by Rick Braunig Published in Midwest Flyer Magazine August/September online issue There aren’t a lot of runways with displaced thresholds in Minnesota, but they are common enough that pilots should…
Category: Flight Safety
Never Stop Getting Better
by Dean Zakos Published in Midwest Flyer – June/July 2020 issue I just want to keep improving, to keep getting better.” – Anonymous Scenario: You are level at 3,500 feet….
Proactive Airworthiness
by Thomas P. Turner Executive Director American Bonanza Society Air Safety Foundation Published in Midwest Flyer – February/March 2020 issue EDITOR’S NOTE: This article appeared in the January 2020 issue…
A Perspective On Checklists
by Harold Green Over the years our safety record in general aviation has improved dramatically. I submit that one reason for this is the development and use of written checklists….
Round-Trip Flight To & From Oshkosh May Be Too Much For One Day
by Craig Petersen What pilot doesn’t want to fly into Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, during EAA AirVenture-Oshkosh? And making the flight roundtrip in a single day is tempting…
Weekend Refresher Clinics For Bonanza & Baron Pilots
by Dave Weiman A group of professional flight instructors with a particular love for Beechcraft piston aircraft, founded Bonanza / Baron Pilot Training, Inc. (BPT) in 2012. BPT provides full-immersion…
Ditching Isn’t Just For Trans-Oceanic Pilots
by Rachel Obermoller Aviation Representative MnDOT Office of Aeronautics Every pilot has pondered whether it’s better to go over or around a body of water. Whether it’s a relatively small…
Cohabitation of Gliders & Powered Aircraft
by Woody Minar When you’re flying to another airport, how do you know if it’s also a “glider port” – an airport where gliders are present? And if you do…
Surviving A Water Landing
The first way to survive a water landing is not to land on water in the first place, but there are times that flying over water cannot be avoided, such…
Surviving A Water Landing
The first way to survive a water landing is not to land on water in the first place, but there are times that flying over water cannot be avoided, such…
Confronting Weather When Flying A Seaplane
by Michael Kaufman Many readers of Midwest Flyer Magazine may wonder why the guy that writes a column on “instrument flying” and “avionics technology” is writing about “seaplane flying?” I…
What Does Roger Really Mean?” FAA Notice Number: NOTC3893
For most of us, we learned to use the word “Roger” early in our aviation career. We learned that it simply means that we heard and understand what the other…
Go With The Flow!
by Lt. Col. Nick Modders Safety Officer 130th Composite Squadron USAF Auxiliary/CAP Supplemental Thoughts On Checklists & Their Use Checklists have been a popular aid in aviation since the Army…
Earning The Instrument Rating In A Perfect World!
by Karen Workman The advantages of having an “instrument rating” cannot be disputed. The rating adds a huge margin of safety to your flying, and increases the utility of both…
A Surfeit of Data
by Harold Green These days we suffer from a surfeit of data. There seems to be two sources. Pilots themselves and the advent of more advanced electronics. The even more…
Some Ruminations On Aeronautical Decision-Making
by Harold Green Please be advised that this discussion includes some whining and preaching! No panacea absolving pilots of fault for bad decisions is offered, and no single solution is…
Know The Weather & Be Flexible To Fly Another Day
by Jeffery Taylor Aviation Consultant WisDOT Bureau of Aeronautics Flying in the Midwest can be a challenge. The weather, especially in fall and winter, is often unpredictable and can quickly…
Online Course For Winter Flying
Pilots need to have a solid grasp of weather concepts so they can make smart aeronautical decisions based upon what they see on weather charts and outside their windshield. The Weather…
OKCITY’S Emergency & Post-Crash Survival Training For GA Pilots
by Pete Aarsvold The FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) located at Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City, Okla., offers a one-day training course to familiarize U.S. civil aviation…
Laser Beams At Aircraft
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is launching a new website http://www.faa.gov/aircraft/safety/report/laserinfo/ for pilots and the public to report incidents of lasers pointed at aircraft, which can distract…
Redbird Teams Up With King & Cessna To Help Reduce Student Dropout Rate
OSHKOSH, WIS. – In a joint press conference during EAA AirVenture, July 29, 2011, King Schools and Redbird Flight Simulations announced that they have partnered to provide simulator-centric flight training…
Your Freedom To Fly
Pilots must remember to be thorough and responsible from preflight planning to tie-down for the day. MTRs * VFR pilots must take particular notice of where they are flying when…
Air Show Rock Star, Michael Goulian, Warns GA Pilots Not To Be Complacent
MADISON, WIS. – Air show performer and pilot for the Red Bull Air Races, Michael Goulian, urged a group of 80 fellow general aviation pilots, March 21, 2011, to learn…
Illinois Names New Chief of Aviation Safety
SPRINGFIELD, ILL. – Linda Schumm has joined the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) Division of Aeronautics as Bureau Chief of Aviation Safety. Schumm, who has been active in the aviation…
Bird Strikes – To Takeoff, or Not To Takeoff? Decision Point!
by Steve Rehwinkel The trip called for Jim Taylor (JT) and I to take eight passengers to our plant near Quonset, Rhode Island (yes, home of the Quonset hut) for…
Aerobatic Training Can Make You A Better & Safer Pilot
by Michael C. Love When pilots think about aerobatics, quite often images of Sean D. Tucker or Patty Wagstaff tossing their planes around the sky at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh,…
As Realistic As They Come… Tomahawk’s Redbird Flight Simulator
Flight Safety – by Michael Kaufman Certified Flight Instructor – Instrument Many of you are familiar with the safety programs that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been conducting around the…
Aerobatic Training Can Make You A Better & Safer Pilot
When pilots think about aerobatics, quite often images of Sean D. Tucker or Patty Wagstaff tossing their planes around the sky at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wis. come to mind….