John Mahany CFI

Speaking at AirVenture Oshkosh, Tuesday July 21, 2:30pm, Forum Stage 5

Fri, 03 Jul 2026 17:43:00 GMT

My topic; SOPS for IFR and VFR Pilots. Do you use SOPS when you fly? Learn how using SOPS can make you a better, safer pilot.

Mid to late June; flying a Bushcat LSA, AFW, My engine failure story, AirVenture Oshkosh…

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 16:49:00 GMT

He has a Bushcat, which I had not heard of before. There are lots of Light Sport Aircraft. The Bushcat is a factory-built, certified aircraft manufactured in South Africa and imported. It’s a 2-seats, side-by-side, high-wing, fabric covered airplane, with a Rotax engine, and has a tailwheel. There are only a few in the US. It’s unique, with a single control ‘stick’ in the center between the pilots, and 2 separate throttle controls, one on each side for each pilot. I have seen this before. It’s just different and takes some getting used to.

His insurance requires him to get at least 10 hours of training, which includes a Flight Review and a tail wheel endorsement, and training to proficiency. We started last weekend, and he is only available on the weekends, so it will take some time to get this done.

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When I joined many years ago, I was able to fly a few missions transporting either people in need of treatment, or doctors being flown to a clinic. I can tell you that is VERY REWARDING to be able to put my piloting skills to work in a volunteer capacity like this, as an Angel Flight Pilot, transporting people in need. Very rewarding! I am grateful that I am able to do this, as a service to the community.

Since I am also a long time CFI (flight instructor), I also got involved in ‘checking out’ or ‘qualifying’ pilots who wanted to join and fly AFW missions. During this process I got to meet and fly with prospective members and fly with them in their airplanes to ‘qualify’ and vet’ them to fly for Angel Flight West. Now, in the interest of promoting a ‘safety culture’, AFW has monthly town hall safety meetings that are on YouTube.

The volunteer pilots who fly for AFW are a mix of aircraft owners some of whom are ‘private pilots’ and others fly professionally and also volunteer for AFW. Because of the nature of these missions, transporting people in need of care, AFW has to vet prospective pilots to make sure they are a ‘good fit’, In other words, no ‘risk-takers’, or macho types. It’s better to cancel a mission and have ground transportation arranged, if a flight cannot be made safely. .

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Last year, in May 2025, I had an engine failure in my Cessna 150 as I was taking off from a local airport, Riverside Airport, in Riverside, CA about 40 miles east of where I live. Afterwards, I wrote a story about this for a popular general aviation publication, Flight Training Magazine, and my story appeared in the May 2026 issue. Here is a link to the story.

https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2026/may/flight-training/flight-lesson-sump-more-than-once

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As I write this on Thursday, June 25, 2026, it’s 3+ weeks to go before AirVenture, aka Oshkosh, which starts on July 20 this year! It’s simply the LARGEST aviation gathering in the world! Last year, paid attendance was over 686,000! Pilots and aviation enthusiasts travel from around the world to attend! I’ve been attending for over 25 years, and now I volunteer for 2 organizations, SAFE and the Florida Aviation Network (FAN).

SAFE is an organization for aviation educators, and FAN is a volunteer aviation media group, that I’ve been a member of for many years. For FAN, we arrange interviews with various people in the industry, and I also take pictures and send them to FAN which they put on their website. And every year, is a new theme. This year’s theme is, ‘Celebrating the Freedom of Flight’. There’s always something new and different to see. And I have many colleagues that I only see yearly at Oshkosh! It’s a reunion every year! There’s only one word to describe it, which for me, is OVERWHELMING! There’s so much to see, and not enough time! Here are a few pictures, from the 1000’s I have taken, below. Enjoy!

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Earlier this month, on June 9, Michael Church, whom most of you reading this don’t know, made his final appearance, speaking at an FAA Safety Meeting at John Wayne Airport, in the Admin Building. Michael, who is approaching 80 years old and has been flying for nearly 60 years!! had owned a flying school, at John Wayne Airport, for 40 years, Sunrise Aviation.

He was very successful in this endeavor, training 1000’s of students over the years. He specialized in aerobatic training, in a 2-seat Pitt’s Special (designed by Curtis Pitts), and he also competed in aerobatics. I never did fly with him. But he could also be very controversial, and he questioned and disagreed with the FAA on some things, but he spoke from experience. As a result, he is highly respected for his work as a flight instructor and his flight school, Sunrise Aviation, which was a success. But about 2 years ago he was diagnosed with a form of cancer, and while he has survived, he shut down Sunrise Aviation during the course of his treatments.

When he spoke to us for the last time, the organization hosting him, presented him with a plaque recognizing Sunrise Aviation and his contributions to general aviation safety! It is well-deserved.

Fly safely!

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Finally, IF you are in need of an experienced instructor to work with you, in YOUR AIRPLANE (I only work with aircraft owners) to improve ‘rusty’ IFR or VFR piloting skills, provide avionics training, add or finish your instrument rating, or anything else, I AM available! I WILL travel to YOUR location. Contact me for more information.

Also, in addition to flying and training pilots, I am also a freelance writer and speaker.

John

June blog – Stabilized approaches and more

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 22:11:00 GMT

Stabilized approaches, density altitude, former client from FSI reaches out, a link to my YouTube channel

Stabilized approaches (constant speed and rate of descent) are in the news again, because some pilots do not fly a ‘stabilized approach’, and then as a result, things go can wrong during the touchdown and landing rollout. Even the NBAA, (National Business Aviation Association) mentions this in the June 4 issue of AvWeb Flash, an industry e newsletter. It was reported that the NBAA’s latest accident and incident analysis highlights ‘stabilized approaches’ as being a continuing area of concern for business aviation operators.

Keep in mind that these are professionally trained pilots typically flying jets and turboprop aircraft. It states that there were 40 ‘safety events’ during the first quarter of this year, including six fatalities. So, if even professional pilots flying sophisticated turbine equipment are having trouble, then this is a lesson for all of us! We can all learn something.

A local airport, Fullerton (FUL) which has a runway 3,121’ long, has had some landing accidents in the past few years, resulting from pilots who were not ‘stabilized’ on final, but instead were too fast or too high, thus not ‘stabilized’ with a constant rate of descent. Then, due to poor energy management, while in the flare, they floated too far down the runway (in ground effect) before touching down and then were either not able to get stopped in time or they lost control and ran off the side of the runway. Not a good outcome, regardless.

At May’s FAPA (Fullerton Airport Pilot Association) meeting, the local FAA Ops Inspector/FPM (FAASTeam Program Manager), Nate spoke to us about this for a few minutes at the start of the meeting. He reminded us, and emphasized, if an approach is not going well, if it is becoming ‘un-stabilized’ for any reason, then GO-AROUND!! But some pilots are just reluctant to do this, for their own reasons. Is it pride? Ego? Trying to salvage an approach? Maybe all three!?

The FAA discusses ‘stabilized approaches’ in its Airplane Flying Handbook (AFH), (FAA-H-8083-3C) last published in 2021, in chapter 9, Approaches and Landings.

In fact, the term ‘Stabilized Approach Concept’ is spelled out on page 9-4 of the AFH. And this is or should be emphasized whenever a pilot is training. I know that in my time at FlightSafety Int’l in Long Beach, where I was an instructor for many years until the pandemic hit and I lost my job, we preached and trained ‘stabilized approaches’ all the time! The FAA requires stabilized approaches to be flown. A stabilized approach leads to a good landing. This is nothing new. Yet landing accidents continue to occur.

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And now it’s June, and we are well into summertime flying. Summer weather flying hazards include thunderstorms and density altitude. Both require the right conditions to occur. I have actually flown through some thunderstorms decades ago. I was not scared as much as I was awestruck (seriously!) by the power in Mother Nature! Simply amazing! And something back then triggered my interest in and fascination with weather, which I still study!

You NEVER graduate from this kind of study. It’s a lifetime thing. There’s always MORE to learn!  And I’m a student of flying, which includes aviation weather! Always something to learn or review! Never ends. That is part of the fascination, for me! 

But today I want to focus on density altitude! Summer weather typically includes hotter temperatures. This directly affects airplane performance, which gets worse as a result of ‘density altitude’. Remembering back to science class in grade school, when the air is warmer, the molecules are farther apart, thus the air is ‘less dense’. On cold weather days, it’s the opposite.

Four things can result in density altitude ‘increasing’ when it’s warmer. They are; higher temperatures, higher humidity, higher elevations and lower barometric pressure, aka a lower altimeter setting.

These, in turn, affect the airplanes performance, thus; with less dense air, the engine produces less power. The propeller has less air to ‘bite’ as it turns, and there is less airflow over the wings. All of which combine to result in a longer takeoff roll and a slower climb.

So, to demonstrate how this works, here is an example; if a sea level airport has a 3,000’ runway, as the temperature increases, the performance will suffer, and the airports ‘density altitude’ will increase. And there is a ‘rule of thumb’ which states that for every 10F increase in temperature, the density altitude will increase by 1,000’ feet! And a longer runway will likely be required for takeoff under these conditions. And the climb rate will decrease as well. Even turbine powered aircraft (jets) are affected.

To find out for sure, you could look this up the AFM (Airplane Flight Manual) or POH (Pilot Operating handbook) for the airplane you fly, in chapter 5, Performance, and look at the performance charts. There are density altitude accidents every summer. You have to be aware of this when doing your flight planning.

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On a completely different note, this morning, a former client of mine from FlightSafety Int’l saw my posts on Facebook and reached out to me via FB Messenger! What a nice surprise to hear from him!  And I still had his contact info in my iPhone contacts. I still have ALL of my former clients and FSI colleagues’ info in my contacts. Turns out he was a client back in 2013, when I was a King Air instructor. Wow. We chatted back and forth on the Messenger app for a while and got caught up! It was a really nice surprise hearing from him! It’s a small world in aviation! Never know who you might see again years later! And it’s fun to reconnect! 

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I have had a YouTube channel for a few years but have not done much with it. But that is changing now. Time to start using it! The plan is to hopefully add safety and educational videos each week, or as often I have one to upload. I am new to this, so there is a learning curve.

Here is a link to my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@johnmahanycfi

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Finally, IF you are in need of an experienced instructor to work with you, in YOUR AIRPLANE (I only work with aircraft owners, not renters) to improve ‘rusty’ IFR or VFR piloting skills, provide avionics training, add or finish your instrument rating, or anything else, I AM available! I WILL travel to YOUR location. Contact me for more information.

Also, in addition to flying and training pilots, I am also a freelance writer and a speaker on aviation safety topics.

Fly safely! 

John

Mid-May blog – In the news, in case you missed it. More this time…

Tue, 19 May 2026 04:18:00 GMT

Two GA aircraft manufacturers suddenly cease operations, then resume. SAFE seeking Ambassadors; 6 years now since losing my job at FlightSafety Int’l, Engine failure last May in my Cessna 150, “Date with Destiny” a book by UAL Capt. Behnam, NOTAM System overhaul, FAASTeam FPM Two colleagues, Karla Borden and Ron Allen fly west, and, Sporty’s founder Hal Shever flies west, FAA’s stiff new penalties for Drone operators…

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It was reported in the April 29, 2026, issue of AvBrief, an industry e newsletter, that WACO (pronounced Wah-co and rhymes with taco!) Aircraft, builder of iconic, vintage biplanes, located in Battle Creek, MI, suddenly ceased operations, last month. This was very surprising news because the company had had an exhibit at Sun ‘n Fun, in Lakeland, FL, in April. And now this. But there are reports of a new buyer, in Germany.

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And SONEX Aircraft, LLC, a kit-plane manufacturer that sold kits for an all-metal experimental aircraft, is located in Oshkosh, WI. The owner announced in late March again via AvBrief, in an emotional video, that SONEX was shutting down for financial reasons. The owner had filed for bankruptcy due market conditions, rising costs, and a downturn in sales, among other things.

And, some good news, it is reported in the May 2 issue of AvBrief, that someone has emerged and will be purchasing the company, and will be resuming full production, within a few weeks! Yeah for SONEX!

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I am a founding member of an organization supporting aviation ‘educators’, called SAFE, which is the Society of Aviation and Flight Educators. SAFE was founded in May 2009, after a dispute at the Board of the other aviation instructor organization, NAFI, which is the National Association of Flight Instructors. At any rate, SAFE, whose membership has grown to 8,000, recently announced that they are now creating a new role, in the organization, an ‘ambassador’ role, and are seeking several interested individuals to do this; representing SAFE at various aviation gatherings around the country. The Board members don’t do this. So, I thought, sure I can do this. I have applied and am now waiting to find out more. To put this in perspective, there are about 700,000 licensed pilots in the US, and of that number, approximately 125,000 are flight instructors.

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And it was 6 years ago, on April 30, 2020, during the pandemic, that I suddenly lost my job as a classroom and simulator instructor at FlightSafety International, in Long Beach, after 16 years. I had been training pilots to fly the Cessna Citation (CE-500), what is termed a ‘legacy’ jet, because it is long out of production. It has been replaced by more modern aircraft.

It was a short but kind of emotional meeting with the Center Manager, Todd, on that day, and the lady from HR. Of course. And Todd informed me that I was not being ‘terminated, nor furloughed, nor laid off. Nope, Instead, I was ‘separated’. Lawyer language.

I remember it well, of course. I was quite surprised and interrupted him several times, asking, what about this or that? Any part time or contract work? Sorry, nope, a corporate decision. They gave me a contract to review, for severance pay, which was nice, and which contained a no-compete clause, and recommended that I sign up for unemployment benefits the next day, which I did.

The worst part, perhaps was that after the short meeting with Todd, I was told that I had literally ’15 minutes’ to ‘clear out my locker and personal belongings’, and that a colleague, Mario, who was the Director of Training (DOT) would escort me out. And don’t say a word about this to anyone! Ugh. This sucks! Damnit! Corporate protocols.

Of course there was no work to be found during the pandemic. I had texted many former clients, telling them about my situation and that I was now available as a Citation Pilot, though I did not hear back from many. That was also hard to take! Was it that during the pandemic, no one was responding? Who knows.

Although a former Citation client did eventually reach out to me and was in need of my services as a contract co-pilot on the Citation. Of course, I accepted. But, unfortunately, none of the trips originated in Long Beach. Nope. Instead, I found myself driving 2+ hours south to San Diego’s Brown Field, which is 1 mile north of the US-Mexico border. I mostly flew a few ‘day’ trips for them, many were south to Baja, Mexico, over the course of a few months. There were only one or two overnight trips, as I recall. Then I had another client who needed me, but he was located way up north in San Jose, CA. I only flew a few trips for him. I ended up driving several hours, as it was too late to catch the last Southwest Airlines flight to get there in time. Just the way it goes!

And I eventually did reapply to FlightSafety, in September 2022, after speaking to a recruiter at a convention one time. But their hiring process moves slowly. I had heard many stories about this while I worked there. I finally had a ‘formal’ interview again in early February 2023, with a new Center Manager, and some Program Managers, who run the respective training programs for each aircraft that we train pilots for.

I thought it went ok, but the Center Manager was not really treating me like a former employee with 16 years’ experience. Nope. I was hoping for something more informal, a discussion to see if I might be a ‘good fit’ again, but that was apparently not his style. He was a new Center Manager and wanted a more formal interview with a board consisting of a few program managers. As I recall, he simply went down a list of questions that had been supplied by HR. So, I answered each, in turn, as well as I could. It was not ‘fun’.

After the interview ended, I was told to expect a reply in about 2 weeks, via email. And, sure enough, on Valentine’s Day, 2023, I received a formal email from the Corporate Recruiter, not the Long Beach Center Manager. Hmm. It started out, ‘thank you for your interest in FlightSafety’…. (really?) then it went on…’you are very well qualified’…..and it continued….’but we have decided to pursue other options’…and good luck!

Say what?? Shock and surprise, of course! Gee, so reading between the lines, who did not like me, and did NOT want to see me be hired back? I have an idea, of course, but will not mention any names. It was internal ‘office politics’ as I see it. Wherever you have people, in an organization, there’s politics of one kind or another. Favorites. Who likes who? Who’s better at this or that? This is just human nature. That’s how I see it. Some reading this may disagree. Fine. That’s just MY opinion. 

So, I have moved on. Life happens. It’s not always fair. But no pity parties. I am now an independent contractor, providing advanced training to pilots who are aircraft owners, in their airplanes, as well as doing freelance writing for some GA publications….and learning new skills. Have to! Can’t sit idle.

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It was a year ago this month, on May 24, 2025, that I had my first ‘for real’ engine failure in my Cessna 150, just after taking off from runway 27 at Riverside. Fortunately, I was only at 200’ and was able to easily land straight ahead on the remaining runway, so it was a non-event. Of course, there were lessons to be learned.

First, have a plan if something goes wrong after takeoff! Even in a single engine airplane. Too often, only the pilots of twin-engine aircraft, as well as turboprops and jets have a ‘takeoff briefing’, as it’s called. But it can happen to anyone. So be ready. As it turns out, the likely culprit was water droplets being suspended in the fuel, and I did not sump the tanks well enough. Now I do!

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I recently read a really good non-fiction book, “Date with Destiny, and the Man Who Saved it”, about the story of United Airlines flight 1175, a Boeing 777 en route from San Francisco to Honolulu, HI. This was on February 13, 2018, during which the right engine exploded and the crew, with Captain Behmam, was able to wrestle the airplane, as it reacted violently as part of the cowling separated during flight, and then ‘nurse’ the Boeing 777 the remaining distance to Honolulu, and land safely! And no injuries among the passengers or crew. Quite a feat! The crew was later recognized by United Airlines and the FAA for their heroic efforts on this flight, leading to a safe landing!

What makes this story unique is that the Captain, Christopher Behnam, is a native of Iran, and grew up there, and later immigrated, first to the UK and later to the US, where it was his dream to fly for United Airlines. It’s a remarkable story of one man’s persistence and holding onto a dream, in spite of many obstacles in his path. Everyone can relate to that.

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The FAA’s decades old NOTAM system is finally being updated, after many decades. The NOTAM system was started during WWII, for the maritime industry, and was adapted for aviation use. A ‘NOTAM’ is the FAA abbreviation for ‘Notices to Airmen’. NOTAMS contain critical information that pilots need to review before a flight. These deal with any components or equipment outages or changes to an airport or the navigation system in the NAS, National Aerospace System, that might affect a flight…. there’s always something that has changed….

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Finally, I have recently learned that I have lost two colleagues in the past two weeks, along with an entrepreneur and philanthropist who was also a pilot and instructor, who has passed away….who’s next?

I should mention, in the flying business, when someone passes away, we use the term ‘flown west’ as in, flying west into the sunset. My two colleagues, Karla and Ron have both flown west. So has Hal Shevers, innovative pilot and instructor, who started Sporty’s Pilot Shop selling pilot supplies back in the 1960’s, and ran it for 60 years, located east of Cincinnati in Batavia, OH. Godspeed to each….

Karla Borden was an FAA Operations Inspector for many years, and was also an FPM, FAASTeam Program Manager. She was in the FAA’s Van Nuys, CA office (FSDO) and worked with us as FAASTeam Reps in the Safety Program, managing and coordinating our activities. I was one of them.

I am one of many who are volunteers for the FAA’s FAASTeam, aka the FAA Safety Team, volunteering as a Lead Rep. I have been volunteering In this capacity myself for over 20 years, and along with other ‘Reps’ are safety advocates, hosting pilot meetings and presenting safety seminars.

My other colleague, Retired Delta Captain Ron Allen, flew west just last Thursday, May 14. Ron had had a long and distinguished aviation career, spanning 50+ years. First, growing up, as a young CAP cadet, and later serving in the US Army as a pilot in the Viet Nam War, where he was highly decorated, and later, flying for Western Airlines, and then finally with Delta, where he retired aa Boeing 767 Captain. Then after retirement, he ended up going to work for the FAA as an Operations Inspector. RIP, Ron.

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Finally, the FAA is getting serious about penalizing unauthorized drone operations. Some drone operators are non-pilots and have not taken any training to learn how and where they can operate a drone, and this is causing problems. So, the FAA has decided it’s time to start enforcing the rules. Fines for unauthorized drone operations can now be as high as $75,000, depending on the circumstances!

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Some Summer Flying Tips

Remember that on windy, gusty day, the FAA recommends adding ½ the gust factor to your final approach speed, as a buffer against stalls.

And, what is the major contributing factor in fatal GA accidents according to the NTSB? It’s a loss of control, due to flying into adverse weather conditions.

And on hot summer days, remember that your takeoff ground roll adds about 10% for every 1,000’ of density altitude. So, as density altitude increases, expect your takeoff roll to be increased accordingly.

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Also, in addition to flying airplanes and training pilots, I am also a freelance writer and speaker. In my pursuit of continuous learning and skill development, I recently completed a course offered by AWAI (American Writers and Artists Institute), on B2B (business to business) Copywriting, to ideally focus on the aviation industry. Please contact me about this if you want to learn more!

Fly safely,

John

In the news

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 20:15:00 GMT

Another busy week or two in GA; Sun ‘n Fun, the future of Santa Monica Airport, FAPA Redbird sim, the Schiff Show, non-towered airports, the Civil Air Patrol, and flying tips.

My goal to make this blog weekly is apparently not gonna happen! Nope! Got busy with stuff, and too many distractions and suddenly it’s almost the end of April!. So maybe twice a month? Or, as needed….?

So, the first big GA airshow of the year, Sun ‘n Fun, in Lakeland, Florida, which started back in 1974, but has grown significantly, ended recently. It was April 14-19 this year. They were expecting over 200,000! I’ve been once, many years ago. It’s fun, with lots to see, with the attendance now about 1/3 the size of AirVenture in Oshkosh, which las t year had over 686,000 attendees! There’s fly-in camping, vendors, exhibitors, seminars, and a daily airshow, which this year featured the Air Force’s aerial demonstration team, the Thunderbirds. Maybe I’ll make it next year?

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Closer to home, Santa Monica Airport (KSMO), which is just north of LAX, opened in April 1923, and was the original home of the Douglas Aircraft Company, founded by Donald Douglas. He designed and built many prop aircraft for the military and later, jets, for the airlines, including the iconic DC-3, of which over 150 are still flying. I flew a DC-3, a few years ago, in 2022.

