Flight School Articles

Captain Judy’s Corner: Flexibility is the Key to Safety in a Thunderstorm Microbursts from thunderstorms can produce winds greater than 100 knots. The Citation was at FL370 (37000’) when I saw a thunderstorm building in the distance. I was amazed to watch and feel this energy from a far distance. The cumulonimbus clouds were building higher than the jet’s altitude. The lightning brightened the darkening sky. Are thunderstorms really all that dangerous? Thunderstorms are part of summer weather in Florida, and most pilots here know. to respect them Thunderstorms are one of nature’s most powerful forces and a weather hazard that are dangerous for all pilots. Flying too close to […]

Captain Judy’s Corner: Go-Arounds? That is the question! To Go-Around or not to Go-Around, that is the question. However, there are some questions pilots should ask themselves before making this decision much sooner than the final approach. Safe pilots should ask themselves, “Is the landing checklist complete?” and “Is the approach stabilized?” A good, safe landing begins before entering the airport environment with continued evaluation throughout the entire phase of landing. What are some examples of go-around situations? One go-around I recall, after having completed the appropriate landing checklists and while on a stabilized approach, was when a sudden gust of wind lifted my airplane into the air over the […]

Captain Judy’s Corner: Density Altitude After all, airplanes don’t feel. Or, do they? KPRC – Prescott, Arizona Airport How does hot, humid air affect flying? The cockpit felt like a sauna in the Arizona heat. Not only was I enduring the summer heat, but so was the airplane. How might an airplane suffer from heat? After all, airplanes do not feel? Or do they? Flying on a cool Florida morning or evening, you will notice ample runway remaining before lift-off and how eager the airplane climbs. Fly on a hot, muggy afternoon, and the runway remaining before lift-off will be far less. The airplane would climb much slower, as well. […]

Captain Judy’s Corner: Avoid Hazardous Attitudes Human Error: Airbus A320 destroyed, overran the runway, 4 deaths and 81 injured. Is it important to verify checkpoints? I knew myself fairly well when I started flying lessons at age 40. Or so I thought. The long solo cross-country was when I discovered what I did not know. During that flight, I had not properly timed or verified checkpoints resulting in becoming completely off course. My drive home from this particular flight provided reflection on how to be a better pilot. I’d replayed each skill set. I flew the airplane well and used the checklist regularly but was consistently lost. What surprised me […]

Captain Judy Rice and Navigator Fred by their Cirrus SR22T during the National Tour Captain Judy’s Corner: Aeromedical Part 2 – Hypoxia “Are my lips blue…?” The Cirrus SR22T effortlessly reached the altitude of 8,500 MSL. The turbocharged airplane had a built-in oxygen system for higher altitudes. The maximum altitudes along our 3-month national tour would not exceed 10,000 MSL. It seemed unlikely we would be using the Cirrus oxygen system according to oxygen requirements when flying 12,500 MSL for over 30 minutes as stated in FAR 91.211. We had reached our crossing altitude before approaching the Arizona mountain ridges. I focused on clearing the ridges with ample altitude if […]