The aircraft were participating in a parade of airplanes in front of thousands of spectators at the Wings Over Dallas airshow when they collided, killing all six on board. 

In a photograph included in the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) preliminary investigation, the B-17 and the P-63 were shown flying at the same altitude. The P-63 was behind the bomber and in a slight left bank with its belly facing the larger aircraft, making it impossible for its pilot to see the B-17 prior to impact.

The P-63 sliced into the bomber, severing its tail. The forward half of the bomber cartwheeled to the ground and the P-63 disintegrated. There was a large fireball as the remains of the aircraft hit the ground.

• READ MORE: NTSB Releases Docket for Fatal Wings Over Dallas

In a Safety Alert for Operators (SAFO) released Monday, the FAA outlined risk mitigation measures for the civilian airshow community. 

According to the SAFO, despite dissimilar aircraft operating in close proximity to one another, “the NTSB preliminary report stated there were no altitude deconflictions briefed before the flight or while the airplanes were in the air. This accident highlights the complexity of mass aircraft demonstrations, and the critical importance of safety protocols to provide separation and enhance situational awareness.”

The SAFO identified the complexities and challenges for these aerial demonstrations, such as the participation of dissimilar aircraft, the complexity of the flight patterns, communication protocols, and the number of aircraft involved.

In that document, the FAA made the following recommendations to mitigate risk and improve safety at these events:

• Air bosses should be experienced and have a background in mass aircraft demonstrations. 
• Pilots should have proper training, credentialing, and recency of experience.
• Formations should utilize experienced flight leads that have demonstrated their ability to manage their formation element.
• Mass aircraft demonstration structure should include a detailed written plan that is distributed to all pilots in a manner that is clear and concise and able to be used in the cockpit.
• Mandatory preflight and postflight briefings should review all aspects of the normal and emergency procedures for all participants.
• Following the briefed plan for operational execution is of critical importance. Deviations from the plan, ad hoc instructions, or maneuvers can contribute to confusion and loss of separation.
• No simultaneous flight operations for aircraft not involved in mass aircraft demonstration.
• Complete geographical, vertical, lateral, and time separation should be utilized.
• Mass aircraft demonstrations should use simple racetrack patterns to avoid complex maneuvering and loss of visual separation.
• Avoidance procedures should be clear to all participants and easily executed in the event of an emergency.

“Pilots, air bosses, and event organizers should be continually assessing the risks and implementing appropriate safety mitigations to ensure the continued safety at aviation events,” FAA said.

The post FAA Issues New Safety Protocols for Aerial Demonstrations appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

• READ MORE: What Is the Rudder Used for in Flying?

Answer: According to an FAA spokesperson:  “Generally speaking, the FAA will accept [a pilot’s] last airman certificate application (Form 8710-1) or what they reported on their last medical application (Form 8500-8).” You should have access to at least one of those documents.

Pro tip: Moving forward, you may want to invest in an electronic logbook and save the information to the cloud, or at least record a digital image of each page of the paper logbook when you fill it up. If you rent aircraft, sometimes you can re-create your experience by cross-referencing your receipts. 

• READ MORE: Is There an Official Weather Briefing?

Do you have a question about aviation that’s been bugging you? Ask us anything you’ve ever wanted to know about aviation. Our experts in general aviation, flight training, aircraft, avionics, and more may attempt to answer your question in a future article.

The post What to Do When You Lose Your Logbook appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The aircraft were flying in the pattern of the Fun Fly Zone (FFZ), which is located in the Ultralight area.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that the accident occurred when the gyroplane pilot violated established and briefed FFZ procedures by making a prohibited 360-degree turn in the pattern before colliding  with the helicopter.

• NTSB: Rule Violation Contributed to Fatal Midair Collision at EAA AirVenture

The pilot and passenger of the helicopter were killed and the pilot and passenger of the gyrocopter were seriously injured. No one on the ground was injured, however, an unoccupied aircraft was destroyed when the gyroplane came down on top of it.

