Tribal Aviation Has an Impact on Small Airports

Native American tribes are beginning to purchase aircraft. This may be because tribal officials and leaders are involved in more travels out of area for meetings and conferences. Tribes have also taken to lobbying which may necessitate frequent trips to Washington, DC. Then add to those needs that most tribes reside a good distance from a major airport, and simply boarding a flight may add up to half a day (or more) in additional travel time to just getting to and from the airport. A tribe possessing its own airplane or jet can take travelers to a gathering a great deal faster. Naturally, the biggest issue is the politics. Even corporate CEO's are under fire for flying in private jets.

Some tribes are trying to make air travel more accessible to everyone. Rural airports serve tribes located in rural areas. In rural airports there might not be sufficient travelers to warrant routine commercial service. However, tribes using their Bureau of Indian Affairs transportation money for aviation and leveraging Congressional help for rural airport projects have been able to establish some form of regular commercial service in their area.

An example of a tribe that both owns private aircraft and working for a regional airport is the Chickasaw Nation based in Ada, Oklahoma. The tribe has owned private aircraft for a while and is leveraging that usage with the Ada Municipal Airport. Recently, the airport commission added two seats for Ada's airport most frequent users, which were the Chickasaws, and the other seat was for Pre-Paid Legal Services.

This appointment has been no mere honorary appointment. The Chickasaw Nation is having an impact in who operates the airport as its fleet of jets uses Jet-A fuel. They want to make sure the operator carries Jet-A fuel (fuel for jets) in addition to 100 low lead fuel or Avgas (fuel for airplanes). It is this form of impact that tribal aviation can have on a regional airport. By carrying jet fuel the Ada airport can serve more aircraft and support regular commercial service. Without the Chickasaw Nation and Pre-Paid Legal jets, the airport would only need to carry fuel for airplanes, relegating the airport to another small town airstrip.

Military Helicopter Pilot Careers

A career flying military helicopters offers excitement, challenge, and adventure. Military helicopter missions include transporting troops and equipment, anti-submarine warfare, troop helicopter escort, anti-armor, reconnaissance, and inserting/extracting special operations personnel.

The US Army is the largest operator of helicopters within the US military. A career as an Army Aviator will give you access to some of the most advanced helicopters in the world. Army aviators fly AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters, CH-47 Chinook heavy lift helicopters, UH-60 Black Hawk utility helicopters, OH-47 Kiowa scout/light attack helicopters and the MH-6/AH-6 Loach special operations helicopters.

The US Navy uses helicopters for a wide variety of missions. Pilots who fly SH-60 Sea Hawks track submarines. MH-53 Sea Stallion pilots detect and clear mines in advance of ship traffic. Navy helicopter pilots who fly CH-46 Sea Knights specialize in transporting personnel and equipment.

The US Marine Corps uses the helicopter extensively. In fact the Marines invented and developed vertical envelopment warfare (using helicopters to rapidly move troops to key tactical and strategic positions). The AH-1Z Cobra is used to provide support to Marines on the ground. The CH-46 Sea Knight is used for tactical assaults and the CH-53E Super Sea Stallion is used for heavy lift. The Marines also fly a modernized version of the UH-1 Huey, a helicopter made famous during the Vietnam War, on utility and VIP missions.

The US Air force uses HH-60 Blackhawks for combat search and rescue and MH-53E Super Stallions for deep insertions and extractions of special operations troops.

Though not technically a member of the US armed forces, Coast Guard Aviators have a strong history of flying and fighting alongside the US military in times of conflict. The Coast Guard's primary roles are homeland security, law enforcement and search and rescue. They fly three types of helicopters. The HH-65 Dauphin is a short-range rescue helicopter. The HH-60 Jay Hawk is a medium/long range rescue helicopter and the MH-68 Stingray is an armed interdiction aircraft.

Military helicopter pilots have very rewarding careers. They fly with and support some of the best people this nation has to offer. The road to a career as a military helicopter pilot isn't easy but it's certainly within reach of anyone who has the commitment and the desire to succeed.

Robust Aerial Navigation in GPS-Denied Enivronments

This helicopter was developed at CSAIL at MIT, under Nick Roy. This vehicle has fully autonomous capabilities in GPS-denied environments. This video was submitted to the 2010 ICRA video contest.