It is tentatively scheduled to close in 2028. This was decided a few years ago when a previous FAA Administrator, Michael Huerta, had reached an agreement with the City of Santa Monica, to close the airport, because of a small but vocal group of residents who oppose the airport, citing aircraft noise and safety, after some aircraft crashed near the airport.

It’s located in what is now a densely populated urban area. Recently. a grass-roots movement has begun, which resists closing it, and is now working on ways to keep it open. I recently received an email from The Santa Monica Airport Association, that is now fighting to keep SMO open. Below is a screenshot of part of the email. They have organized a grass-roots campaign to engage with the local community and today are going door-to-door to educate local citizens about the airport. Stay tuned.

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Earlier this month, I spent an hour flying a small, (Redbird) desktop flight simulator, to maintain my IFR (instrument flight rules) ‘currency’ (recent experience) requirement and proficiency. Because this is a Basic Airplane Training Device (BATD), no instructor is required, and I can do this on my own. It’s tucked away in a hangar at nearby Fullerton Airport (KFUL). I do this regularly to keep ‘IFR current’. This is a requirement per the FAR’s, specifically FAR 61.57, which addresses recent flight experience, for the pilot-in-command, and spells out ‘currency’ requirements. Like any skill, which flying is, if you don’t practice regularly, you get rusty! Thus, the saying, use it or lose it!

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A colleague, who is an airline captain, Brian Schiff, has a monthly webinar, called ‘The Schiff Show’. His show is all about aviation safety, naturally. A recent show discussed operations at non-towered airports, in other words, airports that do not have an operating control tower to direct and control the flow arriving and departing aircraft. These airports do not have enough air traffic to justify an air traffic control tower. Only the busier airports in the country have a tower

And of course, the FAA has published procedures for how to operate safely at non-towered airport, in a manual (now digital or hardbound) called the Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM) and in fact, most airports (almost 20,000) in the US do not have an operating control tower. The 23 busiest, air carrier (airline) airports (like JFK, ORD, DFW, MIA, LAX etc.) and general aviation (GA) airports do have an operating control tower. Smaller, less busy airports do not require one. It’s based on traffic counts, among other things. Military airports do have operating control towers.

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This past weekend I participated in a 1 ½ day course put on by the California Wing of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), which is a civilian auxiliary of the Air Force. There are over 65,000 members! There are approximately 36,000 adult senior members, and 29,000 cadets. I am a member again. My membership had lapsed. I rejoined 2 years ago. The CAP has a large fleet of aircraft, over 550 late model Cessna’s, in various locations around the country. They are well equipped single engine aircraft, with modern glass cockpits. Like the Air Force, it has a structured hierarchy that has Regions, Wings, Groups (if necessary) and Squadrons. I am a member of Squadron 40, at Fullerton Airport.

To fly CAP aircraft, you have to undergo regular training and get checked out, by a CAP Instructor Pilot, and then fly with a CAP Designated Check Pilot, to become qualified. CAP has its’ own rules, which typically meet or exceed FAA requirements. I have to participate in annual training, demonstrating proficiency, to maintain my qualifications. And then I am able to fly them at no cost, as a volunteer, and participate in what are called ‘missions’, and ‘sorties’, like the military refers to them.

The CAP is a non-profit, 501 ( c ) (3), volunteer organization, formed in 1941. The aircraft are paid for by a combination of the US Air Force funds, as well as private donations, grants and fund-raising, and are used for pilot training, proficiency flights, as well as search and rescue, disaster relief, aerial photography and other humanitarian missions. The CAP has an annual budget of approx. $47.3 million USD for operations and maintenance, and $10 million for aircraft and vehicle procurement.

The course is part of the required training to become an AEO, or Aerospace Education Officer. Aerospace Education is one of the roles of the CAP. Both adult aka senior members, as well as cadets (age 12 – 18) are encouraged to participate and learn about the many facets of aviation, which is huge! There’s a lot of admin work and record keeping required, among other things.

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Finally, some flying tips –

As we are quickly approaching the summer flying season, a few tips; These are ‘common sense’ but, common sense is ‘not’ common anymore, as I see it. 

As warmer weather arrives, watch ‘density’ altitude, which is another word for aircraft ‘performance’. In other words, air density decreases in warmer air, resulting in degraded aircraft performance, in normally aspirated engines; thus, longer takeoff distances, and slower climbs.

Afternoon thunderstorms – remember, thunderstorms require 3 ingredients, moisture, unstable air, and lifting action. These are typically found in the afternoon, during the heat of the day. Give thunderstorms wide berth, at least 50 miles! Get a good weather briefing, and update it as often as needed. And with the available technology now, on your EFB (electronic flight bag), and I use ForeFlight, the navigation apps will display ‘convective activity’, which is what thunderstorms are. ForeFlight is probably the most widely used EFB, with 1000’s of subscribers.

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Finally, IF you are in need of an experienced instructor to work with you, in YOUR AIRPLANE (I don’t work with renters) to improve ‘rusty’ IFR or VFR piloting skills, provide avionics training, add or finish your instrument rating, or anything else, I AM available! I WILL travel to YOUR location. Contact me for more information.

Fly safely!

John

Aircraft Checkouts; there’s more to it now – April 21, Flabob Airport

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 22:49:00 GMT

There are many things to consider when transitioning to a new aircraft, depending on the aircraft and how it’s equipped.

Last week…

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 05:19:00 GMT

Excellent commentary in AvBrief; SFO’s ILS PRM approach is no more! Flying an RJ! Flying to Mojave for lunch! My next 2 speaking engagements

The April 3, 2026, issue of the e newsletter AvBrief, has an excellent commentary written by a relatively new CFI, whom I know, and she is rightly questioning the state of flight training today, even with all the new learning technology available now. It has lots of food for thought. Titled, “Are we training pilots to pass tests or to think?” check it out online. I agree with her. Some have posted comments agreeing with this, on Facebook.

And then, in the same issue of AvBrief, is an article titled, ‘Report Calls for Major Flight Training Changes”, which has been published as an NPRM, which is really a proposal of an overhaul to FAR (Federal Aviation Regulation) 141, which is admittedly long overdue. However, normally when something is published as an NPRM, there is a 90-day comment period. This time, however, the FAA is only allowing 10 days for comments!

So, what’s the rationale behind only 10 days for this NPRM, and are they trying to ‘ram this through”? Good question. That is not nearly enough time for people to read this and submit comments. This question has also been posted on Facebook by some people, rightly asking us in the flight training community to contact the FAA and complain! We will see what happens.

FAR 141 is the regulation that covers FAA ‘approved’ flight training schools, that operate single and twin-engine piston aircraft that are used to train pilots. I have experience as an instructor working at an FAR 141 flying school, training pilots, many years ago when I was in Kenai, Alaska in the early 90’s.

Another publication that I receive has a story about a recent decision by the FAA to prohibit simultaneous visual approaches to runways 28L & R at San Francisco, that had been used for decades. Now aircraft will be ‘staggered’, or offset, not parallel (side-by-side) approaches anymore. It was the ILS PRM Approach even in good VFR weather. ILS PRM stands for Instrument Landing System Precision Radar Monitoring, where the radar ‘sweep’s the final approach course several times per second, to closely monitor each aircraft in close ‘proximity’ as I recall. So, if one aircraft were to veer slightly off course, towards the other ‘parallel’ aircraft, and would get into what was the NTZ, or ‘no-transgression zone’, then the air traffic controller who was ‘closely monitoring’ this on the radar, would immediately issue a command to the other aircraft to immediately ‘break off the approach’ so as to avoid any conflict! We had to train for this with each client. I played the role of air traffic controller in the simulator. Part of my job.

And why, you may wonder, do I even mention this, here? Well, back a few years ago when I was working as an instructor at FlightSafety International and part of my job was as simulator instructor, we had to train pilots in this approach, if they ever flew into SFO. Yep, the way things are now, for some operators (airlines and air ambulance), in other words, ‘flying for hire’, you cannot just fly into certain busy airports anymore unless you have first trained for it, in a simulator! Times have changed.

That’s the way it is now. Airplane simulator technology has become so sophisticated, that the FAA and aircraft insurance underwriters now require that certain operators (airline and charter) get experience flying into some airports in a ‘full-motion’ high fidelity (refers to the computer generated visual image, looking out the windshield) Level C or D simulators FIRST, before they do it in the airplane, for real.

So, I had to train and fly this approach myself, as well as then training my clients to properly fly it, as part of our required training. The same thing applies to other ‘challenging’, or ‘special’ airports as they are also known, typically in mountainous areas, like Aspen, and Rifle, Colorado, and the steep approach decent that is required to land. There are other airports in various locations in the US and around the world that also qualify for this kind of training.

On a completely different topic, a friend who is much younger has just been hired at a Regional Airline, for his first airline job, flying the Canadair Regional Jet, or RJ! It’s brining back a lot of memories for me, as I flew a twin turboprop, for what was then called a ‘commuter airline’, back in the 80’s. How times have changed!

My friend has now stepped up from training pilots, flying piston engine trainers to flying a twin-engine regional jet, with 50 passengers in back. What a HUGE change! He has recently completed his airlines extensive new-hire pilot training course. I have been in touch with him a few times as he has gone through his training, telling him what to expect. I’ve been there. We’ve been texting, of course.

And last Saturday, I flew my 150 north to Mojave, California (KMHV) to meet some friends who had also flown up from John Wayne Airport and Fullerton Airport. It was a 90-minute circuitous flight from Long Beach, KLGB. Mojave Airport has what is called a ‘boneyard’ on its’ premises, which because of the dry desert air, is a perfect place to store retired airliners that are no longer in service. Dozens are parked there, mothballed.

We had lunch at the famous Voyager Restaurant, which is a popular airport diner with an extensive menu and good food, and is named for the famous Burt Rutan designed 2-engine experimental aircraft, named Voyager, that was solely designed to be used for a one-time, non-stop, record-setting, unrefueled flight around-the-world flight, that took place, successfully, back in December, 14, 1986!

In plain English, on a clear day, if you were flying into San Fran, if you looked out the window, you’d see another airliner seemingly right along-side you, as they were ‘parallel’ approaches. Kind of cool to see, really. So, what difference does this make, you ask? Well according to the FAA’s decision, this cuts the ‘arrival rate’, so FEWER airline flights will be allowed to land each hour, from 54- down to 36 arrivals per hour. The two largest US airlines operating into SFO are Alaska and United.

Burt’s brother, Dick, who was a retired USAF pilot and flew the F-105 in Viet Nam. He flew the Voyager with co-pilot Jeana Yeager (no relation to USAF Gen Chuck Yeagar) They took off from Mojave, and returned to land there, 9 days later, putting Mojave on the map! The Voyager is now on display at the National Air and Space Museum, in Washington, DC.

This next week is another busy week for me. On Tuesday evening, I am speaking to the pilots at EAA Chapter 92’s monthly meeting, in Irvine, CA.

My topic? ‘Airplane Checkouts, there’s more to it now’. This is suddenly a popular topic. I’ve presented it about 5 times now. And I am scheduled to present it again later in April as well, to another EAA Chapter, Chapter 1, at Flabob Airport, in Riverside, CA, about 50 miles east of me.

And this just in; someone just went to my website to get in touch with me, and sent me a message via email telling me he is planning on flying his airplane to Oshkosh this summer and just read my story about flying my 150 to Oshkosh in 2022, in another publication, and is asking if I still have my flight plan from that? So here I have a chance to help a fellow pilot who is planning a trip to the aviation ‘mecca’ this summer! Of course, I will be happy to reply and tell him my route of flight! I appreciate the opportunity to help a fellow aviator in a situation like this! It’s a small world among those of us who fly! 

Finally, IF you need an experienced instructor to work with you, in YOUR AIRPLANE (I only work with aircraft owners, not renters) to improve ‘rusty’ IFR or VFR piloting skills, provide avionics training, add or finish your instrument rating, or anything else, I AM available! I WILL travel to YOUR location. Contact me for more information.

Also, in addition to flying airplanes and training pilots, I am also a freelance writer and speaker. In my pursuit of continuous learning and skill development, I recently completed a course offered by AWAI (American Writers and Artists Institute), on B2B (Business to Business) Copywriting, to ideally focus on the aviation industry. Please contact me about this if you want to learn more!

This week…

Fri, 27 Mar 2026 17:49:00 GMT

Speaker at FAPA, AOPA CFI Survey, Mike Melvill’s Passing, and more….

This is a busy month for me! But no complaints! I roll with it. 

On March 17 I was the speaker at the Fullerton Airport Pilots Association’s monthly meeting. There was a good turnout, more than 40 people in attendance. My topic; ‘SOPS’, aka Standard Operating Procedures, which typically applies to IFR flying, but VFR pilots can also benefit from these. It was well received. I’ve given this presentation before. I generally attend these monthly meetings, because they usually have good programs and I always learn something! And it’s a friendly group of people.

Then on March 18, I was one of a very small group, only 8 of us, from around the country, all CFI’s, among the many AOPA members who are instructors and who had received an email from a research firm hired by AOPA, asking if we were interested in participating in a 2-hour panel-discussion. I replied in the affirmative. To my surprised, I was notified a few days later that I had been selected!

The goal was to conduct a survey of a small group of members who are also instructors. We were paid an honorarium for our participation. The survey touched on various topics of interest in a moderated round table discussion conducted via the Zoom platform, that included current events, the future of flight training, and other pertinent things at AOPA. It was hosted by Collab Research. I found it to be quite interesting. Will this result in any changes at AOPA? Time will tell.

Then on March 19, 2026, famed aviator Mike Melvill, a South African native, ‘flew west’ as we say in the flying business, and passed away. He is perhaps most well-known for his role as a test pilot on Burt Rutan’s one-of-a-kind design, the SpaceShipOone, an experimental air-launched rocket-powered ‘spaceplane’ capable of sub-orbital space flight, capable of speeds of 2,000 mph, that was developed by Burt’s company, Scaled Composites.

Burt’s designs are very unconventional! But they all fly very well! I have had the opportunity to fly one of them, a Long-EZ as it’s called, with a friend who owns one. I had the good fortune to actually meet Burt, his brother Dick and Mike Melvill, once, years ago in October 2015 at the California Aviation Hall of Fame dinner, at the Santa Monica Museum of Flying, on Santa Monica Airport. It was a formal, Black-Tie event. The occasion was to induct some very accomplished people into this aviation Hall of Fame.

But as I walked around slowly taking in the event, seeing who all was there, I suddenly found myself standing near these three gentlemen, each a famous and accomplished aviation personality, so I stopped and politely listened to them for several minutes, thinking to myself, this is an amazing opportunity! I never in my wildest dreams thought I’d have a chance encounter like this! I was thinking, what can I possibly ask them?

It was an excellent week-long course, and under the tutelage of an excellent aerobatic instructor, I learned a TON about aerobatics, including spins, loops, 8-point rolls, inverted flight, simulated jammed flight controls, extreme unusual attitude recoveries and more! Fun and challenging! And even though we were pulling several “G’s, I did not ‘toss lunch’ aka get airsick! Nope.

Burt is a brilliant and innovative, a visionary, and an aeronautical engineer by training, having graduated from California Poly-Tech State University, in San Lius Obispo. So, I was finally able to think of a good question, and finally asked respectfully, “Mr. Rutan, where do you get the ideas for your designs?”, expecting possibly an in-depth aeronautical engineering type answer, way over my head. But nope! Not at all. Instead, to my surprise, he laughed and turned around and reaching back with his hand towards his rear end, and then forward again, in a sweeping motion, and said, “I pull ‘em out of my ass!” and we all laughed!! That was great!

I was there to hopefully meet another famous and accomplished aviatrix, the late Iris Critchell, whom I did finally get to meet after it ended.

On a different topic, more sobering, on March 23, 2026, the crash at KLGA. A reginal jet on its landing rollout at New York’s LaGuardia struck an airport fire truck, which was crossing the same runway, responding to an emergency on the other side of LaGuardia. It turns out the fire truck was not equipped with a transponder, so it was not seen by the air traffic controllers ADSE surface radar. The results were tragic, with both the pilots on the CRJ being killed in the collision when the RJ struck the fire truck.

And on Saturday, March 28, as a member of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) Squadron 40 at Fullerton Airport, I will be participating in what is called a SAREX, or search and rescue exercise, that is being conducted at Riverside Airport. Like anything else, we have to practice these ‘missions’ so that we are ready when there is an actual ‘search and rescue. It will be my first time in years participating.

And, then yesterday, among the many aviation e newsletters that I subscribe to, trying to keep up with what’s happening in the aviation world, I saw this in the March 26 issue of General Aviation News email. There is an article by a colleague, Rich Stowll, who is well known in the industry as ‘the spin doctor’. “Elegant Conciseness: How Power-Push-Pull Simplifies In-Flight Crises.” Check it out.

Rich’s career as a CFI is unique in that he has specialized in stalls, spins, and upset recovery training, aka UPRT. By his own count, Rich has done more than 35,000 spins! I took Rich’s course back in 1994, yep, 32 years ago now, at Santa Paula Airport, in Santa Paula, Southern California.

It greatly expanded my own ‘comfort zone’ as a pilot, and I learned how to better handle this area of the airplanes’ performance envelope, in what is called ‘the utility category’. And doing these maneuvers in the airplane , is so different that doing them in a full-motion Level C or D simulator like I later did when I was at FlightSafety and doing these during my own training, because there are no ‘G’ forces in a simulator. I highly recommend this course or one like it if possible, to improve your piloting skills!

—

Finally, here’s a really basic safety tip for you…regardless of the kind of flying that you do; always ask yourself, what’s next? What are the next 2 things? Stay ahead of the airplane, don’t get behind it!! Seriously. Regardless of the increase in amount of automation found in modern cockpits, and what you are flying. Some pilots just get complacent. There’s no place for that in flying. Stay mentally ahead of the airplane!

Fly safely!

John

This month…

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 21:13:00 GMT

I am involved with a few local aviation organizations that meet at various times and dates during the month. March 4 was the Long Beach Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT’s) monthly ‘meet and greet’, where the controllers meet and socialize with fellow pilots, at a venue on the Long Beach Airport. Not a ‘formal meeting’. Casual. No particular agenda, except maybe get answers to ATC related questions. Just ‘get to know’. This month was at the LA County Sheriff’s Dept. Aero squadron. They operate a fleet of helicopters to do their job, covering the more than 4,000 sq. mi LA basin from the air, serving and protecting the citizens, as needed. Last month was at a tenant’s corporate hangar. I don’t know of many other ATC facilities that do this. They also have a monthly newsletter that I sometimes contribute to, and a Facebook page.

I have attended a few of these, and they are fun and always draw a crowd. They typically go from about 8am until around 10. They serve coffee and breakfast items. There’s frequently upwards of 100 or more. Is it the free coffee and munchies? It’s a fun chance to meet and greet other aviators in a casual setting and make new friends! Pictured above is the Eurocopter A350.

One young man I found myself talking to, was telling me about his flight training experience while working on his instrument rating, which is required to be able to fly in the clouds, like the airlines do. I was appalled as I listened in horror to his story, and how some instructors are training pilots now!

He was telling me that one of his instructors, whom he is no longer working with, had significantly changed the syllabus, jumping right into the later, advanced stages of training, and completely skipping the initial, building blocks stages!! Hmm. Is this how some instructors are training pilots now? I was shocked and immediately pointed out several problems with the changes his instructor had made. And he agreed. I compared flight training to building a house. Say what?? There’s no comparison? Think again. With a house or any kind of structure, you have to build the foundation FIRST, right? He instructor had skipped that, going right to the advanced training. Hopefully this is a RARE occurrence! But this is just one example of things that can happen in flight training. Pictured above right is the Eurocopter’s modern glass-cockpit. No more ‘steam gauges.

I gave him my card and told him to please get in touch with me if he has any training questions. So far I have not heard from him. Hopefully he is doing ok.

So last week was a busy week for me with several aviation activities. On Tuesday, March 3, I drove to Riverside to speak to EAA Chapter 1712. They had reached out to me, because their scheduled speaker had canceled. Some of them meet for dinner before the meeting at a local family- owned Italian restaurant, and for my efforts, they treated me to dinner. The food and company were good!

The meeting was well attended, with about 40 in attendance, and instead of creating a presentation, which I normally do, I decided to have some fun with one of many online quizzes. I had my laptop connected to the internet, and the display was projected on a a large screen. So, I used some of Boldmethod’s interactive quizzes and we had fun with those. This resulted in a group discussion, which was my goal, to get the audience involved! We discussed several VFR scenarios, with questions and answers.

Their website is www.boldmethod.com Are you familiar with them? They have been around for years. They send out weekly emails with a fun quiz attached to test your knowledge.

Then on Tuesday, March 10 was SoCal Pilots monthly meeting. They meet in the Admin. building at John Wayne Airport, on the west side of the airport. They always have a safety topic, that counts for FAA Wings Credit. And then on Thursday, March 12, was EAA’s Chapter 7, which I am also a member of. It’s a fun and informative meeting, covering a wide range of aviation activities. We have a mix of members, from very young to ‘older’, like me! All are aviation enthusiasts! Always fun!

There’s more but I’ll leave it at that for now. I try to attend these aviation activities when possible. It’s always fun to mingle with other aviators. The camaraderie is great! And I always learn something!

And, next week on Tuesday, March 17, I am doing a presentation at Fullerton Airport, for the Fullerton Airport Pilots Association. My topic? SOPS for IFR flying.

Finally, if you need an experienced instructor to work with you, in YOUR AIRPLANE (I only work with aircraft owners), to improve ‘rusty’ IFR or VFR piloting skills, provide avionics training, add your instrument rating, or anything else, I AM available! I will travel to YOUR location. Contact me for more information.

Fly safely!

John

John will present IFR SOPS at FAPA’s March 2026 meeting, Tuesday March 17. Location, the Fullerton Young Aviators Hangar, across from the old AFI building, at 7pm.

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 23:45:00 GMT

John will discuss SOPS and how they can help both VFR and IFR pilots, and how you can incorporate them into your flying procedures, so you will be a better and safer, pilot, during every phase of flight.

Aircraft Checkouts; there’s more to it now – Jan. 21, Torrance Airport

Sat, 20 Dec 2025 17:14:00 GMT

Aircraft Checkouts; there's more to it now – Jan. 21, Torrance Airport — There are many things to consider now, depending on the aircraft, and how it's

Wright Brothers Anniversary and Year End Wrap-up

Fri, 19 Dec 2025 23:20:00 GMT

December 17 was the anniversary of Orville and Wilbur’s first powered flight, on the sands of Kill Devil Hill, at Kitty Hawk, NC, on a windy winter day! And more than a center later, how far we’ve come! Now we have drone’s and UAV’s, that’s Unmanned Aerial Vehicle’s.

