In this week’s 1-Minute Ground School, we will be discussing the elusive microburst. Don’t be fooled by the name – there is nothing small about a microburst. Being caught in a microburst exposes an aircraft to immense windshear and can be catastrophic. Due to its significant downdraft, you will find that a small aircraft may...Read More

In this week’s 1-Minute Ground School, we will be discussing standard traffic patterns procedures. We will discuss traffic pattern entries, traffic pattern altitudes, legs, landing, and safety procedures. When entering a traffic pattern, pilot’s should continually scan the airspace for other traffic to have a clear understanding of the congested area. Review the graphics below...Read More

This weekend kicks off the 2022 college football season. It is always the most exciting time of the year for fans who are optimistic about their team’s chances for the season. How many of you have plans to fly yourself to see a game this fall? Are you excited for a certain away game rivalry?...Read More

Thank you everyone for your comments and suggestions from my in-flight electrical fire blog. A few comments of particular note came from pilots advocating the use of fire containment bags in the unlikely event of a lithium-ion battery fire. While I concur that these bags are great for safety, the FAA does not seem to...Read More

Settling back into Gleim life this past week following a fantastic, though hectic Oshkosh, I noticed that one particular model airplane was getting a lot of flight time around our house: a wonderful old diecast DC-9 we found on a morning stroll through the Air Venture marketplace. This morning, I watched my oldest son zooming...Read More

Our summer flying poll showed dehydration tied with low-level wind shear as one of your main concerns during the summer months. Pilots should constantly be aware of the effects of human factors in flight. Many pilots do not realize that lack of hydration can affect their coordination and cognitive abilities. The case studies below are...Read More

In our summer flying poll, the 3rd most concerning weather phenomena during the summer is low-level wind shear.  Our previous 2 blogs discussed thunderstorms, which often can cause low-level windshear, but thunderstorms are not the only cause of it. A Case Study [The following are excerpts from Accident Number: ERA17FA174] On May 5, 2017, about...Read More

Last week’s blog dissected what thunderstorms are and their potential hazards. This week, we review the importance of obtaining weather information and why we should remain clear of thunderstorms. A Case Study [The following are excerpts from Accident Number: ERA16FA309] On September 3, 2016, about 0950 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 172N, N6091E, was destroyed...Read More