Golf Hotel Whiskey: for pilots and aviation enthusiasts
Jason Schappert, the blogger behind the MzeroA.com blog, has recently created and posted this short podcast to help both new and experienced pilots to learn what holding pattern entry to use in various flight situations. As with all of Jason’s previous podcasts, this one is simple and straight to the point and hence, student pilots will find it especially useful.
Hat tip to Sulako’s blog for finding this amazing video that shows why its important to obey IFR rules like sector altitudes and how not to use your GPS terrain display. The pilot of this aircraft encountered a cloud but continued to valley-crawl while in IMC – which nearly cost more than just a slightly damaged wing from brushing against some bushes. Its amazing that they made it safely home. This definitely a video every student pilot as well as experienced pilot needs to watch!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Nm8pNgqBAk&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
If you or a loved one has ever thought that flying was a risky line of work or hobby, how about being a pilot and flying around the world to repossess multimillion dollar aircraft – including ones owned by dictators in Haiti or the Congo?
ABC News’ Nightline recently aired a segment profiling an airplane repo man named Nick Popovich (we also mentioned a New York Times story about an airplane repo man back in March) who has been in the airplane repossession business for 30 years and has done more than 1,340 repossessions. Nick has seen and experienced just about everything the business has to throw at him, from being thrown in jail for a week in Haiti during the fall of Baby Doc’s regime to having guns pointed at him (“The first time scares the hell out of you…”)
Nick says he is “scared every time he goes” given that he never knows if he will meet “crazy people” or if the “airplane could be bad.” However as he states: “Its what I do for a living!”
In other words, its just another day job for him!
Hat tip to the Aviation Video Blog for posting this hilarious video about the Scottish Air Traffic Control – reposted here for all of our Scottish readers and pilots!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeI154gaWL4&w=480]
Short take-off and landing (STOL) videos are always impressive – especially in conditions where there are no other alternatives. Below is a Pilatus Porter making an approach and a landing at Apowo in Irian Jaya (the Indonesian half of New Guinea) on a very short airstrip that is only 240 meters long and has an 8% slope:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hzhrvq7V6W0[/youtube]
Meanwhile and at Courchevel in France, a PC12 takes off on a slope that is only 550 meter long:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFzP9CRFdWw[/youtube]
And finally, here is a highly modified Supercub that managed to take off in just 39 feet at the 2007 Valdez May Day Short Field Takeoff and Landing Contest:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAx8BT6vcBw[/youtube]
Jimmy Kimmel Live recently showed the Sully Sullenberger Movie Trailer (“Out for Gooseblood!”) – or rather, his version of the movie!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHjA7xck9MM[/youtube]