According to the NTSB final report (below) on the accident, in addition to the one-strike rule, the EAA has adopted the following changes to prevent future mishaps:

• Standardized briefing for all types of FFZ operations
• Standardized traffic pattern for all types of FFZ operations with exception of the powered-parachutes group due to speed performance
• Standardized aircraft spotter locations for all types of FFZ operations
• Designated sterile corridor for traffic on base leg over the north/south paved road

The NTSB’s final report is below.

The post EAA Adopts New Procedures in Wake of AirVenture NTSB Crash Report appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

“Thank goodness you use paper,” he said, going on to tell me that he wanted to learn using paper sectionals and navlogs, and once he mastered those, he might move into using an electronic flight bag (EFB).

He said he wanted to learn to use analog tools because that’s how he processed information best. Also, he said he knew devices could fail or go missing, and if you don’t have an analog backup, the mission would be over. He worked in the tech industry (space flight), where equipment and technology failures are planned for.

I have no problem teaching with paper. With primary learners, I prefer it, as learning to flight plan the “old-school” way provides a good base on which technology can be added at a later date.

According to multiple CFIs and DPEs I know, many pilots who are solely training using EFBs and an app for their cross-country planning are often weak in the elements of a VFR flight plan because they never learned how to do it beyond putting information into a computer and letting the app do its magic. They often do not understand where the data comes from, which makes it difficult to know if it is corrupt or incorrect for the given situation.

The Airman Certification Standards (ACS) note that the EFB is permitted, as the focus of that portion is that the applicant “demonstrate satisfactory knowledge of cross-country flight planning.” That includes route planning, airspace, selection of appropriate and available navigation/communication systems and facilities, altitude accounting for terrain, effects of wind, time to climb and descent rates, true course, distances, true heading, true airspeed and ground speed, estimated time of arrival, fuel requirements, and all other elements of a VFR flight plan.

It’s difficult to learn this past rote memory when the computer does all the planning for you. This is why many CFIs opt to teach both methods, and often begin with the basics, a paper sectional and looking out the window before adding in the use of the EFB. 

Analog Cross-Country Flight Planning

Flight planning begins with a paper sectional, navlog, plotter, and mechanical E6-B. I’m a fan of the E6-B because the wind side is very useful for determining crosswind components.

The instructions for the use of the device are printed on it. All the calculations are basically math story problems, and the instructions walk you through the process. The plotter also has instructions printed on it. The informational boxes on the paper navlog are labeled so you know where to put the information.

The lesson begins with reading the empty navlog. The CFI explains the terms true course, variation, magnetic heading, deviation, and compass heading. Now flip over the E6-B to the wind side, where the formulas for calculating this information are printed. Identify the directions for determining ground speed and wind-correction angle, noting that process is also printed on the device. 

• READ MORE: How To Use a E6B Flight Computer

Now it’s time to spread out the sectional and get to work, picking landmarks to use as check points for pilotage, determining the true course, finding the deviation, etc. The filling out of the navlog begins with the recording of the checkpoints and measuring distances between them. Put this information in the appropriate boxes. Always do this process in pencil and have an eraser handy.

Make sure the destination meets the definition of a cross-country flight for the certificate you seek. For private pilot airplane, it is 50 nm straight-line distance, and for sport pilots, 25 nm. Be sure you are using the correct scale on the plotter. 

I walk the learners through the first two lines of the navlog. This takes them from the departure airport to the top of climb, and then the first leg of the flight. Once the navlog is filled out, we go to the performance section of the POH to determine true airspeed (TAS), fuel burn, and time to climb. 

• READ MORE: Make Friends With the E6B

The wind side of the mechanical E6-B  is used to determine the wind correction angle. Pro tip: if you will be using more than one set of wind values for the flight, give them distinct symbols on the E6-B, such as an “X” for the winds at 3,000 feet and a “dot” for the winds at 6,000 feet.

Make sure to note the winds and the symbol on the navlog and do not erase the wind marks until after the completion of the flight. This is important, because if you need to divert (and you will have to demonstrate this on your check ride), you don’t want to lose time re-marking the wind dot on the E6-B.

