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In Flight USA Articles
Piloting By The Numbers
Cynthia Wheatley Glenn takes a hard look at the statistics regarding female pilots
Have Couch, Will Fly
By Bert Botta
For those of you who love to fly, you know that once “it’s in your blood,” the passion for flight never leaves. As a retired TWA and NetJet pilot, the passion for flight was still there so I recently began training pilots in aircraft simulators to fly in instrument weather conditions and to get hired at the airlines.
During one of my training sessions, I met a fellow pilot who told me about Gilbert Kliman, M.D. and his wish for a co- pilot to support him in his far-flung travels.
It appears that Gil and I seemed pre-destined to meet, one might even say serendipitously, around some combination of aviation and psychology from the get-go since I am also a Licensed Professional Counselor, in addition to my professional piloting career.
The Meeting and The Man
Gilbert Kliman, M.D.I met Gil at his home in San Francisco recently to interview him for this article. Up to that point we had flown together a few times, with me as his co-pilot and he as the pilot in command.
As I drove over the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco to meet him, years of memories from being raised in “The City” flooded through my mind as I pulled up in front of his beautiful home on Divisadero Street, in one of the most beautiful and stately neighborhoods in San Francisco.
Gil lives in a beautiful, totally remodeled, tri-level Victorian home that he and his wife have creatively set up as both home and office where, in addition to running the daily affairs of the Children’s Psychological Health Center, they each see patients on a separate level from their home.
From the first time I met Gil, I knew there was something special about him. His measured, concise, clear manner of speech and lively sense of humor conveyed to me his attention to detail and his deep commitment to and love of his work.
Gil has a “mentoring” quality that I immediately felt and connected with. This is something that is in short supply in most modern day men. It’s something that, as a man, I treasure and most often unconsciously seek out.
Before we started the interview in the lower level cubbies that serve as his agency’s Executive Director’s and video editing offices he leaned over and, true to his pilot persona, gave me a “pre-takeoff briefing” on the importance of protecting the privacy of his clients and the necessity for the strictest confidentiality during our interview.
The seriousness of his tone and his commitment to his clients’ privacy came through to me in somewhat of a contrast to my own, more relaxed code of confidentiality when I was in private practice as a professional counselor. I was impressed and immediately felt a respect for this man that would continue to grow the more I spent time with him.
Editorial: New Third Class Medical Provisions
By Ed Downs
It is now official, as of May 1, 2017, the FAR’s will contain provisions that allow an individual to exercise the privileges of a private pilot without the need for a third class medical certificate. But, let me quickly add, there are a number of conditions and caveats in the new rule. Those looking for specific details must review the “Final Rule,” www.faa.gov/news/updates/media/final_rule_faa_2016_9157.pdf, and Advisory Circular 68-1, www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory Circular/AC_68-1.pdf. These two fun-filled documents total 112 pages of legal language that needs to be read several times in order to get a full grasp on what is going on.
It had been the intent of this writer to summarize this final ruling, but space will simply not allow this. Instead, allow the opinions of this writer to set the stage and then take a look at the FAQ’s that are included directly from Advisory Circular 68-1. This is probably the fastest way to get some idea of what this ruling entails.
Contrails: The Epiphany
By Steve Weaver
It must seem to newcomers in our world of aviation that the pilots who were flying back in “the day,” must be conspiring to weave a universal tall tale about how aviation was in the old days. Then they take turns telling the tale while the rest of the codgers nod in solemn assent.
In these times of six and seven dollar avgas and single engine piston aircraft pushing three quarters of a million dollars, it’s hard to visualize a world of 40 cent fuel and affordable airplanes, which the factories were pumping out like popcorn. Imagine a time when we had the freedom to fly just about anywhere in almost anything and when almost anyone who was working could afford an airplane of some kind.
To those of us who lived and flew during those halcyon days, it seemed normal at the time because we hadn’t known anything else. Most of us thought that it would continue this way always and that was just the way it was supposed to be. It also seemed to us, to me anyway, that aviation was probably about the same in every progressive country. I had no clue what an oasis of aeronautical privilege we were living in.
