Flight Plan Codes
Years after the FAA adopted the so-called ICAO flight plan for all flights, many pilots still don’t really understand what codes to put in the boxes. We can help.
Condition Reports
Winter flying may almost be over but arctic blasts are still possible. Do you understand all the field-condition reporting jargon? After this, you will…
Training for Fairytales
Some things in aviation never happen, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. And, it certainly doesn’t mean you’ll never encounter them.
ATC at Oshkosh, Pt. 2
We continue our inside look at what it takes for ATC to manage traffic in and around Oshkosh during the annual AirVenture.
ATC at AirVenture
Have you flown into AirVenture? You’ve heard stories about the stressful mixed density of traffic across all performance levels with pilots of widely varying...
Handling Absolutes
Before I was an air traffic controller, I dabbled with computer programming. Both fields involve complex problems that are often broken down to simple...
Altitude Preselect
Of all the features of the modern Automatic Flight Control System (AFCS), perhaps the most useful is altitude preselect. It improves safety by reducing...
Special VFR
Special VFR (SVFR) is a clearance that pilots can use to fly VFR into an airspace reporting below VMC. SVFR allows pilots to operate...
ATC Saves the Day
The National Air Traffic Controller Association annually presents safety awards to members who have saved pilots’ lives through teamwork, skill, and persistence. Rather than...
ATC Zero
While most ATC facilities are open most of the day if not 24 hours, there are times when the physical building must be evacuated...
Circling Revisited
Turning in the opposite direction of the regulatory traffic pattern during a circling approach is an almost constant topic of discussion in instrument pilot...
See the Big Picture
Earlier this year, there were a number of near misses during airport operations. These included one aircraft nearly landing on top of another that...