Flight Delayed or Cancelled, Know Your Options

If your flight is cancelled or delayed for reasons other than weather, Rule 240 states that the airline should put you on the next available flight to your destination at no extra charge, even that means using another carrier.

Many ticket / counter agents are not familiar with Rule 240, and most will not offer it. It is up to you to inform them. Politely ask for a Supervisor if necessary, and be aware that Rule 240 may vary slightly based on the airline carrier.

Always remember to be polite, respectful and patient regardless of the circumstances. The ticket agent is not responsible for the delay, but that person could be your hero in the event of unexpected delays.

Rule 240 only applies for factors that are within the airline carrier's control.

Rule 240 applies in the event of Mechanical Problems, Misconnection, Substitution of Equipment or Class of Service, Schedule Change that requires you to be rerouted, Lack of Airline Crew, Schedule Change and Overbooked flights ("bumped").
Rule 240 does not apply in the event of Force Major events like weather, strike, labor disputes, civil commotions, war, government regulation, airport is closed, fuel shortage or "Acts of God".
If you are delayed more than Four Hours between the hours of 10 PM and 6 AM, you may be entitled to Hotel Accommodations, unless it is your home city of departure. This may include additional amenities at the discretion of the airline carrier as necessary for the safety and welfare of unaccompanied minors, senior citizens or disabilities.

It is important to note that specific language for Rule 240 varies by airline, and only applies for US domestic travel.

Print and keep a copy of Rule 240 in your carry-on bag, use only if necessary.

Share this information with other frequent flyers and business associates.

You can review and print your Free Copy of Rule 240 at http://www.executiveblueprints.com/traveltips.htm

helicopter hover

Getting Your PPL - Where to Begin & Pick the Best Simulators

At your local airport, you are going to meet people who fly and know how to go about learning to fly. They will be able to give you the absolute best and accurate advice in regard to getting your PPL.

Think about it. Are you going to ask your Uncle Horace, or some guy who has been flying for 25 years?

Airports are where the action is at. That's where you begin.

How Good Are Simulators...Really?

Let's cut through the crap and get real here. No flight simulators are going to give you the actual experience of flying an airplane.

Having said that, after doing quite a bit of research on this subject and getting the opinions of experts, there are a number of flight simulators out there that are quite good.

Here are the best of the best:

Microsoft Flight Simulator

Say what you want about Microsoft. Yeah, they create a lot of crappy products and their OS leaves a lot to be desired, whether it's Vista or whatever. But their flight simulator is hands down the best in the industry.

Flyit Simulator

They call it the new standard in aviation training. Flyit offers FAA approved fixed wing and rotorcraft Flight Simulation Devices for flight training; desktop control panels, motion platforms, cockpits, display systems, and complete simulation environments. Fixed wing, rotorcraft and Flight Training Devices for general aviation, commercial, and military aircraft..

Elite Simulation Solutions

If you want the very best hardware for your simulator, this is the place to go.

There you have it, the best of the best as far as flight simulation.

Night Time Flying Tips

Well, at this point I have approximately 12 hours left to meet my minimum of 40 hours in the cockpit. At that point, I'll be eligible to take my checkride. My instructor feels that I can do it in 40 hours, though the national average is 55 hours. As a personal goal, I'm going to shoot for 40.

So far, we've covered:

the traffic pattern
power on/off stalls
slow flight
steep turns
short-field take-offs and landings
slips to landing
go-arounds
navigation via dead-reckoning and VOR
tower/radio communications
and misc. ground training on airspaces, weather etc...

I've learned a lot. All of which will be used in preparation for the next and last big milestone - night flying.

Night flying is a brand new animal. In the dark, you look like you're going slower than normal and pilots tend to speed up when they don't need to.

Depth perception is also very poor at night. Dim runways might give the illusion that the runway is farther away than it is. Bright runways might give the illusion that the runway is closer than it actually is.

You also have an issue with finding a new airport for the first time at night. Street lights can look like a runway and many pilots have come in for a landing, only to find no runway waiting for them.

One trick to night flying is to use your peripheral vision. Because of the way rods and cones work in our eyes, looking straight at an object in the dark actually gives us less detail than if we looked at it from the side.

Some things are good at night though. For one, there is less air traffic. For another, aircraft are required to use lighting which actually makes them easier to spot at night than in the day.