Flight Training Magazine

Becoming a pilot changes you.

How could it not?

Paul Saari and Greg Scott are dental colleagues in Florida. The pair own a Legend Cub hangared in Winter Haven, Florida. They have flown together since 1987 and have co-owned the Cub for the past 15 years. “Flying with Greg and then going out to dinner or breakfast together has provided me with some of the happiest memories of my life,” said Saari.

Becoming a pilot changes you.

How could it not?

Bet your life on it: The little box called TCAS saves lives. Possibly thousands since it was introduced. TCAS, aka the Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System, is airline-grade avionics, initially developed in the early 1980s and fully deployed in big-iron cockpits worldwide by the end of that decade. It provides pilots with advanced warning of other aircraft that pose a collision risk.

It was an Instagram post that introduced Stevie Triesenberg to aviation, and social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok have earned her more than 1 million followers—and a YouTube interview with FAA Administrator Steve Dickson.

If you appreciate Earth’s wonders above ground, you should make a point to visit the natural beauty that awaits in tourist-friendly caverns and caves.

Paul Saari and Greg Scott are dental colleagues in Florida. The pair own a Legend Cub hangared in Winter Haven, Florida. They have flown together since 1987 and have co-owned the Cub for the past 15 years. “Flying with Greg and then going out to dinner or breakfast together has provided me with some of the happiest memories of my life,” said Saari.

By Dave Houghton

Fall is a wonderful time to fly in the Rocky Mountains. Summer thunderstorms have moved on, the air is clear and cool, and aspen trees splash electric gold across the landscape. My business partner, August, and I were scheduled to attend an engineering conference in Las Vegas, so we planned on flying there from Gunnison, Colorado, in my Cessna 182 RG Turbo.

A Twitter philosopher made me laugh out loud the other day. I’ll paraphrase the tweet: “We can’t have flying cars because you [expletives] will run your tanks dry, falling out the sky, saying ‘I know my car.’”

During primary training, my instructor would repeatedly tell me to slow down while taxiing. “Don’t taxi the airplane any faster than you can walk,” he’d say. I’ll confess taxiing that slowly seemed unnecessary. A recent episode revealed the wisdom of his advice.

Every private pilot needs to know the essentials of supplemental oxygen use, but for most of us this important knowledge doesn’t go beyond memorizing the rules set out in FAR 91.211.

Through many years of my instrument flying, approach plate briefings were regurgitations of the entire piece of paper, a flawed exercise meant to seek total and complete understanding. Even at the time it seemed excessive and counterintuitive, but it’s how I was taught. There is a better way.

For well more than a year, the airline career skies have been gloomy. Naysayers were predicting a continuing slowdown in air travel resulting in a virtual shutdown of hiring ad infinitum.

Our last issue noted the frequency with which pilots drive airplanes off runways with inputs that are inadequate, late, or simply wrong (“Accident Analysis: Anywhere But Here,” June 2021 Flight Training).

Jolene Berry handles the mic in her airport truck like it’s attached to her hand. She moves across the taxiways and runways at Manassas Regional Airport (HEF) in constant contact with the tower.

After pausing for the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, takes place July 26 through August 1, 2021.

Pilots rely on text and graphical forecasts for weather information, but it helps to cultivate your senses for signs of change.

Letters to the editor

In 1971, Grumman American created a four-seat airplane that was attractive, quick, economical and fun to fly all at the same time.

As Backcountry and mountain flying continue to gain popularity, Pilots have many reasons for accepting the challenge—a great way to sharpen flying skills, breathtaking views, and a chance to get off the grid for the ultimate feel of freedom.

“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you.…” That’s how most episodes of Dragnet, my favorite old-time crime drama, ended.

Aviation news

It’s right in front of your nose. Well, sometimes above your head. Or to your left and right. It might be made of metal. It might be made of space-age composite. For purists, it’s still made of wood. But you rarely look at it or think about it unless it stops moving, which isn’t really its fault. If it stops moving, it’s the engine’s fault.