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Some of the questions on the FAA Knowledge Tests are interesting enough or complicated enough to warrant a full post while others are clear with just a quick reference to the FAR/AIM or one of the FAA pdfs. When I’ve written a post on a topic that is covered on the tests, I’ve started including […]

Two hurricanes recently hit the Gulf Coast and it’s interesting to see the how the altimeter dropped and wind picked up over the course of a few hours. The code PRESFR means Pressure falling rapidly. I edited out the TNSO, A02, and AUTO so more of the information fits on one line. I have readings […]

METARs and TAFs have been around since before the high-speed internet made data transmission instantaneous (and they are based on Surface Aviation Observation (SAO) and Terminal Forecasts (TF) for current weather conditions before June 1, 1996) so they use a somewhat cryptic method for encoding weather data. However, once you learn how to decode them […]

The FAA knowledge tests have many questions on thunderstorms—the stages, hazards associated with them, and weather products related to them. Stages of a Thunderstorm The best explanation of the stages is found in Advisory Circular 00-6B Aviation Weather. For a thunderstorm to form, the air must have (1) sufficient water vapor, (2) unstable lapse rate, […]

Most FBOs have a computer for checking the weather but I can never remember the addresses for METARs, NOTAMs, and TFRs. This is a list of sites I check before returning. Now that Electronic Flight Bags (EFBs) like ForeFlight and WingsX have weather, NOTAMS, and TFRs built in, this page isn’t as useful as it […]

This post summarizes FAA Advisory Circular AC 00-54 PILOT WINDSHEAR GUIDE issued 11/25/88. I changed the punctuation a bit and left out a lot of the text. Additions are indicated by brackets [ ]. Bold indicates things I’d like to remember. This document uses windshear as a single word—other documents split it into two words—wind […]

There are lots of type clubs with forums that have great information. Their serach functions often aren’t great and often you have to belong to the club to search the articles. Sometimes Google can help you find articles on specific topics. If the original link doesn’t work, use the cache. Here are a few sites: […]

The Aviation Safety Network database contains 69 wind-shear accidents, most of which did not result in fatalities. Three accidents—New Orleans in 1975, New York in 1982, and Dallas-Fort Worth crash in 1985—prompted NASA to begin a program to understand and detect wind shear. As a result of the program, wind-shear alert systems have been installed […]

In honor of Talk Like a Pirate day, (Sept 19th) I thought I’d put up some phrases you can use to sound like a pilot. Pilot: We’re preflighted and ready to go. We’re ready to bore some holes in the sky. Instructor: OK Let’s kick the tires and light the fires. Pilot: Barnstormer 1EE ready […]

There are lots of mnemonics for remembering to do things in and around the plane. Some important things aren’t really mnemonics but are more like mantras. Aviate, Navigate, Communicate.—For the big picture of flying. Radios, Mixture, Master, Mags—For shutdown. I have my favorite mnemonics for various phases of flight—Why I disike GUMPS—and to remember things […]

This is a collection of type clubs, associations, and web pages dedicated to specific aircraft. Some of the web sites look like they have not been updated in a while, but they still have some interesting information. Active or interesting sites are indicated with bold text links. General Interest Associations AOPA With a membership base […]

The FAA recently changed the duration of medicals for persons under 40 years of age. The duration of first-class medicals for pilots under 40 years is now 1 year instead of 6 months. The duration of third-class medicals is now 5 years instead of 3 years. The duration of second-class medicals did not change. It […]

Certificates 14 CFR §61.23 Medical certificates: Requirement and duration. (a) Operations requiring a medical certificate. Except as provided in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section, a person— (1) Must hold a first-class medical certificate when exercising the privileges of an airline transport pilot certificate; (2) Must hold at least a second-class medical certificate when […]

I just refurbished a 1968 Piper Cherokee 140 and liked the result so much that I decided to keep it and rent it out. This post is a collection of articles on buying and flying the Cherokee. Image from original Piper marketing literature. My Cherokee Overview Fred Weick, the designer of the Ercoupe, designed the […]

When reading about aircraft in publications like Aviation Consumer, I tend to focus on the accident causes and it seems that across all aircraft, around 12% of accidents are caused by fuel exhastion and another 2-4% by fuel contamination. This usually puts fuel mismanagement in third or fourth place among accident causes. Inexplicably, fuel exhaustion […]

14 CFR §91.151 Fuel requirements for flight in VFR conditions. (a) No person may begin a flight in an airplane under VFR conditions unless (considering wind and forecast weather conditions) there is enough fuel to fly to the first point of intended landing and, assuming normal cruising speed— (1) During the day, to fly after […]

Certification of Aircraft is covered by PART 23–AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: NORMAL, UTILITY, ACROBATIC, AND COMMUTER CATEGORY AIRPLANES Among other things it sets out the four types of aircraft that are normally flown in Part 91 operations. FAR §23.3 Airplane categories. (a) The normal category is limited to airplanes that have a seating configuration, excluding pilot seats, of […]