Review alternate airport options before your flight.
Planning a flight carefully can help avoid surprises and surprises are something that we really want to avoid in flying. But everything can’t always go exactly according to plan, we all know that. So, if we put a little bit of effort in our flight planning into examining contingencies and alternate plans, we can save ourselves a lot of trouble later on if something goes awry.
It is helpful to review those options before the flight to look at alternate airports — places to land along the way should the need arise. You’ll have to establish some basic criteria as a first step. Some things to consider would be runway length and width, surface conditions and even services available at the airport as a start. Instead of thinking of our flight in terms of a straight line, it’s better to think of it as a 20 or 30 mile wide band. What might terrain or obstruction considerations be if you stray off course? What is the most likely direction for better weather? Don’t forget that best alternate may even be behind you.
Be realistic – if the fuel gauges show almost empty, it’s time to land.
We want to have a general understanding of obstructions, terrain, airports, landmarks and any type of airspace restrictions or potential weather hazards located within this band all the way from takeoff to landing. One vital element of contingency planning relates to fuel. The leading cause of engine failures is running out of gas. You should always plan conservatively when it comes to fuel and be sure of the amount of fuel you’re starting with or even the most conservative plan may not be enough. A good rule of thumb is to always plan to land with at least an hour’s worth of fuel in the tank.
Also, when calculating the amount of fuel that will be required to fly the leg, another good rule of thumb is to double the forecast headwind component or halve the tailwind component for the purpose of fuel planning. That way, if the forecast is incorrect, you are less likely to be surprised. Another conservative practice is to always round up when it comes to fuel burn. If you’re making exacting fuel burn calculations down to the tenth of a gallon, consider rounding up to the next highest gallon and consider the leaning technique that was used to arrive at the published fuel burn.
So, plan those flights so that plan “A” is primary, backed up by plan “B”, and plan “C”, and plan “D”, and however many it takes and have the discipline to enact a contingency plan should the need arise. It is fun to vicariously fly a flight, to study the chart, look at the airports, and landmarks along the way. Then, if when you start out on your solo cross-countries, something slightly out of the ordinary happens, you’ll have the confidence and experience to make a good decision.
https://media.flighttrainingcentral.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/05174520/BretAztecVFR.jpg5631000Eric Radtkehttps://media.flighttrainingcentral.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/05155154/FTC-logo-horizontal-fianl.pngEric Radtke2023-04-17 08:55:152023-04-17 17:21:19Always leave yourself an out
FAA has issued a new version of the Pilots’ Role in Collision Avoidance, AC90-48E, with new and recent examples where pilots have failed in this task. This revision to the AC incorporates additional information regarding pilot actions, procedures, Notices to Air Missions (NOTAM), and aircraft technology to mitigate the risk of a pilot causing or being involved in a ground collision, in-flight collision, or NMAC.
The most advanced piece of flight equipment in any aircraft is the human eye, and since the number one cause of midair collisions is the failure to adhere to the see-and-avoid concept, efficient use of visual techniques and knowledge of the eye’s limitations will help pilots avoid collisions. Your vision’s clarity is influenced by some characteristics of the objects you are viewing, including:
Your distance from the object.
The size, shape, and movement of the object.
The amount of light reflected by the object.
The object’s contrast with the surrounding environment.
One inherent problem with the eye is the time required for accommodation or refocusing. It takes 1 to 2 seconds for eyes to refocus from something up close, like a dark instrument panel 2 feet away, to a bright landmark or aircraft 1 mile away.
Portable electronic devices have become more and more common on the GA flight deck since the turn of the century. From early GPS navigators gaining popularity in flight bags to a company offering a mini computer with a touchscreen that could make phone calls in mid-2007, these devices have improved safety as well as convenience when we fly. As we enjoy the leading edge of technology, though, it’s important to have a basic understanding of how to keep them charged. This article will cover electronic device charging 101, including plug types, cables, and new options like Power Delivery.
Terms
Before getting into the meat and potatoes of handheld charging, we’re going to highlight a couple important terms to know:
Wattage – A measure of electrical power (really the rate of energy transfer), expressed in watts. Usually mentioned with devices feeding from your home or aircraft AC (alternating current) wall plug.
Amperage – The strength of an electric current or flow of power. Amperage is typically used with items that are DC (direct current) and aren’t directly connected to a home or aircraft power system. Common in mobile backup batteries.
mAh (milliAmp Hours) – milliAmp Hours can be used to describe the electric storage capacity of a device. The more mAhs a battery has, the more times it can charge your device before it is depleted.
