Pilot's Life Blog

JANUARY 5, 2025

The pre-landing check is the first step in ensuring the aircraft is ready for a stable descent. Review current weather conditions, including wind speed, direction, and visibility, as these can significantly impact the approach. Additionally, configure the aircraft for a stable descent.

Descent

Pilot's Life Blog

JANUARY 12, 2025

These altitudes minimize fuel use, avoid turbulence, and provide smoother rides for passengers. However, flying a small plane often means operating at much lower altitudes, usually between 5,000 and 10,000 feet, depending on weather conditions, terrain, and air traffic. Flying at high altitudes is a cornerstone of commercial aviation.

Weight-Shift-Control

Charles Ryan's Flying Adventure

FEBRUARY 23, 2025

It was nice to hear the Captain making announcement before departure and he warned us of some expected turbulence during our descent towards HND. I continued to observe the cabin and I find the crew's interaction with the passengers to be quite pleasant and when there was turbulence, announcments were made to remind us.

Airlines

Air Facts

JUNE 4, 2025

Inside the FBO, I grabbed a cup of coffee and checked the weather briefing one last time. The Challenge: Trusting the Instruments Cessna 123AB, were showing a band of weather moving into your area, came the call from Manila Control. I acknowledged and began a gentle descent. As I re-entered the clouds, turbulence increased.

Altimeter

Charles Ryan's Flying Adventure

JUNE 17, 2025

I was fortunate to be able to enjoy such good weather on that day. Our aircraft pushed back on time and the Captain made the usual welcome speech and also told us to expect some turbulence along the way. Off we go, taking off in this beautiful weather. We had some turbulence along the way but nothing bad.

Airlines

Aerotime

DECEMBER 30, 2024

Turbulent trips reinforce the importance of wearing a seatbelt in flight Extreme turbulence is nothing new in aviation, but 2024 has seen several events that served to shine a light on this dangerous phenomenon. The first, and most attention-grabbing, was Singapore Airlines flight 321 which hit severe turbulence over Myanmar.

Turbulence

One Mile at a Time

JULY 7, 2025

The weather in Minneapolis was really bad, to the point that there was a tornado watch, and flights had to be stopped multiple times. Due to the weather, the inbound aircraft was delayed by around 30 minutes, so that also delayed our departure, since there’s not much ground time for this turn.

Weather

Charles Ryan's Flying Adventure

JUNE 3, 2025

The flying condition towards Barcelona was nice and there was hardly any turbulence on this flight. Look at how lovely the weather was that morning. The rain got a bit heavy at one point but it was hardly turbulent. After an hour of flying, we started our descent into Barcelona. We arrived in good weather in Barcelona.

Runway

Charles Ryan's Flying Adventure

MAY 17, 2025

The rest of the flight was uneventful and even though the weather at Milan was dominated with grey clouds threatening to rain at any moment that time, the ride was smooth and landed very early. At this point, we started our descent. We flew through some clouds but there was no turbulence. The weather in Milan was gloomy.

Runway

Pilot Institute

JULY 11, 2025

Key Takeaways Occluded fronts merge warm and cold front hazards, causing complex, severe weather. Pilots should anticipate heavy rain, storms, icing, and turbulence with occluded fronts. What Is a Weather Front? And when you hear about one approaching, expect a change in the weather soon. There are four types of fronts.

Pilot

Flying Magazine

JULY 8, 2025

Sure, if all the pieces line up, such as an available instructor, a healthy airplane, the weather, your health, your aptitude, finding a place to take the knowledge test, your finances, and an available DPE when you are ready for your check ride. Could it happen?

Wind Shear

Charles Ryan's Flying Adventure

MARCH 23, 2025

Anyway, the Captain updated us on our flight and that includes a warning of turbulence around a particular timing and so far they have been quite accurate. Once in the air, we flew through some light turbulence but eventually found ourselves flying in smooth air and that's when the cabin service started. This is my accommodation.

Turbulence

One Mile at a Time

DECEMBER 28, 2024

Even when we reached our initial cruising altitude of 35,000 feet, we had to deviate our path a bit to avoid weather, as there were thick clouds at our altitude. Japan Airlines tail camera A350 On the descent, the crew distributed a variety of amenities that passengers could take with them.

