I just saw the following story: Micron CEO Appleton dies in plane crash. According to the article, if they got their story straight, his plane was on fire when, based on ATC recordings, he stated his intentions to turn back just before crashing. Unfortunately, it didn't end at all well. I feel terrible for this gentleman's family... Read more »
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Aircraft, Blog, Flight Lessons, Videos
Airspeed is Life, Altitude is Insurance
Today's post is more of a public service announcement than anything. It isn't flight instruction, especially since I'm not yet qualified, but I want every pilot to learn from it. While perusing YouTube recently, I saw the video above in the side bar. I was a bit put off by the title, but I watched... Read more »
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I Have A Confession
I'd like to confess something that has been eating me for quite some time: it has been more than 4 months since I've flown. I didn't want to take such a long break, but things have happened and what started as a short financial recovery break (post house purchase) turned into 4 months of gazing... Read more »
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Check-Ride Tips: Five Things to Know
The check-ride is an important milestone in aviation. I remember my private pilot check-ride pretty vividly. I also remember some of the things that really helped me pass. After a good amount of thinking, I realized that every tip I have to offer can be boiled down to five things: know yourself, know your aircraft, know where to find the answers, know the area, and know your examiner. These five things will absolutely help your check-ride.... Read more »
Continue ReadingAnatomy of a Plane Crash
Whether we like it or not, planes crash. People miss details, parts fail, something happens that sets off a sequence of events that end with a crash. The sooner we accept the risks, the better off we are. Don't read too much into this; I'm not saying that planes are totally dangerous, I'm only saying... Read more »
Continue ReadingAttitude is Everything
A few months ago, I saw a link on twitter to the following video: I recently remembered this and thought I might post it here and offer some analysis of the overall situation. The biggest talking point I've come up with is "Attitude is everything." I mean that in two ways: attitude of the pilot... Read more »
Continue ReadingAviation In Schools Foundation
So recently I've been kicking around an idea. It isn't particularly innovative since all the pieces exist in other programs, but I want to combine them into one big thing. It is something I'm passionate about, and I want to find a way to make it work. The basic idea is based on the fact... Read more »
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Three maneuvers to improve your flying
The practical test standards are FAA established standards for flight maneuvers required on check-rides. Each of these maneuvers are required because they elicit some sort of indication of the abilities of the applicant. There are many maneuvers that do not appear in these publications, but perhaps they should. The following three maneuvers are ones I feel will positively impact your flying.... Read more »
Continue ReadingWake Turbulence Avoidance
"Caution wake turbulence" is a phrase I heard a lot in my flight training. It seemed like every time I went out to fly there were KC135s in the pattern. Wake turbulence is not something I want to encounter, so I paid attention in the ground school session about it. In case you need a... Read more »
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Aircraft, Blog, Flight Lessons
DA20-C1 Checkout
While on our way back to TYS, we heard some T-6A TexanIIs coming in from the local training area. I was thinking how cool it would be a to see one, but focused more on the tasks at hand. Well, once in the traffic pattern, a lone T-6A overflew us on our base leg. It was pretty awesome to look up and out the canopy to see the underside of the T-6A. Once we were on the ground he landed and joined up with his compatriots. Also, while we were taxiing back in to secure the plane, I noticed that Remote Area Medical was loading their DC-3 to take some relief supplies to Haiti. It was pretty neat to see the DC-3 again.... Read more »
Continue ReadingAbout the author
Hello, my name is Matt Everett and as of 1/1/2010 I am a private pilot ASEL. I started this blog early in my training and used it primarily as a place to keep notes of my lessons. Since then it has grown to much more than that, but my main focus is still on aviation experiences. It is my sincerest hope that this blog is a resource for others as much as it is a resource for me. Looking for more?
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