Power Delivery (PD) – Power Delivery is a newer term in charging. Rather than a device providing the maximum flow of power to a receiver, PD devices recognize how much juice a device needs and change the flow rate accordingly.
Charging Structure
In order to charge a device, there are three parts of the charging system that we need to define.
The power source, which is the device offering the electrical charge for our system.
The delivery piece to take the charge from the power source to our handheld (this is always in the form of cables).
The handheld device that receives the charge.
1. Power Source
A Power Source device has multiple options for providing the starting point of our three point charging system. These providers can be of the stationary type, when they plug into either a wall outlet or a cigarette lighter port, or they can be mobile, utilizing a self-contained backup battery and avoiding the need for any ports in our aircraft or vehicle.
Stationary Options:
Mobile Options:
A power source will always indicate its charging specs in the form of either wattage or amperage. The easy explanation is that the higher those numbers are, the faster your device will charge. When larger devices come into play (iPad Pro, Sentry+), some of them many not receive a charge if the watt or amp rate provided from the charger falls short of the device’s minimums. 2.1 amps is a good flow rate, but 2.4 or 3.0 is ideal. Stay away from 1.0 amp providers—devices a decade ago may have worked with that leisurely charge rate but today’s devices demand a faster rate.
2. Cables
Charging cables are the path through which our “providers” (mentioned above) move electricity to our receivers (handheld devices we use on the flight deck). There are plenty of cable designs and features out on the market today. For the sake of simplicity we’ve created a graphic below that will convey the four most common cables out there.
USB-A to Lightning Cable (Red) – Most popular charging cable out there thanks to the iPhone inventing and mass producing the Lightning port. Works with iPhones and small to medium sized iPads. 12 watt delivery speed.
USB-A to USB-C Cable (Green) – First cable option to allow Power Delivery (PD). The USB-C side of this cable creates a handshake between the devices and if the power “providing” device has PD capabilities, this will lead to a fast yet safe charge. USB-C port-equipped handhelds include ADS-B In devices, the PJ2 backup radio, and the Garmin Aera 760. 66 watt delivery speed.
USB-C to Lightning Cable (Blue) – This is the least popular cable of the four options. It’s gained popularity recently with Apple releasing new iPhones with just this cable and not providing the wall plug. USB-C charging ports are growing in popularity so it makes sense for an iPhone (with a Lightning in in port) to have the ability to use them. 20 watt delivery speed.
USB-C to USB-C Cable (Purple) – This is the most powerful of the four cables. These are the types of cables used to power laptops or desktop computers, yet they can also be used for our USB-C receiving handhelds. 100 watts delivery speed.
3. Charging Receivers
The last part of the charging formation is the handheld device we are trying to use on the flight deck or during pre/post-flight. Lithium ion batteries have gained a lot of popularity in the handheld realm over the last few years, and therefore it’s usually the choice of the consumer on whether they would like rechargeable batteries or the “use one time and pitch” batteries for these devices. Some of our more popular rechargeable handhelds are below:
Rechargeable batteries vs. alkaline
Rechargeable batteries have helped to extend the usable lifespan of many products in addition to adding convenient charging capabilities. Rechargeable batteries are typically rated for 1000 cycles (a cycle equates to a charge from 0-100%, not every time you plug it in) and can last a long time when in regular use. One negative is that rechargeable batteries left untouched for long periods of time at a full charge will actually lose battery life. In contrast, if a battery is at a few percent and thrown in a flight bag pocket for a few months, it may lose complete charge and be impossible to recharge.
Alkaline batteries, on the other hand, can live in a bag for years and provide a powerful charge when needed in a pinch. The alkaline option turns into a paperweight once fully used, but they are readily available and a common choice for pilots. Think about whether the device in question is one that gets regular use (rechargeable batteries are a good fit here) or one that rarely gets used (the long shelf life of AAs or AAAs is probably better).
