Friday photo: Great Salt Lake
Late summer trip to Lake Tahoe took us just north of Salt Lake City (foreground) and the Great Salt Lake which is the largest saltwater lake in the western hemisphere.
About Eric Radtke
It was his first airplane trip at age seven that made Eric decide to become a pilot. "While boarding the airplane, a flight attendant noticed my interest in the flight deck and urged me to go talk to the pilot. I give a lot of credit to that pilot for my career choice." Eric earned a bachelor’s degree in finance and went on to an airline career. He learned to fly at Sporty’s as part of the University of Cincinnati’s Professional Pilot Program, an initiative he later directed. Eric now manages Sporty’s media network including FlightTrainingCentral.com. In addition, Eric serves as a Captain in a Cincinnati-based corporate flight department.
Entries by Eric Radtke
Hey Rusty Pilot – make your next flight more meaningful by practicing this
/in Tips and technique/by Eric RadtkeJudge your improvement on the quality of your “bad” landings. And practice under a variety of conditions (wind, configuration, time of day, etc.) to better hone your visual cues and mastery of the airplane. A safety pilot or instructor may see elements not as obvious to the pilot flying.
Getting current with a full time job – can it be done?
/in Tips and technique/by Eric RadtkeThe thought of taking on flight lessons while maintaining a 40+ hour work week can be daunting. Do not be deterred! There is a path to knocking the rust off while still paying the bills.
Webinar video: aviation headsets
/in Webinars/by Eric RadtkeJoin Doug Ranly as he demystifies the world of aviation headsets, shares what’s new, and highlights the features important to you. When you’re ready to purchase your headset, visit Sporty’s interactive buyers guide and see a complete lineup of headsets available for sale.
Are you prepared to go around?
/in Tips and technique/by Eric RadtkeMinutes later we were told to slow to our final speed as the Falcon tri-jet had not yet begun its taxi. We were fortunate to have about 20 seconds at our 120kt final approach speed to discuss the possibility of a go-around given the slow progress of the Falcon’s taxi run. This discussion involved the steps we would take performing the go-around.
Chart Smart: VFR sectional remote communications outlet
/in Tips and technique/by Eric RadtkeThe Greenville VORTAC communications box indicates that you are able to communicate with the Gainesville Flight Service Station by transmitting on 122.1 (122.1R) on your comm radio.
Can a pilot perform maintenance on an aircraft?
/in Regulations/by Eric RadtkePilots are allowed to perform simple or minor maintenance on their aircraft – what the FAA refers to as preventive maintenance. Appendix A to Part 43 contains a list of tasks that meet the preventive maintenance definition.
Do you really have the available runway distance published?
/in Tips and technique/by Eric RadtkeIn the Chart Supplement entry for many airports, especially those frequented by jet aircraft, you’ll see a collection of runway distance information that may differ from the runway length information published on the airport diagram.
How do you start a jet engine?
/in Tips and technique/by Eric RadtkeSmaller jet engines are started using electrical power, either from a battery or an external power unit. Upon initiating the start, generally with the push of a button, the battery powers the starter motor which begins rotating the engine just like a piston-powered airplane or your car.
How to fly a standard airport traffic pattern
/in Tips and technique/by Eric RadtkeA left hand pattern is considered standard and should be used unless specified otherwise for an airport. It is important to fly standard traffic pattern procedures to ensure the safe and orderly flow of aircraft to and from an airport.
