Category: Podcast

Private Pilot Tips for Non-Towered Airports, Free Cirrus Training, ATC Privatization, and Air Canada Near Miss Update + GA News


We talk about flying at non-Towered Airports, including how to enter on the 45, when on the opposite side of the airport. The preferred method of entry from the opposite side of the pattern is to announce your intentions and cross over midfield at least 500 feet above pattern altitude; here in Northern California, pilot examiners look for pilots on checkrides to cross at 1,000 feet above the traffic pattern altitude. When well clear of the pattern—approximately 2 miles—scan carefully for traffic, descend to pattern altitude, then turn right to enter at 45° to the downwind leg at midfield.

Air Canada flight 759 had a near miss last week, and a retired Air Canada captain told me that their procedures require pilots to back up visual approaches with electronic navigation. But apparently this pilot didn’t follow that procedure, and he nearly landed on top of several airliners on a taxiway. Plus listener questions how to legally exit an airport under a TFR, and an instrument pilots asks about whether to load an instrument approach with vectors or an IAF.

Click here for the survey. Tell us which plane you fly most often. Please visit my new Patreon page and help me with my goal of funding the creation of two apps for my show, one for Apple and one for Google Play, so that non-techie pilots can find the show in the app store.

You can Dictate a listener question from your phone and I’ll try to answer it on a future show, or send an email.

News Stories

Private Pilot Tips for Traffic Patterns, Cirrus Crash, ATC Privatization, and Air Canada Near Miss Update + GA News


We talk about flying the traffic pattern, and talk in detail about flying a Cessna 172 in the traffic pattern. For example, many people don’t know the exact meaning of “Make Right Traffic.” It means, fly to a position where you can enter the traffic pattern on the 45, then turn to downwind and fly the traffic pattern. It doesn’t mean to enter on the downwind. And of course you should be at pattern altitude when you’re on the 45. We also talk about doing a forward slip in a Cessna 172 and use of flaps during crosswind landings.

Air Canada flight 759 had a near miss last week, when it inadvertently lined up to land on a taxiway instead of on the runway. We talk about how confirmation bias may have contributed to the lack of awareness that the Air Canada pilots had about their situation.

We also talk about a recent fatal Cirrus SR22 crash in Sonoma, California, and the importance of never pulling the parachute below 400 feet, as it will most likely make things worse! I give details about a recent flight I took from El Paso, Texas to Concord, CA with the new owner of a Cessna 206. We postponed the trip because of a heat wave 3 weeks ago.

Plus listener questions about using flaps during crosswind landings and whether you can fly if you’re legally using medical marijuana.

Click here for the survey. Tell us which plane you fly most often. Please visit my new Patreon page and help me with my goal of funding the creation of two apps for my show, one for Apple and one for Google Play, so that non-techie pilots can find the show in the app store.

You can Dictate a listener question from your phone and I’ll try to answer it on a future show, or send an email.

News Stories

Beechcraft Bonanza and the American Bonanza Society – Tom Turner Interview


When pilots think about stepping up to a high performance aircraft, the Beechcraft Bonanza, is often on their short list. And for most pilots who rent or own a complex aircraft, such as the Bonanza that one of the best ways to remain safe in these aircraft is to become a member of an aircraft type club, like the American Bonanza Society, which is in the news because it’s celebrating its 50th anniversary.

We sit down with down with Tom Turner, Executive Director of the American Bonanza Society’s Air Safety Foundation, and ask him to talk in general about the many the services and benefits pilots typically get when they join a Aircraft Type Clubs, of which there are more than 100, and then we drill down and talk about the specifics of the American Bonanza Society and the services they provide for Beechcraft Bonanza owners and pilots.

Click here for the listener survey. Tell us which plane you fly most often. Please visit my new Patreon page and help me with my goal of funding the creation of two apps for my show, one for Apple and one for Google Play, so that non-techie pilots can find the show in the app store.

You can Dictate a listener question from your phone and I’ll try to answer it on a future show, or send an email.

Air Canada News Near Miss at SFO, Private Pilot Tips on Squelch and Audio Panels, ATC Privatization + GA News


Air Canada flight 759 had a near miss last week, when it inadvertently lined up to land on a taxiway instead of on the runway. The FlightAware online tracking service showed the Air Canada Airbus 320 dropping to as low as 175 feet before increasing altitude above Taxiway C, flying over three fully loaded United Airlines and one Philippine Airlines airliners. At 11:55 p.m., the time of the incident, Runway 28L was closed with its lights dark, according to the FAA. It’s possible that shifted the Air Canada pilot’s orientation to the right, leading him to think that Taxiway C was actually runway 28R. We talk about the key reason that a disaster was narrowly averted, and how that applies to pilots flying general aviation aircraft.

We also talk about the poorly understood squelch controls on radios and intercoms and how to set them properly. And about how to operate the switches on older audio panels found in 1960s through 1980s Cessnas and Pipers. Plus listener questions: Should you Dive and Drive on an instrument approach? How should a future CFI learn to land from the right seat? What should you do if you violate the minimum altitudes over a wildlife or marine sanctuary?

