A great deal of time, effort and thought (appropriately so) is invested in the time-honored tradition of the pre-flight inspection.  The time to check fuel, oil, flight controls, tires, etc.  After all, the PIC does have the final say as to whether the flight will go.  And even if you're not acting as PIC yet, you certainly have the final say as to whether you'll get on board.  [As a side note, I strongly encourage you to be an active participant early on in the go/no-go decision.]  So quite literally, the preflight is the most crucial inspection to take place.

But...in the interest of convenience, safety, less headache and less disappointment, the best time to discover that your airplane needs oil, air in the tires, a light bulb or something more serious that will involve your maintenance shop, is the...

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All too often during the course of training students will experience some difficulties with their instructor.  These difficulties can be something as simple as having a rough communication day between instructor and student, or they can be far more menacing such as a difference in personalities or learning styles.  Students who come to talk to me during their training are generally reluctant to address the issue; most of the time these issues should have been addressed long before the meeting with the flight school manager / chief flight instructor takes place.  The key to remember during these times is...

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If you have read much lately in the online aviation press with regard to digital chart products, the FAA is out to get us once again.

Some say, that the FAA wants to take away our individual access to digital chart products and charge companies an arm and a leg to get access to these products for use in their web applications and iPad and Android apps. Developers will have to pass this cost on to the individual pilot. Pilots will rebel and safety will be compromised.

Of course, if you do a search, you will find other articles indicating that this is not the case. Individuals will still have access to downloadable charts and companies, who have already been paying for the products, will simply have to sign a contract.

I don't know which is correct because there doesn't seem to be a posting of the original FAA communication about this issue; only the interpretation of reporters referring to unnamed sources. Next week, the FAA is planning a meeting with a number of stakeholders and hopefully we will find out the truth. Regardless of the outcome, that issue is not the point of my ramblings this week.

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Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year, is just around the corner. In the northern hemisphere, late fall and winter offers significantly more time to fly at night. Some pilots take this opportunity to log more night experience. Unfortunately, many more pilots see this as a time to back away from flying for a few months.

Take your typical private pilot who works a 9-5 job. During the spring, summer and early fall, there are 2-4 hours after work they can go fly before it gets dark. This gives them plenty of time to fly to dinner and back, or take a friend sightseeing. Yet in the winter, it is probably almost dark when they get off work. This usually limits them to weekend flying, and we all know how busy weekends already are.

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