De-ja vu, All Over Again  Howard Deevers  The opinions expressed here are my own, and not necessarily those of Arizona Pilots Association or any other aviation association. It was like hearing an echo, the same words, with a few more added, but from a different President. Trump said: The nation’s air traffic control system was designed when far fewer people… Read more...De-ja vu, All Over Again

VFR CROSS COUNTRY FLYING  Howard Deevers  Long cross country flights are lots of fun, IFR or VFR. Traveling for pleasure, for business, to visit family, or on a vacation, and using your airplane is what flying is all about. When weather permits, flying VFR can be even more fun. At the lower altitudes that most of us will fly, you can see much more of the country. Flying at… Read more...VFR CROSS COUNTRY FLYING

OH, NO! ANOTHER NEW FORM TO FILL OUT  THE ICAO FLIGHT PLAN  Howard Deevers  Yes, it is true. Starting in June, 2017 pilots will be required to use a new Flight Plan. Actually we were to begin using it in January, but that got extended. The new Flight Plan is in the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) format, but don’t worry; it still has an FAA form… Read more...OH, NO! ANOTHER NEW FORM TO FILL OUT - THE ICAO Flight Plan

AGING IPADS, AND OTHER AVIATION ELECTRONICS  Howard Deevers  It seems strange to even talk about aging iPads, since they have only been around for as little as 7 years. “Electronics” in aviation go back to before WWII. They were fairly simple systems, such as the “Automatic Direction Finder,” or ADF as we call them. Radios were tube type, and not very… Read more...AGING IPADS, AND OTHER AVIATION ELECTRONICS

Owner Assisted Annuals  Howard Deevers  Disclaimer: I am not an A&P. These opinions may not reflect those of Arizona Pilots Association. Most of us want to keep the cost of flying as low as possible, so we can keep on flying. One way to do that is to assist in the Annual on your airplane. 91.409 requires an annual inspection of every certified aircraft. Of course, you… Read more...OWNER ASSISTED ANNUALS

FLYING IN MEXICO  Mexican Government Aircraft Intercept  Howard Deevers  The second weekend in December I flew a dentist, and his son, to El Rosario, Baja, Mexico for the Flying Samaritans. The SAM’s, as they are called for short, take doctors, dentists, nurses, and chiropractors to their clinic in the small town of El Rosario (on the Pacific side of the Baja) to… Read more...FLYING IN MEXICO

Politics, Again  Howard Deevers  (Disclaimer: These comments and thoughts are mine, and not necessarily those of Arizona Pilots Association) For many of us there was a great feeling of relief when this election cycle ended. Never mind who won, but the feeling that it is finally over! The election may be over, but the next cycle is just beginning. What am I talking about?… Read more...POLITICS, AGAIN

Simple Mistakes  Howard Deevers A recent article from the FAA said that the new “kinder” FAA would not punish pilots for “simple mistakes, inadvertent actions, or other small infractions.”  That got me to thinking:  What exactly are simple mistakes? I’m sure we all make them.  A simple mistake might be knocking over a glass of milk at… Read more...Simple Mistakes

The Joy of Flying a Small Plane Howard Deevers To the general public, any airplane that is not a jet with at least two engines is a small airplane. Even a King Air or Beech 1900 would be considered to be a "puddle jumper." To most of us single engine fliers, a King Air of any size is a "big plane." So making a long cross country flight, solo, in a "small" airplane is totally foreign to… Read more...THE JOY OF FLYING A SMALL PLANE

Let's Talk About This Howard Deevers Remember your first flying lesson? Sure we do. The instructor did all of the talking on the radios, and it seemed so easy for him. Then after a few lessons, he insisted that I talk on the radio. The Cessna 150 I was flying had no intercom; we did not have a head set, but only a hand mike and speaker to listen to. He told me what to say, and I… Read more...LET’S TALK ABOUT THIS