In order to learn more about drones’ and UAV’s, I took the online training and test 4 years ago, in June 2021, and now I have a ‘Remote Pilot’ certificate, issued by the FAA, to fly a UAV, or Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, aka small Unmanned Aircraft System aka sUAS. But I have not attempted to fly one yet, via remote control, nor do I own one, yet.

And December 17 was also the 90th anniversary of the venerable Doulas DC-3, shown below, which is a workhorse! It was manufactured by Donald Douglas at his factory in Santa Monica, CA. It has served both the military the airlines, as well as many other civilian roles over the decades. And they are still in service! I got checked out in a DC-3 as co-pilot in September 2021. What fun!

Douglas DC-3 Transport

It’s been a few months since I’ve written anything for this blog. I have been busy and I also hit a writer’s block! Ugh. No fun. Hopefully that’s behind me now. There’s a lot going on in the aviation world, so there’s should be plenty to comment on., and stories to share, and lessons to be learned.

Looking back, what’s the biggest thing that’s happened this year in the aviation world? Without a doubt, it’s the FAA’s passing what is called MOSAIC, which is a new ruling, that was announced by Transportation Secretary Duffy at AirVenture in July. It affects both pilot and aircraft certification. It simplifies things.

MOSAIC is the ‘Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification’, which is a mouthful. It spells out how both ‘Sport Pilot’, which is a grade of FAA Pilot Certificate, and ‘Sport Aircraft’ which is a category of aircraft, will be certified, going forward. It simplifies the process, saving both time and money. It’s been 20 years in the making. The part affecting pilot certification went into effect on October 22, 2025, after a 90-day review. The part affecting aircraft certification will go into effect next July 2026 during AirVenture.

It’s way too soon to have any accident statistics for this year, but we got off to a really bad start in January, with two tragic accidents. The first was the accident involving an experimental aircraft, an RV-10, when the gullwing door suddenly popped open after takeoff, while climbing out, and the pilot struggled to hold the door while trying to maintain control and fly the aircraft. He was not successful and crashed into a building while trying to return to land at Fullerton Airport, in Fullerton, CA. Both occupants, the father and daughter were killed. Tragic!

The second was the tragic mid-air collision in Washington, DC, in January, between the RJ (Regional Jet) on final approach to Ronald Regan National Airport, and the Army helicopter over the Potomac River. Tragic. All persona onboard both aircraft were killed.

One of the goals of my writing this is to hopefully make a difference towards safer pilots and safer skies. This is part of my contribution to general aviation safety, as a safety advocate. I am also a speaker, and an active CFII, specializing in IFR training.

In fact, on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, I am scheduled to speak to a group of pilots at Torrance Airport (KTOA), in Torrance, CA. My topic; ‘Aircraft Checkouts, there’s more to it now’. I will be addressing MOSAIC as part of this. It is open to the public and will count for FAA Wings Credit.

Finally, if you need an experienced instructor to work with you, in YOUR AIRPLANE (I only work with aircraft owners), to improve ‘rusty’ piloting skills, provide avionics training, add your instrument rating, or anything else, I AM available! Contact me for more information.

Wishing all of you who read this, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!

Fly safely,

John

My YouTube Webinar, August 16, 2025, SOPS for IFR

Sat, 30 Aug 2025 17:05:00 GMT

Learn about John Mahany's IFR standard operating procedures webinar and how SOPs can support safer, more consistent instrument flying.

Over 704,000 attended AirVenture this year!

Fri, 29 Aug 2025 17:33:00 GMT

Think of this as Sport Pilot 2.0, and LSA 2.0. With this ruling, pilots who have been flying in the Light Sport Category, which was previously limited to 2 seat aircraft weighing no more than #1,320#, will have options. Under MOSAIC, they will now be able to fly larger single engine aircraft, like the Cessna 182 Skylane, that will now qualify for Light Sport. However, the new MOSAIC ruling still limits a Sport Pilot to only 1 passenger, even in a 4-seat airplane. As it says on the EAA website, about 75% of the general aviation fleet will now be accessible for Sport Pilots.

And, next year, on July 24, 2026, newer, modern aircraft will be entering the general aviation fleet with minimal certification costs, according to EAA. Some will be from manufacturers outside the US. This will be exciting to see what new designs foreign aircraft manufacturers come up with, to compete in the US general aviation marketplace.

All of this is spelled out on the EAA’s website, https://www.eaa.org/eaa/advocacy/top-issues/mosaic-aircraft-certificate . So I am not going to comment on all of that, here.

Also, there are 2 sides to MOSAIC; first, as it applies to pilot certification, and second, to aircraft certification. The pilot side becomes effective in mid-October 2025, and the airplane certification rules take effective next summer, in July 2026. Stay tuned for more information on this!

One more thing; if you are in need of an experienced instructor to work with you, in YOUR AIRPLANE, to improve your knowledge base, your piloting skills, provide avionics training, or anything else, I AM available! Contact me for more information.

Fly safely,

John

47 years ago today

Fri, 15 Aug 2025 21:59:00 GMT

That airport is long gone. And since then, my flying ‘career’ has become an aerial journey, a long and winding path for me, with a few obstacles along the way. Not smooth sailing like some. But that’s just the way life goes. And now, after many, many years flying, I still have not become ‘jaded’ or burned out like some colleagues I have worked with over the years. Nope. The excitement over for them, just another day, another dollar. That’s their problem, not mine!

Nope. And in spite of the obstacles encountered along the way, I STILL have a ‘beginners’ mindset’,  being open to learning and new ideas, and still have the youthful exuberance and excitement about flying. I still have a passion for flying and a sense of adventure, though the pay checks have not always been steady in my career. Nope. Just the way it goes sometimes. And, I have learned to adapt! An important lesson in life.

However, now my passion for flying is tempered by the wisdom gained through experience, broad exposure to many aspects of flying, including charter, corporate and airline flying, and of course, mountain flying, as well as gliders and seaplanes, and I know better now about when to ‘go’ and when ‘not to’; aka the go/no-go decision, depending on a number of things.

I don’t let emotions get the upper hand anymore. Safety first, always. I don’t want to scare myself or anyone else. No need to play ‘hero’. Nope. I don’t want to become a statistic. Too many people in the aviation community know me. I don’t want to ‘screw-up’ and embarrass myself!

Along the way, I have had the opportunity to fly a wide range of aircraft, from ultra-lights to jets, and have gained wide-ranging experience, partly due to my own curiosity. And, after 47 years, I am finally approaching 10,000 hours flying time, a long-time goal! And the learning continues! Always 

And I am now actively involved in the ‘general aviation’ aka GA community, and pass onto other pilots some of what I have learned over the years, via freelance writing for various aviation publications, safety seminars and webinars. I have been doing this for over 20 years now. Its’ FUN!! And I love the camaraderie among pilots, when we gather! It’s part of the fun of flying!

And in fact, early tomorrow morning, at 7am Pacific Time, 9am Central Time, I will be presenting an FAA Safety Seminar, as part of the FAASTeam’s ‘Coffee and Wings’ Saturday morning safety seminar series, presented via the Zoom platform. My topic, ‘IFR SOPs for GA Pilots’. Say what? In other words, in plain English, what are known as ‘standard operating procedures or sop’s, for general aviation pilots when flying by reference to ‘instruments’ like the airlines do. It’s just a better way to fly. I am sure many businesses have standard procedures they follow that govern the way they operate.

The host is Laura Herrmann, and she is in Minneapolis, MN. It has a global audience now, with viewers across the US and many foreign countries. It will be fun! I am told that there might be as many as 2,000 attendees! Here’s a link https://www.faasafety.gov/SPANS/event_details.aspx?eid=138453&caller=/SPANS/events/EventList.aspx

It will be recorded and will be available for later viewing on a YouTube channel. I will post a link for that when it happens, sometime in the next week.

And what’s next for me? There are more airplanes that I would like to fly, more flying adventures that I’d like to go on, more pilots that I hope to train, more content that I want to create and publish or post online, etc. There are many new developments in aviation that I want to learn more about. This includes the recently passed ‘MOSAIC’ (Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification), that was announced at AirVenture, in Oshkosh, which applies to the LSA, or Light Sport Category and greatly expands and improves the LSA operations. There will be more to say about that. It will create more opportunities for me as a flight instructor!

In short, I am learning and moving forward! Not sitting around. Nope. I am staying actively involved! 

My goal? Simply stated, the same as the AOPA’s Air Safety Foundation, which is based in Frederick, MD; safer pilots, safer skies, one pilot at a time.

One more thing; if you are in need of an experienced instructor to work with you, in YOUR AIRPLANE, to improve your knowledge base, your piloting skills, avionics training, or anything else, I AM available! Contact me for more information.

Fly safely,

John

En Route to Oshkosh – AirVenture starts July 20!

Fri, 18 Jul 2025 03:54:00 GMT

People are posting on Facebook with where they are, on their way. It’s fun to watch. It’s an adventure just flying to AirVenture! And with the available technology now, you can watch this, online, from wherever you are, with a device and an internet connection. By this weekend, the skies close to Oshkosh will be filled with airplanes, and you will be able to watch this on www.flightaware.com Also, they have set up several webcams on the grounds, and you can catch the action here https://www.eaa.org/airventure/live

Some of the week’s highlights –

The 90th anniversary of the Douglas DC-3

The 100th anniversary of the Vintage Travel Air and Fairchild Aircraft

Plus, everything else that is ongoing at AirVenture. Its non-stop action, all day, every day. There’s nothing quite like it. As many times as I’ve been, there’s always more to see. The event planners outdo themselves!!

Samaritan’s Purse DC-8 will be on display

And EAA is continuing in its’ efforts to make flying and aircraft ownership more attainable. It is the driving force behind the proposed Modernization of Airworthiness Certificates, aka MOSAIC for short. An announcement about MOSAIC is expected by the FAA sometime this summer. That will be BIG news for the general aviation industry!

Here is this year’s poster, on the right, available for free as a download from https://www.eaa.org/airventure

Poster Thumbnail

I hope to provide updates while I am there. I will have to find the time, in the midst of a hectic week, but that’s my plan. 

Fly safely,

John

AirVenture Oshkosh, are you going?

Sat, 12 Jul 2025 23:39:00 GMT

I’ve been there myself many times. And in 2022, I flew there in my 150, and I’ve flown in there with others as well, in their aircraft. It’s a challenge each time. You a HAVE to be on your ‘A’ GAME!! Seriously! So many airplanes converging on Oshkosh! Did you know that air traffic controllers from around the country bid to work ‘Oshkosh’ during the convention? Yes, they do! It’s a challenge for them, as well, managing or juggling the mix of traffic, as they all converge on ‘OSH’, from fast jets to slow props, and getting them lined up, with enough spacing, and all safely on the ground at Oshkosh….it’s quite a feat! And it’s amazing to watch, also!

And the flight planning for this is different, especially if you don’t go on a lot of long flights. If your typical flight is a local flight for breakfast or lunch, this is quite different! If you don’t normally deal with weather, this ‘trip’ will be different. You may encounter weather-related delays on the way, or even mechanical delays. Have you ever had to deal with that before? It might take you a few days of flying to get there, depending on where you start from. There are many things to consider. And quite a lot of decision making, or ADM (aeronautical decision-making) as pilots refer to it.

What’s the weather? IFR/MVFR/VFR?

How much fuel do you have? How many gallons per hour do you burn at cruise?

What’s your range? When and where do you plan to stop for fuel?

How do you check for weather? There are many sources now.

What’s your route of flight?

Do you find someone in another airplane to fly along with you, in loose formation? Some do, some don’t. I flew alone. On my own schedule. Easier for me that way.

Do you fly early in the morning, or later in the day, or at night? Depends on if you are a ‘morning person’ or a night owl?

These are all decisions that have to be made. And now, with so many pilots having electronic ‘devices’ that provide them with real-time weather information, they should have a better idea of the weather, and more. But many pilots still lack a good understanding of weather and make poor weather-related decisions as a result. And things still go wrong. The weather changes. And some pilots don’t get updates. The forecast winds change. And you have to be able to adapt to a changing situation. Some people stubbornly do not adapt well to changing situations, and they suffer the consequences.

The best general advice? Regardless of your experience, or the aircraft you are flying, BE CONSERVATIVE in your planning! Don’t ‘push it’. When I flew my Cessna 150 to Oshkosh, I planned a fuel stop about every 2 hours, give or take. Sometimes there was not a suitable airport at the 2-hour point, so I’d either land sooner, or continue onto a suitable airport. That helped considerably. My fuel gauges showed about ½ full when I landed for fuel. This is just one example. The regulations allow VFR pilots to land with only 30-minute reserve during the day. That is the minimum amount. That is not enough for me. I prefer an hour.

One other thing; I did NOT fly into the evening. Nope! I ONLY flew during the day, in good weather. I always landed by about 6pm, well before sunset, regardless. I did NOT push it, into the evening, with dusk approaching. Everything changes after dark. I speak from experience, having extensive night flying experience, when I was an airline pilot, some years, ago. That’s DIFFERENT! In a well-equipped turbine powered airplane, good avionics on board, etc. being part of a crew. Not alone.

About two months ago now, a Cessna Citation (jet) crashed short of the runway at San Diego’s Montgomery Airport, in the early morning hours, before the air traffic control tower was open, and all on board were killed in the crash! Unfortunately, the pilot decided to fly this approach even though he was probably fighting fatigue because he had been flying all night, the weather was not good, and there were some equipment problems at the destination airport. He should have diverted to another more suitable airport, with better weather, but foolishly, he did not. Several people died as a result. Accidents like this give ALL of us a bad name!

No one is typically around at smaller airports, non-towered airports, after dark. I did NOT take ANY chances, being alone, at a small airport, after dark, and then, just my luck, not be able to find the self-service fuel island, or the self-serve fuel kiosk may not work, etc. or the pilot- controlled lighting (PCL) may not work, etc. It’s happened before.

So, that’s my advice. Be conservative. Always have options!  Have plenty of fuel, have daylight, carry some spares, and some basic tools. You are more relaxed and think much better when it’s like this! Seems obvious, but some chose not to follow this guidance. That’s their choice. I’ve learned, and am wiser for it. My bucket of ‘experience’ is growing with each hour that I fly. All part of it.

And this worked out well for me! Lots of planning, and I tried hard to avoid BIG surprises! Little surprises, I can handle. I am not flying my 150 to Oshkosh this year. My ‘gut’ feeling was to ‘not fly myself’ back this year. Nope. And my 150 has had some mechanical problems, as well, perhaps the result of being 50 years old? So, I have replaced the battery and the alternator. I’m flying back on the airlines. A goal is for me to get a bigger, more capable single-engine airplane, but I’m not there yet. I know what I want, but it’s beyond my financial means, right now.

By the way, I am planning on making videos each day while at AirVenture, in addition to taking pictures, and hope to post them on social media, like Facebook or Instagram. I will have to see how this works out. I will be too busy during the day, so hopefully in the evenings.

And, if you are in need of an experienced instructor to work with you, in YOUR AIRPLANE, improve your piloting skills, perhaps provide avionics training, or whatever you may want to work on, I AM available! Contact me for more information.

Fly safely!

John

FAA’s Coffee and Wings Webinar August 16; IFR SOPs

Thu, 10 Jul 2025 21:10:00 GMT

On Saturday, August 16, 2025, at 0900 CST, 0700 PST, John will present this as via zoom as a webinar for the FAA’s Coffee and Wings program, which is hosted by Laura Herrmann, in Minneapolis, MN. This will count for FAA Wings Credit. If you are interested in this webinar and want to get Wings Credit, go to www.faasafety.gov/SPANS/event to sign up.

In this presentation, John discusses what are referred to among professional pilots as Standard Operating Procedures, or SOPs. for short. This PPT addresses SOPs and how they can be applied when flying IFR in general aviation airplanes. However, VFR pilots can also apply some of these SOPs to their flying.

SOPs generally start before the flight, and continue throughout the entire flight, finally ending after landing, when you taxi in, park the airplane and shut down on the ramp. They provide guidance to the pilots during each phase of flight, so the pilot(s) know what is expected. This results in a safer operation overall.

See how you can apply these to your flying, to be a better, safer IFR or VFR pilot, whether flying single pilot (SP) or as part of a 2-pilot crew. Some are common-sense procedures, also known as ‘generally accepted industry practices’, that may vary, depending on the operator, but that result in conducting safer flight operations

EAA Chapter 1712; Riverside Airport, Aug. 5, FAA Safety Seminar

Thu, 10 Jul 2025 20:54:00 GMT

John will be presenting to EAA Chapter 1712, at their monthly meeting, at Riverside Municipal Airport, in the Lobby of the Admin Building, on Tuesday, August 5, at 6:30pm. His topic; Airplane Checkouts – there’s more to it now.

There are many things to consider now, depending on the aircraft, and how its’ equipped. The goal is, what’s required to get a good, thorough check out, from an experienced and knowledgeable CFI, in a different make and model aircraft than what you have flown before, so that you will be a good, safe, competent pilot.

John is a long time CFI and has flown a wide variety of aircraft over the years, so he has some valuable tips to pass on to pilots when they decide to get checked out in a new aircraft.

Engine Failure After Takeoff!!

Mon, 26 May 2025 16:24:00 GMT

Engine failure after takeoff!!

It’s been a long time, many months, since last year, August 2024, that I last posted anything here. My excuse? I’ve just been busy with lots of stuff! Life gets in the way. Now, I want to get back to it. And, hopefully, on a regular basis!

It’s been a bad year so far for aviation! We’ve been in the news since nearly the first of the year with several aircraft accidents, all unrelated! What is going on?? It’s many different things. My goal in writing this blog is to try to contribute and make a difference, however small it may be, towards safer pilots, and safer skies.

I feel a strong sense of obligation to pass onto other pilots some of what I have learned, to help them improve their aviation knowledge and piloting skills, and become better, safer pilots. This is the reason that I am a flight instructor, or CFI, and provide training to pilots.

And if I can help just one pilot to learn something from my writing, then it is worthwhile! I cannot sit quietly on the sidelines, as things happen. Nope. But I haven’t been. I’ve been actively involved with many things. I just have not found the time to comment. But that has to change. Thus, I am restarting this blog, writing about my various flying adventures and lessons learned along the way, along with commenting on the aviation industry and safety trends when appropriate, in hopes that it can and will benefit some aviators, somewhere. 

And on Saturday. May 24, 2025, something quite unexpected happened as I was departing Riverside, California, intending to fly back to Long Beach, in my Cessna 150.

But a brief backstory is in order, first. The airplane had been ‘down’, not flyable, for 3 weeks starting in late April, during the required yearly, hence the term, ‘annual’, maintenance inspection. Yep, it’s an FAA requirement for ALL aircraft, whether jets, props, gliders or whatever, that they be inspected by an FAA certified mechanic (A&P) aka Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic, who does the work, and an I/A (inspector) who inspects and ‘signs off’ the work if done properly, and attests that it is airworthy. This is to make sure they are ‘safe to fly. Makes sense. As far as I know, aircraft mechanics are the only ‘government certified’ mechanics’.

My mechanic had discovered a few things that needed to be fixed or replaced. And that took some time. Finally, after 3 weeks, it was airworthy again! Yeah!

So, on Friday, May 23, I drove to the airport where N747KY is tied down and did a preflight inspection to get it ready for a short maintenance test flight. And I had it fueled, so I was starting out with full tanks. It would only be a short flight, ‘once around the pattern’ as we say. Just to make sure everything is working. The test flight was uneventful, as expected.

The next day, I planned to fly it about 40 miles east to Riverside Airport, for what is called ‘display day’. The state of California tax assessor has declared that aircraft and marine vessels, more than 35 years old, are considered ‘vintage’. If they are properly ‘displayed’ for public viewing, 12 times a year, at designated locations and get a ‘signoff’ attesting to that; then the owners are exempted from paying the property tax on the aircraft or vessel. The property tax is equal to 1% of the value of the aircraft or vessel. It can add up!

So, I flew uneventfully to Riverside Airport, identifier KRAL, and landed, and got my paperwork signed off. There was actually a good turnout on the ramp, with many airplanes being displayed, and I chatted with some of the pilots. It was fun to see the various vintage aircraft from days gone by.

Then I got ready to leave, and started up and taxied to the run-up area, and did the run-up and pre-takeoff checks. So far, so good. Then I taxied to runway 27 (magnetic heading 270°, aka west) and waited for my takeoff clearance. Once cleared for takeoff, I taxied onto the runway centerline and smoothly applied full power. Everything was normal, accelerating down the runway. Reaching rotation speed, I applied back pressure and took off, starting to climb. It was accelerating and climbing out normally. And then suddenly, at about 200’ above the ground, the engine suddenly sputtered and a glance at the RPM (tach) showed it was fluctuating wildly, varying 500 – 700 RPM!!, and then just as suddenly, the engine stopped, and the RPM dropped down to 0! Zero!?! OMG. This was a first! I’ve never had this happen, for real, in 40+ years of flying! But I’ve practiced simulated engine failures many, many times over the years, in a variety of aircraft, during countless training flights and simulator training sessions. So, I know the drill, though it varies, depending on the aircraft.

Ok, I could see runway ahead (I had taken off on the long runway), so this had happened in an ideal place! I was not somewhere over inhospitable terrain or a congested urban area. That would be bad. I could make a safe uneventful landing on a runway! God is my co-pilot!  The obvious thing to do was to land straight ahead on the remaining runway! Fortunately, this had not happened 30 seconds or 1 minute later! Then I would have flown beyond the airport boundary. That could have changed the outcome.

I immediately lowered the nose and as the engine had stopped producing power at this point, to maintain airspeed, and I silently glided/descended towards the runway. Oh, and I had the presence of mind to make a radio call to the Riverside (ATC) Control Tower, telling them, as I recall; ‘7KY engine failure landing straight ahead’ and then I focused on landing. I don’t even recall if they responded. A few seconds later I flared, landed and was on the ground, rolling out at a high rate of speed but slowing since there was no power now and the propeller had stopped rotating.

