Contrary to what some people will say, it's trivial to learn to fly an approach of any desired angle - 2, 3, 4, 6 degrees - whatever you want. It's also trivial accurately to measure your required approach angle at any stage of the final approach, in order to be able to boast about it to the person ...

When tower asks for a tight circuit, we fly a total of about one track mile from abeam the touchdown point at 1000' agl to touchdown. That's 1-in-6, or about 10 degrees. Steeper on short final with flaps down. If you have any trouble achieving that in a single engine piston pounder you need some fly...

Rookie50 wrote:I'm too lazy to calculate, but someone taught me 500' at a mile is good to turn final, VFR. Seems to work well. Call it 60 -65 GS. I'm guessing that's around 4.5 or so.

I'm not. 4.7 degrees. Which is lovely.

Oh my goodness. The three degree approach was invented for the jet transport aircraft. It's entirely inappropriate for a piston single. Anyone who thinks a c150 should fly a 3 degree glide slope, and therefore be at 650' agl on a two mile final, is out of their tiny mind. Anyone who thinks a c150 sh...

Perhaps flight tests should be recorded on video - gopros are cheap enough.

If you're that worried about distance, fly your "wrong" downwind and base outside the MF area. But each to his own.

Examiners aren't in the role (and aren't supposed to be in the role) of making arbitrary decisions about who gets a CPL. There are objective criteria, which if met on the day of testing, get the student a pass. It's not a character assessment or a guarantee of future skill. If you want it different ...

Of you are coming in from the south and there is a dash 8 on left downwind, you can join the right downwind if you feel that is safer due to the speed differences. As Hiflychick points out, that would be an obvious CARs infraction. Only an ATC unit can authorize the "wrong" downwind or base. Its do...

Depends on the PAPI. When you look up a runway in the CFS if there is a PAPI it will say AP, P1, P2, P3. From the AIM: The PAPI is designed for aircraft height groups as indicated in Table 7.2 for categories AP, P1, P2 and P3. The greater the value of the EWH in the approach configuration, the fart...

Perhaps, but hopefully we all agree that having the engine run rough for a second or two while you find the leanest mixture that runs smooth (per the POH) isn't going to wear your cylinder to oblivion or shake the aircraft off it's perch. Busch points out that rough running due to unequal mixtures i...

We're taking about a slight loss of power on one cylinder, and roughness that you can hear rather than feel. We're not shutting one cylinder down completely. Why would that be bad for the aircraft, and why would that cylinder wear any faster?

Strange thing is, if you don't have an EGT gauge and lean according to Lycoming's procedure without EGT, 3. LEANING WITH MANUAL MIXTURE CONTROL (Economy Cruise, 75% power or less, without flowmeter or EGT gage). a. Slowly move mixture control from "Full Rich" position toward lean position. b. Conti...

Only the set XC routes for the PPL need approval.

I appreciate and enjoy the distinction between contrary to the AIM and contrary to the CARs as much as the next pilot, particularly when comfortably on the ground discussing things online. But it seems like a very thin distinction on which to depend for my safety while in the air.

Well, my information is that reports of an unusual occurrence get sent to NavCanada HQ, which decides if it meets the criterion for issuing a CADORs. I don't believe that a tower controller has the freedom to make that decision. If you know different, I'm all ears.

As you fly your straight in approach contrary to the advice in the AIM, looking for traffic on the base leg where it's supposed to be (which of course you know because the AIM says so) do you have in mind to keep an extra extra extra good lookout - even better than usual - because deep down you know...

I think the question to ask is how do you know the only other aircraft is on a 1 mile final? The NORDO aircraft that's just turning a slow downwind and is the one that, as things turn out, is going to be in conflict with your straight in approach has (according to the AIM) a reasonable expectation t...

Unless you created a conflict, you would probably not fail a PPL check ride for joining straight in against the advice of the AIM - but it would be counted as a major error - and deservedly so, for not knowing and being able to demonstrate the recommended procedure. I don't think many people would s...

Does it work the other way? Can you give a tower controller a number to call you after a flight so you can "discuss" their behaviour? That would be useful, sometimes. Just for information, so nobody gets the wrong idea, CADORs aren't issued by the tower and they're not a punishment. Nor is it a towe...

it's called the touchdown zone, and is not the specific point where your particular light aircraft will touch down. Large aircraft have the main wheels trailing a considerable distance behind and below the pilots eye position. To avoid the main gear striking prior to the threshold the PAPIs are set ...