Plane and Pilot

AUGUST 6, 2024

The route is simple, GPS direct, but…there’s my personal 1,000-foot en route ceiling requirement, and those silly Smoky Mountains. Also, from when I lived out West, there was the mountaintop clearance guideline—1,000 feet for every 10 knots of wind, with 30 knots meaning no-go. It was now time to plan the trip.

Airplanes

Plane and Pilot

NOVEMBER 27, 2024

Often, turbulence is the harbinger of mountain waves, not the ideal ceiling—and visibility unlimited—day. We experienced moderate turbulence even at our gate. Eighty-knot tailwinds aloft and higher-than-normal temperature difference between the surface and aloft. I flew into that and the venturi effect that day.

Turbulence

Airspeed Junkie

AUGUST 2, 2024

Another interesting model is the 172RG Cutlass RG, which features retractable landing gear and a more powerful Lycoming O-360-F1A6 engine, offering a cruise speed of 140 knots. For instance, Knots 2U offers a Cessna 172 Cowl / Body Fairing Kit that improves aerodynamics and can increase cruise speed by 3-4 mph.

Knot

Air Facts

AUGUST 16, 2024

This had the effect of a rapid reduction of airspeed (to 80 knots) as the autopilot fought to maintain altitude. On the other side of the wave, the airspeed increased to 150 knots. I quickly disengaged the autopilot and reduced speed to maneuvering speed (118 knots) by pulling the throttle back. During the trip I put 18.1

Weather

Pilot Institute

OCTOBER 17, 2024

These weather alerts each have their own role: AIRMETs warn about moderate conditions like turbulence, icing, and limited visibility, which can affect smaller or less equipped aircraft. SIGMETs alert pilots to more severe weather events like thunderstorms, volcanic ash, or strong turbulence that could pose serious risks to any flight.

UTC

Photographic Logbook

FEBRUARY 2, 2025

Weather conditions on Groundhog Day were better than the week prior, characterized by a high ceiling and no thin screen of clouds hiding the ground from view. A target moved across my traffic display at 450 knots (518 miles per hour). "I Same course, same altitude, same frequency handoffs as the week prior. Photo by The Bear.

Runway

Northstar VFR

OCTOBER 20, 2023

An Airmet Sierra is issued for Ceilings less than 1,000 ft and/or visibility less than 3 miles affecting 50% of the area as well as extensive mountain obscuration. Airmet Tango (Turbulence): “T” for turbulence, this Airmet is pretty straightforward. In short, anything that affects visibility will issued as an Airmet Sierra.

Turbulence

Air Facts

APRIL 24, 2024

We had light winds, good visibility, full cloud cover, and ample ceiling heights. But, with a frontal system approaching, the conditions were expected to worsen over the hours subsequent to our passing through, including the chance for moderate to severe turbulence. But the turbulence would continue to worsen.

Turbulence

Pilot Institute

NOVEMBER 5, 2024

Cloud ceilings below 1,500 feet or cumulonimbus clouds can trigger a SPECI. A sudden wind shift, a 10-knot or greater speed increase, a 45-degree or more direction change, or gusts exceeding limits may also cause a SPECI. This includes the wind direction in degrees and the wind speed in knots.

Altimeter

Pilot's Life Blog

JULY 25, 2024

Minimum wind speed Amount of precipitation Cloud ceiling height Visibility A standard briefing should contain all this information and more. Know Your Minimum Conditions The first step in obtaining your briefing is knowing your capabilities and how comfortable you are flying in adverse weather.

Weather

Plane and Pilot

OCTOBER 2, 2024

No flying in winds exceeding 10 knots, no chance of obscuring precipitation, no use of runways shorter than 5,000 feet, no risk of encountering darkness or lowering ceilings. is a common question, when the wind, ceiling, visibility, turbulence, or even temperature are obviously not conducive to routine flying.

Wind Shear

Plane and Pilot

OCTOBER 2, 2024

No flying in winds exceeding 10 knots, no chance of obscuring precipitation, no use of runways shorter than 5,000 feet, no risk of encountering darkness or lowering ceilings. is a common question, when the wind, ceiling, visibility, turbulence, or even temperature are obviously not conducive to routine flying.

Wind Shear

Photographic Logbook

APRIL 19, 2024

I expected to manage some cloud layers during the New York portion of the flight, but the forecast called for a high ceiling at Northeast Philadelphia Airport. Phantom City Initially, I believed that the original forecast claiming high ceilings around Philadelphia would come to pass. Famous last words.)

Approach

Flying Magazine

MAY 6, 2025

The Garmin glass lived up to its reputation for being easy to program, and the autopilot did as it was programmed, even in turbulence, with appropriate rudder input. The tail comes off the ground to a tail-low position and the airplane flies off at about 45 knots. Bluntly, we cant figure out how a pilot could overshoot a landing.

Gross Weight