-23 Crash at Airshow in Michiganwww.foxnews.com Pilots eject from crashing MiG-23 jet during Thunder Over Michigan air show: video
Both pilots ejected from a Soviet-designed MiG-23 fighter plane before it crashed during the Thunder Over Michigan air show in Ypsilanti on Sunday.
- 97% on the Instrument Rating Airplane (IRA) Knowledge Test Today: PASSED!
I missed 2/60 questions for a 97%:
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IR.V.B.K1: Elements related to ATC routes, including departure procedures (DPs) and associated climb gradients; arrival procedures (STARs) and associated constraints.
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IR.I.C.K3a: Calculating: a. Time, climb and descent rates, course, distance, heading, true airspeed, and groundspeed
I took an online home-study ground school course with Aviation TrainingCenter (www.aviationtrainingcenter.org). I had bought a lifetime membership when I was doing my PPL originally with them under another company name, so I was grandfathered in before their annual subscription pricing hit. I completed the course in about 3 weeks in my spare time (I have a wife, 2 young children & a 60+ hr/wk non-aviation career).
After I completed the home-study course, I went the Sheppard Air study resource route and bought their IRA study kit. I spent around 30 hours going through that. People say it's just rote memorization. You could use it that way, but to be honest, I found it easier actually understanding the concepts and principles, and reading the provided explanations to better understand things. A few things in the explanations for the exam contradicted what the home-study course ground instructor said, so I found that extra helpful. The Sheppard Air study resource also points out questions on the FAA exam that the exam computers are scoring incorrectly. I saw one of those on my exam and trusted the Sheppard Air guidance to pick the wrong answer on purpose: it panned out as that wasn't one of the categories I missed. But having learned the right and wrong answer (and how to find the right one) from the Sheppard Air study resource, I'd 10/10 use that resource again. Well worth it.
I rushed the studying piece and did all the 30 hours this week (my wife is amazing and really supportive), so I'd get the test in before the FAA changes it, which is scheduled for this Monday, July 31, 2023. They're reducing the allowed time to 120 minutes (from 150); but I only needed 33 minutes to complete all 60 questions in the test. They also announced they're adding 5 "unscored" questions, and supposedly they take this kind of update timeframe as an opportunity to reword and change up questions, so I'd allow the testing and study resources to settle a little if you're planning the IRA exam after 7/31/2023 -- give it a few weeks at least.
I've got about 38 hours XC already, so now the fun begins: Flying with a CFII and maybe a safety pilot to complete the aeronautical experience requirements while preparing for the oral exam and checkride!
Any recommendations from IR pilots for a PPL-rated IR student?
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- Thoughts on G100UL?
My take is that it's a good start and important step towards fully de-leading the fleet fuel. There was a good article on AVweb breaking down the difference between the STC and ASTM approaches and the work that still need to be done:
https://www.avweb.com/uncategorized/eagle-and-gami-not-a-transparent-process/
If you own a plane, do you intend to buy the GAMI STC for it?
Do you have access to G100UL at your airport or in your area?
- Turbine conversion DC-3/C-47 that came through my home airport last month
Some history: https://www.aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier.php?Serial=59375
- FAA passenger night currency and safety pilots?
Asking here because I no longer have a Reddit account: if a safety pilot is a required crew member and one or both pilots are not night current, is it legal to fly after the end of civil twilight?
I could argue it isn't because there are phases of flight where no safety pilot is required (taking off and landing) and therefore they are a passenger. Is that a correct interpretation of the regs?
- Is this intended to be a replacement for r/flying?
The r/flying subreddit is moderated to be for pilots to discuss actual participation in flying and flight training subjects, moreso than any airplane themed content. At the moment the content being posted here is more similar to r/aviation. It seems to take a significant community and moderator effort to keep out general aviation themed and even general travel-themed posts, but the result has been a high quality pilot (and future pilot) community. What's the intention here?
- We recently lost a legend. If anyone has ever heard the LA speed check story he is the source.newatlas.com SR-71 pilot, photographer and storyteller Brian Shul dies at 75
The aviation world has lost one of its brightest luminaries. Major Brian Shul was an incredible survivor and a top gun pilot – but also a gifted photographer and storyteller, whose stories about the extraordinary SR-71 Blackbird will live forever.
- Flying Books You Should Read
"Fate is the Hunter" by Ernest Gann
"Wind, Sand, and Stars" by Antoine De Saint-Exupery
"Going Solo" by Roald Dahl (not all flying, but lots of WW2 RAF stories, and all the non-flying stuff is also excellent)
All of these are God tier books.