Editorial: Stick and Rudder
By Ed Downs
Does that title sound familiar? For many, the book, Stick and Rudder, written by Wolfgang Langewiesche, appears on nearly every bookshelf of aviators around the world. First published in 1944, this book became the quintessential word on the “art of flying,” stressing the need to develop well-understood skills to be used in controlling the aircraft. Those of us who teach Flight Instructor Refresher Clinics (FIRC’s) are hearing the term “stick and rudder” again, but not in reference to this classic book. This time it comes from the FAA, having added mandated content to approve FIRC curriculums that addresses the subject of “stick and rudder” skills, or more accurately, the lack of such skills. But let me take a step back and explain the issue at hand.
Every CFI must undergo classroom (or today, web-based) training once every 24 calendar months. The course undertaken is approved by the FAA and must contain a specific amount of FAA mandated content. Companies that conduct such courses maintain an FAA approved status, as do their instructors, like this writer. The program (class or web) MUST contain a minimum of 16 hours of actual training, and significant paperwork is involved. Failure to attend a FIRC every two years and pass two written exams means the CFI loses the privilege to instruct. Once a FIRC is missed, the CFI must attend a FIRC and take an FAA check ride to reinstate CFI privileges. Stop and think about it, how many other licensed professions (medical, legal?) have such requirements?
A Brief Analysis of Takeoff Safety Concerning the Proper Decision Making of GO/NO GO
By Ehsan Mirzaee
Introduction: Do more planes crash on takeoffs or landings? This is a challenging question for some people and an easy, clear one for others. According to official statistics, landing phase of a flight is the most dangerous phase, noticing the number of incidents and accidents occurred during this phase. In this final phase of flight, pilots are required to take into consideration more variables in a shorter period of time. They should deal with speed, altitude, pitch corrections, comply with ATC instructions, and at the same, time monitor all other systems and instruments to know if they are working properly.
On the other hand, takeoff is the second most dangerous phase of flight. During the takeoff roll, as the speed of the aircraft is increasing, the pilot is supposed to decide more quickly and react more precisely in case of an emergency.
In this essay, I want to talk about the importance of decision making by pilots during takeoff run in case of an abnormal situation; whether to continue takeoff or to reject it and to discuss the standards according to which pilots must decide GO/NO GO.
Contrails: Oh, The Places You’ll Go
By Steve Weaver
When most pilots consider the hours they have logged in the air, the time usually remains just hours to them. The recorded flights are remembered as a cross-country, as an instrument flight, or as the hour spent learning recovery from unusual attitudes. But as time aloft accumulates, it can also be viewed using other measurements. By the time a student pilot has qualified for his or her private license, he or she has gained a bit of experience and is ready to begin learning to fly the airplane on instruments. He or she has probably spent about a week apart from the surface of the earth. That would be a total of seven 24-hour days spent hanging suspended above the earth or 168 hours total. Later, at the 500-hour milestone, our pilot has been missing from the earth for over two and a half weeks, and on the day he or she logs his or her one thousandth hour, he will have spent a total of more than 41 24-hour days some place other than on the planet where he was born.
Those of us who have flown most of our lives as a profession, rack up a prodigious amount of hours in the air, and the high timers among us have lived aloft literally for years.
Billy Goat at 12 O’Clock High
By Charlie Briggs
Aviation buffs read a lot of flying stories from pros who write articles on a regular basis. While often entertaining and informative, hearing from professional pilots sometimes lacks the real world experiences of the hundreds of thousands of aircraft owners and flyers who were never professional pilots, but simply lived with an airplane as a permanent family member. Such is the case with Charlie Briggs, a pilot for more than 65 years, having a career that included ranching, agricultural services and consulting, computer technologies and business concept development. In Flight USA invites readers to join Charlie as he reminisces about flying and life. You will experience a side of aviation that is informative, entertaining and personal. Enjoy.
Once upon a time, there came to this earth, a Billy Goat. This was no ordinary goat.