Conclusion
The latest leading edge tech from some of the bigger brand names has made the transition to solely using lithium ion rechargeable batteries. As the flight bag grows with rechargeable options, it leads us to believe that more and more handhelds will investigate, if not commit to, the rechargeable option. For that reason we’ll continue to offer the best charging “provider” products, as well as sturdy cables to make sure those flight deck electronics are ready to operate when we want them to.
https://media.flighttrainingcentral.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/05162856/ipad-cockpit-navigation-1-scaled.jpg17072560Chris McGoneglehttps://media.flighttrainingcentral.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/05155154/FTC-logo-horizontal-fianl.pngChris McGonegle2023-04-03 09:00:062023-04-06 17:53:35What pilots need to know about charging plugs, batteries, and cables
In a recent Community Advisory, FAA Airman Testing described how it has been working with its testing vendor, PSI Services, to scientifically assess the FAA Airman Knowledge Tests. The assessments of the Private Pilot Airplane and Commercial Pilot Airplane Knowledge Tests have been completed with the results of those assessments scheduled to be implemented on April 24, 2023. While subject matters will not be modified, changes will be made to existing test questions on those two tests to assure they are aligned with the current Airman Certification Standards and reference an existing FAA handbook. The assessments of the Private and Commercial Airplane tests will also result in a reduction in time to complete the exams.
Beginning Monday, April 24, the Private Pilot Airplane test time will be reduced from 150 minutes to 120 minutes (2 hours), and the Commercial Pilot Airplane test time will be reduced from 180 minutes to 150 minutes (2.5 hours).
Additionally, five unscored validation questions will be added to each test increasing the Private test from 60 to 65 questions and the Commercial from 100 to 105 questions. Unscored questions will not count towards the test score. These questions are included to allow the FAA to evaluate the statistical performance of new questions before they are deployed in the standard bank of test questions.
Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (PHAK) Addendum C published
Addendum C was recently published for the Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (PHAK) to address the National Transportation Safety Board Safety Recommendation A-14-109. This recommendation asked the FAA to revise the PHAK to clarify the information it contains on attitude indicator pitch and bank limitations to explain that attitude indicators have pitch and bank indication limits, that the pitch indicating range is required to be at least ± 25°, and that, if an aircraft operates at a pitch that exceeds the indicating limits, the pitch indicator may stop and remain at the limit until the pitch no longer exceeds the limitation, or the pitch indicator may tumble.
https://media.flighttrainingcentral.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/05155614/FAAtest-1030x687-1.jpg6871030Eric Radtkehttps://media.flighttrainingcentral.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/05155154/FTC-logo-horizontal-fianl.pngEric Radtke2023-03-31 08:55:402023-03-22 11:50:33Changes to written testing coming April 24 and PHAK addendum published
Every pilot has their preferred carry items – some ranging from simply a sectional chart and a headset to others carrying every piece of aviation technology they could possibly get their hands on. I find it best to travel somewhere in the middle of the two for normal ops. Some things may be considered as extra, but you can never be too prepared.
First and foremost, the bag that I use is the Flight Outfitters Bush Pilot Flight Bag. Its rugged canvas and leather look might be one of the most appealing flight bags out there and it’s also very durable. I’ve used this bag for about a year with some tough miles and it still looks near brand new. It offers convenient storage spots for your iPad, logbook, pens, and any other accessories you could need in the front two pockets and in the main compartment has a removable divider which splits the large storage area into three separate compartments, perfect for organizing your supplies. The pockets on the side of the bag are perfect for a large backup battery pack on one side and a backup radio on the other. It also has a large water bottle holder that’s capable of stretching to hold almost any size water bottle you could want.
Next up, I fly with an iPad Pro 10.5. I’ve found this iPad to be the perfect in-between for sizing as it’s not tiny like the iPad Mini, but not oversized like the iPad 12.9. With ForeFlight, I can take quick glances and be able to see the information I need rather than straining to see the small words or symbols on an approach plate, but it doesn’t block out very much of my view when mounted properly. Which brings me to the next piece of gear I use – the Pivot 10X iPad case with a Suction Cup.
I have found this case to be incredibly rugged. No damage has occurred to my iPad throughout its life, despite the accidental drops in the cockpit or getting hit against walls or the door frame of an airplane while in my bag. One of my favorite features is that the screen cover. When folded, the cover acts as a stand to help support the iPad during use at a table. When placing the iPad in the cockpit, you can simply slide the cover off and slide the case onto the pivot suction cup mount. When ready to move the iPad, it’s incredibly simple to get out of the mount.
Lost communications can be a serious problem especially in IFR conditions. It’s always a safe bet to carry around a handheld radio, no matter your mission, but there are so many different options available. I personally picked the most simple, easy to use radio that’s on the market today – the PJ2. My thought has always been “what’s the purpose of a backup radio?” Well, to establish communications with ATC or whoever else you need to be talking with as quickly as possible. As a comm only radio, this meets that requirement and nothing more, adding to it’s incredible simplicity. Truthfully, that’s all that a backup radio should be. A big bonus for the PJ2 is the headset jacks which are built into the radio. Rather than rooting around in a flight bag trying to find the headset adapter as you may with many other radios, you can simply plug your headset directly into the radio saving time and frustration.
