Entries by studentpltnews

Flying mentor and friend

The room was crowded with hundreds of his family, friends, students, and business associates. It had been just over 3 weeks since many of us had lost our teacher, our mentor, our friend, to “complications” from a heart surgery. John Morgan Lane touched a lot of lives and we were all there to celebrate his life while mourning his passing.

Dress the part

Don’t make enemies and never burn a bridge. Dress professionally and be punctual. At you’re FBO you’ll meet instructors, students, or other connections to the professional industry, who you’ll make an impression on. Make it a good one.

Destination flying

June 2, 2005. I had just landed N73028 in a 15 knot crosswind on runway 5 at OGG. “Maui Ground, Skyhawk 73028 to the Tee Hangars.” “Aloha 028 taxi ahead on Alpha, left on Golf cross runway 2 then straight on Kilo to the hangars”

Yep, you heard it right, I was on the ground at Kahului airport on the island of Maui in the state of Hawaii. No, I didn’t fly there from the mainland, my flight had originated from OGG earlier that morning. This was one of the most exciting flights of my life.

Transponders and runway status lights

At first glance you’re probably wondering what Runway Status Lights (RWSL) have to with aircraft transponders. The short answer is that they both help make the airport surface environment safer by helping to reduce runway incursions. Both provide additional information to pilots and air traffic controllers to allow for better decision-making and an in increase situational awareness.