I was approaching the intersection of a crossing runway that was not in use, runway 16/34 and turned left onto it, and continued left onto a taxi way, then turned right, and stopped on the ramp.

By now the tower had called me and asked if I needed any assistance. I told the tower to stand by (in ATC lingo, that means the pilot is busy and unable to reply; the priority is to FLY THE AIRPLANE), and I’d get back to them.

I had not declared an emergency. I just sat there for a minute and tried to figure out what had happened. Why had the engine suddenly failed, after running normally and getting me to Riverside? Hmm.

I attempted to restart the engine 2 or 3 times. It ran briefly then stopped, each time. Perhaps a problem with the fuel? Hmm. What could it be? I tried starting again and this time it started, and continued running, so I called Riverside Ground Control and requested taxi back to the transient ramp, where I wanted to park the airplane.

Once parked, I texted a pilot friend at another airport to see if he might be able to fly to KRAL to pick me up, if needed, to fly me back to Long Beach. And then I called my mechanic who had just done the ‘annual’ inspection. I had expected to leave a voicemail, but he answered! I explained what had happened. Frank listened and was equally surprised. He decided to drop what he was doing and drive to Riverside Airport to find out what had happened. I decided to have lunch at the airport café and wait for him.

90 minutes later he arrived. LA freeway traffic can be bad, even on a weekend. We went out to the airplane. I had ‘sumped’ the fuel again, taking a small sample and checking for water in the fuel. It happens. Water can sometimes get into the tanks, the result of condensation, leaks and sometimes during refueling. And water is heavier (8#/gal.) than avgas (6#/gal), so water is on the bottom in a fuel strainer, easier to see. And avgas, as aviation gasoline is called, is dyed light blue so it is not confused with other fuels. Jet fuel, aka Jet-A, is clear by comparison. The wings tanks showed no sign of water. But the engine sump was different. Being the low point in the system. I had checked it but did not see any water. Turns out I did not check it enough.

When Frank got there, we opened the cowl and I pulled the spring-loaded fuel drain ‘tab’ on the top of the engine, and Frank had a clear plastic cup down below. The fuel from the low point in the system drained into that. And now we could see water in the fuel. At least ½ cup of water, or more!! The culprit! For some reason, water particles had gotten into the fuel and had been suspended in the fuel. But now we could see them. And we continued to drain fuel into the cup. We could see more water. For any number of reasons, this had happened.

We continued to drain fuel until there was no more water showing. Then Frank suggested I start the engine and just sit there and run it for a few minutes, to see how it ran. So, I did that, adding and reducing power a few times, and it ran fine. No more water in the fuel. Then I shut it down and we checked one more time for water in the fuel. None showing. So, then I started up and taxied out and then took off and flew once around the airport, landed, then taxied in. Frank was there waiting. I gave him a thumbs up and taxied back and took off and flew uneventfully back to Long Beach. Finally!

We suspect that the fuel truck had not been properly checked for water in the tank, and when I had the airplane fueled on Friday morning before the test flight, it was actually fueled with some contaminated fuel. But it took 2 flights in my airplane before it showed up. And even though I did sump the tanks, checking for water contamination, but it had not shown up, yet. So, more lessons learned. Always something. 

Fly safely!

John

AirVenture 2024! – IF you missed it, it was AWESOME!!

Mon, 05 Aug 2024 04:53:00 GMT

It’s wrap! AirVenture ended on July 28th, and it’s a week later already. But it stays with you!! I’m STILL jazzed up about it!!  And this past week has been excellent, as well! I’m on a roll!! Wahoo!! So many aviation activities!!

On Wednesday, I had signed up with the Aero Club of Southern California to take a tour of the Mojave Air and Space Port, at Mojave Airport, in Mojave, CA, about 100 miles north of LAX, up in the Mojave Desert. This includes Scaled Composites and the National Test Pilot School. Cool stuff like the Stratolaunch, shown here; a one-of-a kind 6 engined behemoth, designed by iconic aircraft designer Burt Rutan, used to carry manned air-to-launch rockets that you simply don’t see anywhere else!

Then on Thursday, from 12 – 2pm, an FBO (Fixed Base Operator), ACI, at John Wayne Airport hosted an outdoor ‘Summer Mixer’, with free food, drinks and live music in one of the ‘hangar alleys’ (a row of hangars) on the airport. I saw several friends there, of course. Then Friday night was a ‘TGIF’ dinner with a group of my pilot friends who meet weekly for dinner at various restaurants in Orange County, and we naturally talk airplane stuff, and then on Saturday, the yearly Del Amo Flyers hangar party, at Torrance Airport. What a blast!! This is one of many aviation organizations that I belong to. It’s all fun! One of the members opens his hangar for this. A whole lot of fun! What a week!!

So, back to Oshkosh; there is just so much to see and not enough time!! And it’s the people as well! I have friends and colleagues that I only see once a year in Oshkosh! I keep saying that, BUT it’s TRUE!! It’s Disneyland to the MAX for aviators and aviation enthusiasts!! I go all day every day for 6 days, and I’m NOT worn out at the end. I still have plenty of energy. AirVenture energizes me!! 

The final numbers from EAA are in, for the week. Total attendance, 686,000!! From around the world! 1,600 seminars and workshops!! The graphic at left was posted on Facebook by a friend.

It’s simply amazing, and in spite of the large numbers, the crowd is well mannered and respectful, and you don’t see any litter on the grounds. It’s NOT like a rock concert, with crazy out of control fans. Nothing like that.

When asked, what was my favorite thing? I DON’T have an answer. There are so many things. The daily airshow? The aircraft on static display? The USAF F-35 Raptor doing a fly-by with afterburners on and the ear shattering sound of the burners?? Or the Wednesday night airshow? The world-class museum? Some of the speakers? Vendors with cool new gadgets? Or the new tech stuff on display in the Garmin Exhibit, just to name a few things. It’s hard for me to choose.

I also did a lot of networking, of course, and that went well also. I had signed up to attend several dinners, Monday thru Thursday. I am trying to ‘stir up trouble’ in a good way, hoping that I can find new opportunities for work! This is THE place to meet people, in person, instead of online. I think that went well. Time will tell.

So, a crazy busy fun 2 weeks now!!

Finally, I am available IF you are in need of any flight or ground training for anything, please let me know.

Fly safely!

John

AirVenture 2024!

Wed, 24 Jul 2024 04:17:00 GMT

Dateline Oshkosh Wisconsin & AirVenture

EAA AirVenture 2024 is underway! Under clear skies, EAA AirVenture Oshkosh got underway on Monday. I was up at 5am to make sure I was there in time. I am staying about 25 miles away in the dorms at Ripon College this year. The UWO dorms were full.

Monday was my day to just see as much of it as I could see, because starting Tuesday I will be volunteering for 2 organizations, SAFE and FAN. SAFE is the Society of Aviation and Flight Educators, of which I was a founding member, back in 2009. FAN is the Florida Aviation Network, which is a non-profit aviation media organization that I got involved with about 10? years ago. They arrange for me to get media/press credentials and admission to the convention.

This week it is expected that over 600,000 people will attend! There is so much to see, with over 10,000 aircraft parked on the grounds, as well as seminars, workshops, aircraft doing fly-bys, along with nearly 800 exhibitors, and more. And a daily air show that starts at 3pm each day. You simply cannot take it all in! The event planners outdo themselves every yea! And EAA also has a number of trams that provide transportation around the grounds, driven by volunteers. There are over 5,000 volunteers that make AirVenture happen.

According to the health app on my iPhone, on Monday I walked over 17,000 steps, just over 7 miles! Easy enough to do. The flight line, all of the rows of parked aircraft, is more than 5 miles long!

It’s a busy, fun week, connecting with fellow aviators from all around the world. I’ve been to AirVenture as it is now called, at least 25 times, and there’s something new to see every year. It never gets old!

Fly safely,

John

How to hire the best CFI for you

Thu, 27 Jun 2024 17:27:00 GMT

You want to learn to fly? Great! But what is the right way to go about finding a good instructor?

Like any major purchase or investment — which this is — you want to do your homework.

Seriously — some people don’t and they later regret it.

I’ve been a CFI for over 40 years now, so I’ve seen both the good and bad. Don’t be like so many other student pilots and just go along with whoever is next on the roster. Do your research.

Click Here to read the full article at General Aviation News

John Mahany earns his Master CFI Designation for the 8th time!

Wed, 13 Mar 2024 18:51:00 GMT

John Mahany earns his Master CFI Designation for the 8th time! — Master Instructors is pleased to announce that John Mahany of Long Beach, CA has received

Crosswinds, anyone?

Wed, 28 Feb 2024 06:34:00 GMT

Yep, back when I was learning to fly, crosswinds were a BIG challenge to me in the Cessna 150 that I was flying. Lots of work, and lots of over-controlling and bad bounces trying to get it right, cross controlling with the ailerons and rudder! It was a real challenge, especially on a narrow runway! I scared myself many times!

I was over controlling of course, hands (ailerons/elevator) and feet (rudders) out of sync and bouncing down the runway!?! Oh my!! My first crosswind landings were ugly!! Maybe controlled crashes would be a better description. Fortunately, the Cessna 150 has very sturdy, forgiving landing gear, and it took the punishment well. Oh yeah. It took time to figure them out. But, I survived and eventually figured out the technique!! Now I use it on everything that I fly, adapting as necessary on the wide variety of aircraft I have flown over the years.

So, how do you feel about crosswind takeoffs and landings? Maybe you try to avoid them. Many pilots do. Takeoffs seem to be easier. Landings are a challenge, depending how strong the winds are and what you are flying. Every airplane will be a bit different.And, guess what? Crosswind landings are discussed in the March 2024 issue of Aviation Safety (AS) Many pilots have trouble with crosswinds. They don’t get enough regular practice. ‘AS’ calls it crosswind authority! In other words, are you using enough of the airplanes ‘control authority’, which means are you using the rudder enough?

So, how do you know if you have a crosswind? Easy enough. Either the ATIS or ASOS/AWOS will be reporting the winds, and the windsock will show it as it stands straight out and moves with the wind. And you can watch the airplane ahead of you on final, if there is one, to see how it is doing. And when on final approach, the airplane will not stay lined up with the runway. It will be drifting off to the downwind side, with the wind. So, your challenge is to stay lined up with the runway on final, correcting as needed.

Some days it takes constant small corrections. Just depends. Then, when you finally get into the flare, I personally maneuver so as to line up on the upwind 1/3 of the runway, with a bit more speed than normal, and when I am in the flare, with speed dissipating, the airplane will be drifting towards the centerline, and I am applying aileron INTO the wind as needed, and opposite rudder as needed , in an attempt to stay lined up over the centerline. And I apply enough forward pressure, as needed on the yoke, and carry enough power as needed , to keep control, and then try to apply enough upwind aileron to have the upwind tire touch down first, then roll out slightly to the opposite side to lower the downwind tire onto the runway, and finally lower the nose to get it firmly on the runway and tracking straight, before applying the brakes.

Notice I keep saying, ‘ as needed ’ above, for everything. That is because, you have to constantly adjust the flight controls and throttle during a crosswind landing. It can be different every time . Lots of corrections, as needed!

And I also use a lesser flap setting, 0, 10 or 20 instead of 30 degrees. Less flaps gives you more speed and more control, which is what you want in a crosswind landing, depending how strong the crosswind is.

There. That’s a lot but it is a busy-few-seconds while you do this and keep control. No time to look inside. You are looking outside and taking it all in, and are ‘dancing on the controls’ as they say, whatever it takes! After a while, with enough (lots of) practice, it will get easier. I am not sure if I could describe it any better. This is just from my having done/practiced 1000’s of crosswind landings, literally, over 4 decades of flying, in many different aircraft.

Do you need help with crosswind landings? Get in touch with me and let’s schedule some crosswind landing practice in the airplane you are flying!  Good luck!

Fly safely,

John.

A Tribute to Richard McSpadden – RIP Richard

Thu, 19 Oct 2023 19:38:00 GMT

On Sunday, October 1, 2023. Well-known general aviation pilot and educator Richard McSpadden ‘flew west’, quite unexpectedly. Richard had most recently served all of GA in his role as Sr. VP., AOPA Air Safety Institute, (ASI).

He and another pilot, former AFL football player Russ Francis were departing Lake Placid, New York, KLKP, in a single engine Cessna Cardinal 177RG, and shortly after takeoff the aircraft developed some kind of problem, and apparently they tried to turn back, and crashed short of the runway. Both died on impact. A tragic loss for all.

Richard was actively involved in the general aviation community, as pilot and educator. Before joining AOPA, in 2017, Richard had had 2 previous careers. He first spent 20 years in the USAF as a pilot, and during that time had become the Lead pilot for the Thunderbirds, the Air Force aerial demonstration team. And then after he retired from the Air Force, he worked in the IT industry for several years, before leaving that to join AOPA, in 2017.

Richard was well known in the general aviation world because he was actively involved. He was not ‘stuck in the office’. Instead, he participated in several general aviation organizations. He traveled and spent time in the field, as part of his work in support of aviation safety. He also wrote columns for AOPA’s Pilot Magazine. And he produced content for the AOPA Air Safety Institute’s YouTube channel. In fact, recently he was making videos offering commentary on some recent accidents, for both piston and turbine aircraft.

I had met Richard a few times while at AirVenture over the past few summers. He was always easily approachable, very personable, and there was great camaraderie with him. And he was the guest speaker in 2022 at the annual SAFE Dinner, an organization of aviation educators, of which I am one of the founding members, back in 2009. Through his work with the Air Safety Institute, he made a difference in all of our lives as pilots. Godspeed, Richard. You will be missed! Condolences to the families.

Fly safely,

John

Do you know the new ATC equipment code suffix for your airplane?

Wed, 05 Jul 2023 22:45:00 GMT

So how did I learn this? Well, I have been aware of it, but I have not been using the new codes, not when flying my Cessna 150. No ATC controllers at SoCal have said anything to me. Nor any of the briefers at LEIDOS, when I have called many times for a weather briefing.

However, recently when I called Leidos, 1-800-wxbrief, for a standard weather briefing, when I initially told the briefer that my Cessna 150 was a ‘/U’, boy he called me out for this and went on a RANT! He spent several minutes reprimanding, like I shoulda known better, oops, and spelling it out in some detail, and all I could say was, sorry, I goofed. No point in arguing. Mea culpa. Yep. But gee, last summer, when flying my Cessna 150 2/3’s of the way across the country to Oshkosh for AirVenture, not one briefer made any mention of this. Hmm. Well, that’s just the way it is.

So, do you know the codes for the airplane you fly? It depends on what avionics you have. Have you seen the FAA form that sort of ‘explains’ this? In the AIM, the ‘flight planning form’ is in the back, in Appendix 4. At the beginning of the Appendix are several pages of explanations. Officially, it’s FAA Form 7233-4-International Flight Plan.

I find it to be confusing! Maybe because I’ve been using the old flight planning form for so long. So, I’ll try and explain a little of it. Very briefly. With thanks to Richie Lengel, and his very popular book ‘Everything Explained for the Professional Pilot’….; instead of the suffix U which was for Transponder with Mode C Altitude Reporting and no DME, if you are flying a single engine airplane, with ‘standard avionics’ including NavCom with VOR/ILS and VHF communications, like many of us, then your equipment code/suffix is now ‘S’. And for the transponder code, now there are three choices; A, C or S. For my 150, it’s now code C. There’s MUCH more to this. But I can see I’m going to have to work on creating a pamphlet to explain this, in more detail, and better.

That’s all for now. I have my work cut out for me.

In the meantime, fly safely!

John

Lancair Legacy

Mon, 03 Apr 2023 18:16:00 GMT

The Lancair Legacy is a speedster!!

On Saturday, March 25, 2023, I was finally able to get a ride in a Lancair Legacy , an experimental aircraft!! It was awesome!!

We met at John Wayne Airport (KSNA), where he keeps his Lancair Legacyi, and flew it to Camarillo, CA (KCMA), about 70 miles northwest, where we met up with several other pilot friends, for lunch, at the Waypoint Café. Their Saturday special is tri-tip sandwiches, which are delicious! The Café was filled with diners on a lovely Saturday in SoCal.

The cockpit of the Lancair Legacy is very high-tech, with a ‘glass-cockpit’ panel and voice command technology as well, which means there are synthesized voice prompts for certain things, reminding you that you are off of the assigned altitude, for example. You generally only find ‘voice command’ technology on turbine aircraft. But that is changing also. The flight time to Camarillo was about 25 minutes, at our speed of about 230 knots (260 mph).

Once at cruise, he asked if I’d like to fly! Of course! You don’t have to ask me twice! He turned off the nav mode of the autopilot and let me fly. Since we were in level flight at cruise, there was not much to do. But I carefully applied some pressure to the control ‘stick’ and the controls were very responsive. After a few minutes, I told him he could take it again.

After a short delay, we were able to takeoff, and it was an uneventful flight back. About halfway back, I asked Henry if I could fly, and asked him to please turn the autopilot completely off. Before he had only partially turned it off. Now, I could get a chance to see how it flies, without automation.

Ok, so the flight controls are quite sensitive, meaning only slight pressure is required to get a response. But I was able to quickly adapt, and it handled very nicely. It was FUN!! I flew it the rest of the way back to John Wayne Airport, as SoCal Approach (the radar facility) gave us vectors to the final approach to runway 20R. Then, once on final, about 2 miles from the runway, I gave the controls back to Henry, so he could land his airplane.

It was easy enough for me to keep up with ATC as the controller gave me, in quick succession, a series of turns, and descents and then had me slow down to fit in with the flow of airline traffic on final. It was no different than any other turbine powered aircraft that I’ve flown. You just have to stay mentally ahead of it, and be able to anticipate what’s next. That is not a problem. Plus, I know the area, well.

After we landed the Lancair Legacy and taxied in and shut down, Henry congratulated me on my flying! He told me I did a really nice job, and now it’s just a matter of learning the avionics…and how they operate. Thank you, Henry! That’s the challenge now, knowing the avionics. There are several different avionics ‘vendors’, such as Garmin, Avidyne, and Dynon, to name a few, all of which have slightly different operating systems.

So, another fun day of flying! And another make and model of aircraft flown, for me. I’m now up to 148 different makes and models flown, according to my logbooks. Actually, I started an Excel spreadsheet about 3 years, ago, with all of this information, so now I know, when the aviation insurance underwriters ask, as they always do, either when I might have a contract flying job, or when I’m going to instruct someone in their airplane. How much time in a particular make/model of aircraft? That’s just the way it is now.

And on Sunday, April 2, I’m off to the east coast, Rocky Hill, CT, to spend a few days learning my new job training pilots how to fly ‘by instruments’, aka flying IFR, in their airplane, in an accelerated 10-day course. This is my new challenge. It should be fun! I’m looking forward to this.

Fly safely,

John

The last Boeing 747

Thu, 02 Feb 2023 22:03:00 GMT

The last Boeing 747 was delivered to a customer on January 31, 2023.

It marks the end of an era, the end of a 53-year long production run for Boeing. The last Boeing 747 was delivered to Atlas Air, on January 31. Atlas is a major scheduled cargo airline, and passenger charter airline, based in Purchase, New York, just outside New York City. The 747 is iconic in America’s pop culture. It’s instantly recognizable with the distinctive ‘hump’ on the top.

Polar Air Cargo

I have had the good fortune to both ride on the 747 as a passenger, a time or two, and in my professional work, years ago, I worked for a cargo airline, Polar Air Cargo, as an aircraft dispatcher and was ‘dispatch qualified’, as they call it, on the 747. This meant I was qualified to do the flight planning for cargo flights going around the world. And of course, it was all done via computer. We did not have time to do it by hand. Those days are long over.

The 747 is a logistical nightmare at times, given the complexities involved with international flight planning over long distances, sometimes up to 12 hours, when considering various international routes (north Atlantic, Trans-Pacific, Hawaii) available and the upper-level winds, fuel consumption, cruising Mach number, and would it be able to fly non-stop, or would a ‘tech’ stop (fuel stop) be required? Many calculations were involved.

Europ-Control

As I recall, we had an 18-item checklist that we used when flight planning, so we did not miss anything. And for European flights, we had to check with what is called Euro-Control, of which there were two ‘centers’, one in Brussels, and the other in Paris as I recall. Euro-Control controlled the ‘airways or routes that were used in Europe, and they would approve or deny the flight plans that I submitted. If denied, we would then have to work up another flight plan and hopefully it would be approved. It could get quite complicated. It was a lot of work! It was very hectic as well. But it was good experience, as well as an eye opener into the world of international flying and what is involved.

Boeing 747’s are sure to be flying for several more decades. They made long distance travel available to the masses. The 747 has been given the nickname, ‘Queen of the skies’, which is well deserved.

IF you are in need of any proficiency or FAA Wings Training, please get in touch with me to arrange this.

Fly safely,

John

Historic First Flight

Mon, 19 Dec 2022 23:25:00 GMT

First Flight

As I write this, today is the 119 ^th anniversary of the Wright Brother’s historic first flight. One hundred nineteen years ago, on December 17, 1903, on the wind-swept sand-dunes of Kill Devil Hill in North Carolina, Orville Wright successfully made the first flight in a heavier-than-air aircraft, the Wright Flyer! He was only airborne for the short distance of 120’. The brothers, Orville, and Wilbur, who by trade owned a bicycle shop in Dayton, Ohio, built their aircraft out of wood. In 1903 there were no other airplanes in existence. So, they had to build one.

And, using their own crude (by modern standards) engineering methods, through experimentation, trial, and error, they were able to build a simple ‘airframe’ structure that worked. And they had to find a mechanic to build the two engines for their airplane, because there was no internal combustion engine available that suited their purposes, either. They found one, locally. They were pioneers, and were starting an industry, but they were not aware of that, in their day.

How far we’ve come in 119 years! It’s amazing. What’s next? We take air travel for granted now. And how the airplane and air transportation have shaped the world that we live in today. Air transportation has influenced war and peace. Air commerce is now a driving force both in our culture and our world today, and has spawned an entire industry that moves millions of people and tons of cargo, annually. Even in remote corners of the planet.

Milestones

And for the occasion, I flew my Cessna 150 on a one-hour local flight, from Long Beach, because I had not flown it in 3 weeks. I’ve been busy or the weather has not been good enough to fly.

