Come along on an en-route instrument flight in Europe. From flight plan filing to takeoff and landing. A discussion of aeronautical decision making (ADM) and the Enroute IR.
Tag: EASA
IFR Minimum Equipment and Maintenance – Part-NCO
EASA/EU IFR Minimum Equipment and maintenance; your airplane might be IFR capable and you don’t even know it.
Making Peace with European Air Law
Europe’s Air law is transforming at such a fast pace, it challenges even experienced pilots. As a result, there is insecurity among pilots about which rules apply. EASA tackles this issue with the new Easy Access Rules for Air Operations, a document similar to the FAR/AIM in America. The new Air Operations Regulation is applicable law for all non-commercial non-complex…
How to Comment on an EASA NPA
EASA seems to be working at wide open throttle in order to change its approach towards general aviation. You can help shape the regulation with the comment response tool (CRT).
Que Sera, Sera – IFR Minimum Equipment in Switzerland
Que Sera, Sera. – It isn’t just a popular song from 1956. It also isn’t just a great remix by French Hip Hop producer Wax Tailor. “Whatever will be, will be”, so the translation of the title, is the answer to a girl’s question to her mother about her future life. When she becomes mother herself, she tells…
9.9h IR – Three Approaches
This time I flew an ILS, VOR and GPS approach – even without becoming airsick. My confidence is back and I am eager to finish this rating within the next two months. I scheduled about six flights now before Christmas and until then I also intend to get the written exam behind me. Today’s flight…
EASA Struggling to Change
EASA’s new Executive Director Patrick Ky says (in the IAOPA Newsletter Nov. 2014) the whole approach to the industry must change, thus saying what the whole industry was pointing out for many years. I believe they can only excel if they are aggressive with the change and if they are determined towards the national CAAs….
SERA Implementation in Switzerland
There is some information about the implementation of SERA in Switzerland that might be news for some of you, at least it was for me. Since Google delivered zero hits on that topic, despite the significant possible changes, be it positively or not, I want to discuss it briefly. The Standardized European Rules of the…
7.6h IR – Vacuum Pump Failure
After today’s flight it is all repetition until my oral and practical test. It is impressing how much one can learn in 8.1 hours and a bit of ground school. Now I need 31.9 hours simulated instrument time to meet all requirements for the test. Almost all of it can be done with another student…
6.6h IR – NDB Approach and DME Arc
This time I flew a non-directional beacon approach and a DME arc. It was a lot of fun and very rewarding. I am making good progress and I understand less and less why the instrument rating has such a rocket-science reputation in Europe. It probably is more difficult over there because everybody is saying that…
213h – Lightnings
The weather in Denver was again hot and convective. I scheduled a usual VFR flight to become familiar with the area. During taxi I realized the Skyhawk had a lightning detector built in. After departure, my instructor asked me if I had seen the lightning ahead of us. In fact, our “strike finder” indicated it…
EASA asks for your opinion
EASA is finally addressing general aviation in a new approach and they ask you for your opinion. Online Questionnaire Consultation period: 23/05/2014 – 15/09/2014 I post this here on my blog because I believe that this very questionnaire will change future regulation in Europe and only few pilots are even aware of this survey. In…
152.3h – Conversion FAA-EASA Complete
I have passed the practical test – the final piece to complete my conversion! =) =) =) My grin will not disappear for the next days. I am so happy now… All the hassle is over. I finally hold two stand-alone pilot certificates. Winter went on into the first week of April. We had low…
Let’s Go Flying
Yesterday my girlfriend asked if we would go to the airport’s restaurant on the weekend. I wasn’t sure if I heard right but I agreed without asking why. Anyhow, I really need to give her a bouquet of lilies for this one. 🙂 My father called today and told me that the airplane’s wings needed…
111.2h – Validation Complete
You come home from flying with a big grin on your face. You take off your shoes and – damn, what’s that smell?! – you probably had your first solo. In my case, I completed the validation process from FAA to EASA by a first solo in EASA-land. Yay! Party time! Three landings were required…
108.3h – No Pain No Gain
If a passenger would glance at my logbook she or he would never fly with me. I just filled another page and there is only one flight where I did not have an emergency. Although it was all simulated – I had no normal flights. I am longing for the day when I take off…
EASA Changes are in the air
Every pilot is part of the voice of General Aviation. The least I can do today is to re-blog a very good read from AOPA UK; click the link for the original article. There is also a commentary about this issue written by the president of Europe Air Sports (EAS). AOPA reports EASA Changes are…
Feel the Freedom
The song in this video ran today on my last.fm radio. It reminded me of this video a former student of Island Coastal recorded – by the way Rosh, if you read this, thanks so much! I remember memories of the float training crystal clear when I hear that song. I feel as back on…
Piper Tomahawk
Finally I went flying! It was two months ago when I decided to validate my FAA certificate. I was confident to do that during the week I came back from Canada. Obviously I was wrong. I will be working on it until January or so. But let’s talk about the joy of flight rather than…
PPL USA – Kosten
Ich bin wieder zurück aus Vancouver – die letzte Woche durfte ich mit meiner Freundin verbringen. 🙂 Zurück in Seattle, der grosse Schock im Internetbanking: Die Kreditkartenrechnung wurde bezahlt… Puh…! Jetzt kann ich genauere Zahlen angeben. C152 PPL Kurs (allerdings in drei Raten): 6777.- zwei Monate Wohnen bei einer Homestay Family: 1500.-/2mt. Homestay Agency (einmalig):…
myclimbrate 