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Pilot's Primer by Donald Talleur
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2010
September
Student Pilots: Assessing Check Ride Readiness - I suppose it goes without saying that a check ride for a pilot’s license can be a traumatic event, especially if the proper preparation is lacking and the flight is failed.
August
Ethics and aviation: dilemmas frequently arise - A lot of talk about ethics in aviation has surfaced over the last few years. That’s not to say that it wasn’t around prior to that, but perhaps we’re ready to more formally define those things that pilots have been doing “right” all along.
July
Spatial Disorientation (Part II): Mitigating The Problem - This month we continue with part two of a review of spatial disorientation (SD) with more examples of illusions that lead to SD and tips for mitigating the problems of SD during flight.
June
Spatial disorientation: cues and consequences - In 2004 the Human Factors working group of the Crew Resource Management and Spatial Orientation Conference defined spatial disorientation as “a failure to sense correctly a position, motion, or attitude of the aircraft or of oneself within the fixed coordinate system provided by the surface of the earth and the gravitational vertical.”
May
Simulator upset training vs. situation awareness training - A recent article published by a prominent media company in the U.S. is forwarding the issue of expanded and enhanced simulator training for upset recovery; an issue that the NTSB has recently cited as needing attention.
April
Too tired to fly? - “My mind clicks on and off… I try letting one eyelid close at a time while I prop the other open with my will. But the effort’s too much. Sleep is winning.
March
Visual illusions in flight - There can be no question as to the importance of eyesight to the safety of the flight.
February
Operating on contaminated runways - The wintertime hazards of operating in icing conditions are well known, and the majority of pilots are careful to avoid getting into icing trouble.
January
Induction system icing - Induction system icing is a potential problem in many reciprocating engine aircraft.