And, with this being December, this will be my last blog post for this year. Starting next month, in the new year, I will start to focus more on avionics (aviation electronics), which has become a huge industry in itself over the past twenty years. Now even the smallest of aircraft have instrument panels that are entirely ‘glass’, as it is called. How far we’ve come.

And the FAA even has a separate certificate for drone operators, called the Remote Pilot Certificate, or RPC. I took the online training for this last year, to get a better understanding of drones, and now I have a Remote Pilot Certificate. It’s not a pilot certificate. It’s separate.

Goals and Adventures

As for any goals for next year, there are more airplanes that I hope to be able to fly, and more adventures that I hope to be able to take, when I am able to. I have a long bucket list! And it looks like I will be getting re-hired to go back to my job, after 2 years, 8 months being out of work. Ironically, work might get in the way of some adventures!

If you the reader, are in need of any proficiency or FAA Wings Training, let me know.

Fly safely, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year,

John

Long Beach Airport Festival of Flight

Fri, 25 Nov 2022 23:18:00 GMT

Long Beach Airport Festival of Flight is opened to the public annually

This is a once-a-year event to allow anyone who is interested to see airplanes up close and ask questions. It is promoted on Facebook and Social-Media, as well as the local newspaper. The event organizers reached out to local businesses and were able to arrange for a UPS Boeing 757 cargo jet to be on display, along with several helicopters, and a US Coast Guard C-27 twin-turboprop, which is used for search and rescue.

An event like this is really important now, as helps people get a better idea of what goes on at an airport, and the importance of aircraft and the many roles that they play in our world today. Many are simply not aware of this, aside from an occasional airline flight that they might take, or when they have something shipped vis FEDEX or UPS. Just the way it is now.

And did you know that the Long Beach Airport provides 9% of the jobs in Long Beach and has an annual economic impact of $11 Billion? This has been reported in the Long Beach Business Journal.

Fly safely,

John

FAA approves use of (G100UL)

Mon, 26 Sep 2022 22:04:00 GMT

100 octane unleaded fuel (G100UL) is now approved!

This is really BIG news for General Aviation aircraft owners. On September 1, 2022, the FAA signed the STC (Supplemental Type Certificate) that approves the use of 100-octane unleaded aviation fuel, or ‘avgas’ for all general aviation piston engine aircraft. There is much work yet to be done on this before it becomes widely available for use.

It has been a work in progress for many, many, years. During the early years of flying, several varieties of leaded av gas that were developed for piston engines of the era, especially for the larger engines that were later developed for use in WWII, requiring higher octane for combustion. But since the late 90’s, we have only had 100LL, or low lead. And lead is still required for high compression piston-engine airplanes to prevent ‘knocking’ and to enhance the quality rating of the fuel, which is necessary for the efficient combustion of fuel. This is all part of the chemical engineering.

This work has been spear-headed by GAMI, General Aviation Modifications, Inc, founded in 1994 and located in Ada, OK. The FAA’s approval of the use of GA100UL fuel in all piston engines has long been a goal, to find one fuel that is suitable for all piston engine aircraft in the general aviation fleet. The co-founder of GAMI, Engineer George Braly, has been hard at work on this for a long time.

The process will take time as we transition the entire general aviation fleet to using G100UL fuel. It also requires an infrastructure, which is not yet in place, to support this and distribute the fuel to the 1000’s of airports across the country.

The photo above that I took shows the process of getting ready to fuel my Cessna 150 at local airport via the self-serve fueling that is available. It’s a bit more involved that getting gas for your car at Costco or similar. You don’t ‘ground’ your car. We ‘ground’ the airplane to prevent the chance of a spark from static electricity starting a fire. 100LL is VERY volatile. Highly flammable. You don’t have to pull or drag a fuel hose 50’ or more to make sure you have enough hose to reach the filler cap for the tanks, which for most GA aircraft are in the wing. You don’t need a ladder to climb up on the wing. You get the idea.

If you are in need of any proficiency training to meet the FAA’s Wings requirements, please get in touch with me to schedule some training. I have experience flying many makes and models of aircraft.

Fly safely!

John

Tragic Mid-Air Collision

Mon, 12 Sep 2022 17:30:00 GMT

Tragically, on August 18, 2022, a mid-air collision occurred over the runway where two aircraft were attempting to land, at the same time, at Watsonville Airport, KWVI, in Watsonville, CA. Watsonville, is in Santa Cruz County, south of San Jose.

What Happened?

A single engine Cessna 152 was overtaken by a twin Cessna 340 over the runway. Two passengers were onboard the Cessna 340, and one person was in the Cessna 152. Apparently the 340 did not see the 152, in spite of numerous radio calls. Tragically, there were no survivors.

Procedures

The FAA has also published information in the (AIM), or Aeronautical Information Manual, section 4-1-9, Non-Towered Airports. But it’s a matter of pilots following the procedures, and some get lax, as might have been the case here. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all involved in this tragic accident.

Lessons

There are lessons for all to be learned from this. Avoid ‘straight-in’ approaches when there are other aircraft in the traffic pattern. Also, fly the appropriate ‘pattern’ speed for the aircraft you are flying, so as to maintain appropriate spacing between aircraft. That clearly did not happen in this case.

If you are interested in doing any proficiency training in the aircraft you fly, for FAA Wings Credit, contact me. I would be happy to schedule time with you as my schedule permits.

Fly safely!

John

“Round-the-World” solo pilot visits the OC

Fri, 02 Sep 2022 19:54:00 GMT

Meeting A Young Record-Setter

Belgian Pilot Mack Rutherford, 17, recently completed his RTW, record-setting ‘Round-the-World’ flight in his European built Shark, a single-engine high-performance ultra-light aircraft, with a cruise speed of nearly 300KM/hr, which is about 186 mph!

Mack left Sofia, Bulgaria, on his world-record solo attempt months ago on March 23, and arrived back in Sofia, Bulgaria, again on August 24, 2022. What a journey!

In 141 days, he landed in 52 countries, on 5 continents. Just Incredible. And he’s only 17! Two years ago, his sister, Zara, did the same thing, flying an ultra-light aircraft around the world, setting records in the process. Both parents are also pilots. Cheers to Mack Rutherford! What’s next for this young man?

I had the pleasure of meeting him in August. Here are two pictures taken on the ramp at John Wayne Airport when he stopped at KSNA for fuel and lunch at Clay Lacy Aviation.

Congratulations, Mack!

Flying low and slow across the country

Fri, 12 Aug 2022 21:03:00 GMT

Lots of Planning

Almost 10,000 airplanes flew into Oshkosh for AirVenture

This year attendance was estimated at 650,000, with people traveling in from all over the world! But in spite of the large crowd, it is very well managed, and people are well behaved and respectful. The grounds are almost free of litter. Almost 10,000 airplanes flew into Oshkosh and were parked on the grounds at AirVenture. There really is nothing else like it.

After some unexpected delays, I was finally able to leave SoCal, early Wednesday morning, July 20. The weather cooperated, for the most part. There was one small ‘airmass’ thunderstorm, just east of Flagstaff, that was stationary, so I was able to safely deviate around it after takeoff. The density altitude was over 9,000’, and there was a headwind, and I was under gross weight. It took a longer takeoff roll to get airborne, but I was able to climb out, just slower than normal.

I spent Wednesday evening in Santa Fe, NM, at a Doubletree Hotel. The next day, Thursday, I had made it across ‘the heartland of America’, flying northeast across OK/KS/NE and landed in Lincoln, NE for the night. The nice folks at Duncan Aviation were able to arrange a room for me at a Marriott Courtyard Hotel downtown. The third day, Friday, I made it to Clinton, IA for the Cessna 150 fly-in and lunch there, and then tookoff in mid-afternoon and flew 1+20 northeast to Dodge County, WI for the night.

Planning is Key

It was a very busy week in Oshkosh, each day packed with activities and things to see and do. And you simply cannot see it all, because so much is going on simultaneously all around you. And there are lots of friends and colleagues to connect with, as well, some of whom I only see once a year while there. I am also actively involved as a volunteer for two organizations, and this adds to it for me. This included breakfasts, lunches, and dinners with various organizations.

Weather, Good and Bad

Then after hugs and goodbyes, I flew north for about 30 miles, staying low enough to avoid Chicago O’Hare’s Class ‘Bravo’ Airspace, though I did get ‘flight following’ from Chicago Approach (radar facility at KORD) which was very helpful, and then turned west to my first stop, Dubuque, IA, where the weather was much better! After getting fuel and lunch, I took off and continued southwest towards Des Moines, IA, for fuel, and then finally, Lincoln, NE, where I stopped for the night.

The next morning, I left Lincoln, taking off by 7:30am, and flew southwest to Salina, KS, then Dodge County, KS, Dalhart, TX and finally due west to Santa Fe, NM, for the night. And the airport restaurant in Dalhart, TX had closed before I arrived! Darn, no lunch! So, I continued to Santa Fe, about a 2 ½ hour flight, dealing with headwinds, turbulence and dodging some rain showers along the way. All of that is typical of this area. They were not threatening in any way. And Santa Fe was very nice!

Next stop Winslow, AZ where the 100LL was $1.26 a gallon cheaper than at Flagstaff! So, I topped off in Winslow and headed for Lake Havasu City, over the mountainous terrain in northern Arizona. Just over 2 hours en route, I stopped there for fuel and lunch in the 105° heat. Ugh. I am no fan of the heat. But they have a nice on airport restaurant, Hangar 24, with indoor dining and of course it’s air conditioned!

Finally, about 2 ½ hours later, again after fighting headwinds and turbulence, I arrived back in Long Beach! It was good to be back home, after two weeks traveling with my tiny Cessna 150. But it was quite an adventure!! No regrets.

There were lessons learned, and more….much to share, as well. Too much to write about, here, in more detail. I’m working on all of that, now. If you have questions or comments about any of this, please reply using the comments box…

Considering a long cross-country flight?

I am available for training, in your airplane, should you be in need of any FAA Wings Training for Credit. Also, if you are considering a longer cross-country flight, and have not done this before, please get in touch and I can provide some help with the planning and other considerations. There are many, depending on what you fly.

Especially concerning the weather. Many pilots are not comfortable with their understanding of weather, or lack thereof. I can help with this. Weather has long been an area of interest for me. I got ‘official’ weather briefings daily along my route. I’d call ‘Flight Service’, or ‘Leidos’ as they are now called, in the evening for an ‘outlook’ the next day, and then I’d call again in the morning before taking off to get a ‘standard’ weather briefing, and along the way I’d call and get an ’update’. The briefers did an excellent job. In addition, a friend had recently sold me his Garmin GDL-52 Sirius XM Aviation Weather receiver, that connects via Bluetooth to my ForeFlight iPad app, so I had real-time inflight weather info.

Also, I will be creating some quick reference materials that will be available in PDF format, containing some tips and lessons learned from this, that you will be able to download for a nominal fee.

Fly safely,

John

No Fly Zones

Sat, 11 Jun 2022 21:33:00 GMT

Because of the World Economic Forum Annual Gathering that was held in Los Angeles, June 6 – 10, 2022, the FAA implemented several TFR’s, (temporary flight restrictions), effectively creating ‘ no fly zones ’ for those of us flying smaller aircraft.

The screenshot shows the many TFR’s,(temporary flight restrictions), ‘no fly zones’ in red circles.

The President, VP, along with many dignitaries and world leaders were attending the Forum. It was a security nightmare, I am sure. Anytime there is an event like this, the DHS (Dept. of Homeland Security) collaborates with the Secret Service and the FAA to create and implement TFR’s, as needed. TFR’s can be implemented for any number of reasons, such as: when there are large forest fires, to keep transient aircraft out of an area to keep it clear for firefighting aircraft dropping water or retardant, also for major sporting events at stadiums, and to provide the required protection for Air Force 1 (AF1) and Air Force 2 (AF2), as a matter of national security. So, both AF1 and AF2, were out here, both at different airports, having brought both the President and the Vice President out here. Coincidently, VP Harris also has a home out here, in Brentwood, CA. She’s a regular visitor to SoCal.

So how does this affect us, as pilots? The inner rings are ‘no fly zones’ unless you are on an IFR flight plan, like the airlines. The outer rings allow some additional operations. The screenshot above from my ForeFlight iPad app, shows the many TFR’s, in red circles, and when you touch the screen on a particular TFR, it will then show the times and dates that each is in effect, along with other pertinent data. In this case, they are centered on LAX. The inner and outer ‘rings’ are circles of different diameters, typically 10, 20 or 30NM (nautical miles), and they may go up to 17,999’, or lower, depending on circumstances. Many smaller general aviation airports in the LA basin are also affected this week. This is the first time I have seen so many TFR’s that overlap like this.

Airline, corporate and military aircraft are not affected. They are on an IFR (instrument) flight plan, and ATC knows what they are doing, where they are going. When a TFR in created, the FAA issues a NOTAM (Notice to Airman), informing ALL pilots.

It’s the typical ‘private pilot’ who is most affected by‘ no fly zones ’, who doesn’t need to file a flight plan to fly from one airport to the next, in good weather. We are typically flying smaller propeller-driven aircraft. We cannot fly in the outer rings of the TFR unless we are transponder equipped and are in communication with ATC. Additional restrictions may apply.

We have restrictions placed on when and where we can or cannot fly, anyway, staying well clear of busy airline hubs like LAX, and keeping the ‘airspace’ clear, secure, or ‘sterile’ and allowing for arriving and departing jet traffic. As for myself, I am not flying my Cessna 150 this week with all of the TFR’s that are in effect. I’m not taking any chances!

And normally, 99.9% of the time, those of us flying ‘smaller’ general aviation aircraft, are compliant, we follow the rules and stay clear of these areas . We do not want to cause a problem . However, occasionally there is a problem, for whatever reason(s). Things happen. Usually, it’s accidental. When this happens, there are consequences.

Violators can be safely intercepted by the military or law enforcement, in flight, following well established protocols and procedures, and are directed to land. After landing, offending pilots are then apprehended by law enforcement, interrogated, and usually face violations, sometimes fines and possibly suspensions of their certificates, by the FAA, depending on the circumstances. This is serious stuff!

And, when warranted, the FAA arranges for remedial training, so the offending pilots do not make the same mistake, again. I know, because in years past, as a CFI working with the FAA in a volunteer capacity, I was one of the instructors who were selected to occasionally provide this remedial training to offending pilots. I was of course paid for my time. Most offending pilots were grateful for the opportunity to get additional the training and did not make the same mistake again.

So, avoid TFR’s, check NOTAMs before flight, and fly safely!

John

Two significant aviation events…

Fri, 27 May 2022 21:20:00 GMT

This month, May 2022, there have been two very different but significant aviation events. One aviation event that started out badly ended up with a good outcome, and the other aviation event that started out as a fun event quickly took a turn for the worse, with one fatality.

ATC controller steps up during aviation event!

First, the good news. On Wednesday, May 11, a single engine turboprop, a Cessna 208 Caravan was successfully landed at Palm Beach Int’l Airport in Florida, KPBI, after the pilot became incapacitated. The Caravan was off-shore Florida, returning from a trip to the Bahamas, when the pilot suddenly became incapacitated. A passenger who was in the right seat, keyed the Push-To-Talk button on the yoke/control wheel, and told ATC, “I’ve got a serious situation here. My pilot has gone incoherent. I have no idea how to fly the airplane, but I am maintaining (at) 9,100 (feet),” the passenger told Fort Pierce air traffic control around 11:21 a.m.

High Surface Winds

Then on May 20, another aviation event started out with good intentions, but quickly took a turn for the worst. There was a gathering of pilots at the Wayne Muni./Stan Morris Field, KLCG, in Wayne, Nebraska, a small airport in the northeast Nebraska. Pilots were there for a friendly STOL (short takeoff and landing) competition. It was planned to be a four-day event, complete with sponsors.

This was a quite a shock to all who were there. Immediately after this, the STOL event was canceled, and the participants responded appropriately, offering what support and condolences they could to the family of the deceased. They then departed. My condolences, thoughts, and prayers as well, to the family of the deceased pilot, Tom Dafoe. He owned the Cessna 140 he was flying. An investigation into this accident will be taking place.

What a contrast. Sometimes things go this way. Aviation can be terribly unforgiving at times, even to experienced pilots. It happens. There are always lessons to be learned.

What about you? How’s your flying? If you’d like to review anything, any maneuvers, or review any subject matter, please let me know. We can arrange a time and place or do it virtually via Zoom. I’m flexible.

Fly safely,

John

Flabob Airport, a step back in time

Fri, 22 Apr 2022 18:56:00 GMT

Fun Flying my 92-year-old pilot friend to Flabob Airport, a step back in time

We taxied in and parked in front of the Flabob Airport Café, then went in and had lunch. The Flabob Café is a family run restaurant, decorated with airplane memorabilia from a bygone era. Both the food and service are good. Following lunch, we made our way back to the airplane and took off again for Long Beach. Gene thoroughly enjoyed the flight! It was my pleasure to be able to take him on a flight. Once a pilot, always a pilot! It was also fun to fly my Cessna 180 again, because I don’t fly it as much as I used to.

How about you? What kind of fun flying have you done, lately? I hope you are doing some FUN flying, to FUN places!

IF you’d like to review anything, maneuvers, or book work, please let me know. We can arrange a time and place, or do it virtually via Zoom. I’m flexible.

Fly safely,

John

Aircraft mechanics – we need ‘em!

Wed, 30 Mar 2022 19:46:00 GMT

The March/April 2022 issue of the FAA’s Safety Briefing magazine is ALL about ‘Meet the Maintainers’, referring of course to what we informally refer to as ‘A&Ps’, aka Airframe and Powerplant Mechanics. Or more formally known as an AMT, aviation maintenance technician. Regardless, we need ‘em to maintain our airplanes. Aircraft mechanics ARE vital to our having aircraft that are safe and airworthy to fly.

Way too many pilots do not know nearly enough about the airplanes they fly, and what’s required to keep ‘em flying. Seriously. I was one of them, myself, many years, no, make that decades ago when I was just starting out, learning to fly. I’ve learned quite a bit now being an airplane owner myself, but there is always more to learn.

I come from a (family) background that was not necessarily mechanically oriented. What did I know? Not nearly enough, looking back. And now, because of our ‘throw away’ modern culture, where many things are not repaired but instead are replaced, not many bothers to learn about machines of any kind, nor what it takes to keep them running anymore.

Way back when, Charles Taylor was the mechanic whom the Wright Brothers hired to fix bicycles in their bicycle repair shop, in Dayton, OH, but he ended up also designing and building the 4-cylinder engine used in their historic Wright Flyer, their first powered airplane, with which they made their historic flight back in December 1903.

So, my hat is off to all of those who keep us flying, in our many different aircraft. Our flying machines; many different shapes and sizes for a wide variety of ‘missions’. Thank you for ALL that you do to keep us flying. And my Cessna 150 is scheduled for its ‘annual’ inspection next month, April. I will be helping out my mechanic, without getting in the way, as he systematically goes through inspecting all that needs inspecting. So, I learn more about my airplane in the process. It’s all part of ownership, as I see it.

And, if you want to work on improving your flying knowledge, skills, and proficiency, get in touch with me. Let’s schedule some time to work on whatever is needed.

Fly safely,

John

Flying the Stearman Biplane

Wed, 16 Mar 2022 17:04:00 GMT

My friend Mike Hanson owns a beautifully restored 1943 Stearman biplane, based at nearby Compton, Airport, KCPM, in Compton, CA. We had a deal; he flew with me in my 1970 Cessna 150 for some required proficiency training to maintain his pilot qualifications, and in return he offered me a chance get a ride in his Stearman and fly it!

Well, flying the Stearman is SO MUCH fun!! I last flew a Stearman about 35 years ago, at a small airport in Harvard, Illinois, northwest of Chicago. It was a beautiful day here in Southern California. And, despite the Stearman’s larger size, and because of the drag of the large struts and the large frontal area of the Continental R-670-5 radial engine, it is really not that fast, either. But flying ‘open cockpit’ is fun!

Our route of flight was “straight-outta-Compton” 1000′ agl, Alondra Park, then southwest to King Harbor then wing-up southbound along the shoreline to Palos Verdes Peninsula, L.A. / Long Beach Harbors, Queen Mary, North 710 LGB transition for the overhead approach returning to Compton.

Along the way, over the Breakwater at the edge of the LA harbor, we did some ‘turns about a point’, or ‘ground reference maneuvers’, as they are called, when you maneuver down low, between 600’ and 1,000’, and try to maintain a prescribed course over the ground while correcting for the wind. That’s how student pilots learn to correct for the wind. And, when we were up higher, at about 3,000’, I did a few medium and steep banked turns (60°), and then a power off (at idle) stall or two. It was fun to practice this basic maneuvers. It was fun flying around in a big yellow biplane on a sunny afternoon! IF you are interested in getting a ride in this Stearman, their website is www.biplanefun.com

Have you, the reader, if you are a pilot, practiced basic stick ‘n rudder skills lately? If not, get in touch with me and we can do this in the airplane you are flying. It’s so important to keep your basic flying skills sharp! Too many pilots are letting their piloting skills atrophy with more and more automation in the cockpit, as I mentioned in a recent blog.

Fly safely,

John

More stick time for pilots?

Thu, 24 Feb 2022 20:12:00 GMT

It is being reported in the Feb. 7 edition of AvWeb , that the FAA is concerned about a lack of ‘stick time’ for pilots. According to the pending Advisory Circular (AC) 120-FPM, which is in ‘draft form’, with the subject being ‘Flightpath Management’(FPM), this AC addresses “manual flight operations, termed ‘MFO’, including managing automated systems, pilot monitoring (PM), and energy management.’ That’s mouthful.

More ‘stick time’ is needed by pilots

What it amounts to is nothing new. We’ve been saying this for decades. With the increased reliance on automated systems in the cockpit, the FAA is now concerned that pilots ‘stick ‘n rudder skills’ are deteriorating, and more ‘stick time’ is needed by pilots, to maintain proficiency.

So, some questions for you, the reader. What’s your take on this? Are modern cockpits becoming too automated? If you the reader are a pilot, how automated is the cockpit of the airplane you fly? Do you have an autopilot? If so, how often do you use your autopilot?

Post your comments below.

Crosswind Landings

Tue, 08 Feb 2022 16:46:00 GMT

Challenging Crosswind Conditions

Many pilots struggle with crosswind landings. This is because they don’t fly enough on windy days. They are simply out of practice. How about you? Do you ever fly on days like this? I can help. Get in touch with me.

