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December 1988
The Decision To Fly 4 pages. [PDF 22K]
Icing has contributed to major air carrier accidents that have resulted in personal tragedy and grief, in addition to major economic losses they impose on the aviation community. The aviation community continues to gain knowledge and understanding about the nature of icing hazards, but on-going communication and education are integral to success in reducing aviation’s vulnerability to ice, as well as other hazards.
November 1988
Commuter Airline Pilot Training 4 pages. [PDF 27K]
A recent U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) report on commuter airlines highlights the need for additional pilot training in the areas of standard operating procedures, cockpit resource management and decision-making. Pointing to a number of past accidents, the GAO also recommends that standards should be incorporated for minimum training program requirements.
October 1988
Winter Flying: Sharing Experience 6 pages. [PDF 37K]
The author advises pilots to exchange winter operational information with one another as a means of spreading the benefit of collective experience with de-icing and anti-icing techniques.
September 1988
In Defense of Company Procedure 4 pages. [PDF 21K]
A corporate pilot presents his argument that company procedures for flight operations are necessary in order for all the flight crew members to be communicating clearly. It seems a reasonable and simple guideline for operating a company aircraft, or any multi-crew aircraft. Yet, in the real world, the author points out, pilots often feel procedures are unreasonable and complex. And they don’t follow them.
August 1988
Coping With Hydroplaning 4 pages. [PDF 28K]
Although a rare occurrence, hydroplaning requires specific piloting skills. The author explains several techniques for negotiating such a circumstance.
July 1988
Summer Hazards 4 pages. [PDF 74K]
Every pilot should be well informed of the perils of summer flying. High temperatures often cause problems on airport surfaces and degrade aircraft performance.
June 1988
Selecting A Business Aircraft 4 pages. [PDF 26K]
The author, an experienced corporate pilot, offers some suggestions to keep in mind when a company buys its first aircraft for company transportation, or elects to upgrade its current model.
May 1988
The Practice of Aircraft Accident Investigation 6 pages. [PDF 40K]
The author offers readers a look at how one country handles accident investigations. More important, he presents his ideas on how accident investigation needs to be approached, from narrowing the accident cause or causes to writing the report and handling follow-ups.
April 1988
Order in the Cockpit 4 pages. [PDF 30K]
The author presents a few scenarios for the two-communication rule, a procedure intended to keep all the flightcrew alert to what is going on in the cockpit. He suggests that the procedure must be handled carefully by the crew, or it may create problems, rather than prevent them.
March 1988
Geographic Disorientation: Landing at the Wrong Airport 8 pages. [PDF 28K]
General aviation pilots commit this error more frequently, but trained airline crews manage to land their aircraft at the wrong airport too.
February 1988
Strobe Lights And Collision Avoidance 4 pages. [PDF 25K]
Although strobe lights are used as a deterrent to mid-air aircraft collisions, the author notes there are particular instances when pilots should not use them.
January 1988
Here Comes The Iceman 4 pages. [PDF 23K]
An F-27 accident investigated by U.S. NTSB revealed the flight crew could have possibly avoided the situation by better pre-flight visual inspection and by properly using anti-ice.