Extend downwind for an arriving flight of two

Two F/A-18 Hornets, the Blue Angels, on low approach, sped towards the runway on final.  They made their “carrier break,” circling to land.  We were excited with our vantage point for the early show. A Blue Angel viewed from pattern altitude is not something one sees every day. Allie gave us a “pretty cool, huh” over the intercom. We were all smiles as continued on our extended downwind.
Landing

My mid-flight medical emergency

A personal telephone call from the Captain of a Holland America ship signified the importance of assistance urgently needed. A couple of passengers onboard had received a call that their daughter had been kidnapped back home in the US. They needed to catch a commercial flight from Nassau back home as soon as possible.
united b757

The day I had to make a short field landing in a B757

My plan was to maintain the glide slope until nearing the threshold, Iwould then duck under the glide slope and cross the threshold at about 20 feet above the ground instead of then normal 50 feet resulting in a touchdown prior to the 1,000 foot runway markers. Obeying SOP and staying precisely on the glide slope over the threshold would waste precious stopping distance which could put us into a dangerous situation.
Lancair

Icing, the face of God and illusions

I entered the clouds at about 9,000 feet and immediately ice begin to build up on the wings.  I didn't see the wing ice at first because I was busy looking for ice on the the windscreen. But there was none. Finally when I looked left, then right I saw ice on my wings from wing tip to wing root. Yikes!  All white, the edges, and getting whiter.
beech 18

Fate is STILL the hunter

Climbing through 1,000 feet on my assigned heading, without warning, the airplane pitched over violently into an uncommanded dive. The pitch over was so abrupt that my heart skipped a beat. Instinctively, I pulled back on the control wheel and wrestled the Beech 18 back into straight and level flight. With adrenalin fueling my heartbeat into a flutter, and my jaw agape, I steadied the pitch attitude and regained control.
Piper Warrior

Budget Buys and Early Bye-Bye’s

in this age of information we live in, there’s absolutely NO EXCUSE to ever depart an airport without checking weather including densitity altitude, NOTAM’s, and TFR’s.  It’s your Pilot in Command responsibility under 91.103.  Ask yourself, can I safely land or depart a particular airport given my weight and balance situation?  Can I safely land or depart given the density altitude and runway length?
CIRRUS OVER SOUTH AFRICA

Turbulence and Triumph: Lessons learned about flying (and about life)

Suddenly, the aircraft was jolted by a powerful updraft followed by a downdraft, as I knocked the top of my head on the aircraft and lost some altitude in a matter of seconds. My heart raced, but my training kicked in. I adjusted the throttle and worked to regain control, while staying calm and focused.
pa-32

Who needs pre-buy inspections?

Many findings were serious and could have had tragic consequences. Problems such as pieces of the four-year-old(!) crumbling air filter possibly being sucked into the engine; possible fuel leaks onto a hot engine causing fire; an accidental keyless engine start as a result of an ignored airworthiness directive (AD); an inoperable RadioShack stall horn unsecured and hanging only by wires behind the panel.

Your passengers may not always enjoy flying

Turns out, it wasn't until turning base leg that we hit smoother air. With a 20+ knot headwind straight down the runway, my touchdown was slow and thankfully smooth. Had we made a fuel or bathroom stop, the guys may have ask directions to the nearest Greyhound station.

A Newbie CFI, Disco Fever, and My Inner Voice

I tried to explain that if you corner a car too hard, it may skid.  “Corner” an airplane too hard, it may stall, spin, and crash, in that order.  One day, I had him do a “high speed” (40 knots) practice abort on takeoff, and he stomped on the brakes—but mashed the left one harder than the right. We got pretty darn far left of centerline—I think I could read the words on the vending inside the FBO building—and came to a stop. 
dc 10

Uncle Joe’s Last Flight

We touched down and as we taxied by the two fire trucks, the firemen unleashed an arching cascade from their water cannons. The trade winds feathered the streams of water and the morning sun gifted us with a welcoming rainbow lei. After parking, Joe was lowered into a loving crowd and was, yet again, surrounded by smiles, tears, and song. He left the airport in an ambulance and left us with memories that will be with us always.
mooney

Let George do it!

About our third trip, this time from Pontiac to Waukegan past South Bend and Gary, flying the shoreline, George told me that if he survived this experience, he’d love to learn to fly and maybe even make a living doing so.  He had fallen in love with aviation and wanted to really be part of it. My response was, "Well, hey, no time like the present, are you ready?"

Living the dream

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As college in the mid-1960s moved along, our involvement in Vietnam began to ramp up. The draft was scooping up people my age from sea to shining sea. I decided to stay in ROTC and get a commission to keep the draft at bay.
c-47

A pilot’s path begins with a father’s influence

They say that flying is 99% boredom and 1% sheer terror (or what the Southeast Asia pilots called “fascinating”). Ninety-nine percent of Dad’s flying was probably long hours involving little excitement, but with a sense of responsibility to get the job done. He wasn’t a war hero, but a working class blue collar hero who kept his family together.
md-11

One of the last in the air on 9/11

On our initial contact with Honolulu approach, we were told that we would be intercepted by Hawaiian Air National Guard F-15s and be inspected before being allowed to proceed to HNL. They relayed that only pilots in full uniform could be in the cockpit. We scanned the horizon trying to get a visual on the traffic. Soon two F-15s appeared in formation off our left wing. One inspected us up close and the other trailed behind us.
Glider tow

Glider Towing – How do I get out of This Mess

I continued climbing straight ahead to about 500 feet while closely monitoring the gauges before I waggled the wings in a sign to the glider that I was in trouble.  As we were now high enough, (and still within the precincts of the airfield) both of us could get back.   The instructor got off the tow promptly, turned right and headed back towards the glider landing check point.  I radioed a Pan Pan call.
152 landing

She’s Down – Helping a Cessna in Distress

Since we were coming in from the southeast, slightly off her right, I took over the communications again and told her to change to a heading that should have taken her to the airport. I was guessing at the wind correction angle to apply, but I was only a few degrees off her inbound course, so I had a fair idea of the course she should fly. Karen turned to the new heading and was settling down somewhat, getting over her earlier panic.
Smith

Learning to fly after 55

The COVID pandemic at least had one positive outcome for me: achieving my Private Pilot license. I have always wanted to share my journey and offer some lessons learned and tips for those that are either learning how to fly or are considering it—especially if you are 55 years of age or older.
mooney on ramp

My Near Death Experience

With my head turned left and brain focused on starting the descending turn to base, I reduced power a little more and all hell broke loose. The Mooney, with two of my loved ones onboard, flew into a wall of water. The sound was deafening and the surprise factor indescribable. My heartbeat probably jumped to over 200 in the matter of a millisecond. And worse, the bottom dropped out in a strong downdraft.

What was one of the scariest moments in your life?

The ride was now degrading beyond moderate and we realized it was time to be on the ground. And we needed to do it as quickly as practical. And we needed to do it without doing anything rash, like an off-field landing. Our destination airport, hours to the north and in better meteorological conditions, was out of the question. Also, now well into our trip, with the conditions forecasted to be degrading in the area we had passed.