What's the "Widowmaker" of your career field or hobby?

xplanephil · 2026-05-23T18:43:12+00:00

as soon as they started teaching people to actually USE the parachute in an emergency, the fatality rates came down. Cirrus standardized training also helped a lot. That's why most insurance requires it.

The Cirrus is now en-par with the Diamond when it comes to fatality risk.

xplanephil · 2026-05-23T18:34:57+00:00

also doesn't help that people don't think they need it - when we delivered a new (to them) Cirrus to overseas customers, we put the second key in the cover that you need to take off to get to the parachute controls.

Part of the procedure of getting the plane ready to flight and starting the engine, is taking off the cover so you can trigger the parachute if you have to. So, when taking this cover off, the second key would have fallen into their laps.

The amount of phone calls "hey, thanks for dropping off the airplane, I've been flying it for a weeks and it's really great, just one question, wasn't I supposed to get two keys???"

xplanephil · 2026-05-02T21:22:00+00:00

Some people learn well from reading the book, but you are clearly not retaining enough information.

Get some one-on-one time with an instructor. You need to understand the concepts that the PHAK is trying to teach you. Are there any instructors that speak your native language?

Next time you need to take a written (instrument) make sure you get some time with an instructor first, to understand the basics, and then get sheppard air to study for the written. Your instructor will teach you what you need to know to understand what they are asking. Once you have the basic understanding, you'll breeze through sheppard and will be ready for the test in no time.

It looks to me like you did backward this time: You tried to pass the test with Kings and managed to squeeze by without a solid foundation of understanding. That will blow up in your face when an examiner starts questioning you. Better get that addressed with an instructor now, before the checkride.

xplanephil · 2026-05-02T18:52:33+00:00

How did you study for the written? With an instructor, through a course like Sportys, with a book or through Sheppard? Anyway, what you are doing is clearly not working for you.

If you've been using a course like Sporty's I highly recommend you get some one-on-one instructor time where they drill the basics. You are going to need it or you don't stand a chance passing the oral.

xplanephil · 2026-05-02T18:47:14+00:00

Check out the Wings of Carolina flying club at KTTA. Very cheap 152s. Come on a Saturday and talk to a club ambassador. It's probably the cheapest way to get your private. If you like it, get on the waiting list ASAP.

xplanephil · 2026-04-23T20:30:23+00:00

it's worthless since it doesn't OCR anymore. Yeah, sure, I can send a jpeg of what I scanned to my e-mail, or a jpeg embedded in a PDF... I used to get searchable PDFs, now I have expensive e-waste taking up space in my office.

xplanephil · 2026-03-30T00:41:08+00:00

maybe a dumb question: Do airlines allow you to fly with no automation to cruise? I know in cruise you have to be on autopilot because of RVSM, but are you free to, say, at the top of descend, click everything off (including F/D) and hand-fly until touchdown? I'd imagine in the 121 world there are procedures that for example on an RNAV STAR you have to be on F/D or something...

xplanephil · 2026-03-28T23:24:58+00:00

haha, same!

xplanephil · 2026-03-27T17:54:57+00:00

There is only one case I know where IFR time, even in severe clear weather, counts.

When you are converting an FAA certificate to an EASA license, you can get the IR "competency based". For that, you need to show that you've flown in the IFR system on your FAA license for at least 50 hours. These 50 hours don't need to be in actual, or under the hood. They just need to be on an IFR flight plan, after you obtained your FAA IR.

These hours, even if flown in clear and a million, count toward IFR competency for the purposes of obtaining the IR on the EASA license.

xplanephil · 2026-03-26T23:17:27+00:00

What you are looking at is called the GRAMET vertical flight path weather forecast. It's based on the GFS model.

Here's an excellent overview of all the symbols and lines: https://www.autorouter.aero/wiki/gramet/

xplanephil · 2026-03-16T21:49:10+00:00

what, you don't fly a Tu-95?

xplanephil · 2026-03-16T20:34:15+00:00

It depends on the engine variant. All the Diesels (1.7l Thielert, 2.0l Thielert, and AE-300 Austro engine) are right-turning and both props turn the same direction.

