Left Seat

The view from my actual Left Seat
Over the past five years I’ve posted 250 Left Seat blogs. I only know that because the software that creates the blog keeps count.
The screen also tells me that more than 6,000 comments have been posted. People with thin skins should avoid posting blogs....

I think we all know there are two fundamental measures of climb–rate and angle. Actually I don’t like the term angle of climb, but that’s the normal terminology used for piston airplanes.
Rate of climb is the amount of altitude gained in a specific amount of time, usually expressed in feet per minute. For trip planning rate of climb is the most useful and using the appropriate airspeed to achieve optimum rate of climb for your weight...

It’s the NTSB’s job to identify aviation risks and let us know about them. It’s the FAA’s job to make rules to help contain risk. And it’s our job as pilots to understand risks and decide which we are willing to take.
For many years the NTSB has had “diving and driving” on its list of worries. But until recently there was no other way to get into hundreds, even thousands of airports, except to dive and drive. But now that has changed. And it is time to reconsider...

When I was in private pilot ground school many years ago the weather was pretty simple. There were high and low pressure centers, warm, cold and stationary fronts, and that was about it. Just about everything that happened with the weather was blamed...