First, Do No Harm

by | Jun 15, 2016 | SavvyAnalysis Puzzlers

I MIFfed my airplane this week. I was installing the passenger seat in my Bellanca Viking – something I’ve done many, many times over my 26 years of ownership, and broke a weld between the seat frame and the seat rail. It’s not a huge repair, and...

Decision Tree

by | May 15, 2016 | SavvyAnalysis Puzzlers

Every flight is a series of decisions. Sometimes the decisions are easy — weather’s too bad, pilot’s not feeling good, airplane’s not ready or equipped for the trip. This month’s Puzzler is a series of three flights, each with its own...

Feel the Burn

by | Apr 15, 2016 | SavvyAnalysis Puzzlers

If you’ve been flying LOP in cruise for a while you might forget that not so very long ago operating piston engines LOP was, shall we say – frowned upon. POHs didn’t mention it, except to say don’t do it. Some of the resistance was dismantled...

Spring Fever

by | Mar 15, 2016 | SavvyAnalysis Puzzlers

What gets your attention when you’re flying? Obviously traffic, terrain and weather get your attention, but let’s narrow it down to events or trends in the engine data that would cause you to consider a precautionary landing. High CHT,...

Fueling Speculation

by | Feb 15, 2016 | SavvyAnalysis Puzzlers

I saw the phrase “fueling speculation” in a political context this week and wondered how those two words became attached in our lexicon. Why didn’t “provoking” or “prompting” or “eliciting” catch on the way...