Plane and Pilot

NOVEMBER 9, 2024

I have seen military pilots, multi-thousand-hour airline captains, and 100-hour private pilots, each of whom fits that description. While the ground-bound commuters down below trudge along in heavy traffic along the highways and byways, we pilots get to play three-dimensional chess at 150 knots or so in our piston-powered magic carpets.

Pilot 105

Pilot Flight Deck Approach Weather 105

Plane and Pilot

FEBRUARY 28, 2025

In the airline world, descent planning and execution receives a lot of attention. To cope with these challenges, airline glass flight decks contain a vertical navigation function (VNAV) that keeps the autopilot, and the crew, on the right path to arrive at the final approach fix, or downwind leg, at speed and on altitude.

Descent 55

Descent Approach Final Approach Turbulence 55

Plane and Pilot

AUGUST 6, 2024

Also, from when I lived out West, there was the mountaintop clearance guideline—1,000 feet for every 10 knots of wind, with 30 knots meaning no-go. With my risk profile, IFR really means ignoring crappy VFR and VFR cloud clearance requirements. I broke down and used airline miles. And then there’s headwinds.

Airplanes 93

Airplanes Weather Ceiling Turbulence 93

Pilot Institute

SEPTEMBER 26, 2024

Key Takeaways Airports that fall under Class C designation handle general aviation and airline traffic. Before entering Class C airspace, pilots must receive clearance from Air Traffic Control (ATC). Class C airspace is essential for controlling general aviation and airline traffic for medium-sized airports.

Clearance 52

Clearance Transponder Knot Indicated Airspeed 52

Pilot Institute

APRIL 24, 2024

Pilots must meet equipment and certification requirements and have ATC clearance to enter. You’ll always find a steady stream of airliners queued up for departure and arrival. Due to its high elevation, Denver’s Class B airspace extends up to 12,000 feet MSL to give airliners room to descend. This is called a ‘push’.

Clearance 52

Clearance Ceiling Airspace Classes Transponder 52

Plane and Pilot

SEPTEMBER 22, 2024

CRM has gone on to become a staple of airline and military flight training. While the temptation to find cheaper gas at an uncontrolled field loomed large, the extra services provided by the approach control, clearance delivery, and a busier FBO seemed to make more sense. I was a Garmin guy and Jim’s Mooney was Avidyne.

Weather 90

Weather Clearance Pilot Airplanes 90

ABEAM

AUGUST 26, 2023

IFR clearance was direct to DEVBI while we knew we could pick up our oceanic clearance (my first ever !) After passing DEVBI, Scottish Control passed us to Reykjavik Control who told us to pick up our Oceanic Clearance with Iceland Radio on 127.850. after DEVBI with Iceland Radio. So we could continue to Iceland.

Weather 52

Weather Clearance Knot Airplanes 52

AeroSavvy

AUGUST 20, 2021

Cherokee Six instrument panel Like my airline job, I fly nearly paperless using an iPad Mini and the ForeFlight app for navigation charts. Although not a problem for airliners, flying at high altitude airports presents challenges for pilots of small piston aircraft. Santa Fe is located 6,349 feet above sea level.

Density Altitude 52

Density Altitude OAT Airplanes Fixed Base Operator 52

One Mile at a Time

OCTOBER 8, 2024

BREAKING : Two Delta Airlines planes collide on runway at Georgia airport. The strangest part of that interaction is how the Delta A350 pilot’s defense is that they were taxiing on the centerline, and had been given clearance to go in that direction, as if they did nothing wrong.

Tail 122

Tail Jet Clearance Runway 122

Aerotime

APRIL 9, 2025

A Japan Airlines Boeing 737-800 operating a domestic flight within Japan reportedly lined up with the runway edge lights in error, causing damage to the lighting and leading to an aborted take-off. Upon receiving clearance to take off from air traffic controllers at the airport at 19:11 local time, the aircraft began its take-off roll.

Runway 208

Runway Air Traffic Control Airlines Airline 208

One Mile at a Time

SEPTEMBER 13, 2024

The clearance was issued, and the pilots started their takeoff roll. However, after achieving a speed of over 100 knots, the pilots made the decision to abort the takeoff. This is because the Alaska pilots heard that the Southwest 737 had been given clearance to cross the same runway that the Alaska jet was taking off from.

Air Traffic Control 117

Air Traffic Control Clearance Runway Jet 117

Photographic Logbook

OCTOBER 11, 2024

Off Sodus, I briefly leveled at 2,500 feet to remain visual until I received my instrument clearance from Rochester Approach. Fortunately, the clearance was a simple one that morning because I was absurdly tongue tied while talking to Rochester. I was pretty certain that the AWOS as Sodus was lying because it has a long history of it.

Runway 82

Runway Approach Knot Drag 82

Gary's Flight Journal

MAY 3, 2024

I already had set up for Patuxent approach so I switched from CTAF to Pax to pick up my clearance. Mary had the garlic knots along with the Italian chop salad. I picked up my clearance, made sure oil is up to temp, then called for taxi instructions. I launched from runway three-two and pointed for the Snow Hill VOR.

Runway 105

Runway Approach Weather VOR 105

Air Facts

AUGUST 5, 2024

That big day finally arrives, and not being able to contain yourself for much longer, you decide to bite the bullet and fly down via the airlines. ” Not only that, you just never know what kind of surprise ATC will spring on you when you’re picking up your IFR Clearance, so preparation is everything! feet per minute).

Density Altitude 98

Density Altitude Ceiling Runway Weather 98

Photographic Logbook

OCTOBER 28, 2023

Once the rain relented, we staggered our departures and called for our IFR clearances on the ground. Despite those ground clearances, we found that the ceiling above our home airport was high enough to accommodate VFR departures with airborne clearances. We flew at 7,000 feet with as much as a 30 knot tailwind.

Clearance 52

Clearance Knot Instrument Meteorological Conditions Airplanes 52

Jetwhine

JULY 1, 2024

And there were plenty of accidents; a few airliner crashes a month, while tragic, were not unheard of. Nearly 50 years after NASA’s groundbreaking research, most accidents in non-airliner flights are still attributed to pilot error, indicating that much work is yet to be done in this sector.

Flight Plan 105

Flight Plan Knot Runway Airplanes 105

Aerotime

NOVEMBER 25, 2024

The aircraft involved in the Vilnius incident was operated by Spanish all-cargo airline Swift Air under contract to DHL. years old, having first been delivered as a passenger plane to now-defunct carrier Australian Airlines in October 1993 and was later operated by Qantas. The aircraft, registered EC-MFE, was 31.1

Final Approach 334

Final Approach Approach Instrument Landing System Runway 334

Adventures of Cap'n Aux

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

This, after 15 years of nonfatal airline accidents in the United States. All 67 people on board both aircraft were killed in the crash (64 on the airliner, 3 on the helicopter). Again, either option is not in itself hazardous; each pilot has the option to accept or decline a clearance. Animation credi to The Hill. Credit: TMZ.

Pilot 116

Pilot Runway Knot Jet 116

Fear of Landing

JANUARY 3, 2025

On the 25th of December 2024, Azerbaijan Airlines flight 8243, a scheduled passenger flight from Baku, Azerbaijan to Grozny, Russia, crashed on approach to Aktau International Airport in Kazakhstan with 62 passengers and five crew on board. Azerbaijan Airlines flight 8243 : AXY8243 proceeding to Baku.

Weather 111

Weather Airlines Airline Approach 111