Plane and Pilot

APRIL 14, 2025

Drawing on Jons experience at the Skunk Works, which over the years had developed everything from the original P-80 jet fighter to the SR 71 Blackbird, this new design features a long, tapered fuselage, crescent-shaped wings, and elegant nose section designed to decrease cooling drag and increase induction pressure.

Airfoil

Pilot Institute

FEBRUARY 15, 2025

Detecting them is difficult, which makes final approach and landing especially dangerous. When you fly into a microburst on approach or departure, youll first encounter a strong headwind, which will give you a brief lift. This can fool anyone easily, and could lead to disaster during approach.

Wind Shear

Pilot Institute

MAY 8, 2025

You’re on your final approach and suddenly realize your landing gear isnt down. During certain phases of flight, you may retract the landing gear to reduce drag and improve climb performance. Later, as you approach your destination, you’ll need to extend the gear again for landing. But how does this happen?

Air Traffic Control

AV Web

JANUARY 22, 2025

Most accounts point outcorrectlyhow decisions about spacing and glide path management, and even whether it was wise to hold the pick-up game contest in winds that caused cancellation of a larger, planned STOL Drag event, may have contributed to this crash. Yet all indications are he succumbed to a simple stall on final approach.

Final Approach

Plane and Pilot

JULY 1, 2025

The student turned early onto the base leg of the airport traffic pattern, then turned onto final approach, resulting in the airplane being high and fast. Probable cause(s): The flight instructor’s inadequate supervision of the landing approach and go-around, and his delayed remedial action.

Density Altitude

Pilot's Life Blog

JUNE 18, 2025

An aircraft go-around is when a pilot decides to abort a landing and climb back to a safe altitude for another approach. Whether it’s due to runway obstacles, unstable approaches, or weather changes, the aircraft go-around is a pilot’s best tool to avoid accidents and ensure a smooth, safe flight every time.

Air Traffic Control

AV Web

DECEMBER 11, 2024

From that perch, you can eyeball the airport and then execute a circling descent to both lose altitude and set up for the approach and landing. But if you have enough altitude, you have the energy and flexibility to plan and execute a traffic pattern that puts you on final approach in a position from which to land. Are You Nuts?

Runway

Plane and Pilot

AUGUST 27, 2024

Back in the early days of jet airliners, pilots long experienced in more forgiving two- and four-engine, piston-powered prop planes found themselves running out of airspeed, altitude, and ideas on the final approach to landing. Several of these unstabilized approaches resulted in major aircraft damage or worse.

Stability

Flying Magazine

APRIL 26, 2024

For the final approach, I calculated V REF of about 128 was fought with much shear, with airspeed variances of up to 20 to 30 knots, providing a wild ride. As is often the case with swept-wing jets, sometimes extra drag is required beyond gear and flaps. Also visible was green grass and flowering trees.

Crosswind

Jetwhine

MAY 21, 2025

Silence Speaks Oscar Munoz United Airlines (Early Tenure) When a passenger was forcibly dragged from a United Express flight in 2017 and captured on video, the incident quickly became an international PR disaster. Final Approach In an industry where a split-second error can cost millions or lives trust is a companys most valuable asset.

Final Approach

Pilot Institute

JULY 12, 2024

Key Takeaways Start by setting up your approach correctly to ensure you arrive at the threshold perfectly every time. Perfect the approach phase by managing the aircraft’s energy and using references to improve positioning throughout the pattern. Flying the Approach Haphazard approaches are very likely to lead to haphazard landings.

Descent

Chess In the Air

JULY 4, 2022

If we can wait for the threat to pass this is clearly the best approach; especially when the virga is fairly isolated and the clouds are cycling. Rapidly approaching cold fronts (or other fronts, e.g. sea breeze fronts). In certain conditions blowing dust (a “ haboob “) can make an approaching front easily visible.

Wind Shear

Photographic Logbook

JULY 7, 2024

Approach called the Cirrus again -- because of course it was a Cirrus -- and issued him another vector away from Warrior 481. Consistent with all prior experiences with Boston Approach, the controller was cool, calm, and helpful as he guided traffic to their destinations. Instead of turning away from us, the target turned toward us!

Approach

Charles Ryan's Flying Adventure

MARCH 28, 2024

On the day of departure Even though we had plenty of time before our flight departure, we decided to head to the airport early as dragging our cabin baggage across the footpath was not ideal. Below) We were on final approach to runway 27L. Although the weather looks good, it was also another windy day. Can you spot the Eye?

Turbulence

Charles Ryan's Flying Adventure

MARCH 10, 2024

Having to drag your baggage across the carpeted area is not fun. On final approach to LHR runway 27 Left. This is the first time for me, I had enter the airside longer than this and had no issues at all. We waited for about 15 minutes before being cleared, this was strange. As you can see, my flight was re-timed.

Cabin Crew

Photographic Logbook

OCTOBER 11, 2024

Off Sodus, I briefly leveled at 2,500 feet to remain visual until I received my instrument clearance from Rochester Approach. South of Buffalo, I tried to assist Approach by alerting them to a Citabria west of the Perry-Warsaw Airport that was trying to reach them. Looking north to the east end of Lake Erie and Buffalo, NY.

Runway

Fear of Landing

JUNE 14, 2024

The aircraft was filled to full fuel and the pilot’s departure and flight to Murwillumbah was uneventful until the final approach to Murwillumbah. There was another person on the airfield, who was standing outside of a hangar at about halfway along the runway as the Cessna approached. The engine made a loud bang.

Threshold

Pilot Institute

JUNE 26, 2024

A bad approach results in a bad landing. A go-around is a maneuver performed to abort or reject a landing on the final approach or once the aircraft has already touched down. Top Reasons for Go-Arounds Unstabilized Approach An aircraft must have a stabilized approach before landing. What Is a Go-Around?

Wind Shear

Pilot Institute

APRIL 5, 2024

Learn to avoid common mistakes during approach, roundout, touchdown, and rollout. We have two main challenges when performing crosswind landings: Staying aligned with the extended centerline on the approach. Staying Aligned on the Approach Crosswinds try to “push” the aircraft off the approach course.

Crosswind

Photographic Logbook

AUGUST 5, 2023

Kristy's family has pursued both approaches, with the latter epitomized by the annual "SurnameFest" gathering (name changed to protect the whimsical). The approach end of runway 34 is on a high bluff towering over an apartment complex. It was not unlike flying an instrument approach. Weekly Zoom meetings are an option.

Weather

Air Facts

DECEMBER 11, 2024

Perhaps, prior to any departure, repeat the mantra (your emergency checklist) I will push the nose down, center the ball (to remove drag) and glide at required glide speed for the weight of the aircraft. I zipped through the approach course and ATC called back to reverse direction to re-intercept.

Groundspeed