Many American pilots woke up to the news that a faulty software update from CrowdStrike, a cyber security technology used by Microsoft Windows, had triggered a vast cyber outage that disrupted air travel, banking, and media outlets across the world.

• READ MORE: Global IT Outage Spurs Cancellations of Thousands of Flights

Early Friday morning in the U.S., major carriers, including United Airlines, American Airlines, and Delta Air Lines canceled more than 1,000 flights, or 4.2 percent of their planned schedules, according to AirlineGeeks.com.

As the morning wore on FlightAware’s MiseryMap reported multiple airports with significant delays and flight cancellations, most notably in Washington, D.C, Chicago, New York, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Boston, Denver, Houston, and Miami.

CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz was quick to issue a public statement on X, explaining that the issue was not a security incident or cyberattack, and that a fix had been deployed. Kurtz apologized for the inconvenience.

“CrowdStrike is actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts,” Kurtz said.

Impact on ForeFlight, SkyVector

For GA pilots en route to EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin (July 22-28), the outage appears to be a nonevent. As long as the internet remains in operation and they have connectivity, flight planning apps such as ForeFlight and SkyVector remain in use.

“ForeFlight’s systems have not been impacted by a software outage affecting the aviation industry, and our support team is not aware of data or filing issues with third-party providers,” ForeFlight said in a statement.

• READ MORE: The Wisdom in Not Putting All Your Eggs in the Tech Basket

By midday Friday, a steady stream of aircraft were lined up on approach for Wittman Regional Airport (KOSH) in Oshkosh, according to FlightAware.

Air traffic control operations were also not affected by the outage.

“Currently, FAA operations are not impacted by the global IT issue,” the FAA said in a statement. “We continue to monitor the situation closely.”

Private aviation operations also initially were not adversely affected, according to reports.

“Our operations have not been impacted by the issue,” a Wheels Up spokesperson told Private Jet Card Comparisons.

The post GA, Private Aviation Dodge Worst of Cyber Outage Impact appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

I have been using 1800WXBRIEF.com and Aviation Weather Center for years since they don’t require a paid subscription. But according to the CFIs at the school I just started flying with, these are not considered legal weather briefings. 

Answer: The question asked begs another one: Legal to whom? 

FAA regulations, notably FAR 91.103, require pilots to obtain weather reports and forecasts. However, according to an FAA spokesperson, “the FAA does not prefer one weather source over another, nor do we define a ‘legal weather briefing.’ It is up to the pilot in command (PIC) to use a weather source that best suits their needs and allows them to meet the preflight planning requirements.“

That being said, there are some CFIs and flight schools that advocate paid subscriptions, such as ForeFlight, and free discreet login services, such as 1800WXBRIEF, because in addition to providing information, they also allow the pilot to file a flight plan. They also require an account, which means it’s easier to prove the pilot obtained a weather briefing prior to the flight because there will be a record of the login.

The latter is often one of the first things the National Transportation Safety Board checks when it investigates an accident or incident.

At the very least, a pilot should check TAFs, METARs, winds aloft, and NOTAMs prior to a flight. It is distressing how many pilots and pilots in training believe that listening to the ATIS/ASOS/AWOS at the airport or along their route constitutes a weather briefing. They don’t. 

Nor does looking out the window at the FBO. Any more than “pretty good” is a PIREP. 

The post Is There an Official Weather Briefing? appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

On a sunny Saturday in late summer 2023, I found myself itching to try something new. I’d been hearing whispers about a charming little pizzeria called Miss Bea Havin, tucked away at the Colorado Plains Regional Airport (KAKO) inside the Hayes Aviation FBO. A quick online search turned up rave reviews and tantalizing images that sealed the deal. My girlfriend, Alex, usually hesitant about airport dining after one too many trips to the Greeley-Weld County Airport (KGXY) cafe, was surprisingly on board for this adventure.

We grabbed an Aspen Flying Club Cessna 172S from Colorado Air and Space Port (KCFO), where filing the flight plan and preflight checks went off without a hitch under clear skies. Taking off from KCFO is always a bit of a thrill—there’s something fun about saying “space port tower” on the comms. We hit our cruising altitude of 7,500 feet and, as expected in the Rocky Mountain region, ran into a bit of turbulence.

