Glass Panel Minute

As I type these words, I am looking out the window across the ramp of the Brisbane, Australia airport.  I have spent the last 16 hours flying on American Airlines over the Pacific Ocean enroute to my final destination of Papua New Guinea.  For those of you who are the curious type, I’m headed to…

Control Wheel Steering (CWS) is a helpful feature in many general aviation aircraft, offering a practical way to combine hand flying skills with the convenience of autopilot systems. For private pilots flying single-engine airplanes, understanding and using CWS can improve safety and reduce workload. What is Control Wheel Steering (CWS)? Control Wheel Steering allows pilots…

We all have our standard routines when it comes to flying an instrument approach.  These vary from airplane to airplane in regards to power settings, speeds, when to gear and flaps down, and when the pilot expects the glide path to go active on the Final Approach Course (FAC).  Typically, on an RNAV approach, once…

ForeFlight completely revolutionized the way pilots operate.  Many of you reading this have been pilots for more than 17 years (ForeFlight was founded in 2007) and remember flight planning with paper charts, plotters and E6Bs.  Many of you who have recently gotten your pilot’s license probably haven’t even touched a paper chart, though depending on…

Okay, so maybe that’s a little harsh. Missed approaches don’t inspire terror. Stress? Absolutely. But, they don’t have to. Have you heard the phrase “Expect the Unexpected”? That certainly applies to any type of flying, but especially to instrument approaches when the ceilings are low. How low? I have a personal rule of thumb that…