If you are dreading your morning and evening rush hour commute, take a look at this short video segment with the Wall Street Journal’s Adam Thompson about Harbor Air – a sea plane commuter service between Victoria and Vancouver in British Columbia. According to Harbor Air’s website, the trip only takes about half an hour – shorter than many other commutes nowadays. Not only that, commuters actually save money as one commuter commented in the video segment that it costs her about C$6,000 a year to commute via the seaplane service – considerably less than having to own a second car or a house in Vancouver itself. And then there are the stunning views outside the window to look at! No mention in the segment what happens in the event of bad weather though.
If you are a pilot with an iPhone, you are probably aware that there are countless aviation related applications out there specifically meant for pilots. Hence, a recent post by John Ewing on Aviation Mentor that reviews seven great aviation related iPhone applications is a must read.
The applications he reviews are actually part of a suite of reasonably-priced iPhone apps from CFI Tools that are each meant to do one task and to do that one task well. These applications include:
The Crosswind Calculator: For US$1.99, the Crosswind Calculator will let you enter reported surface winds and the runway heading and then it shows you the crosswind and headwind component.
Holds Pattern Calculator: For US$2.99, the Holds Pattern Calculator comes with two slider controls that will let you set your aircraft’s current heading and the holding course.
VOR Viewer: For US$3.99, the VOR Viewer is a useful learning tool for student pilots to help them get their head around VOR navigation.
Weight & Balance: For US$5.99, the Weight and Balance tool will help to ensure that you never fly over gross weight or outside the allowable CG range.
Mvx Tracks: For US$7.99, the Mvx Tracks application will allow you to save ground tracks from your flights in order to analyze flight maneuvers - so long as your iPhone is not in airplane mode as the built-in GPS will be disabled.
Takeoff & Landing Distance: For US$4.99, this application will provide you with takeoff and landing data for nine popular GA aircraft.
Area Wx: For US$6.99, the AreaWX app will display a list of surface observations for airports within a specified radius of a particular airport.
As usual, John does a great job of doing a detailed review of all of the above iPhone applications – making his post a must read for any pilot with an iPhone.
Most pilots will never be involved in an accident or an incident involving an aircraft. However, flying an airplane, like driving a car, is not without the risk of having an accident or an incident that could lead to aircraft damage or much worst.
Hence, a recent article posted on GlobalAir.com by Darryl Abbey of Salem Five Aviation about what to do after becoming involved in an aircraft accident or incident is well worth reading. In the article, Darryl outlined the six basic steps you should take and these steps included:
Report the accident: As soon as possible, the accident needs to be reported to your broker or insurance carrier and if the accident or incident was significant enough, it needs to be reported to the proper aviation authorities.
Capture the event and damage: Carry a disposable camera on board with your emergency gear and be prepared to record in writing all of the facts that occurred before and during the accident or incident.
Protect your aircraft from further damage: Depending upon the seriousness of the accident or the incident, you may or may not be able to move your plane right away. However, it is important that no matter what the situation is, you will need to protect your aircraft from further damage.
Cooperate with your Insurance Carrier: If you want to get back in the sky earlier, you will need to cooperate and work with your insurance carrier.
Use a repair shop that you trust: Shop around and find the best repair shop. If your insurance carrier bulks at the cost of a repair with the best shop available, be prepared to foot some of the bill yourself.
Consider this a learning experience: After the repairs are done, ask yourself what you need to do differently. In other words, ask yourself whether or not you need more training or perhaps you need to pay more attention to aircraft maintenance.
In other words, an accident or incident involving an aircraft should be treated in much the same way that an accident or incident involving an automobile should be treated – as a potential risk and an important learning experience.
Spin-a-Wind 2.0. The Flying Pilot Podcast blog has noted that Spin-a-Wind 2.0 is now available on iTunes. Updates include a graphical representation of the runway and wind direction, a temperature conversion from Celsius to Fahrenheit feature and another feature that utilizes the wind-chill formula used by the US National Weather Service and Canada.
Canadian IFR Approach Plates. And if you are a pilot in Canada, the Fly With Blake blog has suggested that you might want to check out the latest Canadian Air Pilot approach plates in PDF format from Nav Canada for all airports in Canada with IFR approaches. Naturally available in both English and French.
Online AIPs. On another useful note, the Land and Hold Short blog has recently posted an accumulation of links to different countries’ online Aeronautical Information Publications (AIPs).
Negotiating Class B Airspace. In addition, the Let’s Go Flying blog has posted a short post with tips about flying in crowded Class B Airspace. These tips include the need to get flight clearance and to have an aircraft with the necessary equipment for flying in such airspace. This equipment includes a two-way radio to enable smooth communication with the controller and a Mode C Transponder.
ASA’s 2010 Catalog. Meanwhile, General Aviation News has noted that Aviation Supplies & Academics (ASA) has released its 2010 catalog which includes “textbooks for pilots and aviation maintenance technicians, test preparation books and software, FAA handbooks, pilot supplies, and flight simulation and tutorial software.” In other words, nearly 400 products published or manufactured by ASA.
Winter Flying Pictures. On a different note, General Aviation News has posted some great winter aviation related photos from reader Mark Priglmeier in Minnesota while the A Mile of Runway Will Take You Anywhere blog has posted similar winter aviation photos of a ski trip that involved a Cub.
Flying a Hang ‘Copter. And finally on an unusual note, General Aviation News has recently posted a rare video of a gyroglider (an unpowered gyrocopter using a weight shift control) that was reportedly built by a Russian named Shumeyko in the early 1990s. The writer did comment that he would “love to think about how the FAA or NTSB would regard this” and so would we! Nevertheless, its still great to see such experimentation being safely carried out – beyond the reach of aviation bureaucrats of course!
Here is segment from CNN that includes an amazing video taken by a German Pilot who was flying a small two-seater 1,000 feet above the French countryside when he had a near miss with another airplane. Unfortunately, his propeller got caught in the cable used by the other plane to tow a glider and the [...]
Given the amount of time and money that flight training can take, it is important for would-be pilots to stay on track and to know whether or not they are on track. Hence, a short post by Jason Schappert is well worth reading.
According to Jason, there are three ways to know if your flight [...]
According to The Times, with Japan Airlines in bankruptcy, there is likely to be a glut of sought-after stewardess uniforms which, previously, went for up to $11,000 on the black market where they were bought by, ahem, aficionados.
The AirlineReporter website has recently posted this really cool high definition vide of FAA flight traffic data for a 24 hour period over the United States. And if you think this video is cool, check out the website of its creator (Aaron Koblin) who has also posted additional pictures where manufacturer, altitude and model data [...]
Paul, one of the bloggers on AskaCFI.com, was recently asked a question by a reader that has no doubt crossed the mind of many one-time pilots:
I stopped flying over 20 years ago and would like to start again. What do I need to do to get reissued my license?
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