I had scoped out the airport layout beforehand using ForeFlight’s Airport 3D View and cross-checked it with Google Maps, so I felt pretty confident about our approach. Descending toward Akron, the scene below buzzed with excitement, possibly a county fair setting up, complete with rides and stalls. We made a smooth entry into the pattern, despite Alex starting to feel a bit queasy—a first for her in general aviation, thanks to the bumpy ride.

Landing with a slight left crosswind, we taxied over to transient parking right in front of Miss Bea Havin. We noted the distinctive logos of Hayes Aviation and Miss Bea Havin for a photo op on our way out. Stepping inside, the FBO felt welcoming. There was a cozy dining area with high tops and traditional tables. Chef Gordon Johnson was right there, chatting with some customers before taking our pizza order—pepperoni, sausage, bell peppers, and mushrooms.

As our pizza began its journey in the oven, Johnson shared the story behind Miss Bea Havin. The restaurant emerged from a blend of local aviation passion and culinary ambition. Johnson, having returned home in 2021, wanted to create a community hub that combined his deep roots and extensive restaurant experience. After many strategy sessions and navigating through red tape, Miss Bea Havin was launched, named in tribute to L.G. Hayes, a World War II B-17 pilot and father of the airport manager, Randy Hayes, whose stories of flying an aircraft called Miss Bea Havin added a rich layer of history to the place.

When the pizza arrived, it was nothing short of amazing. We let it cool just a tad before diving in. I have to admit, it exceeded my expectations—far outpacing any pizzeria I’ve tried back in Denver. The ingredients were fresh, the flavors bold, and the crust just perfect. We couldn’t finish it all, so we boxed up the leftovers, thanked Johnson for the hospitality, and made our way out.

As we departed, I noticed a sleek Embraer Phenom 100 had joined our Cessna on the ramp. Its pilot, also drawn by the allure of Miss Bea Havin’s pizza, shared our sentiment: It’s definitely a pizza worth flying for. 

The post Pie in the Sky: In Pursuit of the ‘$300 Pizza’ appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

“No one enjoys flying through turbulence, whether you’re piloting a single-engine piston or riding in the back of a jet,” said Henrik Hansen, ForeFlight’s chief technology officer.

ForeFlight says the additional feature within the mobile app displays the measured intensity of turbulence at multiple altitudes, making it easy for pilots to find the smoothest altitude along their flight path. ForeFlight Mobile automatically uploads the reports once it establishes an internet connection after the flight or instantly if connectivity is maintained during flight, according to officials.

Turbulence reports are depicted as colored markers on the Maps tab: Gray signifies smooth air, while yellow, orange, and dark orange represent increasing levels of turbulence, ranging from light to severe.

While pilots traditionally rely on weather forecasts and PIREPs for route planning, ForeFlight says its Reported Turbulence method offers distinct advantages, including enhanced accuracy and objective reporting.

ForeFlight estimates its Reported Turbulence layer offers 50 times more turbulence reports than manual PIREPs, per Sporty’s IPAD Pilot News.

Reported Turbulence is available as two add-ons for Pro Plus subscribers. Reported Turbulence (Low) offers access to turbulence reports up to 14,000 feet, whereas Reported Turbulence (All) provides access to reports across all altitudes.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.

The post ForeFlight Introduces Reported Turbulence Map appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Answer: There are several ways to check Notices to Air Missions (NOTAMs) as required by CFR 91.103.

The first one is when you get a weather briefing from Leidos Flight Service system. To use this service you will need to create a free account , click on “Plan & Brief,” and fill out the required information. This generates your weather briefing, at the end of which you will find a list of the NOTAMs. Be sure to check for the TFRs along the planned route of flight.

The Leidos Flight Service interactive map may be found here.

You can also go directly to the FAA page for NOTAMs, which allows you to check by location, flight path, around the vicinity, geography, and by latitude and longitude. You will find information about runway and taxiway closures, changes in instrument approaches, navigational aids out of service, etc.

ForeFlight makes finding NOTAMs—especially TFRs—ridiculously easy. ForeFlight allows the pilot to overlay TFR information on the mobile app by selecting TFRs as one of the layers in the digital briefing.

