Yesterday, for the first time since I got the instrument rating 5 years ago, I had to hold for real. It was a reposition flight from Mobile Downtown to Pensacola to pick up an Angel Flight. When I checked the weather at home at 6am, fog was reported everywhere on the central Gulf Coast - the...

I saw this again on Discovery Wings today, and I think I picked up on the following: The controller (tower?) says: "QNH one-zero-zero-eight" This is the local altimeter setting in hPa (hecto Pascal) Lindbergh replies: "three-zero-zero-eight" Which would be the "normal" / US setting, in inches of...

I have never (yet) flown in a GA airplane with a flat panel PFD/MFD. I'll bet many in this forum have not either - but we all will very soon, because the proliferation of such systems has far outpaced even the most optimistic anticipations of only a short time ago. It has also outpaced...

I'm trying to figure out the BAF ILS 23 localizer approach. The normal LOC 23 approach has a MDA of 900, and the LOC 23/DME approach has a MDA of 700 feet. After the FAF, there is a step down fix at 2.7 DME with a _1160_ before it. So does this mean that if you don't have DME, you can descend to...

On Sun, 10 Oct 2004 16:09:51 GMT, "Dean A. Markley" wrote: I'd suggest you wear a tinfoil hat AND take drugs.... Skip the tinfoil hat... But DEFINITELY do the drugs!!!

OK pilots, try this one on for size. As you likely know, there is a wide and growing rift between the career FAA bureaucrats (aka FAA Management) who run the monstrosity called the federal Air Traffic Organization, and the career FAA air traffic controllers who make that monstrosity work in the...

Ok, a curious question just popped in my mind. Say that one was flying IFR in a piston single, maybe a 172 or 182. While enroute, either in actual or above a cloud layer, the engine fails. Will the windmilling prop keep the vacuum pump going enough to make the AI and DG usuable during descent...

If I am navigating along a Victor Airway, and want to program it into my GPS, how can I tell if there is an angle (i.e. change in direction) at an intersection? I know that some intersections are there just because of changes in MOA, MOCA, etc, but definitely some are there because the airways...

I'm going to be flying from ROC to BAF weekend after next. Just plugging the end points into Aeroplanner gives me a nice simple route V2 ALB V146, but I see that BAF has a STAR, SWEDE ONE. It's a bit longer than the simple route, and since I've never flown that direction I don't know if I should...

The USAF terps guy Timothy Lovell sent John Haggerty (FAA terps guy) a response to his query about the question I asked here, about the odd step-down on the LOC vs LOC/DME versions of this approach. For those not playing along at home, the LOC has a MDA of 900 feet, and the LOC/DME has an MDA of...

Have you ever carefully studied what the regulations actually REQUIRE regarding the various experience requirements for an instrument rating? The XC requirement in particular, is one that oftentimes unnecessarily adds to the cost of an instrument rating and delays getting it. According to the...

Today was the first time I've ever been established on approach, in actual. A bit unnerving if I say so myself. Partly because it's been a month since I've been able to fly. We (another instrument pilot and I) started down into La Grange (KLGC) after we were cleared for the approach and had to...

Please accept my humble apology for the post "Looking For a Tool" yesterday. It wasn't meant to offend you and it will not happen again. If you see any more messages advertising our site I assure you it will not be coming from me or our staff so please inform me immediately so I can put a stop to...

I'm looking for a tool that forecasts cloud bases and tops for a route of flight. I use http://adds.aviationweather.gov to approximate this by viewing the freezing levels, icing potential, pireps, etc., but it seems with all our modern satellite and radar products as well as weather service data...

Who can tell me what the wording means in 135.225 (a) (1) and (2). So you don't have to look it up - these are weather reporting minima to initiate an instrument approach procedure. (1) (the) airport has a weather reporting facility operated by the US NWS, a source approved by the NWS or a source...

Instead of clogging up the newsgroups, I've started a personal aviation weblog, "Land and Hold Short". You can visit it here in a browser http://www.megginson.com/blogs/lahso/ The best option, though, is to use the RSS to get a live feed in your...

I am interested in learning from everyone... a. What autopilot your aircraft is equipped with? b. What aircraft your autopilot is installed in? c. What does your autopilot use for heading/altitude/attitude reference? d. What does your autopilot use for loc/gs reference? e. If your...

I've been asked to help write some code to assist in flight planning by choosing routes. I have just enough Computer Science and IFR background to make me dangerous. I said that I'd donate my effort if it results in Free code the community can use. So we're making this a community...

As I understand the new RNAV approaches support three types of approach: Lateral-only navigation (Basically the traditional GPS approach?) LNAV/VNAV LPV Now, IIRC, only the LPV approaches *require* WAAS, while the LNAV/VNAV approaches support use of barometrically-derived *or* WAAS VNAV guidance....

Ok, I bored you all to death with wondering if I should go to BAF or CEF, with questions about the route down here, and questions about the approach plate for one of the approaches at CEF. I'd like to thank you all for your indulgence and let you know that I'm safely on the ground at BAF after a...