This one was destined to achieve what no other goat on earth had or likely will do. In fact, it couldn’t because the adventure of “Elmer” was the first. Now when you are the first of anything, that’s it. It’s the first. Elmer’s home was a nice roomy pasture lying in the winding river bottom carved out of the flat western Kansas prairie being the “Smoky Hill River.”
In the regular world, Billy Goats are not known as aviators. Well, neither was our pet goat “Elmer.” His “jump” into history was definitely not of his choosing. Just fate. Here is how it happened.
My wife and I were married in December of 1949. In the summer of 1951, we were “selected” to move to Logan County, Kansas to assume the operations of the families’ 25-section ranch and farming project. We left college and really went to “school,” leaving the security of our homestead country and friends to be 25 miles from the nearest town, living in a mobile home, with no phone, portable electric power, and having to haul all our drinking and household water from municipal sources many miles away. Now married for 63 amazing years, I had developed a plan of compromise. It has worked. If my wife wanted something, if I could get it for her, I just did. Well, here the early plot thickens.
Pacific Coast Dream Machines
Returning to the Half Moon Bay Airport for the 24th consecutive year, the Pacific Coast Dream Machines event saw record attendance this year.
By Michael Mainiero
(Michael Mainiero)For those not familiar, the event is a unique grouping of 2,000-plus machines from the 20th and 21st centuries that can fly, drive, putt around or just look cool! Dream Machines is an uncommon event due to the sheer size of the display. The combination of cars, vintage tractors, old military equipment, motorcycles and aircraft provides something for everyone, and there were plenty of attractions for the kids as well! From turbine-powered cars to vintage fighter aircraft, the world’s coolest cars and planes from every era and style drew people from hundreds of miles away. Model-T fire engines, vintage buses, custom motorcycles, tricked out trucks, super sleek streamliners, one-of-a-kind antique engines and tractors were displayed prominently around the airport
My Scary Event in Cow Country
By Charlie Briggs
It all started out very routine. The plane was a new model 150 hp, Mooney Mark 20 with less than 100 hours TT. The trip was for buying cattle. The weather was clear and calm. The route was direct from Amarillo, Texas’ Tradewind Airport to a ranch just south of Springer, N.M. on the east slope of the Rockies. Springer is on Highway 56 and approximately 90 miles west of Clayton, N.M. This route was to play a role in this event.
Landing on a smooth, grassy pasture near the ranch headquarters, I was met by the rancher. We spent the day looking at various sets of cattle. As evening drew near, nothing would do but “stay for a steak.” After an evening of exchanging “cow country tales” it was time to get home.
Déjà vu All Over Again
By Steve Weaver
Without question, the U.S. aviation fleet is growing long in tooth. While new aircraft are being built, their numbers are infinitesimally small when compared to the huge number of aircraft the industry pumped out in the 60s, 70s and very early 80s. The bulk of those earlier aircraft still exist, most of them on U.S. registry and the average age of registered aircraft goes up yearly. Today, those old aircraft actually make up the largest percentage of the aircraft population in our country.
Yet it seems like I’m always taken by surprise when I run into an airplane that I’ve known from the past, and especially if it’s from a much earlier time in my life.
Sometimes it’s a familiar registration number that sparks recognition, and other times an examination of the logs reveals an event that I remember. Once in a while I even come across my own name in the aircraft log books, a younger me signing off an item of maintenance.
Passing Your Airman Medical Exam When You Have Hypertension
By Dr. Susan Biegel, M.D.
Having hypertension is not a death sentence to continuing to fly, but there are some tips to make your airman medical exam go much more smoothly and increase your likelihood of passing the first time.
Get a good night’s sleep the night before the exam. Many times, my patients’ blood pressure will be significantly higher if they had a poor night’s sleep the night before.
Don’t exercise right before your exam. Exercising naturally will raise the pulse and the blood pressure. This is normal! But please allow two to three hours for the blood pressure to come down before your exam. Last week I saw a patient who did his 30 mile bike ride the night before his physical. His blood pressure did not come down after 45 minutes and he doesn’t even have hypertension! Please don’t come bounding up the stairs as this can raise the blood pressure. Instead, take the elevator to the doctor’s office.