Many learners find analog flight planning fun. There certainly is a sense of accomplishment after you’ve learned what makes a good checkpoint, how to measure the distances, determine aircraft performance and— the big kahuna— how to “spin the winds” on the mechanical E6-B to determine ground speed and time en route. Yes, those instructions are printed on the face of the device.

Applicants, please make sure you can navigate when technology—particularly the GPS—is taken away. By the way, DPEs are permitted to fail devices during the check ride. Fair warning: Don’t be the applicant who pulls out a second iPad or cell phone as backup because you’re missing the point. 

Putting all your eggs in the tech basket isn’t going to help when the iPad overheats, there is a signal outage, or the device is otherwise rendered unusable. If you don’t have the ability to navigate by pilotage or the compass, are you really qualified to be in that cockpit?

Benefits of the EFB

The EFB is more environmentally friendly than paper charts and sectional because you don’t have to cut down trees to get the information. Updating the information is easier as it can be done with a keystroke rather than a purchase, and it creates a more organized cockpit as the tablet stores the information and it can be accessed with a swipe of a finger rather than doing an advanced yoga pose in flight to reach for your flight bag.

The tablets come in several sizes, and there are many options for mounting them, including yoke or kneeboard. I’m not a fan of the suction-cup-on-the-windscreen method as that blocks part of your view outside.

If you opt for a yoke-mounted unit, make sure it doesn’t interrupt the travel of the yoke or stick or put the aircraft in a permanent bank. There are some tablets that are just too large for the cockpit. If you opt for a kneeboard-mounted device, make sure your kneeboard holds it securely and the kneeboard stays in place.

• READ MORE: Who Wins the Battle of the Aviation Kneeboards?

As far as  data plans for navigation applications, you may find that the annual cost is competitive with that of replacing the paper sectionals and chart supplements.

The EFB is a wonderful tool, but like all tools it can be misused. It shouldn’t become a crutch for the pilot who has forgotten how to read a sectional because of disuse. Don’t be that pilot who becomes so reliant on technology for navigation that you forget to look out the window. 

The post The Wisdom in Not Putting All Your Eggs in the Tech Basket appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

According to the Seattle Times, the first aircraft took off from King County International Airport/Boeing Field (KBFI) on Friday at 6 p.m. PDT with Boeing pilots and FAA personnel on board.

The flight is the first of several that will be conducted over the next 18 months.

According to Boeing, the 777X is designed to be more fuel efficient with reduced carbon dioxide emissions and have a greater operating range and lower operational cost than the Airbus A350, which is considered its direct competition. 

The wings of the 777X have a folding tip that the company said “enables high-span efficiency while maintaining taxiway and gate compatibility.”

In the cockpit there is touchscreen technology similar to what is used in the B777 and B787 aircraft. Passengers aboard the 777X will note there is more room in the cabin, as it has been extended laterally by 4 inches. In addition, the windows are larger and placed higher in the bulkhead.

The post Boeing 777X Begins FAA Certification Flight Testing appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The first crash happened on June 15 in Chino, California, when Lockheed N93R was taking part in a Father’s Day airshow. The pilot and copilot were killed when the aircraft crashed during takeoff. The pilot took off with the flaps fully extended. 

Lockheed N93R

The NTSB noted that video of the takeoff shows the flaps down and the aircraft struggling to climb. The vintage twin reached an altitude of approximately 300 feet before plunging to the left. There was a post-impact fire.

The crew had lowered the flaps as part of the preflight inspection but did not retract them before takeoff. The NTSB noted that during engine start the ground crew used arm and hand signals to try to let the pilot and copilot know the flaps were in the fully extended position.

Lockheed N2072

The second accident occurred on June 18 at Seven Lakes Airport (62GA) in Jackson, Georgia. The pilot, the commercially rated copilot, and a passenger were seriously injured when the privately owned 1936 Lockheed 12A Electra Junior (N2072) veered off the turf runway during landing.

Video of the landing taken by a bystander on the ground shows the aircraft on approach to the turf runway with the flaps and gear down. The touchdown appears normal, then as the aircraft slows and the tailwheel settles to the ground, the aircraft veers to the left. The videographer lowers the camera so the aircraft’s impact with a tree is heard but not shown.

