This appeared in the latest issue of AOPA Pilot: http://www.bluemountainavionics.com/elitemain.php Its an all electronic ADI with EFIS display. They say they are currently engaged in certification. What do you guys think about the prospects for use as a primary AI for a standard airplane like my...

SkyVector.com, a site that has long provided very high quality scans of VFR sectionals, TACs, and Fly charts, has now added low-altitude en-route IFR charts to its database! High-altitude charts will follow. This is a huge effort by the site, since IFR charts are available only on paper from the...

Until recently I have been quite a fan of Dauntless Software's products, having used both their written test prep packages and their Safelog product. I have recommended them here. All good things come to an end, however. Beginning in May, the "free" Safelog upgrades come with a poison pill....

I was looking at the L1/L2 chart between RBL (Red Bluff) and SAC (Sacramento). The change over point is at GRIDD because the airway changes direction slightly. The only thing is, it shows the DME distance to GRIDD from SAC as being 55nm. If I'm below 14,500, don't all VORs have a service volume...

I am considering taking a flight from central North Carolina to Cape Cod in late March of this year. Up until all of my flying has been in the Southeast, with IAD being as far north as I've ventured. Playing with the AOPA planner the route looks pretty interesting -- go just east of the DC ADIZ,...

Hi Group. I had a trip Friday in a 1977 C-337G(pressurized). On the taxi out I noticed the suction gauge was pegged high. The AI erected ok, but the DG required many updates on the way to the run-up area. Pulling on to the runway, we corrected the DG again, by 30 degrees. We flew VFR to Boise, and...

Greetings all; What do you recommend for preparation for an Instrument Proficiency Check? Is there any written or video material that is specifically geared for this, or is the original IFR training material better? Thanks for any insight! Jeffrey

If an instrument rated saftey pilot files an IFR flight plan on a VMC day, can the student inst. pilot legally log simulated instrument time while under the hood? The liability of the flight will rest entirely with the instrument rated saftey pilot. However, for the purpose of logging simulated...

Wow, that took forever it seemed like to show up in the database! I am getting ready to go do my Multi Engine & Single Engine Sea, I decided to put on hold the CFI after looking at Insurance Costs. Wow! It makes me wonder how many CFI's out there don't have Insurance becuse of the costs. DOI...

Any more experienced Great Lakes area pilots able to answer some questions about lake effect snow? 1. When there are bands of lake effect snow across your path: - how high up do they go? - how much ice do they produce? 2. What about if the band is covering the airport? Fly the approach...

I am new to this group, because I recently went through an IFR course. I do have a question. There is an airport close to here called Orlando Sanford (SFB). It has two approaches called NDB-B and NDB-C. Both are similar but they approach the airport from west and east, respectively. Let's...

Getting mixed up about runways and airports can happen easily, as Roy's post shows, and it happened to me Friday. I was picking up an Angel Flight patient at Jacksonville Craig (CRG). The weather was VMC, I already new from a NOTAM that 14/32 was closed, and the ATIS was advertising visuals to...

Am finishing up Machado's exellent Instrument Flying Handbook now. Really enjoyed that - lots of good stuff on approaches (especially) that you don't get in the training materials. So, what else is must reading for the newly-minted IFR pilot?? Thanks for all the replies on the staying-current...

Hello All, What does the following NOTAM mean: GPS 02/001 GPS PRN 26 OTS WEF 0502082100-0502090900 I know it says "GPS Pseudo Random Noise 26 Out of Service" but what are its implications? Does it mean that RAIM is not available during the outage? Thanks,

Here's a question for the group from a low time ifr pilot... The HASSA4 DP out of Ontario, CA specifies a minimum climb gradient that would take you over the POM vor at 4400ft and then out V197 to the PMD vor. The MCA for the POM vor nw bound on V197 is 8300ft and the MEA for that segment is...

Okay, I'm here, and my destination is on the other side of one of the Great Lakes. Flying direct will take me out of gliding distance from shore, so I don't want to do that. .... but there's no obvious airway route around the lake. In fact, there's a big honkin' Class B area, so even if I try to...

Has anyone seen this video from King Schools: GPS From A-Z Featuring The KLN94 - DVD? I'm looking for a training aid to really get familiar with the KLN94 on the ground... Any other suggestions are welcome... Thanks.

Hi All, I've been snooping the rec.aviation.* groups for a while, and I'm still lost. I want to start studying for my IFR rating. I'm from the US, resident in Japan, and so I reckon on studying on my own then taking the test on some trip back to the states one day. I've seen a variety...

A fine example of the quality results of Tarver Engineering work. As singed off by John Tarver with applicable 8130. http://www.aart-jan.net/images/aart_in_vliegtuigwrak.jpg photograph courtesy of Aart-Jan, (its not tarver in the pic, it's Aart's father inspecting the fine work completed by...

Hi all. What does it mean when there's an alternate intersection name in brackets in the new AOPA Flight Planner? As an example, there's an intersection just south of the Wash D.C. Class B where V286 and V16 cross. It's called TAPPA but the new AOPA flight planner also has in brackets. It also...