Airlines

Charles Ryan's Flying Adventure

FEBRUARY 3, 2025

Once on board, we settled down quickly and the announcement was made about my flight including expected turbulence during the take-off and a reminder not to film the crew and passengers without permission. After taking off, we experienced some turbulence during our climb and the ride was better once we were out of Taiwan.

Turbulence

Charles Ryan's Flying Adventure

JULY 9, 2025

There was no announcement about the weather on route but we experienced some turbulence during our take off and along the cruise but nothing bad at all. Bits of turbulence during the climb due to the windy condition. My ride: 9M-XXR (Photo: Stefano.R) 3 lucky solo passengers including myself had an empty seat.

Weather

Photographic Logbook

JUNE 1, 2025

Weather Uncertainty and Multiple Choice Routing Date Aircraft Route of Flight Time (hrs) Total (hrs) 01 Jun 2025 N21481 SDC (Sodus, NY) - LHV (Lock Haven, PA) - SDC 2.9 Weather Uncertainty and Multiple Choice Routing Date Aircraft Route of Flight Time (hrs) Total (hrs) 01 Jun 2025 N21481 SDC (Sodus, NY) - LHV (Lock Haven, PA) - SDC 2.9

Airplanes

Charles Ryan's Flying Adventure

MAY 7, 2025

We took off about 45 minutes after our schedule departure time and it was quite windy as we hit some turbulence during our climb. It got a bit intense that I had to hold on to the seat in front of me due to the updraft and downdraft motion while flying through clear air turbulence. Off we go in this beautiful weather.

Turbulence

Flight Training Central

JANUARY 10, 2025

Descent planning is a critical yet often overlooked aspect of managing your flight. And if not planned properly, a poorly executed descent can present challenges and unnecessary risks when transitioning to an approach or the traffic pattern. Finally, you can enable messages to alert you as to when to begin the descent.

Descent

Fear of Landing

MAY 24, 2024

A few days ago (21st of May 2024), Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 encountered heavy turbulence on a passenger flight from London-Heathrow to Singapore. Flightradar24 has also posted the granular ASD-B data, available in various formats including this graph which shows the turbulence event at 07:49 UTC.

Turbulence

Aerotime

DECEMBER 20, 2024

We will also examine the next most critical phase of our flight, from descent and deceleration to the approach and landing phases, even touching upon what happens when the aircraft arrives safely at the gate. Mario Hagen / Shutterstock The announcement will also be one of the first items on the pilots before-descent checklist.

Cabin Crew

Air Facts

JULY 31, 2024

Turbulence and Triumph: Lessons learned about flying (and about life) Air Facts Journal As pilots, each flight teaches us something new—about aviation, about the world, and about ourselves. On that day, the weather forecast was favorable, with light and variable winds. The turbulence grew stronger, and the clouds loomed closer.

Turbulence

Plane and Pilot

NOVEMBER 27, 2024

Often, turbulence is the harbinger of mountain waves, not the ideal ceiling—and visibility unlimited—day. FAA weather charts can help for higher altitudes but when just a few thousand feet agl, they may be less useful. Great Falls weather is fair and warm. We experienced moderate turbulence even at our gate.

Turbulence

Plane and Pilot

AUGUST 6, 2024

Maybe it’s the Georgia flying weather, or maybe it’s the ever-increasing emphasis on “old” pilot instead of “bold” pilot, but it seems that flight planning these days is a lot more about if and when than about route and altitude. The two considerations are turbulence and headwinds. I scrambled and packed. But there’s even more to it.

Airplanes

Fear of Landing

JUNE 21, 2024

The flight seemed routine until the flight crew started the final descent from 34,000 feet. A representative of Austrian Airlines said on Austrian television that the thunderstorm cell was not visible on the aircraft’s weather radar. Specifically, that weather radar struggles with very cold/icy storms.

Airlines

Charles Ryan's Flying Adventure

AUGUST 2, 2024

Anyway we were informed about the turbulence and for this flight, the first officer did the announcements. There were a few good bumps during take off and more of it during the descent especially flying through the clouds. Once we were cleared of the clouds, it was smooth ride all the way until descent.