5-7-9 Rule

How comfortable are you with crosswind takeoffs and landings?

If you would like to get some practice with crosswinds, please get in touch with me and I’ll work with you to improve your crosswind skills.

Looking forward in 2022

Thu, 27 Jan 2022 16:42:00 GMT

Guinness World Record

Congratulations, Zara!! She flew a Shark Ultra-Light, a small single engine aircraft built by Shark.aero s.r.o., certified in both Germany and the Czech Republic, that was modified for this flight. She took off on this journey, August 18, 2021, and she finished 155 days later. This is simply amazing. She is an inspiration to many! It should be pointed out that both of her parents are also pilots.

What is she looking forward to next? She says she’d like to become an astronaut! Naturally.

Safety

This being January, and with the rest of the year ahead, looking forward, let’s see what we can do to make 2022 safer than 2021. What can be done to reduce the number of aircraft accidents, especially fatal accidents? This is no small challenge.

The NTSB has released their preliminary report on the Learjet crash that occurred on December 31, 2021, at San Diego’s Gillespie Field. A big question is why the pilots elected to circle-to-land, at night, in marginal weather? This is never a good idea.

Having said this, in my previous job, in my work as a simulator instructor I have performed this maneuver countless times in the simulator, during my own training, using a nighttime ‘visual’. My clients have practiced ‘circling’ many times, as well. We used Memphis, TN, (KMEM), because KMEM meets all of the required criteria for a circling approach.

When I took my Citation recurrent training at LOFT Aero, in Carlsbad, CA, in December, in their Citation Ultra simulator, we used JFK Int’l Airport in New York (KJFK). It also meets the FAA’s circling requirements. The Circle-to-Land instrument approach procedure is required by the FAA to be completed during training. The airlines, with much larger jets, do not allow their pilots to perform the ‘circle-to-land’ maneuver. They only fly ‘straight-in’ approaches. However, we spend time carefully ‘briefing’ or discussing the approach and what is required beforehand, so the clients know what is involved.

Was this crew simply anxious to get home? Probably. Did this influence their fateful decision to attempt this maneuver, instead of a safer, straight-in approach? Probably. But we’ll have to wait and see what the NTSB says when they finish their investigation and issue their findings in about a year or so. In the meantime, what are your thoughts about this accident?

Looking back at 2021

Fri, 21 Jan 2022 17:17:00 GMT

As is reported in the Safety Trends story in the December 2021 issue of Plane & Pilot Magazine , looking back, what can be learned from the accident record?

In the Safety Trends story, is there a typical accident? While accident reports vary widely, it generally comes down to pilot error, or a mechanical problem. After that, its’ weather, which could be continued flight into IMC conditions, with a pilot who is not instrument rated. The results of this are usually fatal. According to statistics, 66% of accidents are related to pilot error, 18% are mechanical, and the remaining 16% are something else.

There’s really nothing new here. We continue to make the same mistakes. Complacency sets in and we see the same mistakes being made over and over. It’s cycle that repeats itself, with alarming regularity. What can be done about that? Hard to say.

Some pilots are simply more safety conscious than others. This is just human nature. And some people are more conscientious than others. Many pilots will only do the minimum to stay current, if that. Egos get in the way: “I don’t need this!’. This mindset is hard to change. So, with that said, our challenge is to find a way to change this way of thinking, if possible.

What are your thoughts on any of this? This is not rocket science. What can be done to make a change in the thought process of some, who will likely be the culprits that cause an accident?

Air Traffic Control Mike Fright

Tue, 02 Nov 2021 22:38:00 GMT

Do you have Air Traffic Control Mike Fright? Are you unsure about what to say, or how to talk to ATC?

Want to get over Air Traffic Control Mike Fright? You are not alone. Many are unsure of what to say.

As an experienced CFI (Certified Flight Instructor), I’ve seen this with students and heard it many times before. It can be intimidating, especially at busier airports where they issue clearances at a rapid-fire pace. I can help.

How to deal with Air Traffic Control Mike Fright

You have to know what to expect. Then, think BEFORE you ‘key’ the mike/push the ‘PTT’, “push-to-talk button”, and know WHAT you are going to say. Avoid long pauses (…ahh), which only tie up the frequency for everyone else.

Follow this simple formula:

Who you are calling (facility or airport name), and the ‘controller’ position; Long Beach Ground, Tower, or Clearance, for example. Don’t just say ‘ground control’, or Long Beach Ground Control. That’s very amateurish.
Who YOU are (aircraft make/model and ‘N’ number, i.e.; Cessna or Skyhawk 12345). In the US, you don’t have to include ‘November’ in a US registered aircraft. Only outside the US is that required.
Where you are/your position (if in flight 10 miles north etc. or position on the ground, Transient ramp, FBO, etc.)
Your intentions (what you want to do…reposition to parking, taxi for takeoff…takeoff/land, etc.)

Air Traffic Control will reply with your call sign and instructions on what to do, as appropriate, using their terminology. This is all referenced in the Aeronautical information Manual, (AIM for short) Chapter 4, Section 2, (4-2-1 thru 13)) Radio Communications Phraseology and Techniques. You reply by acknowledging and reading back your clearance, that you understand what you are expected to do, using appropriate terminology.

Here is an example.

You; “Fullerton Ground, Cessna 12345, Transient Parking, VFR West bound (direction of flight), Taxi with Alpha (ATIS code)”.

Fullerton Ground; “Cessna 12345, Fullerton Ground, taxi Runway 24 via Alpha.”

You, reading back; “Cessna 12345 taxi runway 24 via Alpha.”

The reason ATC talks fast is:

a. They might have several aircraft to communicate with, so they keep their transmissions short and to the point. Concise. Notice ATC also leaves out most ‘prepositions’; remember those from English class way back when…as they are extra words that take up time on a busy frequency. It makes a difference.

b. They give this clearance 100’s of times each day, to every pilot who calls for taxi clearance. They don’t have to think about it.

Suggestion: as stated above, before calling; note your position, either on the ground or in flight. Where are you and what are your intentions? Now you know what to expect from ATC. Then, using shorthand, either write down the important elements of your clearance on a pad of paper, OR if using an iPad with ForeFlight, and maybe an Apple Pencil, you can draw it on the airport diagram using the highlighter feature on the app. That way you have a record of your clearance.

Any questions or thoughts about this? It’s standard phraseology. It works anywhere. The AIM also spells out radio use at non-towered airports. This can be found in the AIM in section 4-1-9.

What has stumped YOU with using the radio? Or is there any particular airport or ATC facility that you find intimidating? Let me know. I can help.

Fly safely!

John

Cross-Country Flight Planning, Common Mistakes

Tue, 21 Sep 2021 20:39:00 GMT

How long since you’ve done any cross-country flight planning?

Maybe your flying is local in nature, less than 50 miles from your home airport for the $100 burger, so it’s been a while. Well, there are common problems that some pilots encounter with cross-country flight planning, among them, basically; not understanding weather well enough; inadequate fuel planning, and not checking the weather again while en route. Add to this, being overly confident the weather will improve. Overflying fuel stops, and fatigue. And the 180° turnback.

Here they are again:

Not checking the weather or getting a good wx briefing
Flying too low and CFIT.
Inadequate preflight inspections
Inadequate preflight planning
Failure to use IMSAFE checklist
Running out of fuel. Thinking Distance, not Time!
Distractions with technology in the cockpit

My approach to cross-country flight planning

I have not flown a long cross-country in many years. Most of my flying in recent years, in my airplane, which has bare-bones avionics, and just a basic ‘6-pack’ for flight instruments, has been limited to local flying in the LA basin, for breakfast or lunch with friends. Always for fun. Seldom was any flight planning required. Just a check of the local weather, TFR’s and NOTAMs, though I would call 1-800-WXBRIEF just to avoid surprises and make sure I covered my bases. I was reluctant to take it a long distance simply because it is not well equipped for that kind of flying. Flight planning for long cross-country flights is different. Of course, it’s more involved, depending how far you go. I’ve done it, but many years ago when flying for an airline. Not recently.

But, after buying my 1970 Cessna 150, almost 2 years ago now, in October 2019, that started to change. Suddenly, I started to branch out and fly to a few more distant places, and then with friends, I was flying farther for lunches, up and down the California coast, from San Diego to Santa Barbara, for example. Then, fast forward to this year. Because of the pandemic, many activities and events had been put on hold. Then, as this year progressed, various organizations started to plan activities and events, including AirVenture, in Oshkosh. With that in mind, I began to think seriously about flying my 150 back to Oshkosh and AirVenture!

This was a BIG step for me! I had never considered this before. But I had flown enough cross-country flights to enough places in Southern California, that my confidence had grown to where flying back to Oshkosh was doable!! So, with that in mind, I started planning.

So, how to approach this? My approach? Carefully, and conservatively. I’m flying a Cessna 150, which has very limited capability. Basically, low and slow with limited range/endurance. It’s just a two-seat trainer. First, consider the airplane you are flying, and its’ capabilities. How much speed, altitude capability (turbo-charged?), and what kind of range/endurance does it have? And what is your comfort level? Seriously. How long can your bladder comfortably last? 2 hours, more or less? Depends how much coffee or water you drink.

For the 150, with about a 95-knot cruise speed, and a 22.5-gallon usable fuel capacity (~5 gal/hour), it is limited to about a 2 hour/200-mile range, give or take. And then depending on the winds, headwinds, or tailwinds, that will obviously make a BIG difference. And, in a smaller, slower airplane like a Cessna 150, headwinds or tailwinds will make more of a difference.

I don’t want to push it. The general rule of flight planning: land with at least 1 hour of fuel onboard . The FAA only requires 30 minutes for Day VFR, 45 minutes for night VFR. Ref. FAR 91.151, VFR fuel requirements. Remember, these are minimums ! Again, FAA regulations are minimums . You want to exceed these. So, plan to arrive with at LEAST 1 hour of fuel on board. You will think much better with adequate fuel reserves, and you will have more options available to you if you land with more reserve fuel. That’s always a good thing!

Also, very important for this kind of flying, especially in the summertime when afternoon thunderstorms are likely, is to leave early in the morning, at daybreak, if possible (weather permitting), well before the heat of the day and convective activity, and then plan to be on the ground by mid-day, somewhere, before the afternoon thunderstorms begin.

For flight planning, I primarily used ForeFlight (FF). And for this trip back to Oshkosh, I also purchased paper charts/Sectionals (yes, you can still get them), covering the expected route of flight, as a backup. I also used the website, www.airnav.com , which is a great resource, for checking FBO’s, and local fuel prices, and can also be used to check lodging for an overnight stop. And I also used the www.1800wxbrief.com website. So, generally speaking, I would use FF and open the flight-planning window at the top, then input my 150 and start inserting airport identifiers and navigational fixes in the flight-planning box. FF then tells me the distance, time and fuel required for each leg. So, it’s easy to see how long a given flight will take. I would plan conservatively, limiting each leg to about 1 ½ – 2 hours, or less depending on the availability of airports with fuel and services.

Using social media and more

And I actually decided to use social media for this as well. I posted the question on a Facebook airplane group: what route(s) do you recommend from the LA basin across AZ and NM on the way to AirVenture? And the answers I got were, basically from the Phoenix area, head southeast and then follow the 10 freeway across southern AZ and NM and then head north to Albuquerque, and from there It’s east to Texas, then north and east across the plain’s states of Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa to Wisconsin. Good information!

With that in mind, I worked out a tentative flight plan, with as many as 15 or 16 ‘legs’, that would take about 3 days, depending on the weather. I tentatively planned on 4, 2 hours legs each day, including fuel stops. I would be waiting out any bad weather in my 150, safely on the ground. I also watched the weather very closely, and decided to plan a northerly route also, just in case.

And because I had not flown this route before, I would self-brief using my iPad and ForeFlight, and would then back that up with a call to Leidos (1-800-992-7433), and talk to the weather briefer, to see what they could tell me. The idea being to avoid surprises!

We kind of followed the plan I had made, except that instead of going south and following the 10 freeway, we took a more northerly route, following US 40 instead, over northern AZ, and NM, before reaching Albuquerque, NM, (KAEG) then onto Santa Fe (KSAF) for lunch. Then we headed east, stopping in Tucumcari, NM, (KTCC) on the way to Amarillo, TX (KTDW) for the night. Then it was north and east across the plain’s states, stopping at Liberal (KLBL) and then Hays, KS, (KHYS) then Lincoln, NE, (KLNK) and then east across Iowa. It took us 2 days to get to Clinton, IA, (KCWI) and the Cessna 150 fly-in. We had a short but fun 1 ½ days there, and then a short flight northeast to Juneau/Dodge County, WI (KUNU) for the mass arrival into Oshkosh on Saturday.

KGUP KSXU N4319B 7500FT

KCWI KUNU 9500FT

On the return trip, due to frontal activity, and thunderstorms to the south of Oshkosh, we decided to delay our departure by one day. So, we left on a Sunday morning. The weather had improved considerably by then. After taking off from Oshkosh, we flew about 45 minutes to the small town of Portage, WI, (C47) and landed there for a quick fuel stop. Then onto Des Moines, IA (KDSM) for fuel and lunch, then onto Manhattan, KS, (KMHK) for the night. The next day we left early and pressed onto Dodge City, KS, (KDDC) then to Dalhart, TX, (KDHT) for lunch, and fuel, then onto Santa Fe, NM (KSAF) for the night. Finally, the 3 ^rd day, we departed Santa Fe, early, then onto Gallup, NM, (KGUP) for fuel, Flagstaff, AZ (KFLG) for fuel, then Lake Havasu, AZ, (KHII) where it was a sultry 109°, for lunch, then Twenty-Nine Palms (KTNP) for fuel, and finally, El Monte, CA, (KEMT) and home!

What a trip! Lots of fun, lessons learned, seeing small town America at each stop. It was fascinating to me as well as I watched the terrain changing below us on our way south and west across the country. You don’t see this when you’re in the flight levels on the airlines. I still enjoy this!

Any questions or comments on any of this? Reach me at johnmahanycfi@gmail.com

Fly safely,

John

Turning wrenches on my Cessna 150… fun!

Thu, 22 Jul 2021 10:00:00 GMT

I recently had the experience of working on my Cessna 150. It was fun to get out my wrenches and do some airplane maintenance on this vintage airplane. Let me tell you how this happened. About two weeks ago, I had flown my Cessna 150 to nearby Torrance Airport, KTOA, on Sunday, June 27, for what is called ‘Display Day’, to get an exemption from the yearly property tax on vintage aircraft in Los Angeles County, which my airplane qualifies for. Wanting to take advantage of this, I made the short 10-minute flight to KTOA and parked my airplane in the display area. I found the appropriate folks taking care of this, then got the required sign-off on my paperwork.

So, after initially fumbling a bit, I looked through my small collection of tools, that have, up until now, mostly just sat there, on a shelf in my shed. I picked out a small stubby Phillips head screwdriver and went to work loosening and removing the fasteners that hold the upper cowling in place. And then lifted it up and removed it, carefully setting it on the ground. Looking at the upper engine compartment, everything seems to be intact, nothing is loose. No obvious signs of trouble. Hmm. Ok. Put the top cowling back on and reinstall the fasteners.

Get out and drive down the flight line. Is anyone else around that could help? Usually someone is around. Not today, right now. Monday mid-morning. Darn. Ok, I text my mechanic, Hunter, who is temporarily out of action with a back problem. I explain my situation. He replied, suggested a few things, including a fouled plug. Spark plugs. Carbon deposits. I always pull the mixture and lean it out on the ground. Ok, assessing the situation, and aware of the time, I had spent a while on this, and no progress. Time to move on. Close up the airplane and leave.

Fast forward. I’ve told my pilot friends about this. The word is out. Three days later, on Thursday, July 1, a friend has loaned me a few tools for some airplane maintenance. I decide to take on the task of removing the upper cowling and then removing and cleaning the spark plugs, all 8 of them, and then reinstalling them.

No, I have not done this before. But, I tell myself and someone else, jokingly, it’s not ‘rocket science’. I can do this. I’m not intimidated. It’s a matter of learning the procedure, the process, and what’s involved. What tools to use, how things work, etc. Airplane maintenance, mechanical stuff. I can do this.

Now, one more time, get the Phillips Head screwdriver and remove the upper cowling. And then the lower cowling. Removing the fasteners holding it in place, and carefully setting it down on the ground.

Then, one at a time, with the wrenches loaned to me and a ratchet and extension and a spark plug socket, I went to work, carefully removing eight plugs (2 per cylinder on piston airplanes for redundancy, an FAA requirement), and plug wires. The upper plugs were generally easy to remove. The lower plugs required more time and effort. Some were on really tight. Plugs were placed in a special sparkplug tray with numbered ‘holes’, both upper and lower holes for each cylinder, so they go back into the correct cylinder.

Guess what? This is FUN! My young nephew Milo would be proud of his uncle, who has not normally done this. Milo loves tools and machines! But I plan to start doing more work on my airplane, as the opportunity arises. I am seriously enjoying getting my hands dirty, working with the tools, and learning the mechanics of the engine and airplane. YES! I’ve had this ‘itch’ for decades. This is LONG overdue for me, LONG OVERDUE! I am finally getting to do this!! You can’t work on modern cars anymore. They don’t even want you to. Fortunately, with older airplanes, it’s different.

So, after removing the plugs, my friend Kenny and I walked down to where on the flight line we have equipment in a shed, for jobs like this, cleaning the plugs. He carefully cleaned the plugs, one at a time. Then I walked back to the airplane and reinstalled them. This, of course, takes longer. And the bottom/lower plugs are a pain…because of various engine components and accessories that are just ‘in the way’ of the sparkplug ‘holes’ for each. This is all part of working on an engine, airplane maintenance. But still FUN!!

Finally, after a while, they are all installed, though, not properly ‘torqued’ or tightened to FAA specs, for normal operation. I can start the engine, to see if it will run, but I’m not going anywhere. Ok, so I start it up, but, again, no change. Still running rough. Hmm. Ok, shut it down. It’s something else. I’ve done ALL I can. Not sure what’s going on. Learning. It’s a process. Diagnosing engine problems. All told this process of removing, cleaning and then reinstalling the plugs took about two hours. A good investment of my time. Now I know how to do this.

A day later, as the word gets out among friends on the flight line, another friend who is also a mechanic has come down and carefully pulled the propeller ‘through’ several times, checking the cylinders for compression. A good cylinder will require an effort as the propeller is pulled through. A bad cylinder will offer little resistance, because of low or no compression. And, as he expected, and explained to me, it likely has a bad cylinder, and probably a stuck valve, in number 3-cylinder, which is the ‘aircraft’ front right cylinder as seen from the pilot seat. Now we’re getting somewhere. Progress.

Now this week, the annual has been started, and as I write this, it’s Tuesday, July 13. I had a chance to talk with the mechanic, Steve, who is doing the work. He’s really good. The airplane is generally in good condition, but on a 50-year-old airplane, there is always something that needs attention.

He reviewed his list of squawks with me, and then we discussed the engine and number 3 cylinder, the biggest problem. He explained that the exhaust valve is in fact, stuck, and would not move. So, he recommended that he remove the cylinder and send it out to an engine shop that specializes in engine and cylinder overhaul and repair. Of course, I agreed. So, his crew removed the cylinder and sent it off to the engine shop, which is in the area. This will add to the cost of the annual, of course. I’m ready for that. All part of it.

With any luck, it will be fixed and ready in a day or two. Hopefully. If not, my departure for AirVenture and Oshkosh will likely be delayed. A day, maybe two. Just the way it is. I am taking this one step at a time. In the meantime, I am learning more about the mechanics of the airplane, the engine, stuck valves, airplane maintenance and more. It’s all good. Many lessons learned, for me. This is just bad timing.

And it’s all part of aircraft ownership. Fly safely!

John

Flying a DC-3, ‘Flabob Express’, almost…

Tue, 06 Jul 2021 18:39:00 GMT

After a yummy breakfast at the Airport Café, with my training Captain and Instructor, Bob, and his brother Tim, both of whom are retired airline captains and are now DC-3 pilots, flying Flabob Express, we went out and inspected the airplane. We did a ‘preflight’ or ‘walkaround’ as we call it. They actually kidded me about my smart decision not to wear a white ‘T’ shirt, (who knew?) under my blue Chambray sport shirt, (I was wearing a grey T shirt) because with all of the oil, grease and grime in and around the wheel wells and the engines, some of it was bound to get on my T shirt.

You actually have to duck down and then carefully walk into the wheel wells, where there is a lot of stand-up headroom, and avoid bumping your head ‘ouch!’ on the oil cooler (which is directly in front of the wheel well, and is below the engine, in the slipstream) to accomplish some of the pre-flight tasks.

After this, we went back inside to an air-conditioned conference room and Bob used a PowerPoint presentation about the airplane as a point of reference, to discuss the systems. We also of course discussed flying the DC-3, various power-settings, configurations, how it handled, and how things generally work, for about 2 hours. They had sent me a manual in advance, which I had read through.

The airport we are flying out of is called Flabob Airport (KRIR), and is about 40 miles east of Long Beach, in Riverside, CA, aka the ‘inland empire’ in SoCal. It was renamed ‘Flabob’ Airport in 1943 by Flavio Madariaga and Bob Bogan, so as to avoid any confusion with the other airport in Riverside. The name of the airport was derived by combining the first three letters of their first names.

Flabob is a small airport, with one hard-surfaced runway, 3,200’ long, and is typically not very busy, thus no need for a control tower. It also has a nicely maintained grass runway, which is rare anymore, parallel to the hard-surfaced runway, for use by single engine airplanes if they so desire. Their insurance requires that they have 2 qualified pilots in the pilot’s seats when flying into or out of Flabob.

The plan was for us to takeoff out of Flabob, and then, when at a safe altitude, above say, 2,500’ feet, the co-pilot, Tim, and I would change places. Simple. He’d get out of the co-pilot seat and go take a seat back in the cabin, and I’d get in the co-pilot seat…buckle up, and FLY!! We’d then go through all of the required maneuvers, takeoffs and landings, for me to become qualified as a DC-3 co-pilot!

We finally got around to starting engines, and with radial engines, this is quite a busy process! It’s a 2-man (person?) process. This is old technology. Typical of many airliners, on an overhead panel, there are toggle switches for turning various components on/off, and among them are spring-loaded starter switches.

