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Where was the wreckage?

I tend to feel the classic base-to-final stall spin is over hyped as a cause, but it sure looks applicable here. Reported wind of 170 on runway 21 would be a tailwind on base. ADS-B track shows both downwind-to-base turns rounded. Both base-to-final turns are sharp. Looks to me like he...

IMO no substitute for knocking out pattern circuits on a regular basis. I used to love watching KC-135 tankers at MacDill AFB banging out T&G's like they were in a 172. With a TAA like a Cirrus, I can see the temptation to focus your training budget on systems management. That could degrade...

Mixed high/low is even trickier. Some very experienced guys strongly recommend against high wing formation flight. Former Red Baron team lead, for example.

Eye passing West of Tampa now, so looks like we are safe. Up to Cat 4 now, and headed for Tallahassee area. Fortunately that area of the coast is sparsely populated, and the terrain will absorb the storm surge. Looks like Helene will be a mess but not a killer.

Pilot Mama: just thank God your child is being treated and monitored. Hidden mental health disorders can manifest after the child grows up and moves out, away from your ability to observe and help, sometimes with catastrophic results.

I am bemused by the notion that a dark green helicopter on a snow-covered field is "camouflaged." But, both sides had their day in court. That's how the system works.

Nothing is perfect. It's a matter of playing the odds.

I was here that year. My house is right under the A in Tampa on the map. When we went to bed the night before Charlie, the storm track was directly over my house. In the morning it shifted east about 50 miles. Jeanne dropped a lot of trees. The ground was still waterlogged from Frances a...

Storms approaching the Gulf side of Florida at an oblique angle can be tricky. A few degrees change in heading can shift landfall hundreds of miles north or south.

The FAA is responsible for the US air transportation system. Major US carriers have not had a fatal air crash in over 20 years. That seems pretty efficient to me. Almost a miracle, really.

It does not preclude having or expressing an opinion. It DOES lower the credibility of that opinion, since it is based on hearsay, not first hand experience.

Water is a whole different ballgame. Storm surge is the killer. It always amazes me to see people on the barrier islands staying put to ride it out. There are videos from Ian of 2 story buildings floating down the street. All you gotta do is move 5-10 miles inland and you are perfectly safe...

I have been dabbling for a year or so. I got an initial class from a friend who was a military instructor, and practice whenever we go somewhere. I mostly just work on station keeping in cruise, closing in to fingertip and moving out to route. That is relatively benign as long as both pilots...

The problem with moving is decision timeline. If you live in Florida, it is not uncommon to have 2 or 3 scares a year. I define a scare as being inside the forecast cone 2-3 days out. However, the cones constantly change, so it is also not uncommon to be dead center in the cone 24-48 hours...

It's a bit more nuanced than that. One of the two close friends that I had in CIA ground branch is quite open about his pot smoking habit in college. I have a friend in FBI counter-intel with similar history. Of course both had long periods of military service post-college with no drug use...

I've known and worked with many actual CIA employees, including very close personal friends who have done things you think only happen in movies. All of them are extremely stable and focused people. Mental issues and poor judgement are a huge liability in high risk positions, as well as a...

He precluded that possibility by demanding 4 parachutes. The police had to assume he intended to force some of the crew to jump with him.

By far the most unique features of the event were the jump from a commercial airliner and rough terrain landing at night. So yeah, if you find someone who has documented skills in both tasks, that automatically puts them on the short list of viable suspects. Personally I think any sort of...