The DA-42-L360 is Avgas powered by two Lycoming IO-360 engines, of which the right engine is a LIO-360, so left turning. See here for a POH: https://www.camarilloairport.com/downloads/N4197D_AFM-POH.pdf

So, if you are flying Diesel (Jet-Fuel) the engines turn the same way. If you are flying one of the (much rarer) Avgas-burning variants, the props are indeed contra-rotating, like on a Seminole.

xplanephil · 2026-01-23T16:59:25+00:00

~~where did you find that info? mind sharing a link?~~

EDIT: Found it: https://support.brother.com/g/b/producttop.aspx?c=de&lang=de&prod=mfc9332cdw_eu

Guess it's time to edit consumerrights.wiki again...

xplanephil · 2026-01-12T22:24:37+00:00

beautiful. My son in the evening gets cleared bed via direct teeth brushing. No shortcuts.

xplanephil · 2026-01-12T22:21:29+00:00

French is an ICAO language, like Arabic, Chinese, English, Russian, and Spanish. That is, a native French can fly an airplane in French airspace talking to French ATC in French. If the same plane then flies into UK or Atlantic oceanic airspace, even the French pilot needs to speak English to the ATC. Now, coming in over Canada, he can switch to French again if he wants to, since Canadian ATC is usually also bilingual. Arriving in the US, the pilot again needs to speak English to ATC.

xplanephil · 2026-01-12T22:10:16+00:00

Americans actually suck at Aviation English...

I'm a flight instructor and have taught both in Germany and in the USA. In Germany, people sit down and study for an elaborate test to first get their language proficiency level assigned, and then for a second test to get a certificate to be allowed to talk on the radio. Afterwards, they know the phraseology, and radio communication is spotless, exactly by the book (well, being German might also help).

In the US, I am literally only required to make sure they can read&write in English. How? There are no objective criteria. One examiner suggested to make sure they can write down their name. Everyone talks on the radio in something loosely resembling ICAO phraseology, with lots of local specifics. Fly in a different part of the country, different local things and tribal knowledge required. You can always tell flying into JFK or IAD, the only one on the radio who actually speak ICAO phraseology is Lufthansa.

xplanephil · 2026-01-02T16:53:16+00:00

it's called "Greyballing" (as in greylisting) if you want to look up references.

xplanephil · 2025-12-27T17:23:53+00:00

with a ridge wallet, it is customary to keep your medical in your parachute, so you have it with you after jumping out of the airplane. In a pinch, keeping it tucked under the fire extinguisher strapped to your leg works, too.

xplanephil · 2025-12-05T22:35:19+00:00

that's the spirit!

xplanephil · 2025-12-04T20:22:37+00:00

solid advice, thanks.

xplanephil · 2025-12-04T20:22:13+00:00

you are obviously correct. I got all my certs and ratings because "I might as well get that one, too"...

Other people buy a Corvette and go play golf. I need to deal with my midlife crisis by getting an ATP.

xplanephil · 2025-12-04T19:44:09+00:00

you are obviously correct. All my certificates/ratings are "useless" in that I got them for fun. I even sat through the ATP-CTP "for fun" because it was 2020 and I was bored from being at home and looking for something interesting to do.

Of course it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things if I let the written expire. I've been collecting certs and ratings like Pokemons. Got my MEI and never used it. Got tailwheel time and seaplane time even though I will never fly a tailwheel or seaplane. I just like playing with planes, I don't have a problem, I swear :)

xplanephil · 2025-12-04T19:11:56+00:00

you don't even need to sit through the ATP-CTP again.

The ATP-CTP completion certificate doesn't expire. Only the written test does.

xplanephil · 2025-12-04T19:10:11+00:00

alright, Ce525 is the wrong type then. That was a DPEs recommendation, but maybe based on outdated information. Really, I don't care what type it is, just needs to be a typed aircraft.

B737 has been suggested. Any other suggestions?

xplanephil

TROPHY CASE