Recent content by Gilbert Buettner

They used to expire after two years when they were part of the medical certificate. Now they no longer expire.

That's what they all SAID.

I teach students to lose about 200 feet on the end of downwind (starting when abeam the touchdown point) and another 300 on base, so that the airplane is 500 AGL when turning final. This is assuming a normal pattern when the base turn is started with the touchdown point about 45 degrees...

Last I heard, it was $500 here. The DPEs we use are scheduled through July.

Sounds like he understood the rule of the three Fs. He was just renting.

I have an acquaintance who was IFR qualified in Army helicopters. He bought a partnership in a Bonanza and routinely filed and flew IFR for his job... didn't want to take the airplane checkride. As far as I know he is still doing it.

The military has its own call sign rules. In Vietnam, our C-130 call sign was "Spare." With several digits attached. In Thailand, it was "Klong" which is Thai for canal. We called ourselves "Klong-hopper airlines." When I was in T-38s at Williams AFB in Arizona, our IFR flight call signs...

AIM 4-2-4 addresses aircraft call signs. "Civil aircraft pilots should state the aircraft type, model or manufacturer's name, followed by the digits/letters of the registration number." It goes on to discuss air carrier call signs and air ambulance (medevac) call signs.

And to limit the time that you have your back turned to traffic that potentially could land on top of you.

Advice to a new airline pilot: "Find a woman you hate, give her your house and half your money, and get it over with." I was never an airline pilot. Got married when I was an Air Force pilot in 1969. I really can't imagine looking for marriage advice online, but this has been an interesting...

About taxi speed - yeah, the "brisk walk" was what the US Air Force taught us. But I like what my chief pilot recommends: "Pretend your significant other is running alongside, and you don't want to leave them behind."

I am extremely fortunate. I have moved eight times, and all but one were paid for by my employer.

We do Part 61 CFI training. We've trained two in the last two or three years who came to work for us after passing the checkride. Wausau Flying Service, Wausau, Wisconsin. Chief instructor is John Chmiel, 715-845-3400. Website is www.flywausau.com. This is a fairly busy flight training...

A few years ago, a guy from the Sacramento area purchased a Cherokee 180 here in Wisconsin and wanted to fly it home to California. He was rusty, had not flown in years. During his flight review I took him up to 10,000 feet to show him how anemic the climb performance was. I recommended he...

We are a municipal airport in a small city, with a larger airport about ten miles away. No airline service at ours... we have five trainers, six instructors, and we also provide pilots for a local company that owns two jets and three turboprops. Probably about 30 students right now, but it's...