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Having the pilots name, at least phone number is sometimes useful. I fly probably 90%!into towered fields. I may or may not have occasionally forgotten to close out my IFR flight plan upon landing at a non-towered field. Having FSS call you on your cell phone, asking if you are OK and landed is...

You can set up a profile in fltplan.com with the performance of your aircraft at each 1000 ft. Altitude, climb rates and climb speeds, descent rates and speeds and fuel burn at each altitude. Typically I can gauge my flight time for optimal altitude for flight time and for fuel burn with winds...

A return to field is just energy management and aerodynamics. But if you don’t practice return to field maneuvers regularly the likelihood of making it back in a real emergency is not good. Whether you do it in a sim, or at a safe altitude with a simulated deck at a safe altitude, train until...

I see mpg in my car from 15-25 mpg. So like in planes it depends. But if you do collect enough data you do get some precise averages that don’t change much over time, although flight to flight they may. In my plane my average ground speed averaged over 100,000 miles is 284 mph, and my fuel burn...

The databases are not always up to speed. I would not get too distracted by the lack of a medical in the database. Also heard elsewhere that he did have a medical, but don't think anything medical was involved here. Almost never is medical. Incapacitations are exceedingly rare. Spatial...

Kind of looks like freezing rain. Were you below the clouds?

No I get that. But it is not bumps that tear any of these planes apart outside of maintenance related issues, they can withstand more turbulence than most pilots can. Just a couple of g’s of turbulence will get moderate and severe pireps. It is when pilots lose control and get into death...

Well, not to be rude, but almost everything you said here is not true. There have been several Cessna inflight break ups, several Mooney inflight breakups, and as the picture of this part of Socata N731CA demonstrates, even TBM's can be pulled apart in the air. Any plane including a Cirrus can...

A text once or twice a week should be fine, until you get a date. If he is like most busy people, the pleasantly squeaky wheels get the grease.

I think the problem is that most pilots that fly these planes think they are capable. How does one know when they aren't capable? I think the MU2 has proven itself to bite more than many others, and even with a type rating equivalent requirement, is still ending up in the news. I know of 2...

Outside of twin turbofans, all of which require a dedication to training and competence in the way of a type rating and yearly 61.58 check ride, there is no evidence under any conditions that twins are safer. So remove safety and you will be wiser. Choose the plane that has the range, payload...

If you’re going to do it in a non-turbine single, I think the thought of a Malibu, Mirage or M350 Is the best solution. Plenty of range and the payload is good for an 800 nm flight. Traveling over 200 knots makes the trip length bearable. And if you’re not going to be in a twin or turbine, with...

If you are looking at modern turbines you probably need to think of three pools. The big one is cost of capital, either what the loan costs you or the money you would make investing that money and depreciation. Those are the biggest costs. Now if you have a business use those costs are heavily...

depends on whether you are talking to center or approach control. Center has the same delay as what you see in your plane. Depending on refresh cycles coin flip on who has the most recent refresh.

Not sure that applies to this pilot. I suspect having the CFII onboard, he was probably thinking he was being extra careful. My first experience in icing, in a non-FIKI aircraft no less, was with my instructor onboard. I stalled the plane on the runway, and look back and just shudder at all...

Center weather is subject to the same delays as your own satellite weather, but also has the hidden danger in that they can filter out returns by altitude, and can filter out returns by intensity. If there’s embedded convection, and you are IMC, you need onboard radar, unless you like high...

Yeah, Doc Holiday is correct. If you get into severe turbulence, the auto pilot is not going to save you. In fact it might just break your airplane. It is likely want to want to pitch up when it should pitch down, and vice versa, try to roll when it should just wait for the wings to level on...

Just reading through some interesting and thought-provoking responses above. I think there were some interesting things perhaps not touched on. The pilot here apparently was not instrument rated. That means he was relying on the flight instructor to cruise in class A airspace on an IFR flight...

High altitude most weather flying is an unforgiving area. Hard to get that experience as a CFII, unless you have been flying airlines, regionals, or freight, or happen to own a high altitude weatherized aircraft, which sadly is hard to do on a CFII income. Found that ironic as I transitioned...

I would guess the plane broke apart after a loss of control. Seems to be a more common mechanism of planes coming apart, especially in IMC. Kind of what was seen in some recent accidents, the TBM out of Morristown, the PC12 out of Florida and the CJ1 out of Salt Lake City. Pilot loses control...