I Am UNSAFE Checklist—Lessons Learned on a Fateful Night

Very soon I was on the approach and thought I could still make 06C.  The ATIS called out the overcast at 800’ AGL, the minimum I needed (mistake #5—not mine, but it counted anyway.)  I held at 800’, assuming I’d see the runway lights below me and then I could continue to 06C.  As I crossed the runway threshold, it was solid IMC and I had to go missed.  I asked the Tower what the current ceiling was, and the response was that the ATIS was old and the ceiling was actually 400’ and you’ll have to go around. 

A Great Flying Experience on the Ground

The B-17 is said to be one of the most recognizable warplanes of its era, known to people who can’t identify any other airplane by name. This one came with a bonus, a wartime B -17 pilot who was there promoting a book.

Flying “Low VFR” to the Indy 500

Just as ATC said almost three hours later, the sky opened to a warm bright sunny day, coming out the other side we wanted to land to get fuel. ATC said if you land now that storm you just flew under will be on top of that airport and asked if we could make it another 50 miles to give time to fuel and get back in the air.
sea of lennies

Friday Photo: Sea of Lennies

It seemed as though they had simply appeared, suddenly surrounding me while I had been entering engine and fuel data in a performance/nav log. Flying above them, it was (eerily) smooth as glass. 

Checking The Checklist Checks

Checklist usage shouldn’t feel like a chore, nor should it feel mandatory (and from a regulatory standpoint, it isn’t), but rather an act of habit. And the quality of checklists you use is directly responsible for how often you use them! Because once checklist usage feels natural instead of premediated, you don’t have to think about it anymore.

No Second Chances—An IFR Approach Scenario

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Once you get past the IFR checkride, you learn that there are surprisingly few “right” answers in real-world IFR flying. Instead, you find risks and benefits. Flying wisely means weighing tradeoffs. That’s what the IFR Mastery scenarios from PilotWorkshops create: situations where you must make a decision that seems like the best risk-benefit solution.

The Arrogant Pilot

On one early Monday morning, I took things for granted. I cut corners. I made certain assumptions about a departing fuel truck and an obscured fuel gauge—no substitute for pilot responsibility. Thirty minutes later, barely clearing the redwood ridge tops of the Santa Cruz mountains, I would dive for the first straight section of road I could find in the Silicon Valley.

Airline Pilots Are the Most Scrutinized Profession

Pilots undergo recurrent checks and proficiency checks administered by check airmen that observe and evaluate to ensure compliance and standardization throughout the company and industry.  These checks are pass or fail. Doctors, lawyers, and judges are not checked to ensure their ability to perform their duties.

Who is the pilot in command of your aircraft?

FAR 91.3 is one of the simplest and best known federal aviation regulations, and it clearly defines the most essential job as a pilot: to be the boss for the entire flight. But as obvious as this sounds, it’s surprisingly hard to do in the real world. Little by little, your authority as PIC can be eroded until no one is actually in command.
clouds

Friday Photo: Clouds

Cross-country flight on a beautiful day with scattered clouds. This is one of those days when shooting through scattered clouds present a great day to fly in IMC while still having some VFR conditions.

Six Brave Souls

I taxied onto Runway 17 (no longer in use), advanced the throttles and asked Audrey to set the maximum takeoff power of 52 inches. At 60 knots, I glanced at the manifold pressure gauges and was shocked to see the right engine at 52, but the left one at only 43 inches!

You Need to Do What at Five Thousand Feet? Another Adventure in Seaplane Flying

ATC turned me loose advising a switch over to UNICOM on 122.8. All was quiet for less than a minute! The Italian, wearing a guest headset, leaned over and seemed to be in sudden distress pointing to his crotch with urgency, “Captain, I have to pee NOW!”