Tests. Some pilots love them, some pilots hate them. The thing with the biennial flight review (BFR) is that it really isn’t a test, but it still feels very much like one. I just completed my first one this year, and I figured it would be a good idea to share what I learned about the process in case anyone else was feeling apprehensive about their first BFR.
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One of the more popular posts on this blog is “What’s In My Flight Bag,” a post from a couple years ago where I discussed what I was currently carrying in my bag when I rented an airplane. Since then things have changed a bit, and I thought it would be worthwhile to revisit the topic.
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There used to be a pretty big contingent in the flying community that thought flying with an iPad or electronic flight bag was a recipe for disaster. These days that opinion seems to have flipped on its head — an iPad is pretty much required equipment for every flight. The trick is finding a way to keep that iPad stationary and visible during flight. One of the best things I’ve found is MyGoFlight’s iPad Sport Case
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News comes today that Trakdot, a company that made a relatively popular baggage tracking device, has effectively stopped operation. The reason isn’t because they went bankrupt or decided to close shop, instead the reason is that the technology they rely on is being turned off because it’s too old.
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I just recently checked something off my bucket list that I had honestly thought would take me a lot more time to get around to doing, namely acting as Pilot In Command for an aircraft flying around the Alps during the winter. This was an amazing experience, and something that every pilot should try to do at least once in their life, in my opinion. In my last post we talked about the legalities, now let’s talk about the planning.
A job at the airlines can be intimidating. Jet aircraft are complicated beasts and there’s a ton of training that comes with the position. Thankfully, for those who are thinking of going down that career path but want to dip their toe in the lake before diving in headfirst (or for those, like me, who have resigned themselves to the fact that airlines will never be an option but want to have a weekend long experience) the ATOP or Airline Training Orientation Program is a great option to get the feeling of what jet training at the airlines is really like.
These days there are simulators for almost anything you could want to try your hand at flying. 737 and A320 simulators are a dime a dozen, with some simulators dedicated entirely to armchair pilots especially in Dubai and France for example. But there’s only one functioning Concorde simulator left in the world, and the museum has developed an entire program around giving people the opportunity to fly it alongside retired British Airways pilots.
For a long time pilots prided themselves on needing little more than a paper chart and a whiz wheel to get across the ocean, but the benefits of modern electronic flight bags are just way too big for any pilot to ignore. But with all that processing power comes a proportional need to keep the devices charged and powered during flight. MyCharge thinks they have a solution for that issue.
I just recently checked something off my bucket list that I had honestly thought would take me a lot more time to get around to doing, namely acting as Pilot In Command for an aircraft flying around the Alps during the winter. This was an amazing experience, and something that every pilot should try to do at least once in their life, in my opinion. I’ll try to document as much of the experience as possible here in a couple articles to hopefully make it a little easier to check this box for y’all as well, starting with the legal questions.
Like any self respecting skynerd I use Expert Flyer when I travel to get more information about seats, upgrades, and what’s going on with my flight. I find their Flight Status function especially useful for getting more information, especially during delays when the “Additional Comments” section can be much more helpful than the gate agents themselves.
I’ve noticed that these comments sections usually are self descriptive, but sometimes they use obscure codes that can be hard to decipher. As I run into more of them and figure them out I’ll update this page.
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