During the process of starting engines, one of the pilots is looking out of the open left or right-side cockpit windows and watching and counting OUTLOUD the propeller blades (1,2,3,4,5,6 etc.) as they pass by the window, so the other pilot can hear him , as the 3 bladed propellers start slowly turning through their arcs.

As your count reaches ‘6’ blades you turn on the primer switch, adding fuel, and shortly after that, at ‘9’ blades, you turn on the magneto switch, to get ‘ignition’, then combustion, and as it starts, then on the center ‘quadrant’, move the mixture lever out of ‘idle cut-off’ to the auto-rich position, and advance the throttle slightly, as needed, and hopefully it starts. Radial engines can be cantankerous. They don’t always start on cue. Then the Pratt & Whitney 1830 (2 rows of 7 cylinders), each capable of producing 1,200Hp, loudly rumbles to life, belching blue exhaust smoke and making quite a ruckus!! Then checking the other engine instruments for proper after-start indications; oil, fuel, hydraulic and vacuum pressures on their respective gauges, and then repeat for the other side.

After the engines have warmed up enough, with the oil temperatures reaching 40° and cylinder head temperatures reaching 100°, and the ‘after- start’ checklist is completed, and the crew is ready to taxi, the parking brake is released, power is slowly applied, and we start to taxi. Carefully.

This can be tricky, as the brakes must be used, but sparingly because they can heat up quickly, and the tail wheel is ‘free-castering’, meaning it can swivel 360°, or it can be locked straight (for takeoff and landing). The wings on a DC-3 are 95’, very long! They are 30’ longer than the fuselage, which is only about 65’ long. With such a wide wingspan, you have to be very careful when maneuvering on the ground to make sure the wingtips are clear of any obstacles.

It took several minutes slowly taxiing down a narrow taxiway to get to the run-up area adjacent to runway 24 at Flabob. After finally completing the run-up, and announcing our intentions on the Unicom frequency, we finally got lined up on the runway. Bob added power for takeoff, and we were just starting to roll, when the right engine suddenly started to act up. Strangely, it did not develop full power, and the right tachometer (RPM) began fluctuating. This is not good. Hmm. So, Bob, who was in the left seat, immediately pulled the throttles back to idle and applied the brakes, and ‘rejected’ the takeoff. It was the only thing to do. No time for analysis. Just ‘abort’ the takeoff.

Just like airline ‘standard operating procedures/SOP’s’. We then taxied the remaining length of the runway, turned right, and taxied clear of the runway, and then turned right again, onto another taxiway, and then shut down, and secured the aircraft. A small ground crew came out to meet us, including the mechanic. And much discussion ensued.

We were of course surprised, because we had no reason to expect anything, but we had ‘briefed’ or discussed this possibility beforehand (every takeoff is briefed), and they handled it in a professional manner. We are not sure yet what happened. They will inspect the engine. I will have to return at later date to do the flying…and complete the training.

Of course, I am disappointed that we did not takeoff and I did not get to fly, but from a professional standpoint, I have learned long ago to take these things in stride. ‘Stuff happens’ as we say. Today, it happened, they handled it appropriately, and we go from there. I learned a lot, and I have a much better understanding of the DC-3, and technology from the 1930’s. “it’s all good’, as we say. Lessons learned. Bob and his brother, Tim, were excellent to work with. I’m looking forward to my next training flight in the DC-3!

Fly safely,

John

Do you know the difference between the FAR’s and AC’s?

Mon, 21 Jun 2021 17:52:00 GMT

While we are on the topic, the AIM, or Aeronautical Information Manual, is a collection of information, best practices, and explanation of regulatory materials. Though the AIM is ‘not regulatory’, it does provide guidance on how to proceed with a given procedure. And sometimes, the guidance is the rule.

Then there are the FAA’s Advisory Circulars, or AC’s, for short. AC’s cover a wide range of topics, and are numbered accordingly. AC’s are typically non-regulatory. The FAA states this on its website when referring to a specific AC; “This AC is not mandatory and does not constitute a regulation. It is issued for guidance purposes and to outline a method of compliance with the rules.”

AC’s cover a wide range of topics, and are numbered from 00 through 211, but are not inclusive. For example;

AC 00 – General

AC 20 – Aircraft

AC 60 – Airmen

AC 70 – Airspace

Each of these has one or more subsections containing more specific guidance as applicable. From another source, “… Advisory Circulars are intended to be informative in nature and not regulatory; however, many times they describe actions or advice that the FAA expects to be implemented or followed.”

So, AC’s are typically non-regulatory guidance, and contain advice and methods of complying with FAA Regulations as they are written. They sometimes also provide additional explanatory materials.

I hope this helps to clear up some of the confusion regarding the difference between FAR’s and AC’s.

Fly safely!

John

The PHAK and the AFH

Fri, 18 Jun 2021 03:20:00 GMT

Someone asked this recently on a FB page for student pilots; what’s the difference between “The Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge”, or PHAK, and “The Airplane Flying Handbook”, or AFH? It’s a good question. Do you know? These books are complimentary. Each alone is not sufficient.

The material in both of these books, as it applies to single engine airplane operations, is important for a student pilot to know and understand. You don’t have to know about stepping up, or transitioning, as it is properly called, to bigger, complex aircraft yet. Take it one step at a time.

These books represent the FAA’s official policy on things aeronautical, and how an airplane is flown, throughout the phases of flight. These two handbooks compliment the other required training and reference materials that any student pilot will need to learn and understand, in the process of becoming a licensed pilot.

Fly safely,
John Mahany

Pilot weather briefings, VASI out of service, and globe-trotting aviators

Wed, 12 May 2021 17:49:00 GMT

On Saturday, April 24, 2021, on AOPA Live, it was reported that the FAA recently issued an Advisory Circular, AC 91-92, that addresses the “Pilot’s Guide to a Preflight Briefing’. With the widespread use of Smartphone’s, devices and online briefings, many pilots now ‘self-brief’. The FAA is addressing this, and this AC provides guidance to pilots on how to properly self-brief and do a proper risk assessment before flight, as well.

For more information CLICK HERE

Lesson: IF you fly into a non-towered airport and notice something wrong, please call the airport manager and tell him or her so they can take corrective action. I found the number on airnav.com.

Finally, a shout out to two intrepid, globe-trotting aviators, Adrian Eichhorn and Shinji Maeda, who on May 5, in each of their Beech Bonanza’s, took off from AOPA headquarters in Frederick, MD (KFDK). They were on respective record-setting flights. Adrian’s route was up north and over Canada to the North Pole, which he orbited, before proceeding to land in Fairbanks, AK. Shinji, who is the first Japanese, one-eyed pilot, and who is a US citizen, proceeded north and east, towards the North Atlantic and Europe, and is flying around the world, with many stops. His goal? Raise awareness of what you can achieve and inspire others to do the same. Do not let ‘limitations’ hold you back. Impressive! https://www.lightspeedaviation.com/polar-flight-2021/

The New CFI Corner

Fri, 30 Apr 2021 17:36:00 GMT

Looking back, due to the rapidly growing global pandemic that was suddenly affecting ALL of us, in 2020, in ways that we could not yet imagine. I was one of many victims of this. As a result, the FAA had implemented a new rule, last March, that extended the annual training requirements for pilot ‘currency’, as it’s called, for Part 91 pilots (corporate, not-for-hire), for an additional 90 days. But not for Part 121 (airline) or Part 135 (charter) pilots. So, many clients were cancelling or postponing their required training, for 90 days, or longer. Suddenly we had too many instructors, along with other support staff. I was one of them. Many staff at other Learning Centers were also let go.

What a year. For all of us. Was this the perfect storm? Who among us was ready for this? I sure wasn’t. Retirement? Hell no! I’m not ready for that. Who can afford to retire? I can’t. Besides, I have an expensive hobby, owning and flying an airplane! Also, I have way too much energy to retire! And retire to what?? I’m NOT slowing down. I’m STILL in the game. Flying airplanes and all that goes with that. Adventure, and more! 

Fast forward. One year later. What a year it’s been. Many pilots out of work. Few jobs. And reaching age ‘65’ as well. I’m adapting. Working on reinventing myself in the process; learning new skills; many new skills required by technology and a constantly evolving aviation environment. The marketplace is changing, rapidly. And it’s suddenly very challenging, too, even for jobs as a contract pilot and instructor.

Let me explain. The aviation insurance underwriters have raised the ‘experience’ bar significantly, to provide required coverage to a pilot or CFI. It’s now VERY specific, meaning airplane specific. How much experience do you have in a particular make/model airplane? Over the years, I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to fly many different makes and models of aircraft, but sometimes for only a few hours. Maybe 1 – 10 hours, or up to 20, but less than 25 – 50 hours, depending on what a client needed, or other circumstances. So, now I’m well short of the insurance required 25 or 50 hours in some aircraft, through no fault of my own. And more insurance questions like, when was your last ‘recurrent simulator check-ride’? And, in some cases, in which simulator was the check-ride in? Really.

This is due to recent accidents and insurance claims, especially the two Boeing 737 Max accidents in 2018 and 2019. Suddenly, I don’t have the necessary experience! After decades of flying. This was quite a surprise! The FAA says you are competent, proficient, and ‘fit’ to fly (satisfactory performance on a check-ride), and either re-qualifies you, or issues new pilot certificates and ratings, but the insurance companies write the checks after an accident, so they call the shots on this.

So, what do I need to do, to both catch up , and keep up? Get back in the books and take online courses. And Zoom webinars. There is an explosion of new technology. Learn the new technology, review as needed, and all that goes with that. How far we’ve come. The pace of change only accelerates.

That brings me to this blog. CFI Corner. I’ve been kicking the idea around for a while. Now seems to be a good time. It’s a way for me to contribute my ‘2 cents’ to aviation safety, to hopefully make a difference, and provide a service to the general aviation community. I’ve seen a lot over the four decades that I’ve been a CFI.

I am curious by nature, and have many interests in aviation, so I will probably discuss several topics, not just one. One big area of interest for me is weather. How many pilots don’t understand aviation weather well enough? Too many. Weather-related accidents continue to occur. I will be commenting on other topics, issues and industry trends, as well my own adventures, flying other aircraft or my Cessna 150, shown in the picture above.

And yes, of course, I’m still learning! It never ends. In fact, as I write this, I am going through my own CFI renewal, due by June 30, via an online course. It’s required every two years for flight instructors, like many other educators.

So, hopefully, I will pose the right questions and get pilots to think. What can be learned from a particular accident? What trends are we seeing? How has the new ACS (airman certification standards) changed flight training, for example? I’m admittedly ‘old school’, having learned to fly in the last century, ‘BC’ as I sometimes tell people who ask. Not that ‘BC’. Rather, ‘before computers’ and ‘before cell phones!’; that ‘BC’ 

As often as I have something to say, I’ll post it. Hopefully at least monthly. I welcome your comments. There is a learning curve with this, like everything. Let’s see what happens.

Fly safely!

John Mahany
ATP/MCFI
CE500, LR-JET
johnmahanycfi@gmail.com

From Learjet to Cessna 150 In The Same Day

Wed, 02 Sep 2020 10:04:00 GMT

Read John Mahany's story of flying a Learjet and a Cessna 150 in the same day, with lessons from two very different aircraft.

Learjet SIC Type Rating

Fri, 22 May 2020 16:36:00 GMT

Opportunity Knocks for my Learjet SIC Type Rating

On Tuesday, May 12, 2020, I drove 6 ½ hours north from Long Beach, up through the San Joaquin Valley to Sacramento, California, for the opportunity to fly a Lear 35 and earn my Learjet SIC Type Rating ! I have been wanting to fly a Learjet for a long time, going back to when I started flying, 42 years ago. This has been a dream for decades! I simply never had the opportunity.

I have always admired the sleek design of the Lear, with its’ long pointy nose and the tip tanks, for fuel. And, Learjet performance is legendary! I’ve not seen anything climb like a Lear, when it points skyward after takeoff, except for military tactical aircraft. The initial climb rate is typically more than 5,000’ feet per minute, or higher! Just incredible!

I was able to arrange this through a client whom I had met and worked with at work, last fall. Ironically, I recently lost my job. And now, two weeks later, the opportunity was here! The irony of the timing did not escape me. My client, John, flies this privately-owned Lear 35A, for an individual. He was able to arrange for this short training flight. So, shortly after finally arriving at McClennan Airport (KMCC) in Sacramento, at the FBO, at about 6:40 pm, I met John. We chatted briefly, then headed straight for the airplane.

Flying the Lear 35

There was a very brief explanation of what we’d be doing, but nothing like the simulator briefings I am used to, which could take an hour. When we got to the airplane, John explained how to carefully step up and into the cockpit, where to put my feet, getting into the co-pilot seat, because it is a very small cockpit. He also directed me to remove my iPhone holster from my belt. It could be a distraction. No time for pictures on this flight. That would be later.

Once situated, John had me run the Before Start Checklist , and then he started engines, explaining as he went. This was my first time in a Learjet cockpit. After engine start, we taxied to runway 16 Left for takeoff, announcing our position on the Unicom. Interestingly, KMCC is not a tower-controlled airport, even though there is a control tower, but it was not in operation. I was quite surprised to hear that. But there was very little traffic, probably because it was early in the evening, approaching 7pm.

As we approached runway 16 Left for takeoff, John properly briefed me on what to expect. It was the usual, ‘standard’ pilots before takeoff ‘briefing’. IF the engine fails, etc. He also explained that he would make the first take off, so I could watch.

That was a smart move. When you add power in a Lear, things begin to happen FAST!! As he moved the thrust levers forward, the engines spooled up, and he held the brakes. Finally, at a reduced takeoff power, he released the brakes and the jet immediately surged forward down the runway, accelerating and pushing me back in my seat! In what was seemingly only seconds later, I called ‘V1’ and ‘rotate’, and he pulled back on the yoke, pitching up to 9 and then 15 degrees and we were airborne and CLIMBING!! The VSI kept increasing until it was showing about 8,500’ feet per minute on my side. Closer to 10,000’ feet per minute on his side. That’s climbing 2 miles a minute!! And, we were accelerating through 200 knots in the climb! Awesome!!

He ‘gave’ me the controls during the climb, and I put both hands on the yoke. It has a very SOLID, firm feel to it!! It felt completely natural. We continued climbing and I was very much aware of the hands on the altimeter winding up like a clock! I’ve seldom seen an altimeter increase so quickly. Finally, as we passed through 9,000’, I began to smoothly pull the thrust levers back and apply considerable forward pressure on the yoke, and we leveled off at about 10,000’ , and our speed was close to 250 knots, the speed limit from the surface up to 10,000’.

I was not yet used to the ‘feel’ of the Lear, so I was not able to fly it as precisely as I would have liked. The flight controls on the Lear are mechanical, cable and pulley. There is no hydraulic assist like on larger jets, so it takes more of an effort to control. This was also a new ‘sight picture’ for me. Looking forward out of the windscreen, it was just different enough that I was working hard to find a good reference point. So, I was not level, but due to my trying to get a feel for it, the altimeter was gently fluctuating, plus and minus 100’ or 200’.

As I recall, one week later, we were skimming the tops of the clouds.

It was really something. The illusion of speed. Finally, he suggested that I try banking left and right, doing shallow and medium banked turns, to get a feel for it. Again, not yet having a good reference point, and looking/scanning both inside and out, I was not as smooth nor precise as I would like to have been. But, for the first time, it was acceptable. I spent several minutes doing this, banking left then right, 30 or 45 degrees, and leveling off, trying to get a feel for the jet. My turns gradually improved.

Then, we turned around, and started our descent back to the airport. This was fun! Pulling the thrust levers back and weaving my way through the layers of clouds as we descended. Soon enough, the airport was back in sight, and John announced our position ‘in the blind’ on the Unicom frequency to any other traffic in the area, and we entered a left base for runway 16 Left.

Again, he flew the first ‘visual’ pattern so I could observe and get a sight picture. He flew a nice, stabilized approach. I was taking lots of mental notes. As we approached the runway, he continued, delaying the flare, I thought, too late, but it was just right for the Lear. Touching down on the mains, he then gently lowered the nose, being careful not to ‘drop it’ on. Then, almost immediately, he changed configuration and added power and we accelerated and took off again, doing a ‘touch-and-go’, and then on climb out, he gave me the controls again!

Now, I really started to work.

Down low, climbing rapidly to pattern altitude, then turning right on the crosswind leg, and now INTO the setting sun!! I was almost blinded, the sun being low on the horizon and in my eyes! And remaining below Sacramento’s Class C Airspace, at 1600’, was a challenge! He admonished me about this several times as we did several takeoffs and landings. The Lear, because it has so much speed and inertia, required me to really PUSH forward on the yoke AND reduce power, to level it off down low and remain BELOW 1600’. The pattern altitude was 1500’ AGL.

John talked me through the pattern each time around. Again, it was challenging. Adjusting the power, watching my pitch and bank attitude, heading, speed, reference to the runway on my right side on downwind, while configuring, I was BUSY!! It was fun, but I was consumed with trying to fly it properly…and precisely…on heading, speed and altitude. Little time to ‘relax’. I had to stay ahead of the jet. Plus, as we configured each time (spoilers as needed, gear and flaps as appropriate), I had more pitch changes to make. Of course, a lot of work. The Lear basically presented a different ‘feel’ so I had to work harder to make it happen correctly. It took much more effort than I was used to.

The Lear is more demanding than the Cessna Citation

The Lear is MUCH more demanding than the Cessna Citation, with the Lear’s swept wing. It took much more of an effort to fly a stabilized final approach, stay on speed, learning when to flare as we approached the runway, then gently lowering the nose onto the runway. And then quickly reconfigure for takeoff. And repeat! We did this several times. He wanted me to get the feel for it and I appreciated this.

And on one landing, we did roll out all the way down the rest of the 10,599’ runway to the end, using all of it. He wanted me to try steering it. This is a challenge, as the Lear’s steering is electrically controlled, both AC and DC electric, and it’s steered through the rudder pedals. Apply pressure to BOTH, and then gentle pressure in the direction you want to go. It is tricky and takes getting used to! He joked that I would be doing ‘S’ turns down the centerline, which I did! Fortunately, I was able to keep it going reasonably straight most of the time. But it was a challenge. So, we taxied all the way back to the runway for one more takeoff. Finally, it was coming together.

Earning the Learjet SIC Type Rating

My last takeoff and time around the pattern went much better! I was finally getting a basic feel for it. I was actually ahead of it. I had much better control all around. I held altitude better, my final approach was stabilized, power properly set at ~60% N1, on speed at Vref + 5 (minimum), and I waited just long enough to flare at the right time, and then eased the nose wheel onto the runway.

What an effort! I was relieved, as we rolled out and slowed, then taxied in. John again took the controls, briefly, then gave it back to me. We’re not done, yet! I carefully taxied in and followed the guide man (marshaller) directing us with his orange signaling wands, on the ramp, directing us where to turn and park.

Finally, John set the parking brake and we followed the checklist and shut down. Then we carefully got out. John opened the door. Fresh air!! I had worked REALLY hard! I was worn out, from a long day already, and my long drive, but we were not finished yet. Fortunately, I am still young enough that I can do this!

We chatted for a few minutes, and then took some more pictures. John then pointed out a few features on the outside of the Lear. Then he ordered fuel, and the fuel truck arrived, and we went inside. I paid for the fuel, but it’s cheap at McClellan and I could afford this. After dinner, we discussed and reviewed the Lear and its systems, for the ‘oral’ portion of this, and he asked me some questions, which I was able to answer.

Finally, we got on my laptop to finish the application for my Learjet SIC Type Rating using the FAA’s IACRA website. I had filled out an earlier version of the application online and had printed it out and brought it with me. John completed his portion and signed it.

What a day! I felt worn out but quite proud of my new Learjet SIC Type Rating. What a tremendous sense of accomplishment!! I hope to be able to fly as co-pilot for John on some future trips, if and when they come up. Like many things in aviation, and in life, there are no guarantees. I’m looking forward to this!

Mind Mapping

Mon, 20 Apr 2020 17:51:00 GMT

Special Visual Flight Rules

Wed, 11 Mar 2020 18:32:00 GMT

Explore special VFR operations, the conditions that apply, and key considerations pilots should review before accepting a clearance.

40 Years as a CFI, Certified Flight Instructor

Thu, 13 Feb 2020 21:19:00 GMT

Learn about John Mahany's four decades as a certified flight instructor and the experience behind his aviation training.

Avidyne Avionics Training Program

Tue, 04 Feb 2020 16:02:00 GMT

Discover John Mahany's Avidyne avionics training program and how focused systems training can help pilots fly with greater confidence.

AirVenture 2019

Mon, 05 Aug 2019 21:20:00 GMT

Revisit John Mahany's AirVenture 2019 experience and highlights from one of general aviation's largest annual gatherings.

Mental toughness and how it applies to aviation

Tue, 07 May 2019 20:46:00 GMT

Why you should visit AirVenture

Mon, 10 Sep 2018 21:51:00 GMT

AirVenture 2018 was awesome!

Where to begin? It’s hard to describe ‘AirVenture’! It’s so much more than ‘an airshow’, or a convention. It’s like Disneyland to ‘the max’. It’s impossible to take it all in, from the range of aircraft on display, to the exhibit hangars, speakers at various forums (over 1,500) and much more. The event planners outdo themselves on this, every year!! And they succeed, every year!

The City of Oshkosh takes in nearly fifty percent of their annual revenues during this one week alone. There are almost 20,000 campers in Camp Scholler. Nearly 10,000 aircraft fly-in and are parked on the grounds. When they run out of room at Wittman Field, then the arriving aircraft end up at one of several other nearby airports in Central Wisconsin.

It’s like this every year. It’s the busiest Air Traffic Control Tower in the world, for this week. Air Traffic Controller’s from around the US bid to ‘work’ Oshkosh for the week. It’s the biggest mix of aircraft to ‘work’ from an ATC standpoint, from home-built’s to jets, found anywhere!

There is the daily airshow, on top of everything else, at 3pm, daily. Not to be forgotten is the museum, which is a world-class museum, and don’t forget the Seaplane Base, just a few miles southeast of Wittman Field, accessible by bus from the south end of the tie-downs by the approach end of runway 18. The Seaplane base is like another world away from it all, on a much smaller scale. Several float planes are moored there, and if you are there long enough, you are almost sure to be able to see someone takeoff or land from the water lane, which is always a treat!

