By BRENT OWENS It’s a fancy name for “get-there-itis” — plan continuation bias, which is an unconscious cognitive bias to continue the original plan in spite of changing conditions — and it can be deadly for general aviation pilots. Plan continuation bias was identified in a NASA Ames human factors study from 2004 which analyzed […]
flying
Fifth edition of ‘The Pilot’s Manual: Private Pilot Syllabus’ released
The fifth edition of “The Pilot’s Manual Private Pilot Syllabus” is now available from ASA. This updated syllabus offers a flight and ground training course for private pilot airplane certification and meets both Part 61 and Part 141 requirements, according to company officials. Flight lessons are presented side-by-side with their coordinating ground lessons. The syllabus […]
An American dream
Livio Gustavo Suarez was 25 years old when he decided to follow his vision of a better life. His native Uruguay did not offer the freedoms he dreamed of and heard about in the United States of America. Government regulations all but bankrupted his import-export business and his marriage did not survive the trauma. When […]
Northstar Flight Lab takes off
REDMOND, Ore. – RDD Enterprises has added a new advanced flight training center named Northstar Flight Lab, designed to cater to the needs of pilots operating technologically advanced aircraft (TAA). The addition of a Redbird FMX simulator is at the center of the new facility. Northstar Flight Lab’s mission is to provide transition and recurrent […]
First CTLSi with ADS-B
Aviators love abbreviations and one that has invaded light aviation recently is ADS-B. FAA’s Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast service brings two major benefits for aircraft that install new equipment: Free weather and traffic. LSA market leader Flight Design recently completed the first installation of this in one of its brand-new CTLSi models. New dealer Florida Light-Sport […]
Props for the prop
This time of year I find myself doing a lot of intro flights. The first question people ask is, “is it safe?” I reply that I’m more concerned about my safety driving to the airport than I am in the airplane. Over the years I’ve learned that there is a fine line between making sure […]
Innovations: Let there be light
North Carolina pilot Chip Davis used to struggle in the dark to get the towbar on the nosegear of his C172A, so he came up with his own solution. He started by noting that the collapsible towbar for Cessna, Beech, Piper, and many tailwheel aircraft has a T-handle made of 3/4-inch tubing. “A single AAA-cell […]
NJ teen earns driver’s permit, soloes on same day
Josh Eichel earned his learner’s permit to drive a car and flew his first solo on the same day in November at Monmouth Executive Airport (BLM). According to a story in the News-Transcript, the Marlboro, N.J., teenager, who had been working toward the solo flight since 8th grade, noted that his Mom thinks flying is […]
GA may get its own runway at IAD for the inauguration
Officials at Dulles International may close the airport’s westernmost runway to accommodate hundreds of private planes expected to descend on the region for President Barack Obama’s inauguration on Jan. 21, according to a report in The Washington Post. The report notes that airport officials expect 300 to 600 arrivals in the three-day period leading up […]