• READ MORE: 3 Left Injured in Georgia Lockheed 12A Crash

“The impact crushed the cockpit] aft toward the cabin,” the NTSB report said. “A tree trunk about 2 feet in circumference was observed within the cockpit. The instrument panel was buckled around the tree trunk. The pilot, co-pilot, and passenger seats were crushed up and aft.”

The investigation quickly focused on the brakes and the tailwheel as both are used for directional control on the ground. Examination of the main landing gear braking system revealed hydraulic fluid on the landing gear strut and hydraulic fluid leaking from the brake line fitting.

“The steel-braided brake line B-nut fitting, which connected the right brake caliper to the rigid brake line attached to the right landing gear strut, was finger-tight, and hydraulic fluid was observed leaking from the fitting,” the NTSB said.

The fitting on the left brake could not be moved by hand and there was no fluid leakage.

Investigators stated the tailwheel lock control lever was found in the locked position, but the locking tab on the control-wheel assembly appeared to be unlocked.

The NTSB final report on both accidents is likely several months out as it can take 18 to 24 months for investigations to be completed.

The post NTSB Releases Details on 2 Lockheed 12A Crashes appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

I am coming up on 21 years as a CFI, and there are stumbling blocks I’ve seen freshly minted CFIs trip over. Here are 12 suggestions to help make your journey as an educator a smooth one for both you and your learners:

1. Use a syllabus

Even if you were not trained with a syllabus, or the school you are working at is Part 61 and doesn’t require it, please use one, be it paper or electronic form. It will help you stay organized and deliver lessons in a logical order. Make sure your learners have a copy and bring it to lessons.

Pro tip: If your learners don’t have a copy of the syllabus, you’re not really using one with them. They need to have a copy for best results.

2. Introduce FAA certification standards on Day 1

The Airmen Certification Standards (ACS) is required reading for both the CFI and learner. A learner can’t perform to standard unless they know what those minimum standards are. The ACS spells them out quite clearly.

Don’t wait until just before the check ride to bring them out and apply them. Use the ACS in the pre-brief so the learner knows the metrics for which they are aiming.

• READ MORE: The Importance of Embracing Proficiency Culture

3. Stress the use of a checklist

This starts with the preflight inspection. Have the checklist in hand. Teach to the premaneuver, cruise, and of course, prelanding checklists as well. Emergency checklists should be memorized.

Bonus points: Show the learner the pages in the pilot’s operating handbook or Airplane Flying Handbook from which the preflight checklist was derived. Teach them to use that if the checklist disappears— as it often does at flight schools.

4. Teach weather briefing and aircraft performance

Teach the learner to obtain and interpret a weather briefing and to calculate aircraft performance from Day 1. Discuss weather minimums and how their personal minimums will change as their experience grows.

If the learner does not want to fly in certain weather—such as especially turbulent days or if the weather starts to go bad during a lesson—be ready to terminate. Flight instruction is about teaching good decision-making in addition to flying skills.

5. Manage your schedule for the learner’s benefit

While it is true that most CFIs are building time to reach the airlines, do not overload your schedule at the expense of the learner. The learner should be able to fly at least twice a week, though three times is optimal for best results. Manage your student’s load so you are flying six to eight hours a day—that’s a hard stop at eight hours.

Be ready to go at least 10 minutes before the learner arrives. That means scheduling lessons so the aircraft is on the ground at least 15 minutes before the next lesson so that it can be serviced if needed and you can take care of the debrief and logbook of the previous client. Be sure the person who does the scheduling understands the limitations of scheduling, such as when you timeout at eight hours.

Pro tip: The quickest way to lose a client—and possibly your job—is to disrespect a learner’s time. There will likely be a time when you miss a lesson or are late. Apologize and make it up to the learner by giving them a free lesson, even if it means you have to pay your employer for the use of the airplane and your time. You won’t like it, but it’s about character and doing what’s right, especially if the school has a “no-show, you-pay” policy for the learners.