Editorial: Thanks, Paul
By Ed Downs
A visionary, leader and damned good pilot flew over the southern horizon for the last time on Aug. 22, 2013. Paul Poberezny, founder of the Experimental Aircraft Association, is gone.
Virtually every aviation publication in the world will comment on the passing of this remarkable man, most recounting the creation of the EAA, the incredible success of this organization and the part that Paul Poberezny played in shaping the modern world of recreational flying. To be sure, the creation of the EAA and all that it has stood for over the years is a story that needs to be told in perspective with the amazing person who fathered what we now refer to as the “homebuilt movement.” But this writer would like to take a different approach.
You see, Paul was my friend. The funny thing is that thousands of people can correctly say the same thing. To meet Paul was to become his friend. To work with Paul was to become a friend for whom he would always take time to greet and say “hello” to, when the occasion permitted, usually at AirVenture.
Contrails: Bending Metal
By Steve Weaver
The one occasion where the retail worth of the plane in which Weaver was flying was rapidly and substantially reduced. The Ercoupe was later repaired and flown by Joe-Joe for another 20 years. (Courtesy of Steve Weaver)In recent years, even I have had to acknowledge that I have entered, albeit reluctantly, the category of the mature airman. As such, I have joined the ranks of those with a successful (read survived) flying history spanning fifty years or so and it is natural for the August members who inhabit this strata to be occasionally asked by our younger brethren about things that they consider worrisome in their own flying career. Crashing would be one.
How many times, they will ask, have I been involved in occasions where the retail worth of the airplane I was flying was rapidly and substantially reduced?
It’s a complicated question to answer, especially if you take the Clinton-esque approach to it and say it depends on what your definition of crashing is. I choose to do that, since it reduces my record of shame by 50 percent if I don’t count flying the Super Cruiser through the top of a large oak tree as a crash. My point there being that the airplane did not come to a complete stop, which I maintain is a basic requirement for a certifiable airplane crash.
"Lessons from the Cockpit"
An Exerpt from Selfish Altruism by Moe Glenner
In Flight USA is sharing Moe Glenner’s five behaviors that pilots should avoid as an excerpt from his book, Selfish Altruism. These five lessons from the cockpit will run as a five-part series. Read on for the first installment, Behavior #1, Anti-Authority.
As an instrument rated pilot, I draw many parallels between aviation related themes and the chains of change. Most successful pilots are highly goal and mission oriented. While this seems to be a requirement, it also has pitfalls. Some of these pitfalls have been at the root of serious aviation accidents and incidents. There are five notable behaviors that pilots are especially susceptible to, that left unchecked can have serious consequences. These behaviors are not exclusive to pilots and are actually present amongst all of us, regardless of occupation.
Goodies and Gadgets - January 2013
New Aviator Light Pen Sheds Light Where You Need It
When you need to write, and there is no light available, or when you don’t want to lose all your night vision, or when you don’t want to disturb those around you, the old solutions used to involve writing blind (and trying to decipher it later) or holding a flashlight in your “spare hand,” or even in your mouth. Technology presents a better solution, and Wicks Aircraft Supply has it: a pen with a lighted tip.
This good-looking ballpoint pen, with the Wicks phone number always handy on its barrel, writes with standard black ink, right where its own light is shining, allowing you to see and write in otherwise pitch-darkness. It is also possible to use this pen without turning on the light, to save the long-life batteries for when you need them. It is also useful as a micro-flashlight.
Scott Wick, President of Wicks Aircraft, says, “This new pen has a LED light which shines from the tip directly to the surface you are writing on. It is perfect for the pilot who flies at night and needs to write down a clearance or needs to see or make a mark on their map. Now you don’t have to hold a flashlight in one hand and write with the other. Nor do you need to move your map under a cockpit light to be able to see it. I wish I had one of these years ago.”