Descent

iPad Pilot News

DECEMBER 17, 2024

ForeFlight ForeFlight first got its start as a weather app on iPhone and quickly grew into a full-featured EFB app as the iPad gained popularity among pilots. Garmin Pilot Compared to ForeFlights start as a weather app, Garmins roots have always been in GPS navigation, and thats where this app really excels.

Pilot

Photographic Logbook

FEBRUARY 2, 2025

Unfortunately, opportunities to get there can be few and often come down to the whimsy of weather. Weather conditions were different this time around, but the critical difference was that The Bear was flying right seat with me. I awoke that morning at 5:00 am and checked weather, squinting at ForeFlight on my phone in the dark.

Runway

AV Web

JANUARY 8, 2025

My first major consideration is weather. Routing around thunderstorms or changing altitude for icing or turbulence are options I like to exercise, which require a little extra fuel for breathing room. Good forecasted weather. A 500-fpm descent from 10,000 feet to a sea-level airport takes 20 minutes.

Payload

Airspeed Junkie

AUGUST 2, 2024

This system includes modes for: roll pitch heading vertical speed altitude hold approach These modes allow for a steady rate of descent, ascent, and consistent speed and altitude ranges. Several incidents involving the Cessna 172 have been documented, typically attributed to pilot error, adverse weather conditions, or mechanical issues.

Knot

Professional Pilot

JULY 3, 2024

Understanding turbulence can be key to a smooth flight. Immediately, the pilot monitoring told the passengers to buckle up as the pilot flying disengaged the autopilot and pushed the stick forward into a smooth but rapid descent. Both pilots had heard stories of smaller aircraft being upset by wake turbulence from the massive A380s.

Turbulence

Charles Ryan's Flying Adventure

JANUARY 28, 2024

The map of Thessaloniki Airport (SKG) (Photo: Wikimedia) On the day of departure After spending about 40 minutes on the public bus, I reached the airport in this gloomy weather. The Captain made his announcement and informed us about some whether ahead of us especially during take-off and we can expect some during our descent.

Descent

Pilot Institute

OCTOBER 16, 2024

Weather It’s a good idea to brief any weather that could make your landing more challenging. Depending on the wind direction and airport surroundings, you may experience some turbulence. This will reduce your workload in turbulent conditions. We can calculate the rate of descent required to achieve a 3° profile.

Airplanes

Pilot's Life Blog

FEBRUARY 11, 2025

The elevator, situated on the horizontal tail surface, adjusts pitch, raising or lowering the nose for ascent or descent. The collective adjusts the pitch angle of all rotor blades simultaneously, controlling vertical movementraising the collective increases lift for ascent, while lowering it causes descent.

Torque

Photographic Logbook

JULY 11, 2024

However, a forecast for low IFR weather in that part of Maine led us to cancel it. I had no interest in flying one hour north only to be shut out of our destination by weather below minimums for the available instrument approach procedure. Still the better part of an hour away from home, weather conditions were concerning.

Ceiling

Plane and Pilot

SEPTEMBER 15, 2024

The weather briefing we had reviewed a half hour earlier promised a 20-knot headwind that would require two fuel stops on the 130-mile trip from our home airport in Kennett, Missouri (KTKX), to Little Rock Air Force Base (KLRF) in Arkansas. As the sun began its descent, we began the final leg of what would end up being a four-hour trek.

Runway

Pilot Institute

MAY 1, 2024

The landing minimums section includes: Minimum descent altitudes. Preflight Planning Some pilots believe an approach briefing means skimming the chart right before descent. The weather can change, and approach equipment can fail. Get the destination weather as soon as possible. Decision altitudes/heights.

Approach

Charles Ryan's Flying Adventure

MARCH 28, 2024

This is the area of Rossio Santa Maria Maior The view is absolutely stunning especially in good weather. Although the weather looks good, it was also another windy day. The turbulence was not as bad as what I was anticipating and for most parts of the flight, it was smooth. Unlike my first day in Lisbon, the weather was gloomy.

Turbulence