Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2015 i Plane & Pilot

There are two components of learning to fly: first is the skill to be able to maneuver the aircraft as needed. The second is the knowledge necessary to fly an aircraft safely and plan flights. This includes study areas like meteorology, navigation, aerodynamics and aircraft systems. These study areas are often called ground school. Today, we have the luxury of doing our ground school study in the comfort of our own home. Available in both online (web browser or tablet) and DVD formats, these full-spectrum courses include everything you need to earn your private pilot certificate. Many of these ground school “kits” include the course itself, along with textbooks, sample written exams, study guides, maneuvers guides, navigation tools and even a basic flight bag. They’re a great bargain and allow…

Probably the greatest misconception in aviation is that you have to have perfect health to fly. While you do have to be healthy from a medical standpoint (without debilitating chronic issues), many conditions or disabilities won’t keep you from flying. One example is monocular vision (vision in only one eye). There are thousands of monocular pilots flying every day without issue. As with many medical conditions, a pilot with one eye or with vision loss equivalent to monocular may be considered for medical certification, any class, through the special issuance procedure. That involves some time requirements (six months since loss of vision), a complete evaluation by an eye specialist on FAA Form 8500-7, and a “medical flight test” where an examiner ensures the condition doesn’t cause safety issues and the…

Talking with pilots and scouring countless online pilot forums looking for an answer to, “What’s in your flight bag?,” we made some interesting discoveries. It seems the gear pilots carry is closely related to the type of flying they do, and there’s no real consensus as to what “essential gear” is. Pilots fall into two general groups: those who have had some kind of emergency and now carry gear to prepare for the next one or minimalists who often walk out to their airplane with nothing more than an iPad and a headset. Still, there’s commonality in certain elements of the “perfect” flight bag. Headsets far outweigh all other equipment as the most popular flight bag item. In fact, many pilots carry two of them—either as a backup or for…