Back in February, we introduced the concept of weight and balance and its significance in preflight planning. This week, we’ll look at one of the methods of determining your loaded weight and CG. There are a variety of methods to do this, but this week we’ll illustrate
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Just the other day I was on a commercial airline flight on my way home from vacation. Prior to departure, the captain came on the overhead to advise the passengers that we would be arriving about 15 minutes late due to headwinds along the route. Like the captain did, it
…This week, we’re taking another look at aviation forecasts and focusing on the terminal aerodrome forecast (TAF), one of the printed forecasts that all pilots need to be familiar with. TAFs are designed to be useful in the preflight planning stage. Here’s how the FAA breaks down a TAF in
…For a thunderstorm to exist, you need two very basic elements: moisture and warm, rapidly rising air. This is why in the spring and summer months with the warmer conditions you tend to see an increase in thunderstorm activity. According to NOAA, at any given time across the world there
…[Update: In December 2022, the FAA published the Aviation Weather Handbook (FAA-H-8083-28) which replaced Aviation Weather (AC 00-6) and Aviation Weather Services (AC 00-45).]
Differences in temperature create differences in pressure. These pressure differences drives a complex system of winds in a never ending attempt to reach equilibrium. Wind also
…Today we will finally wrap up our three part post on the pitot-static system and related instruments with a quick discussion on errors. If an error is noted on one of the three pitot-static instruments it is almost always caused by either a blockage in the pitot-tube or one of
…Airport pavement markings and signs provide information useful to pilots during takeoff, landing, and taxiing. Uniformity in airport markings and signs from one airport to another enhances safety and improves efficiency. An illustrated guide to these markings, from Barry Schiff’s An Illustrated Guide to Flying is available in the
I am sure you have been waiting all week for Part II of the CFI Brief on the Pitot-Static system. So here it is: today we will get into some of the principals of operation of each of the three pitot-static instruments found in the cockpit: altimeter, vertical speed indicator,
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