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Kentucky Auroras from 30,000 ft
During a geomagnetic storm rated G5 extreme by NOAA, I was able to capture photos of the aurora borealis. From 11 May 02:05 UTC through 02:55 UTC, a variety of colors, swirls, streaks, and faint glows danced across the sky over Kentucky.
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Name This Optical Phenomenon
Earlier this month, I observed a sunset that I couldn’t quite explain. While an occasional solar halo or a pair of sun dogs are known to entertain us pilots at higher altitudes, this wasn’t one of those. This sunset was accompanied by two perfectly vertical rainbow-colored columns of light. The best photo I took was…
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Are We Established?
When the approach controller issues a clearance, “maintain 3,000 feet until established,” what does it mean to be established? The specific meaning of this phrase is a bit more involved than a short definition, and it is critically relevant in avoiding Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) accidents. Maintain the last altitude assigned by ATC until…
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Boeing MAX Safety Report Widely Misunderstood
Headlines about the recent NTSB Safety Recommendation Report on the 737 MAX design are focusing all attention on the report’s cover page. But is the report really about pilots reacting to emergencies in unexpected ways? I found the most relevant part of the report on page 5. This is where the NTSB described Boeing’s use…
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Flight Themes in the Four Realms
For a pop culture moment, let’s consider the mysterious flight elements of Disney’s movie from last winter, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms. I say “mysterious” because there are some hidden clues as to why several flight-related themes appear, mostly very subtle, throughout the movie. For the most part, there is no clear metaphor, no…
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On the Ethiopian Crash Report
The crash of Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 is certainly the most important event being discussed in the aviation industry today. Having read the just-released investigation report, I now see several pieces of new information that will profoundly change the direction of this discussion. For my part, I am making an armchair analysis of a preliminary, though…
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R-ATP Exemption Follow-Up
Back in 2014, I wrote about six different universities and a community college that were all petitioning the FAA to become exempt from the requirement to hold a ground school certification so that they could participate in the R-ATP program. That post had become somewhat stale, so here is a look back at what happened…
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R-ATP Cross Country Time
I previously wrote about a regulatory boo boo that made it impossible to determine how much cross country flying experience was required to obtain a restricted ATP certificate. The regulation that allowed students to apply for the rating with 30 college credit hours was never included in the nearby paragraph authorizing reduced cross-country time requirements. To bring…
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R-ATP Denied at Eastern Michigan University
A search on federal websites revealed the FAA denied Eastern Michigan University’s exemption petition for R-ATP flight training last month. “The FAA has fully considered the petitioner’s supporting information and has determined the relief requested is not in the public interest and would adversely affect safety.” This decision is not surprising in light of the two-year…
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Flight Range Ring is Always a Circle
I found an interesting error in Flying Magazine today, in which the author described an airplane’s range as being “anywhere from a perfect circle to an egg shape based on the wind conditions.” Wrong! Remember, one should think in the most simple terms about the effect of wind on an airplane. Wind is just motion…