Headsets are always a debatable topic, but I use a Lightspeed Zulu 3 and have had absolutely no problems or gripes about this product. Personally, I find the difference in ANR between the Zulu 3 and the Bose is minimal. I find the sound quality for the Zulu a touch better and the weight difference negligible. What sold me for the Zulu 3 is the price point, metallic design (vs. plastic on the other brands), larger ear cups, overall style, and the seven year warranty. This headset has stood up to the rigors of flight training, being used by children, and being jostled around in my flight bag. It still looks nearly brand new!
One of the final flight bag pieces I always carry is a Stratus. The countless bits of information available via ADS-B that a Stratus can provide to you via ForeFlight can be incredibly helpful, both IFR and VFR. Being able to see your GPS location on a chart gives you much better situational awareness leading to safer flying. What’s more, its ability to display traffic with direction and altitude, has helped increase my ability to spot other airplanes in my vicinity and help avoid close calls especially in a busy flight school practice area. With AHRS-equipped Stratus, it adds an additional backup attitude indicator for in case of an emergency. However, one of my favorite features is the ability to gather weather information quickly while in the air. ADS-B will provide not only precipitation information, but also up-to-date ATIS and METAR reports, cloud information, freezing levels, AIRMET and SIGMETs, amongst other invaluable weather information.
Long gone are the days of minimal technology in the cockpit. I’ve found that the modern tech that I’ve tested and use every flight have made my time in the air more comfortable, less stressful, and much safer overall. From the convenience of the Flight Outfitters Bush Pilot bag to the increased situational awareness from a Stratus, life has never been easier as a pilot than it is now.
https://media.flighttrainingcentral.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/20133843/BP_flight_bag_bob_holding_WEB.jpg750750Brady Kannadyhttps://media.flighttrainingcentral.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/05155154/FTC-logo-horizontal-fianl.pngBrady Kannady2023-03-27 09:00:312023-03-27 09:26:04What’s in my flight bag?
Six serious runway incursions have occurred since January 2023, including an incident at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York involving a taxiing aircraft narrowly avoiding a departing aircraft and a landing aircraft coming within 100 feet of a departing aircraft at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas.
Senior leaders from the FAA, other government agencies, commercial and general aviation operators, and others attended a Safety Summit on March 15, 2023. Attendees discussed these recent incidents, as well as ways to enhance aviation safety. The Safety Call to Action asks all stakeholders including pilots to review the following items and consider taking additional steps to ensure operations are conducted at the highest level of safety:
Use all available internal communication processes to specifically highlight recent events and existing issues.
Reinforce adherence to published processes and procedures, including checklists, Air Traffic Control instructions, and internal company or personal procedures.
Ensure pilots and others have the same understanding of what “sterile flight deck” means and the risks associated with extraneous communication during this time.
Encourage crews to diligently follow Crew Resource Management (CRM) procedures and principles to control workload and reduce distractions.
Encourage personnel to identify and report existing and emerging safety issues through voluntary reporting programs and understand the usefulness of the voluntary reporting system.
Apply Safety Management System principles to analyze safety data and assess risk associated with emerging hazards. Evaluate existing risk mitigations to determine if they are effectively controlling risk, or if additional action is required.
Always leave yourself an out
/in Tips and technique/by Eric RadtkeReview alternate airport options before your flight.
Planning a flight carefully can help avoid surprises and surprises are something that we really want to avoid in flying. But everything can’t always go exactly according to plan, we all know that. So, if we put a little bit of effort in our flight planning into examining contingencies and alternate plans, we can save ourselves a lot of trouble later on if something goes awry.
It is helpful to review those options before the flight to look at alternate airports — places to land along the way should the need arise. You’ll have to establish some basic criteria as a first step. Some things to consider would be runway length and width, surface conditions and even services available at the airport as a start. Instead of thinking of our flight in terms of a straight line, it’s better to think of it as a 20 or 30 mile wide band. What might terrain or obstruction considerations be if you stray off course? What is the most likely direction for better weather? Don’t forget that best alternate may even be behind you.
Be realistic – if the fuel gauges show almost empty, it’s time to land.