• READ MORE: Separation Anxiety: When Your Instructor Moves on, Your Logbook Tells the Story

6. Don’t spend too much time on the controls

This is a hard habit to break. Try holding a writing implement in your hand while you hold your other arm across your body. If you are going to fold your arms on your chest, tell the learner it’s to show them you’re not on the controls.

Some people interpret this posture as being angry, so make sure you say something up front.

8. Eliminate the ‘pretty good’ metric

“Pretty good” is not a pilot report on weather conditions or an assessment of the learner’s performance. Teach them to be precise on weather observations, such as “light winds, ceiling at 3,000 feet,”, and for learner performance use metrics, such as “altitude within 200 feet,” for performance review.

Ask the learner how they would like feedback on their performance—in the moment or at the end of the lesson in the debrief. Some learners prefer the CFI to sit there quietly while they flail around with the controls. Others prefer real-time correction, such as “your heading is off by 10 degrees,” which allows them to fix it.

9. Don’t pass up the opportunity to teach a ground school

That is when you really find out if you really are a teacher of flight or a time builder. Teaching in the classroom and demonstrating something in the airplane involve vastly different skill sets.

Reading slides off a screen or material out of a book is not teaching. To be an effective teacher, the CFI needs to get the learners engaged in the material. The best teachers are memorable.

• READ MORE: Make Flight Reviews for CFIs Worthwhile

10. Allow the learners to make mistakes

Mistakes are part of learning. In aviation, they happen quite a bit, and as long as no metal is bent, no one is physically hurt, there is no property damage, or broken FARs, allow them to happen.

If things go badly and the learner is upset, the worst thing you can do is tell them to sit there while you fly back to the airport. This can destroy their confidence. Instead, try having the learner review and practice a maneuver already learned. Strive to always end the lesson on a positive note.

11. Plan for poor weather or mechanical delays

Always approach each day with two plans for each learner—flight or ground. Let the learner know in advance what the plans are: “If we fly, we will do this; if we cannot fly, we will do that.”

There is the option to cancel if the flight cannot be completed, but you should be prepared to teach. For example, if the weather is below minimums or an aircraft is down for maintenance and the shop rules permit it, take the learner into the hangar and do a practical pointing using the aircraft engine or cockpit instruments.

12. Make time for your own proficiency and currency

Protect your flying skills. You can do this in part by demonstrating takeoffs and landings or by asking the learner if they are OK with you doing a few at the end of the flight with the understanding you will be paying for that aircraft time and will adjust the bill accordingly.

Don’t neglect your instrument skills either. Use the advanced aviation training device (AATD) if the school has one and shoot a few approaches and holds a couple times a month, or pair up with another CFI during off-peak hours to do some real-world IFR flying.

An instrument rating is part of the requirement to be a CFI, so make sure you keep it ready for use.

This column first appeared in the Summer 2024 Ultimate Issue print edition.

The post Ultimate Issue: First Few Hours of Being a CFI Are the Hardest appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

According to the space agency, Engle was born in Abilene, Kansas, in 1932. His family said he was enamored with flight since childhood and always had his eyes on the sky. 

Engle’s entry into the world of aerospace began when he earned a degree in aeronautical engineering from the University of Kansas in 1955. He then entered the Air Force through the Reserve Officers Training Corps, earning a commission as pilot in 1958. His first assignment was flying F-100s with the 474th Fighter Day Squadron. He was later assigned to the 309th Tactical Fighter Squadron at George Air Force Base, California.

In the early 1960s as the Space Race was ramping up, Engle applied for and was accepted to Aerospace Research Pilot School (ARPS), which was established at Edwards AFB, California, to train military astronauts. While there, he was selected to fly the X-15 in a joint test program between the U.S. Air Force and NASA, according to Space.com. On June 29, 1965, during a flight of the X-15 rocket plane he flew 50 miles above the earth which qualified him for his astronaut wings.

He would repeat the flight twice more before being selected for astronaut training in 1966.

At the age of 32, he was the youngest of the astronaut candidates and the only one who already qualified for astronaut wings because of his experience in the X-15, according to NASA. Engle served as a support crew member for Apollo 10 and later was named as the backup lunar module pilot for the 1971 Apollo 14 mission.

