WHERE THERE’S FIRE, THERE’S SMOKE!!!

Haze, haze, and more haze.  I enjoy winter flying, because the fronts come through and take the haze with them as they leave.  Then spring comes and the air is crisp and clean (most of the time).  It is at that time of the year, the State and National Forestry Service decide to do managed or controlled burns.  What that means is that our beautiful clear air now turns to haze.  After the Forestry Service quits their burning, the general public and nature decides to burn down the forest during the summer months.  All this produces a great deal of smoke.  I can tell you from experience that once you fly in smoke; it can turn your VFR flight quickly into an IFR experience.   

With the wildfires burning out west and with the controlled burns taking place, it is good advice to go around or over (if possible) a smoke cloud.  It may take a little longer, but it would sure be bad to meet a fire tanker, C-130, Cherokee 140, or F-16 in that smoke cloud.  I am not sure a briefing from Flight Service will always give you a warning of smoke.  If it’s wide spread and they have been getting pilot reports, a briefer will know and advise of the problem.  Still, it is wise to SEE & AVOID.  I know I will, the next time. 

FREEZE THE BALLS           

We do check our stories, but sometimes readers are one up on us.  It seems that the location we didn’t check was Snopes.com.  They say that the “balls off a brass monkey” story is not true.  I still stand by the story as we printed it in our last issue.  If someone knows the real story of how the phrase came to be, then forward it on to us with your references, of course. 

From the e-mail we receive, I sometimes feel that readers think us to be perfect and that every story be accurate within one percent of the FARs.  As much as we would like to be perfect, we’re not.  If you want 100% FAA accuracy, read the FARs.   As many of our disclaimers read, “Check with Flight Service Station (FSS) before you fly.”   

AIRPLANE CRASHES GET CLOSE AND PERSONAL 

Within one-hundred miles from my airport, four pilots are dead and five are injured in five separate crashes.  All accidents occurring in the first 15 days of July 2004.  Some were friends, all are brothers in flight.  Most of the accidents appear at first reports to be pilot error or bad judgment.  This is the most I can remember in many years that have perished in airplane crashes in this area in such a short period of time.  One Christmas many years ago, we had perhaps three crashes that killed several.  To have five separate plane accidents in less than fifteen days, it is totally astounding.

To give you an idea of the events surrounding the accidents, we have posted those accidents that the NTSB have on their website.  To read the accident report from NTSB, go to FYI.

Fly safely… remember “Safe flying is no accident.” 

Throttle Forward and Fly-Low…