The wait is over. The Wicks part number is WF14101B, and the Aviator Light
Pen is available immediately, priced at $9.99. Visit www.wicksaircraft.com to order.
Editorial: Good Old Days
By Ed Downs
A recent conversation with friend and fellow writer, Steve Weaver, sparked some memories and brought to mind a safety issue that has heads spinning in the magical world of FAA training gurus. As “old” pilots often do, we reminisced about the days when basic skills and common sense were considered “high technology.” Today’s version of “high technology” has progressed in the manner one might expect when having crossed into a new millennium, but some are concerned about that progression.
This writer turned back the mental clock and joined Steve in remembering how simple, and potentially frightening, the “good old days” really were. My “good old days” began in the mid 1950s. The flight school I flew with sold a “student pilot course” which included 12 hours of dual instruction in a Champ, and a 20-hour ground school. The cost was $175, including materials. The idea was that you were “issued” your student pilot certificate (solo and cross country endorsement) at the conclusion of the 12-hour program. After this, you were welcome to rent their Champs and go flying. Whether or not you decided to get a private certificate so you could carry passengers was optional. There were no multiple endorsements, no 90-day “solo sign offs,” or multitude of authorizations. The Champ had only a wind-driven generator that spun fast enough to recharge a battery if flying at about 10 mph above cruising speed, meaning the battery was constantly going dead! The low frequency radio could transmit on only one frequency and you tuned the receiver like a Motorola console radio out of the 1930s. There was no starter or workable nav system. With 12 gallons of fuel, all-important in-flight decisions had to be made in about two and half hours, or the “in flight” part of the trip came to an abrupt end. Drawing lines on big, 25 cent, sectional charts was the order of the day, with a whiskey compass and E-6B your only navigation tools. Knowing where you were and having alternatives in mind were essential, as even a mild wind could greatly affect your flight.
Contrails
Flying With the Newly Dead
By Steve Weaver
I don’t know, but when I look back at the almost 50 years I’ve spent in aviation, it seems to me that my career didn’t unfold as it really should have. Rather than the orderly, planned and supervised tempering of my peers, my progression into and through the various aviation endeavors always seemed to happen in spasmodic bursts that often left me with Alice in Wonderland-like bewilderment. Looking around at my next role, as a flight instructor, or a survey pilot or whatever new phase I found myself in, I found myself totally clueless about how to properly proceed.
For one thing, I had no real mentors, other than the odd instructors that popped up at vital times, and then were gone. I was a restless student pilot with my own airplane, and by keeping it at small, out of the way strips I managed to stay under the radar for about 300 hours of dangerous wandering before settling down enough to get my private license. Adding the commercial license seemed like a natural thing to do since my logbook was fat with hours, and when the examiner told me I flew well enough to pass the flight instructor’s exam I decided to get that rating too.
Goodies and Gadgets - June 2012
AeroLEDs Sunspot Landing Light Lasts 50,000 Hours
The Sunspot 36HX has received PMA approval from the FAA and can be installed on any certificated aircraft.The FAA had granted PMA Certification to AeroLEDs Sunspot 36HX landing light. Powered by new LED technology, the Sunspot will last 50,000 hours, allowing pilots to fly with the light on at all times for enhanced visibility. The light also comes with “wig-wag” or pulsing capability and is so bright that it can be seen at great distances in daylight when the aircraft is not visible.
NTSB Provides Investigative Update and Issues Recommendations to Increase Safety at Air Races
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) provided an investigative update on April 10, 2012, on last year’s crash of a highly modified P-51D airplane at the National Championship Air Races in Reno, Nev. On Sept. 16, 2011, the pilot of the Galloping Ghost experienced an upset while turning between pylons 8 and 9 on the racecourse. The airplane crashed on the ramp in the box seat spectator area. The pilot and 10 spectators were killed and more than 60 others were injured.
In addition to the investigative update, NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman announced that the agency was issuing a total of seven safety recommendations to make the National Championship Air Races a safer event for pilots and spectators alike.
“We are not here to put a stop to air racing,” said Chairman Hersman. “We are here to make it safer.”