March 3, 2020, at 3:28 p.m., N43368—a Piper PA-46 310P Malibu—was cleared for takeoff from Runway 23 at Columbia Metro Airport (CAE) in Columbia, South Carolina.
Instrument procedures with lateral navigation (LNAV)-only minimums to a minimum descent altitude, such as the localizer-only version of an ILS or an RNAV (GPS) approach with LNAV or LP minimums, often include stepdown fixes inside the final approach fix.
Your aircraft is not a bloodhound: Its nose often doesn’t point in the direction of flight—which is super important when it comes to understanding relative wind, a component of stall theory.
Boeing Co. announced April 22 the sale of two giant names in general aviation—Jeppesen and ForeFlight—to a private equity firm that specializes in software and technology.
From the moment we wake up to our phone alarm, technology pervades every aspect of our lives, including aviation. Electronic flight bags, GPS navigation, glass cockpits, and iPads are just a few examples of how we incorporate technology into our flying.
The familiar plan view section of an IFR approach chart is a top-down map of the procedure that shows the paths to the runway, where obstacles may lurk in the murk, and the track you’ll follow if you miss the approach.
You’ve seen the message blinking on your GPS or primary flight display as you approach a waypoint along your route: “Left to 180 degrees in 10 sec.” If the autopilot is flying, you watch as it smoothly intercepts the next segment of an airway, feeder route, or other course, usually without a second thought about the flashing number.
I’m not much of an artist, but I do draw airports. Oh, don’t get me wrong. You’re not gonna find beautiful charcoal sketches of airports with my name on them in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum gift shop.
When you visit Chicago, or if you want to fly between Wisconsin and Indiana without flying west of the city, consider a Chicago skyline flight. Chicago’s skyline comprises four of the nation’s 12 tallest buildings (the other eight are in New York City), the view of the city from above is breathtaking, and the route relatively easy to navigate. Here’s how.
When I started flying lessons, expiration dates had a different meaning than they do today. Don’t get me wrong: when something expires, it expires. But back then, it had to do with paper charts: sectionals, enroute IFR charts, NOAA approach books, things of that nature. ‘Database’ dates had hardly come into the lexicon. We used to just rip the covers off of expired charts. You can’t do that with a computer.
The Companion Copilot 5-part video series provides frequent GA passengers—who are not pilots—an opportunity to learn more about how they can pinch hit and help their pilot during flight.
Honeywell and BendixKing are pushing the envelope and working on new offerings that will revolutionize the safety, efficiency and overall flight experience of general aviation aircraft. From touch screen autopilots to in-flight internet connectivity, here are five state of the art products designed by pilots for pilots.
Air traffic controllers called to AOPA’s attention an apparent misunderstanding of phraseology involving RNAV instrument departures that has led to unwelcome surprises.
The elevations of about 50 mountain passes have been added to Alaska visual navigation charts as a working group led by AOPA moves forward on a project to enhance information critical to the safety of flight through mountainous regions.
A lot of today’s pilots don’t consider maps to be all that important—but they are. Keeping a fresh chart in the airplane is still an important safety item, whether it is in electronic form stored in your iPad or tablet, or on paper in your backpack. Sectional charts present ground-based data in a form that matches the view out the window, and they show airspace and facility symbology available nowhere else.
What's your destination if the evaluator for your instrument-rating practical test or proficiency flight calls for requesting a diversion to the nearest “MON airport”—and what approach might you have to do when you get there?
In the technological era, an aircraft’s navigational capabilities are more important than the boxes it uses to get the job done, provided standards of safety and precision are consistently met. Performance-based navigation, or PBN, is the name of that game, and the FAA is taking public comments through July 9 on a draft advisory circular that spells out which pilots, and what aircraft, can fly PBN procedures.
Since you are a pilot who is constantly sharpening your aviating skills, review these five runway safety scenarios that can put you in a dire situation and find out how to avoid them.
The approach of a pivotal date in the revised publication cycle of many visual navigation charts is a reminder to pilots to double check the effective dates of the charts they use for VFR flying.
BendixKing Designs Avionics with Users in Mind. Engineers at BendixKing spend a lot of time thinking about the pilots who fly with their avionics systems, the dealers who sell them and the technicians who install and service them. Read more to learn how BendixKing is driving the future of general aviation.
Asheville, North Carolina, is one of the most picturesque places in the country. Tucked into the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina, the airport (AVL) is in a valley south of the city at an elevation of 2,162 feet above sea level.
A Cirrus SR22 is certified in aircraft approach category A (less than 91 knots) but is flying an instrument approach at 100 knots, a Category B approach speed. Do Category A minimums or Category B minimums apply to the operation?
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Get instant access to Flight Training's special issue titled You Can Fly: Your Path to Become a Pilot. This beginning pilots' resource guide explains what you can expect from your introductory flight through initial training—and how to turn your dream of flying into reality. Simply enter your name and email address.