As both an airline pilot and an active general aviation pilot, maintaining my various legal currency requirements to act as pilot in command (PIC) has historically been relatively easy. My airline simulator training and checkride events suffice to meet my Biennial Flight Review (BFR), Instrument Proficiency Check (IPC), and my 90-day multi-engine landing requirements (as…
In my 17-plus years of writing aviation articles, rarely has one generated as much correspondence as Trip Report – Death Valley Offers a Unique Getaway which appeared in the January 2020 issue of King Air magazine (written during the summer of 2019). I received numerous emails and phone calls about the article, universally complimentary of…
Author’s Note: The following is the third installment in a series of articles which will resonate most with King Air corporate and charter pilots, but can apply to the owner/pilot, as well. After all, making the most of layovers and planned or unplanned travel downtime is a goal any pilot can pursue. If you have…
While covering only 26 miles in a 1.5-hour drive, we’d seen exactly one other vehicle. The temperature hovered in the mid-90s and the reflective surface of the dry lakebed caused me to squint behind my sunglasses. I encouraged my kids to take in the scene. Here we were, miles from anywhere, together, yet alone, standing…
Author’s Note: The following is the second installment in a series of articles which may resonate with King Air corporate and charter pilots as it relates to making the most of travel downtime. But it can also apply to the owner/pilot, whether it’s making a stop on the way to a planned destination or adding…
Editor’s Note: The following is the first of an upcoming series of articles which may resonate with King Air corporate and charter pilots when it comes to making the most of travel downtime. But it can also apply to the owner/pilot whether it’s making a stop on the way to a planned destination or adding…
I quickly silenced the alarm that began chirping at precisely 4 a.m. Even as a morning person, forcing myself from a cozy bed while my wife and kids continued to snooze contently required extra motivation at that hour. The reward was looming just outside the door and would unfold over the next 90 minutes. Dressed…
The Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67A turbo-propeller engine. That’s a mouthful! However, for an experienced King Air pilot, the various versions of the iconic PT6 powerplant roll off the tongue with ease. Memorizing which version they operate and the shaft horsepower (SHP) and equivalent SHP (ESHP) ratings of it are mandatory for King Air pilots.…
Instrument procedure charts are not the sole domain of Jeppesen (now a Boeing company). Various governmental agencies and private companies have produced competing charts for decades. Yet, Jeppesen (Jepp) charts have long been the gold standard in Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) procedure publications for turbine aircraft operators the world over. They’ve always presented the detailed…
There is a premise among professional pilots that some FAA rules are intentionally vague and often open to interpretation in order to provide operational flexibility (within reason). For years, such has been the case with runway condition assessments and braking action reports. For example, most pilots who have operated under Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) Part…