Go to www.airventure.org to get an idea of what all there is to see and do. The ‘AirVenture’ experience is different for everyone. I have been there almost 20 times now, since first going in 1977, and I still have a great time each year! There’s always something new to see and do! It’s never boring … like meeting with fellow aviators from around the world and having a common bond. Where else can you do this?

I am involved in many aviation organizations, and volunteer for two of them during AirVenture. I started doing this a few years ago. It has added so much more, for me. I volunteer for both an aviation education organization, SAFE, as well as an aviation media group, the Florida Aviation Network (FAN), and divide my time up between the two. Because I volunteer with FAN, I now get press credentials and a Media Pass, which allows me access to people and places that might be inaccessible, otherwise. I also take lots of photos for FAN, all of which they post on their website. www.floridaaviationnetwork.com

For the media, there are daily press briefings, where EAA’s Director of Communications, tells us which manufacturer’s and vendors are planning what press-conferences, and media events, each day. Typically, they overlap. You have to pick and choose. Like I said, there is no way to take it all in. To put this in perspective, aviation journalists from around the world attend AirVenture, and more than 1,500 apply for and are granted media passes each year.

The main aviation ‘member’ organizations (alphabet groups) are all there, including; ABS, AOPA, EAA, SSA, SPA, SAFE and many others. It’s a great place to meet the ‘right’ people and get your aviation questions answered! If you can find them, in the crowd. AirVenture has gained international recognition. Many manufacturers use AirVenture to make major new product announcements. Even the FAA’s Administrator, and some of the staff, make an annual visit to AirVenture, as well as typically the Secretary of the DOT. This is where they can meet with their constituents. Many important policy decisions are based on informational meetings held behind the scenes at AirVenture, and it gives pilots the chance to meet top government officials in the appropriate forums and ask questions addressing some of the many issues of our time. Both AOPA and EAA have full time staff members in Washington, DC, to work with Congress on legislation affecting us in general aviation.

I try to take in as much as possible and hope to connect with as many colleagues as possible, during the time I am there. There is never enough time. I always leave wishing I had more time and this is why you should visit AirVenture next year! Blue skies.

Certified Pilot – Forty Years Flying!

Tue, 28 Aug 2018 18:15:00 GMT

August 15, 2018, marks forty years since I earned my Private Pilot Certificate! Back then, I had not given any thought to forty years later! Who does? And here I am reminiscing about how far I’ve come! And I’m not finished yet!

Since that day forty years ago, I have logged more than 9,100 hours and have had the opportunity to fly more than 100 makes and models of aircraft. A wide range of experience, to be sure. Among my favorites is the ‘Citabria’, which is actually the word ‘Airbatic’ spelled backwards! It’s a fun little aerobatic airplane that is a delight to fly! A very light but firm touch on the controls…it is a fun ’tail-dragger’ airplane.

The most challenging by far was the Swearingen Metroliner 2, which I flew as co-pilot for Britt Airways, a commuter airline. No auto-pilot, naturally. We hand-flew every leg. Very demanding. A lot of work…and learned a lot!

Citabria

Swearingen Metroliner 2

Now I intentionally seek out new and different makes and models of aircraft to fly. And what is still true now, after forty years, is that I am still learning! There’s always more to learn.

From busy tower-controlled airports, and quiet non-towered airports to paved hard surfaced runways, as well as the grass and gravel found off the beaten path in the back country, each presents its’ own challenges. And then there’s the water, when flying on floats…which depends on whether it’s a river or lake…and more. There are many variables and each water landing is different. That is just one part of why I am still fascinated with flying, and am not bored, forty years later!.

I have been fortunate to be able to seek out many new experiences in flying along the way. I have now had the opportunity to fly aircraft including; single and multi-engine piston and turbo-prop aircraft, seaplanes, gliders, experimental aircraft, as well as warbirds, as well as fly on float and snow ski equipped aircraft. I have also had the opportunity to fly helicopters. All are fun, and some are more challenging than others!

In addition, I have been fortunate to learn the basics of mountain flying, as well as fly in the backcountry in both Alaska and Idaho. It’s very different than flying in the ‘flat-lands’ of the Great Lakes, where I started. I have learned a healthy respect for the mountains. They always win!!

Along the way, I have also gained experience in both airline and charter operations, as well as a brief stint in corporate flying. Airline flying presents its own challenges, among them learning to deal with weather in an ‘all-weather’ operation. The training is relatively short (6 – 8 weeks), intense (lots of pressure) and fast-paced. It is very disciplined flying, in a scheduled airline operation, naturally. Charter, on the other hand, can be different every day, on every flight, depending on what the customer wants.

I’ve also gotten involved with humanitarian flying, which is very rewarding, with three organizations dedicated to this. They are AngelFlight , LightHawk , and the Civil Air Patrol . All three have different roles. All are volunteer organizations. AngelFlight typically flies people in need of cancer treatments, but who are not able to take an airline flight, due to their condition. AngelFlight fills this need beautifully. LightHawk’s focus is on the environment and conservation. and using airplanes to create an awareness of what is happening to the environment. This is done by taking various members of the media, as well as politicians, and others with a demonstrated need, up to get a different perspective, from the air! It’s quite powerful.

In addition, several years ago I was invited to participate in a record-setting flight! I had not done this before. I was one of four pilots who piloted a Vintage Beech-18 on a route from Carlsbad, California, to Phoenix, Arizona, and back, in a record-setting time! We did not land in Phoenix. Instead, we overflew Phoenix at an altitude of about 8,000’ and turned around once over Phoenix while in touch with ATC, and returned to Carlsbad, where coordinated with the tower (ATCT) and made a low-pass over the runway for the purposes of getting the official time ‘stamp’ per the official FAI record-setting requirements, thus setting the record, and then returned for a landing! It was a lot of fun! I am hoping to do this again…in the next year, in my own Cessna 180.

I am always reading books, either reviewing or learning something…and now I am getting ready for the training to earn my next Type Rating, in a Gulfstream 4. This is a fast-paced three-week course with a a lot of material! It’s a complex jet, compared to the Cessna Citation! This has been on my bucket list for years and the opportunity is finally here!

I am always looking for my next aerial adventure!! Blue skies!

Flying a Cessna Citation

Sat, 07 Jul 2018 01:40:00 GMT

On Sunday, July 1, 2018, I had the opportunity to fly with a friend in his Single-Pilot (SP) Cessna Citation, a CE-501 , from where it is based, at John Wayne Airport (KSNA) to San Jose, CA (KSJC), and back. It was a beautiful day to fly in Southern California. Though it was warmer than normal, with the OAT being ISA + 20 during climb and cruise. We were ‘in between’ weather systems, meaning there was no significant weather to deal with. There was almost no wind at altitude. Our TAS (True Airspeed) and GS (Ground Speed) were almost the same. The CE-501 is almost identical to the CE-500 except that it is certified under FAR 23 (Normal Category) instead of the more restrictive FAR 25, Transport Category. The takeoff weight is limited to 12,500#.

As it is a Citation, all of the jokes about performance are true (bird strikes from the rear). It is slower in the climb and cruise, as well as on descent. But then the engines only produce 2,200# of thrust. And on a hot day they produce even less thrust, just like any jet. How many times did SoCal TRACON advise us to ‘resume normal climb speed’, and we had to respond, ‘we already are’. We were not even able to go 200 knots. Our climb speed was 180 knots initially and gradually slowed to about 160 knots from there. We were already doing the best we could. And again, on descent, we were told to ‘not exceed 250 knots’. We replied that that would not be a problem.

It is a very easy jet to fly the Cessna Citation , as most Citations are. They were originally designed for the owner/operator who was stepping up from a piston-twin Cessna. The panel arrangement is typically Cessna, and appropriate changes were made when the Citation line was designed.

On the way back, I took over on the descent at 29,000’, disconnecting the auto-pilot and hand flying. It was wonderful!!! It is a very easy jet to fly. And FUN!! The flight controls have a very solid feel. They are not hydraulically assisted. They are purely mechanical, via control cables. Designed to be that way.

As we got closer to John Wayne Airport, I was relishing the flying!! It was SO MUCH FUN!! It’s a hands-on, kinesthetic thing with me!! I’m a ‘hands on’ guy. Making many small adjustments with the controls (pitch, bank and power) to maintain the proper speed, heading and altitude, as SoCal TRACON vectored us towards a Visual Approach to Runway 20R at KSNA. Using sight, sounds and the ‘kinesthetic’ connection. So important. The ‘man-machine’ connection. My ‘stabilized’ approach and landing turned out very nicely!! Wow!! Right on the correct approach speed (Vref +10 in a jet), and so forth. Very rewarding to me. I don’t get to fly in a real airplane nearly often enough. So, I look forward to every opportunity to fly. Even as this summer marks 40 years of flying for me, I’m still not jaded! I hope to keep it that way.

My friend even complimented me on how nicely my landing turned out. I realized a few minutes after we shut down, this was my first landing in a jet! Though I have done many in the simulator, it was uneventful, the result of much practice! I’ve flown many turbo-prop aircraft and have done this many time in a flight simulator, but this was the first-time landing in a jet. I was just relishing the feeling — a feeling of deep satisfaction for a job well done!!

He has owned the Cessna Citation for about two years now, and in that time has had some work done on the jet. He has upgraded some, but not all of the avionics. It is a work in progress. As a result, the panel is sort of a hybrid combination of new and old. And it still has some work that needs to be done. That’s all part of the process.

Aside from that, it was an enjoyable flight up and back! My friend typically flies single pilot, so is not used to having a qualified pilot/instructor in the right seat. He was very competent throughout, and there were no problems. He pointed out to me some of the issues that he is working to resolve on his Cessna Citation especially concerning the avionics. He does not fly often, so he is wise to train on a regular basis, returning almost monthly for additional simulator time to stay proficient and review emergency and abnormal scenarios in the simulator.

Until the next time,

Blue skies!

Master Instructors LLC Renews John’s Master CFI Accreditation

Thu, 04 Jan 2018 02:54:00 GMT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Recently, John’s accreditation as a Master CFI (Certificated Flight Instructor) was renewed by Master Instructors LLC, the international accrediting authority for the six (6) Master Instructor designations as well as the industry acclaimed and FAA-approved “Master Instructor Continuing Education Program (MICEP).” He first earned this national professional accreditation in 2003 and is one of only 40 worldwide to earn one or more of these credentials six (6) times.

To help put these achievements in their proper perspective, there are approximately 101,000 CFIs in the United States. Fewer than 800 of them have achieved that distinction thus far. Twenty-three of the last National Flight Instructors of the Year, National FAASTeam Representatives of the Year, or National AMTs of the Year were Masters (see: http://www.GeneralAviationAwards.org/ ) while John is one of only 56 California aviation educators to earn one or more of these prestigious “Master” titles.

In the words of former FAA Administrator Marion Blakey, “ The Master Instructor accreditation singles out the best that the right seat has to offer. ”

The Master Instructor designation is a national accreditation recognized by the FAA. Candidates must demonstrate an ongoing commitment to excellence, professional growth, and service to the aviation community, and must pass a rigorous evaluation by a peer Board of Review. The process parallels the continuing education regimen used by other professionals to enhance their knowledge base while increasing their professionalism. Designees are recognized as outstanding aviation educators for not only their excellence in teaching, but for their engagement in the continuous process of learning — both their own, and their students’. The designation must be renewed biennially and significantly surpasses the FAA requirements for renewal of the candidate’s flight instructor certificate.

For more information about the Master Instructor Program visit www.MasterInstructors.org To learn more about the S ociety of A viation and F light E ducators ( SAFE ), visit http://SafePilots.org/

Alexander “Sandy” & JoAnn Hill, MCFI-Es
Master Instructors LLC, Longmont CO

Weather Accidents and How To Avoid Them

Fri, 05 Feb 2016 22:41:00 GMT

Join two of PilotSafety.org’s Master Instructors on a 90 minute discussion of three different general aviation weather accidents. This free and entertaining class will not only show what went wrong but teach you how to keep from making the same weather mistakes. A must attend class for anyone from a student pilot to and experienced flight instructor. FAA Wings Credit will be given to attendees.

Flying Expo 2015

Fri, 16 Oct 2015 15:09:00 GMT

Palm Springs, California. Under partly cloudy skies on Friday morning, October 15, 2015, I attended the 2 ^nd annual Flying Magazine Expo. While it was ok overall, the attendance seemed smaller this year, and the number of exhibitors was down, as well. There were fewer than 100 exhibitors. Some of the biggest players in the industry were not there, including Textron (Beechcraft/Cessna), King Schools, and Piper, to name three.

Checking out the aircraft on display outside the convention center, there seemed to be fewer on display this year. Of course, with Textron being absent, Beechcraft and Cessna were not there displaying any aircraft.

This event is really a ‘mini’ expo, and runs Thursday through Saturday afternoon. It is a regional affair. Many of the exhibitors have a smaller display for this show, as a result. It was worth attending, for one day, for myself, but not for all of it. I will have to see what happens with this next year, before deciding whether to attend again.

AOPA’s You Can Fly Program’ and Yellowbird

Thu, 09 Jul 2015 21:59:00 GMT

It was great to see Kay Sundaram last week. She made the trip to Long Beach Airport to meet with our fabulous AOPA volunteers and FAA Safety Team representatives. AOPA is the largest aviation association in the world. It has been protecting your freedom to fly for 75 years.

To further our Advanced Pilot Training programs we discussed #‎YouCanFly and ways to bring down cost of flight training.

No surprise that I fell in love with the Reimagined Aircraft, aka Yellowbird! ‪ #‎FlywithAOPA

Annual ‘Flying Circus’

Mon, 15 Jun 2015 18:19:00 GMT

On Saturday, June 6, 2015, I flew myself and 3 friends to Flabob Airport (KRIR), which is a privately owned airport located in Riverside, California, 38 NM east of Long Beach, as the crow flies. The occasion was the 3 ^rd annual ‘Flying Circus’, which is really an open house, and many antique and vintage aircraft were on display.

This is not an airshow. There are some ‘unofficial’ low fly-bys’, and the traffic pattern was full most of the morning with a variety of aircraft. Officially, all of the aircraft are on ‘static display’. The airports ‘diner’, Flabob Café had a steady flow of diners’ as there was a really good turnout for this. Also, EAA Chapter 1, which calls Flabob Airport home, also hosted its’ own pancake breakfast for the occasion.

It was a fun morning spent with the camaraderie of fellow aviators, as well as being a brief step back to the roots of aviation…as many of the aircraft on display were built during the 1920’s and 1930’s.

Flying to Breakfast

Sat, 30 May 2015 10:30:00 GMT

On Saturday morning, May 23, 2015, I flew to the Riverside, CA, airport (KRAL) for breakfast in my Cessna 180, with several other friends, who also have airplanes based at Long Beach, CA. (KLGB). It is a short, 20 minute flight east of Long Beach.

On this particular Saturday morning, the weather was marginal VFR, with ceilings 2,500’ to 3,500’ and visibilities were typically 5 miles or greater. This photo was taken at about 2,000’ as I was just northeast of the 15/91 interchange. It was a smooth ride with little turbulence, as might be expected under these conditions.

Breakfast at Dee’s Restaurant was good…as was the camaraderie. A good time was had by all.

Planes of Fame Air Museum – 2015

Sat, 09 May 2015 21:42:00 GMT

Air Museum

Honoring California’s Most Influential Aviators

Fri, 01 May 2015 22:26:00 GMT

On Saturday evening, April 25, 2015, I attended a Black Tie Optional dinner at the Santa Monica Airport, hosted by the Aero Club of Southern California (ACSC). The occasion was the 2 ^nd Annual Induction Ceremony and Dinner Honoring California’s Most Influential Aviators, into the California Aviation Hall of Fame. It was a privilege to attend. There were probably 250 of us in attendance.

Also, for this event, the Aero Club had commissioned a highly regarded aviation artist, Ms. Michelle Rouch, of Tucson, Arizona, an aviation enthusiast herself, to paint a mural of the inductees along with some of the aircraft they have flown. The painting was auctioned off during a silent auction during the dinner for $3,000.

I had the distinct pleasure of meeting and conversing with aviation legend and inductee Mr. Burt Rutan, along with his older brother Dick, both of whom are legendary and highly regarded among aviators.

It was an evening to remember. I am thrilled that I was able to attend.

Abnormal Situations

Sun, 05 Apr 2015 13:13:00 GMT

Do you know what an ‘abnormal’ situation is? It’s not an ‘emergency’; it is a situation in which there is a problem but it does not require ‘immediate’ action by the pilot. An engine failure would be considered as an emergency situation in normal category airplanes. But an electrical problem like an alternator or generator fault or failure would not be considered as an emergency.

Do you ever take out your Pilot Operating Handbook (POH), Airplane Flight Manual (AFM), or the Operating Manual (OM) … depending on what it’s called in your airplane, and look over the emergency and abnormal procedure checklists to review them? It is a good idea to do this once in a while, not just during a flight review.

Thomas Turner, in the March 25 issue of his eNewsletter, Mastery Flight Training, reports that there were 13 accidents over a 10 day period according to the FAA’s list of preliminary accident reports. All of these accidents took place on landing. The aircraft involved included the typical mix of piston single engine and light twins, with one Cessna Citation 2 in the mix. Several went off the end, and some lost control.

What is happening to pilots on touchdown and roll out that is resulting in these accidents? Do you fly ‘stabilized’ approaches, with a constant airspeed and constant rate of descent to the flare and landing? Or, are your approaches ‘un – stabilized’, with airspeed varying 10 knots or more during final approach? A stabilized approach is the goal. Stabilized approaches lead to better landings.

Fly safely!

Pilots Bill of Rights II

Mon, 09 Mar 2015 15:35:00 GMT

The Pilots Bill of Rights II (PBOR) was recently introduced in both the United States Senate and House and is working its way through the legislative process. This will put the long-awaited aeromedical reform into effect, along with a number of other protections for pilots and airmen.

From the EAA’s website; “…The first provision of the new legislation is expansion of the Federal Aviation Administration’s current exemption from third-class medical requirements for sport pilots to cover general aviation aircraft up to 6,000 pounds, carrying up to five passengers, for both VFR and IFR flights at up to 14,000 feet. The bill would also prohibit FAA enforcement for third-class medical certificate violations unless the FAA has issued regulations within 180 days of the enactment of this legislation.”

Fly safely!

62 Years of Aviation Sharing

Tue, 17 Feb 2015 21:11:00 GMT

How many of you know that EAA recently had a birthday? I learned this from the Vintage Aircraft Association’s February newsletter, which I just received. From the newsletter, “…This evening, January 26, 2015 is the 62nd anniversary/birthday of EAA. From a coal bin basement first meeting on January 26, 1953 to 185,000- plus members, the magnificent EAA Aviation Center with its staggering collection of historic airplanes, to world-wide acclaim as the finest, largest, most influential sport/general aviation organization in history is an amazing accomplishment!”

A big thank you to the late Mr. Paul Poberezny, who had the vision for this, along with his wife Audrey, and all of the countless volunteers who have worked so hard over the years to make this happen!

Fly safely!

John Mahany CFI

Speaking at AirVenture Oshkosh, Tuesday July 21, 2:30pm, Forum Stage 5

Mid to late June; flying a Bushcat LSA, AFW, My engine failure story, AirVenture Oshkosh…

June blog – Stabilized approaches and more

Mid-May blog – In the news, in case you missed it. More this time…

In the news

Aircraft Checkouts; there’s more to it now – April 21, Flabob Airport

Last week…

This week…

This month…

John will present IFR SOPS at FAPA’s March 2026 meeting, Tuesday March 17. Location, the Fullerton Young Aviators Hangar, across from the old AFI building, at 7pm.

Aircraft Checkouts; there’s more to it now – Jan. 21, Torrance Airport

Wright Brothers Anniversary and Year End Wrap-up

My YouTube Webinar, August 16, 2025, SOPS for IFR

Over 704,000 attended AirVenture this year!

47 years ago today

En Route to Oshkosh – AirVenture starts July 20!

AirVenture Oshkosh, are you going?

FAA’s Coffee and Wings Webinar August 16; IFR SOPs

EAA Chapter 1712; Riverside Airport, Aug. 5, FAA Safety Seminar

Engine Failure After Takeoff!!

AirVenture 2024! – IF you missed it, it was AWESOME!!

AirVenture 2024!

How to hire the best CFI for you

Click Here to read the full article at General Aviation News

John Mahany earns his Master CFI Designation for the 8th time!

Crosswinds, anyone?

A Tribute to Richard McSpadden – RIP Richard

Do you know the new ATC equipment code suffix for your airplane?

Lancair Legacy

﻿ The Lancair Legacy is a speedster!!

The last Boeing 747

The last Boeing 747 was delivered to a customer on January 31, 2023.

Polar Air Cargo

Europ-Control

Historic First Flight

First Flight

Milestones

Goals and Adventures

Long Beach Airport Festival of Flight

Long Beach Airport Festival of Flight is opened to the public annually

FAA approves use of (G100UL)

100 octane unleaded fuel (G100UL) is now approved!

Tragic Mid-Air Collision

What Happened?

Procedures

Lessons

“Round-the-World” solo pilot visits the OC

Meeting A Young Record-Setter

Flying low and slow across the country

Lots of Planning

Almost 10,000 airplanes flew into Oshkosh for AirVenture

Planning is Key

Weather, Good and Bad

Considering a long cross-country flight?

No Fly Zones

Two significant aviation events…

ATC controller steps up during aviation event!

High Surface Winds

Flabob Airport, a step back in time

Aircraft mechanics – we need ‘em!

Flying the Stearman Biplane

More stick time for pilots?

More ‘stick time’ is needed by pilots

Crosswind Landings

Challenging Crosswind Conditions

5-7-9 Rule

Looking forward in 2022

Guinness World Record

Looking back at 2021

Air Traffic Control Mike Fright

How to deal with Air Traffic Control Mike Fright

Cross-Country Flight Planning, Common Mistakes

How long since you’ve done any cross-country flight planning?

My approach to cross-country flight planning

Using social media and more

Turning wrenches on my Cessna 150… fun!

Flying a DC-3, ‘Flabob Express’, almost…

Do you know the difference between the FAR’s and AC’s?

The PHAK and the AFH

The Lancair Legacy is a speedster!!