We want to have a general understanding of obstructions, terrain, airports, landmarks and any type of airspace restrictions or potential weather hazards located within this band all the way from takeoff to landing. One vital element of contingency planning relates to fuel. The leading cause of engine failures is running out of gas. You should always plan conservatively when it comes to fuel and be sure of the amount of fuel you’re starting with or even the most conservative plan may not be enough. A good rule of thumb is to always plan to land with at least an hour’s worth of fuel in the tank.
Also, when calculating the amount of fuel that will be required to fly the leg, another good rule of thumb is to double the forecast headwind component or halve the tailwind component for the purpose of fuel planning. That way, if the forecast is incorrect, you are less likely to be surprised. Another conservative practice is to always round up when it comes to fuel burn. If you’re making exacting fuel burn calculations down to the tenth of a gallon, consider rounding up to the next highest gallon and consider the leaning technique that was used to arrive at the published fuel burn.
So, plan those flights so that plan “A” is primary, backed up by plan “B”, and plan “C”, and plan “D”, and however many it takes and have the discipline to enact a contingency plan should the need arise. It is fun to vicariously fly a flight, to study the chart, look at the airports, and landmarks along the way. Then, if when you start out on your solo cross-countries, something slightly out of the ordinary happens, you’ll have the confidence and experience to make a good decision.
FAA updates collision avoidance advisory circular
/in News/by Eric RadtkeThe most advanced piece of flight equipment in any aircraft is the human eye, and since the number one cause of midair collisions is the failure to adhere to the see-and-avoid concept, efficient use of visual techniques and knowledge of the eye’s limitations will help pilots avoid collisions. Your vision’s clarity is influenced by some characteristics of the objects you are viewing, including:
One inherent problem with the eye is the time required for accommodation or refocusing. It takes 1 to 2 seconds for eyes to refocus from something up close, like a dark instrument panel 2 feet away, to a bright landmark or aircraft 1 mile away.
Access the updated AC here.
What pilots need to know about charging plugs, batteries, and cables
/in Pilot Gear, Tips and technique/by Chris McGonegleTerms
Before getting into the meat and potatoes of handheld charging, we’re going to highlight a couple important terms to know:
Charging Structure
In order to charge a device, there are three parts of the charging system that we need to define.
1. Power Source
A Power Source device has multiple options for providing the starting point of our three point charging system. These providers can be of the stationary type, when they plug into either a wall outlet or a cigarette lighter port, or they can be mobile, utilizing a self-contained backup battery and avoiding the need for any ports in our aircraft or vehicle.
Stationary Options:
Mobile Options:
A power source will always indicate its charging specs in the form of either wattage or amperage. The easy explanation is that the higher those numbers are, the faster your device will charge. When larger devices come into play (iPad Pro, Sentry+), some of them many not receive a charge if the watt or amp rate provided from the charger falls short of the device’s minimums. 2.1 amps is a good flow rate, but 2.4 or 3.0 is ideal. Stay away from 1.0 amp providers—devices a decade ago may have worked with that leisurely charge rate but today’s devices demand a faster rate.
2. Cables
Charging cables are the path through which our “providers” (mentioned above) move electricity to our receivers (handheld devices we use on the flight deck). There are plenty of cable designs and features out on the market today. For the sake of simplicity we’ve created a graphic below that will convey the four most common cables out there.
3. Charging Receivers
The last part of the charging formation is the handheld device we are trying to use on the flight deck or during pre/post-flight. Lithium ion batteries have gained a lot of popularity in the handheld realm over the last few years, and therefore it’s usually the choice of the consumer on whether they would like rechargeable batteries or the “use one time and pitch” batteries for these devices. Some of our more popular rechargeable handhelds are below:
Rechargeable batteries vs. alkaline
Rechargeable batteries have helped to extend the usable lifespan of many products in addition to adding convenient charging capabilities. Rechargeable batteries are typically rated for 1000 cycles (a cycle equates to a charge from 0-100%, not every time you plug it in) and can last a long time when in regular use. One negative is that rechargeable batteries left untouched for long periods of time at a full charge will actually lose battery life. In contrast, if a battery is at a few percent and thrown in a flight bag pocket for a few months, it may lose complete charge and be impossible to recharge.
Alkaline batteries, on the other hand, can live in a bag for years and provide a powerful charge when needed in a pinch. The alkaline option turns into a paperweight once fully used, but they are readily available and a common choice for pilots. Think about whether the device in question is one that gets regular use (rechargeable batteries are a good fit here) or one that rarely gets used (the long shelf life of AAs or AAAs is probably better).