Click here for the survey. Tell us which plane you fly most often. Please visit my new Patreon page and help me with my goal of funding the creation of two apps for my show, one for Apple and one for Google Play, so that non-techie pilots can find the show in the app store.

You can Dictate a listener question from your phone and I’ll try to answer it on a future show, or send an email.

News Stories

Private Pilot Tips, Flight Training Listener Question, ATC Privatization Update + GA News


Please take the Aviation News Talk podcast July 2017 Listener survey! Click here for the survey. Tell us which plane you fly most often. Please visit my new Patreon page and help me with my goal of funding the creation of two apps for my show, one for Apple and one for Google Play, so that non-techie pilots can find the show in the app store.

You can Dictate a listener question from your phone and I’ll try to answer it on a future show, or send an email.

In this podcast, I pass along over 20 tips for student pilots and private pilots that CFIs thought would be so obvious that they didn’t need to tell their students. Of course they were all obvious in hindsight!  For example, for a first solo, the CFI hops out, the student taxies away, and then flies the around the pattern. You’d think it would be obvious that they need to lock the door after the CFI hops out. But it wasn’t obvious to one student, who had the door open in flight….on his first solo.

Plus listener email: We talk about how to prevent a jet-fuel aircraft, like the DA42 from being accidentally fueled with Avgas, which would destroy the engines. And, someone asks via Twitter, do people usually do flight training in only one type of aircraft when going for a private pilot certificate?

Links

Can You Be A Pilot With Diabetes?

Teterboro Circling Conundrum

News Stories

Air Traffic Control (ATC) Government Privatization Explained – Call to Action for General Aviation Private and Instrument Pilots and People Planning to Learn to Fly to Contact Congress


ATC Privatization
On June 22, 2017, the U.S. House of Representatives released H.R. 2997, the AIRR Act, calling for the privatization of Air Traffic Control in the U.S. Later, both EAA, the Experimental Aircraft Association, and NBAA, the National Business Aviation Association, issued an urgent call for members to contact their representatives in Congress to oppose ATC privatization. AOPA, the Aircraft Owner and Pilots Association, also sent a call for their members to contact their representations just before we published this show, which is why we weren’t able to mention them in the podcast. Please take action by going to govt.eaa.org to generate a letter to your representatives in Congress.

Please support my show by checking out my new Patreon Page. You will ultimately find lots of free posts on the page. To kick things off, I just posted a pdf of the Delta Airlines study on privatization, which you can download and read for free now. I’ve also posted results of an ATC Privatization survey of US pilots conducted of Airplane Geeks podcast listeners in February 2017.

Please consider supporting my show with contributions of as little as $2 per month, also at my Patreon page.

Today, I’m devoting this entire episode to privatization. I’ll be playing audio clips from the President, members of Congress, Airline CEOs, EAA CEO Jack Pelton, and from pilots in other countries that have privatized their air traffic control system. I’ll also share results of a survey of pilot podcast listeners on privatizing ATC. And to help me, I’m joined by Senior Editor of Flying Magazine, Rob Mark.

You can Dictate a listener question from your phone and I’ll try to answer it on a future show, or send an email.

Audio Clip sources

  • Review of Air Traffic Control Reform Proposals – Hearing Before the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure House of Representatives. February 10, 2016. Video   Hearing Transcript
  • Building a 21st Century Infrastructure for America: Federal Aviation Administration Authorization – Hearing Before the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure House of Representatives June 8, 2017. Video
  • Full Committee Markup –  Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure House of Representatives. June 27, 2017. Video

Hot Weather Flying Tips, Use of GPS on VOR Approach, ATC Privatization + GA News


Please take the Aviation News Talk podcast 2017 Listener survey! Click here for the survey.

In this podcast, I explain the effects of hot weather on the general aviation airplanes and pilots. We talk about how to calculated density altitude, which is altitude compensated for non-standard pressure and temperature. We also talk about how humidity can also affect density altitude by as much as 32%, especially at lower altitudes. We also discuss the effects on human physiology and give tips for what pilots can do to minimize the effects of heat on themselves while preflighting and flying general aviation aircraft.

Plus listener email: we also discuss the new rules under which you can use an IFR-certified GPS when flying a VOR instrument approach, and how fuel pumps meters are certified by local counties to assure that you get the exact amount of fuel that you pay for.

You can Dictate a listener question from your phone and I’ll try to answer it on a future show, or send an email.

News Stories

Shutdown Mag Checks, ADS-B solution alternatives, static wicks +GA News


Please take the Aviation News Talk podcast 2017 Listener survey! Click here for the survey.

In this podcast, I explain how to properly do a magneto ground check before engine shutdown, to assure you won’t have a hot prop if you move the propeller by hand. This is a followup to a much longer discussion on magneto and hot props in episode 13.

You can Dictate a listener question from your phone and I’ll try to answer it on a future show, or send an email.

