The Honest Guide to Aircraft Ownership: Paperwork & Pitfalls (Part 2)
In 2026, relying solely on old-school analog gauges is outdated. The “Engine Instruments… In the Green” checklist belongs to the era of the woolly mammoth.
Category Archives: Safety
The Honest Guide to Aircraft Ownership: Paperwork & Pitfalls (Part 1)
(Or: How to part with a bank account’s assets with great ease) This article was totally researched and written without the use of AI. After all the reflection and research, the dream finally becomes a reality. You take possession of your first airplane. In these pages, I previously covered the pre-purchase phase in a 4-part… Read more »
Ignorance Is Bliss
Acquiring visual contct with nearby trafic is imperative, Technology helps but is not a complete solution.
The silent killer
Dealing with carbon monoxide in flight I have written in 2019 about carbon monoxide detectors. This was following an aircraft accident involving a football star in the UK, with fatalities caused by lethal dose of carboxyhemoglobin within the blood vessels or carbon monoxide poisoning. We all agree that the most important cause of lethal accidents… Read more »
When all else fails
Last January 2024, just after the holiday season, I undertook a “training flight” to cover the recency regulation for my IFR qualification. In Canada, it is required to log 6 hours of IFR flying, shoot 6 approaches to minimum and accomplish this within 6 months of a proposed IFR flight. The weather was impeccably VFR.… Read more »
The impossible turn
Can the return to the runway be executed safely with discipline?
Where is the emergency ?
When was the last time you had an emergency, a real one? Everyone will have their own creative interpretation on the matter. A perceived emergency will vary from one individual to another. Experience will bring its own bias. One way or another, an ocean separates a stressful situation where a pilot gets busy and an… Read more »
Paradigms
Paradigms or changing the way you see the environment. This not about the loose change in your pocket. Paradigms are about ones narrow view of the world. They are the basis of systemic stagnation. The last place one wants to hear about paradigms is in the flight deck. Cockpit resource management Understanding paradigms and their… Read more »
13 minutes
Many will claim that there is nothing more troubling than a fire onboard a wooden ship at sea. Aviators know there is worst: a fire in flight. Total recall 11 years ago I have written an article for the aviation magazine «Plein Vol». It dealt with fires in aircraft. I have decided to refresh this… Read more »
The slow, insidious degradation
We have to deal with the issue every day we fly. That is why we are taught early on its lethal effect. Write the exam with 99 other questions then forget about it, you got the licence, right? Never mind how to deal with it or seriously prevent it. I would venture that is why… Read more »