Plane and Pilot

NOVEMBER 27, 2024

Often, turbulence is the harbinger of mountain waves, not the ideal ceiling—and visibility unlimited—day. Flight idle and nose down, which normally produced a 2,000-3,000-feet descent rate, resulted in a 2,000-feet-per-minute climb. We continued our descent into Great Falls, leaving “the wave” behind and above.

Turbulence 97

Turbulence Weather Knot Descent 97

Air Facts

MAY 10, 2024

An acceptable meteorological combination of ceiling, visibility, and wind. Perhaps just prior to the start of descent could be the optimum time–certainly completed no later than commencement of approach. Recall that we must remain at or above MDA until we are in a normal position to perform a normal rate of descent to landing.

Approach 97

Approach AGL Descent Runway 97

Air Facts

DECEMBER 30, 2024

Upon clearing the Pine Valley Mountain range, I began my descent once clear of its 10,000-foot peak past breathtaking red sandstone cliff walls to the 2,800 ft elevation field. I encountered unexpected headwinds to start, slowing my groundspeed down to 75 knots at times. My approach into St.

Weather 98

Weather Approach VFR On Top Knot 98

iPad Pilot News

NOVEMBER 5, 2024

It also includes complications to show the current ceiling or surface winds for a favorite airport ( read our full review of the ForeFlight Watch app here ). ForeFlight This well-designed app displays airport weather, NOTAMs, communication frequencies, runway information and more.

Pilot 52

Pilot Altimeter Weather NOTAMs 52

Air Facts

APRIL 29, 2024

At the current groundspeed, I believed it shouldn’t be of much concern unless the cell began producing lightning. KCPC was reporting IFR conditions with a 700’ ceiling and one mile visibility. I requested a descent from 6,000’ down to 4,000’ and was denied due to traffic. Was this rule being broken? Not really.

Descent 98

Descent Approach Weather AGL 98