AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2017 - 118

NEWS & NOTES
ASI NEWS

AOPA AIR SAFETY INSTITUTE

|

Introducing the There I Was...
podcast series

NEW FROM ASI

Hop on board with Patty Wagstaff
B Y M AC H T E L D S M I T H

AT AIRPORT HANGARS across the United
States, pilots share flying adventures with
others. These hangar-flying cookouts and
social gatherings lend an opportunity to
tell fun stories, compare experiences, and
have a good time. Yet, amid tall tales and
entertainment, you also will catch nuggets of aviation wisdom that may come in
handy during a flight. With that in mind, the
AOPA Air Safety Institute recently launched
its There I Was... podcast. The stories honor
the hangar-flying tradition of sharing experience and knowledge.
In episode one, U.S. National Aerobatic
Champion Patty Wagstaff recounts a
Cessna 185 flight in southwestern Alaska.
Wagstaff was aware of the region's weather
patterns, but the sudden encounter with

instrument conditions still took her by surprise. Should she maintain visual flight and
descend toward terrain or trust her flight
instruments and climb into the weather
and ice? As an instrument-rated pilot who
had not flown in actual weather, she made
a quick, critical decision.
The podcast's conversational tone
allows Wagstaff and her hosts to explore
the merits of being resourceful. It also
offers a valuable discussion on steps pilots
can take for the best possible outcome of
a flight. Learn how Wagstaff got everyone
back on the ground unharmed (www.airsafetyinsitute.org/thereiwas).
MACHTELD SMITH is an aviation technical

writer for the AOPA Air Safety Institute.

THE AIR SAFETY INSTITUTE IS PASSIONATE ABOUT AVIATION SAFETY. ASI has produced
free programs for more than half a century with the goal of helping all pilots fly more
safely. Please consider donating to the AOPA Foundation to support these programs
(www.aopafoundation.org/donate).

118 | AOPA PILOT August 2017

FLY BY NIGHT FALL SEMINAR.
Especially in light aircraft, flying after
dark comes with real trade-offs.
Smooth air, better performance, and
stunning views are great-but they're
offset by trickier landings, invisible
terrain, and limited emergency
options. So what's the key to flying
safely after sundown? The AOPA Air
Safety Institute's new seminar looks at
night flying from a risk-management
perspective. Using decades of
accident data, Fly By Night identifies
common problems and recommends
the best ways to avoid them. Along
the way, ASI's seminar presenters
discuss these topics:
* Requirements for pilots and aircraft.
* Unique flight planning
considerations.
* Why all nights are not created
equal.
* Things that can take you by
surprise.
WEB

Visit the website (www.airsafety
institute.org/seminars) for dates and
locations near you.
TIME LAPSE ACCIDENT CASE STUDY.
In-cockpit weather information is a
great tool, but it's important to fully
understand the limitations, especially
during thunderstorm season. For
example, Nexrad radar can be as
much as 20 minutes older than
the age indication on the cockpit
display. Accident Case Study: Time
Lapse highlights this problem. The
study examines a pilot's mistake
of relying on datalink weather
displays to navigate around quickly
developing weather systems with
fast-moving convective activity (www.
airsafetyinstitute.org/ACS/timelapse).

http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/seminars http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/thereiwas http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/thereiwas http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/ACS/timelapse http://www.aopafoundation.org/donate http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/ACS/timelapse

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2017