Conclusion
The latest leading edge tech from some of the bigger brand names has made the transition to solely using lithium ion rechargeable batteries. As the flight bag grows with rechargeable options, it leads us to believe that more and more handhelds will investigate, if not commit to, the rechargeable option. For that reason we’ll continue to offer the best charging “provider” products, as well as sturdy cables to make sure those flight deck electronics are ready to operate when we want them to.
Changes to written testing coming April 24 and PHAK addendum published
/in News/by Eric RadtkeBeginning Monday, April 24, the Private Pilot Airplane test time will be reduced from 150 minutes to 120 minutes (2 hours), and the Commercial Pilot Airplane test time will be reduced from 180 minutes to 150 minutes (2.5 hours).
Additionally, five unscored validation questions will be added to each test increasing the Private test from 60 to 65 questions and the Commercial from 100 to 105 questions. Unscored questions will not count towards the test score. These questions are included to allow the FAA to evaluate the statistical performance of new questions before they are deployed in the standard bank of test questions.
Curious how your written testing performance stacks up? You can access 2022 cumulative testing statistics at https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/annual_statistics_2022.pdf.
Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (PHAK) Addendum C published
Addendum C was recently published for the Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (PHAK) to address the National Transportation Safety Board Safety Recommendation A-14-109. This recommendation asked the FAA to revise the PHAK to clarify the information it contains on attitude indicator pitch and bank limitations to explain that attitude indicators have pitch and bank indication limits, that the pitch indicating range is required to be at least ± 25°, and that, if an aircraft operates at a pitch that exceeds the indicating limits, the pitch indicator may stop and remain at the limit until the pitch no longer exceeds the limitation, or the pitch indicator may tumble.
Addendum C can be found here.
What’s in my flight bag?
/in Pilot Gear/by Brady KannadyEvery pilot has their preferred carry items – some ranging from simply a sectional chart and a headset to others carrying every piece of aviation technology they could possibly get their hands on. I find it best to travel somewhere in the middle of the two for normal ops. Some things may be considered as extra, but you can never be too prepared.
Next up, I fly with an iPad Pro 10.5. I’ve found this iPad to be the perfect in-between for sizing as it’s not tiny like the iPad Mini, but not oversized like the iPad 12.9. With ForeFlight, I can take quick glances and be able to see the information I need rather than straining to see the small words or symbols on an approach plate, but it doesn’t block out very much of my view when mounted properly. Which brings me to the next piece of gear I use – the Pivot 10X iPad case with a Suction Cup.
I have found this case to be incredibly rugged. No damage has occurred to my iPad throughout its life, despite the accidental drops in the cockpit or getting hit against walls or the door frame of an airplane while in my bag. One of my favorite features is that the screen cover. When folded, the cover acts as a stand to help support the iPad during use at a table. When placing the iPad in the cockpit, you can simply slide the cover off and slide the case onto the pivot suction cup mount. When ready to move the iPad, it’s incredibly simple to get out of the mount.
Headsets are always a debatable topic, but I use a Lightspeed Zulu 3 and have had absolutely no problems or gripes about this product. Personally, I find the difference in ANR between the Zulu 3 and the Bose is minimal. I find the sound quality for the Zulu a touch better and the weight difference negligible. What sold me for the Zulu 3 is the price point, metallic design (vs. plastic on the other brands), larger ear cups, overall style, and the seven year warranty. This headset has stood up to the rigors of flight training, being used by children, and being jostled around in my flight bag. It still looks nearly brand new!
Long gone are the days of minimal technology in the cockpit. I’ve found that the modern tech that I’ve tested and use every flight have made my time in the air more comfortable, less stressful, and much safer overall. From the convenience of the Flight Outfitters Bush Pilot bag to the increased situational awareness from a Stratus, life has never been easier as a pilot than it is now.
FAA issues new SAFO amid multiple runway safety events
/in News/by Eric RadtkeSix serious runway incursions have occurred since January 2023, including an incident at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York involving a taxiing aircraft narrowly avoiding a departing aircraft and a landing aircraft coming within 100 feet of a departing aircraft at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas.
Senior leaders from the FAA, other government agencies, commercial and general aviation operators, and others attended a Safety Summit on March 15, 2023. Attendees discussed these recent incidents, as well as ways to enhance aviation safety. The Safety Call to Action asks all stakeholders including pilots to review the following items and consider taking additional steps to ensure operations are conducted at the highest level of safety:
Access the SAFO here.