News Stories

  • Diesel Cessna Skyhawk JT-A Awarded FAA Certification
  • Saturday’s Beechjet Flameout Marks Fifth in Type
  • Alternative bill to ATC Privatization introduced
  • NTSB Pilot shuts off one engine before fatal plane crash near Haines
  • New cataract-correcting replacement lens approved
  • Paris Airshow Preview
  • Lancair Brings Back Mako
  • Merlin PSA Quick-Build Kit Earns FAA 51% Approval
  • Navajo Strikes Gator In Orlando

    Plus listener email: We explain static electricity and how static wicks work to dissipate it from an aircraft, a listener asks why flying in IMC seems so different from flying under a hood, two pilots asks about which ADS-B alternative to install in their aircraft, a pilot asks how to stay current flying in four different airplanes, and a listener from Belgium ask why in the U.S. the FAA refers to pilot certificates instead of pilot licenses and flyers are called airmen and not pilots.

    In Flight Problems
    If an engine becomes rough during flight, it could be because one magneto has developed a timing problem. In that case, switch to the L and R positions to see if the engine runs better in one of those positions. If it does, leave the magneto switches or key in that position for the rest of the flight and report the problem to your mechanic.

    Shutdown Mag Check
    Some checklists say to switch the mag switches or key very briefly to the Off position, so you can hear if the engine is stopping. If it is, that verifies that both mags are properly grounded. Then before the engine quits, switch back to the Both position and shut down the engine properly by pulling the mixture to idle. If there’s a mag key, it’s important that you do this check by turning all the way to the Off position, and not just turn to the L and R positions, as some CFIs insist. Turning to the L and R positions checks part of the grounding system, but it doesn’t check whether the switch itself works in the Off position! It’s not unusual for an older switch to become corroded and fail to work in one position, so definitely do the shutdown mag check by switching briefly to the Off position. Do the mag checks and engine shutdown procedures properly, and you will greatly enhance your safety when you move a prop.

Low Cost, Garmin G5 Electronic Flight Instrument for certificated, experimental and LSA Aircraft – Garmin Interview – EP14


Garmin recently announced that their low-cost, G5 Electronic Flight Instrument will now be available for use in certificated aircraft. It fits directly into a standard 3 1/8 inch hole used for instruments in most aircraft, which reduces installation time and cost. In this Newsmakers episode of the Aviation News Talk podcast, we interview Garmin software engineer Joe Gepner, who helped design the G5.

The Garmin G5 is a direct replacement for a round-gauge attitude indicator, and it was originally introduced for experimental and LSA aircraft in July 2016. Pricing of that version starts at $1199. Later, Garmin introduced a second page in the G5 that displays a HSI, so that it can also be used as a direct replacement for a DG, heading indicator, or HSI. If a pilot has two of these instruments in an aircraft and the one displaying the attitude indicator fails, the G5 displaying an HSI can be switched in flight to display the attitude indicator.

In May 2017, Garmin announced a version of the G5 Electronic Flight Instrument that can be used to retrofit attitude indicators and DG/heading indicators in over 600 models of the most common certificated aircraft. That makes it easy for Cessna, Piper, Beechcraft and other aircraft owners to easily retrofit their aircraft with a low cost glass panel display. A single Garmin G5 for certificated aircraft sells for about $2500, and includes an installation kit, magnetometer and 4-hour backup battery.

When configured as a attitude indicator replacement, the Garmin G5 looks like a miniature version of a Garmin G1000 PFD (primary flight display). Like the G1000, it displays the six primary flight instruments: airspeed, altitude, vertical speed, an attitude indicator, HSI, and turn coordinator with slip/skid indicator. It also displays ground speed and ground track from a built-in GPS.

The experimental/LSA version of the Garmin G5 also has a built-in autopilot. To use it, two optional servo motors need to be installed.

Listen to episode 14 of the Aviation News Talk podcast now to learn more about how owners can retrofit older aircraft with the Garmin G5 to add glass cockpit features and reliability to these planes.

Please take the Aviation News Talk podcast 2017 Listener survey! Click here for the survey.

You can Dictate a listener question from your phone and I’ll try to answer it on a future show, or send an email.

Hot prop dangers, how Magnetos Work, and Best Way to do a Mag check + GA News – EP 13


Please take the Aviation News Talk podcast 2017 Listener survey! Click here for the survey.

In this podcast, we talk about hot props, magnetos, and how moving a propeller can result in your death. I had never seen a video of a propeller starting accidentally, but while researching this episode I found one, and I’ve included a link to it here. You’ll see that pilot was shocked when the engine started and that he barely escaped serious injury.

We also talk about magnetos, which are the culprits that can lead to a hot prop. We’ll discuss the mag check that most pilots do during their runup before takeoff, and how to use it to make sure you don’t have a hot prop. I wanted to talk about this because I run into many experienced pilots who are not aware of how to determine whether they have a hot prop, or of safe ways to move a propeller by hand.

You can Dictate a listener question from your phone and I’ll try to answer it on a future show, or send an email.

News Stories