Engle remained at NASA and in 1977 became the commander of one of the two crews assigned to space shuttle Enterprise. The Enterprise was designed as a proof-of-concept vehicle and was used for atmospheric testing. The orbiter was launched from the top of a specially modified 747, and Engle’s job was to fly it to the ground.

In 1981 Engle was piloting space shuttle Columbia on the second mission of America’s reusable spacecraft. The technology still had a few bugs in it, and what was supposed to have been a five-day mission was cut short to two days because of a fuel cell malfunction. 

Engle later told the press that the vibrations experienced during the launch were “very impressive” and very loud. He compared it to “an old pickup truck with a lot of loose tools in the back.”

Engles final flight into space was in August 1985 aboard space shuttle Discovery.

NASA’s official biography of Engle noted that during his career he flew more than 180 different types of aircraft, logging more than 14,000 hours. His military decorations included the Department of Defense Distinguished Service Medal, USAF Distinguished Service Medal, and the Distinguished Flying Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster.

He was also the recipient of the NASA Distinguished Service Medal and Space Flight Medal, the Harmon International, Collier, Lawrence Sperry, Iven C. Kinchloe, Robert H. Goddard and Thomas D. White aviation and space trophies.

In 1992, he was inducted into the Aerospace Walk of Honor.

Engle was married twice, first to Mary Catherine Lawrence, with whom he had two children and one stepchild. He is survived by his second wife, Jeanie Carter Engle.

The post Astronaut Joe Engle Has Died at 91 appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

In order to qualify, the CFIs must have earned their instrument rating, commercial certificate, and flight instructor certificate at ATP Flight School. Applicants must also be actively flying as an ATP CFI and are required to have between 500 to 1,250 total flight hours.

Each candidate will undergo a comprehensive selection process that includes an application review, Aon assessment, and interview. Those that make the cut will receive a qualified job offer (QJO) from Delta and an assigned Propel pilot mentor. Once selected, the candidates will serve as captains at Endeavor Air for a minimum of 24 months, and then will have the opportunity to transition to Delta.

“Introducing this new entry point into the Propel program expands the career prospects for ATP flight instructors by providing a clear and defined path to Delta Air Lines,” said Michael Arnold, vice president of marketing at ATP Flight School. “ATP is excited for the opportunities this brings to our graduates, allowing them to take advantage of the best competitive offers while at the same time increasing Delta’s access to the most professional instructor group in the industry.”

The post ATP Flight School Program Offers CFI Route to Delta Pilot Careers appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Answer: Rudder controls the side-to-side motion of the nose of the airplane—the technical term for this is yaw.

To make the airplane turn (bank), the pilot moves the yoke or stick in the direction they want to turn. This activates the ailerons, which are the outboard, moveable panels on the wings.

The downward-deflected panel is on the outside of the turn, and as the downward deflection increases the surface area of the wing, it generates more lift. The aircraft nose yaws toward the side with the wing generating more lift. From the pilot’s perspective, that yaw is in the opposite direction of the turn. As this turn is opposite to the direction of the turn the pilot wants, the technical term for this is adverse yaw. 

In the airplane, banking without using the rudders feels a little bit like someone pulling you sideways by the seat of your pants. It is poor airmanship as it results in an uncoordinated turn.

In an aircraft with a turn coordinator or slip skid indicator (the instrument that has a tube and ball in it that acts in response to lateral motion), note that if the airplane is banked only with aileron, the ball will be to the outside of the turn. To correct this, the pilot steps on the rudder on the same side the ball is deflecting to. This corrects the adverse yaw.  “Step on the ball” is the phrase you often hear. When flying an aircraft with a glass panel that has a triangle with a lateral moving base, the phrase “step on the line” is used.

The rudder controls the adverse yaw, and when correctly applied results in a coordinated (smoother) turn.

For more information refer to the Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (available on the FAA website or at brick-and-mortar stores) in Chapter 6, Flight Controls.

The post What Is the Rudder Used for in Flying? appeared first on FLYING Magazine.