I am doing some preliminary planning of the panel for my RV-9A and wondering if a 2nd nav is really a necessity with a GNS 430 in the panel. Seems to me that flying IFR GPS, with mostly GPS approaches in the near future, I should not have much need for a 2nd VOR receiver to identify intersections...

I'm confused about what determines the local altimeter setting. My understanding is that there is a barometer in the tower that measures the weight of a column air extending up into the atmosphere. What factors affect its weight? Is it purely temperature variations caused by uneven heating by the...

The recently issued revision to the G1000 software includes an upgrade to permit loading airways into flightpans. The upgrade is free to 2004, 2005 and 2006 Cessna G1000 owners, including a labor allowance for installation. Mine was installed today; I'll report on how it works this...

Hi Folks- Please forgive what is probably a simple question regarding GPS approaches. I am new the the /G world. I was out flying my 182P today to do some practice approaches. The airplane is equipped with a GNS480 and I have a Garmin 296 on the yolk. I was buzzing around NW of the Salinas...

On my way to visit relatives for X-mas. Flying from Northwest Indiana to Savannah, GA in a Cherokee 180. Itching to put my recently earned IFR ticket to work. Climbed out of my home field on Christmas Eve after the risk of freezing fog had thawed. Up through a light cloud level at 2500 for...

I was checking out in a Civil Air Patrol 182T the other day and the check airman pulled the power on me. No big deal, but then he demonstrated how the glide improved when the propeller was pulled to low RPM. No one had ever showed that to me before. Question is: In retrospect it seems...

A Chalks Airways Grumman Mallard (Turbine Mallard) crashed during takeoff near Miami, FL today. Watching TV coverage of the aftermatch it's certain two things will happen after such an event. The TV networks will report a fiery explosion before the crash and Mary Shiavo will be on-air...

What a flight I experienced yesterday! Got to do more things I never did which made for such a wonderful learning experiences and also raised questions in my mind (surprise, surprise!). Really worked over my decision on to launch or not to launch today to fly from 2G2 (Steubenville, OH) to BWG...

Folks ! I am planing to get my IFR ticket. preferably in one of accelerated programs. I have read about a few but I am still looking for one where they take you on a cross-country ride to say west-coast or Alaska (I am in east) and you don't shoot same approach twice. AT the end of the trip you...

Saturday was my first night IFR cross country. I was flying right seat in a 172SP with an instructor on the left. The flight was from KHHR Hawthorne CA to Bermuda Dunes. All was well and as expected until Palm Springs approach. They vectored us to a point south of the VOR-C approach approx...

I was departing Harford Co MD airport yesterday (0W3) enroute to Chesterfield MD (FCI). 0W3 is a small non-towered field with no ground communications to ATC or FSS. In trying to pick up my clearance on the ground, I attempted to contact Leesburg FSS on the 1-800-WX-BRIEF. Due to call volume, I ...

I was flying this weekend to maintain my instrument currency and came across a GPS approach unlike any I'd seen thus far. Then again, I'm pretty new to GPS approaches so I'm still finding new stuff fairly often. I was flying approaches into Wellsvill, NY (ELZ) and was setting up for the GPS RWY...

I went to get my new IFR charts today and my local pilot shop told me they will no longer be carrying Jepp products. I know that some places have already stopped, but at PAO/RHV they thought up until a few days ago that they would be able to carry on. Seems someone at Jepp has had the brilliant...

Today I dropped an Angel Flight patient off at Massena, NY (KMSS), an uncontrolled airport in the very north portion of NY state. The weather was 50 feet above minimums and the ILS was the only way in. Once the patient was safely in the warm terminal, I preflighting and started up, only to...

When an approach specifies ADF REQUIRED (as in Rochester, NY KROC ILS RWY 4 or VOR RWY 4) is there any legal way to fly the approach without an ADF? It appears to me that the only reason for the ADF requirement is for the missed approach. Can the approach be flown leagally by requesting...

I'll be flying from Ottawa to Philadelphia next weekend for a week-long conference, and would be grateful for hints and information from people familiar with the U.S. portion of the route. I couldn't find any preferred low-level routing in Canadian or U.S. sources -- I also tried Syracuse to...

I'm working my way through my IFR training... Today on the radio "79V switch to 134.0" Where I dial in 134.0 on the toggle freq acknolege the request switch to COM2 (Meant to hit toggle) Annonced that I was checking in.... At which point ground control (from where I'd left 15 min ago) tells me...

What is the proper way to switch transponder codes? The way I have been taught is to put the transponder in stand by, switch to the new code. Then turn it to mode C I had an instructor tell me to just change it to the new code without turning it to stand by first. Like to hear from controllers as...

Ok, it's coming up to that season, and was vividly demonstrated when I got hit by hail driving through Watertown last night. I drive a lot between Rochester NY and Ottawa Ontario, and Rochester NY and Whitby Ontario, and frequently those drives are in good VFR conditions except for that band...

I know Don Brown. He is a good 'ol country boy, and an entertaining writer, but he is not a pilot. His aviation world is circumscribed by the AIM and Air Traffic Control Handbook, with no latitude (no pun intended) allowed. His Avweb column about filing IFR is almost perfect, but there are...