Taxi into Position

to the real stars of the show - the aircraft, with everything from light sport aircraft to personal jets to the worlds first privately built spacecraft on display.I had never really visited any other airshows prior to becoming a pilot in 1999 but I’m convinced that visiting Oshkosh for Airventure is an experience unlike any other in Aviation…. (I wonder if anyone has thought of planting more trees in the main campground, it would make a huge difference in the typical July heat).This year some of the main attractions were the Burt Rutan/Scaled Composites’ Spaceship One and White Knight and the Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer piloted by Steve Fossett.

A question from yesterday’s Sport Pilot quiz highlighted one of topics that isn’t difficult but requires a bit of memorization to make it stick - weather minimums in different classes of airspace.The question was as follows:Light Sport Pilot Question: 0205_15During operations within Class E airspace at altitudes of less than 1,200 feet AGL, the minimum horizontal distance from clouds requirement for flight is: A - 500 feetB - 1000 feetC - 2000 feetThe correct answer is B. During operations within Class E airspace at altitudes of less than 1,200 feet AGL, the minimum horizontal distance from clouds requirement for flight is 2000 feet.

I had the video camera and the digital camera along to record the event but the camera had some issues so all I have at the moment are some still frames from the video.There were a variety of planes on show but I got there a little late thanks to fighting the traffic and having to carry in a bunch of gear so I missed some of the early performers…. The Red Baron Stearman biplanes did a great 4-plane exhibition of formation flight and aerial artistry, drawing hearts in the sky and some spectacular shots of all four planes in close formation doing loops and immelmans.Of course the Blue Angels were the main act and they certainly didn’t disappoint.

Thunderstorms are a fact of life during the summer months and whilst the various FAA knowledge tests provide a theoretical background to thunderstorms, how and why they form (remember you need moisture, an unstable atmosphere and a lifting action) and best course of action to deal with them (avoid by at least 20 miles), they can’t cover more real life situations…. ATC is a vital partner in dealing with weather aloft so its well worth knowing more about how they can help should you need to call on them.The ASF has a number of other online courses that are also well worth investigating, covering topics such as Mountain Flying, Airspace, Runway incursions, ATC and IFR operations.

We’ve been running the 10 question daily quizzes on PrepareToTest for the various exams and as part of this we track the overall performance on each question - how many times it was attempted, how many times it was answered correctly, which answers were selected, etc. By looking at the scores its very obvious when people are having problems with a particular question or topic…. Today’s Private Pilot quiz had a good example related to Convective Sigmets.Private question 3495 had the following results:”What is indicated when a current CONVECTIVE SIGMET forecasts thunderstorms?”A - Moderate thunderstorms covering 30 percent of the area.

Its that time of year again - the annual pilgrimage to Airventure is almost upon us. As a Wisconsin resident this isn’t quite such a trek for me as for many other people but its a summer fixture that we all look forward to…. They have a interesting dinosaur exhibit sure to grab the attention of young and old alike though I really needed my two-year old son to be on hand to tell me what each dinosaur was as he is the family expert.In reviewing the notam for Oshkosh I came across a very useful FAA site covering current TFRs (Temporary Flight Restrictions) that have a nasty habit of cropping up when you least expect them.

The test prep site is designed to help pilots and AMTs pass their written tests, a vital step on the road to any of the FAA qualifications. However, the tests are only a means to an end and I’m looking forward to using this blog to cover some of the wide variety of topics that aviation opens up and hearing from others similarly afflicted!