In regard to the question about forgetting to do this, that could be construed as a violation of FAR 91.103, which states that, “Each pilot in command shall before beginning a flight, become familiar with all available information concerning that flight. This information must include—

(a) For a flight under IFR or a flight not in the vicinity of an airport, weather reports and forecasts, fuel requirements, alternatives available if the planned flight cannot be completed, and any known traffic delays of which the pilot in command has been advised by ATC;

(b) For any flight, runway lengths at airport of intended use, and the following takeoff and landing distance information:

(1) For civil aircraft for which an approved airplane or rotorcraft flight manual containing takeoff and landing distance data is required, the takeoff and landing distance data contained therein; and

(2) For civil aircraft other than those specified in paragraph (b)(1) of this section, other reliable information appropriate to the aircraft relating to aircraft performance under expected values of airport elevation and runway slope,aircraft gross weight, and wind and temperature.”

Get in the habit of getting a thorough weather briefing before every flight, even if it is just a lap in the pattern.

The post How Do You Check NOTAMs? appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

As you will have guessed, since you are reading about this in Aftermath and not in I Learned About Flying From That, the flight did not end well. About 25 minutes after takeoff and shortly after crossing the Arkansas border, the 31-year-old pilot, whose in-command time amounted to 75 hours, lost control of the airplane and went down in a remote woodland. All aboard perished.

A few minutes before the impact, as he was climbing to 9,500 feet msl, the pilot contacted ATC and requested flight following. The weather along his route—which, notably, he had last checked with ForeFlight 17 hours earlier—was generally VFR, with a chance of scattered convective activity. There was, however, one patch of rainy weather just to the left of his course, and the controller advised him to turn right to avoid it.

On the controller’s display, the target of the Cirrus crept eastward just below the edge of the weather. Radar paints rain, however, not cloud. The flight was over a remote area with few ground lights and the harvest moon had not yet risen, but its hidden glow may have faintly defined an eastern horizon. In the inspissated blackness of the night, the pilot, whose instrument experience was limited to what little was required for the private certificate, probably could not tell clear air from cloud.

As the Cirrus reached 9,500 feet, it began to turn to the left toward the area of weather. Perhaps the tasks of trimming and setting the mixture for cruise distracted the pilot from his heading. The controller noticed the change and pointed it out to the pilot, who replied he intended to return to Muskogee. He now began a turn to the right. Rather than reverse course, however, he continued the turn until he was heading northward back into the weather. The controller, who by now sensed trouble, said to the pilot that he showed him on a heading of 340 degrees and asked whether he concurred. The pilot, whose voice until this point had betrayed no sense of unease, replied somewhat incoherently that “the wind caught me, [but now] I’m out of it.”

With a tone of increasing urgency, the controller instructed the pilot to turn left to a heading of 270. The pilot acknowledged the instruction, but he did not comply. Instead, he continued turning to the right. At the same time, he was descending at an increasing rate and was now at 6,000 feet. “I show you losing serious altitude,” the controller said. “Level your wings if able and fly directly southbound…Add power if you can.”

It was already too late. In a turning dive, its speed increasing past 220 knots, the Cirrus continued downward. Moments later, its radar target disappeared.

In its discussion of the accident, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) focused upon the pilot’s preparedness—in the broadest sense—for the flight. A former Marine, he should have been semper paratus—always ready—but his history suggested a headstrong personality with a certain tendency to ignore loose ends as he plunged ahead.

He had failed his first private pilot test on questions related to airplane systems; he passed on a retest the following week. But this little glitch tells us nothing about his airmanship. His instructor reported he responded calmly and reasonably to turbulence, and was “good” at simulated instrument flight. He had enrolled in Cirrus Embark transition training shortly before acquiring the airplane. He completed all of the flight training lessons, but—again, a hint of impatience with tiresome minutiae—may not have completed the online self-study lessons. The flight training was strictly VFR and did not include night or instrument components.

The airplane was extremely well equipped for instrument flying, but it was a 2001 model, and its avionics were, according to the Cirrus Embark instructors, “old technology” and “not easy to use.” In other words, it did not have a glass panel, and its classical instruments, which included a flight director, were sophisticated and possibly confusing to a novice. The airplane was equipped with an autopilot, and the pilot had been trained in at least the elements of its use.

The airplane was also equipped with an airframe parachute, but it was not deployed during the loss of control. In any case, its use is limited to indicated speeds below 133 kias, and it might not have functioned properly in a spiral dive.

• READ MORE: Dissecting a Tragedy in the Third Dimension

An instructor familiar with the pilot and his airplane—whether this was the same instructor as the one whom he called on the night of the fatal flight is not clear—wrote to the NTSB that the pilot had made the night flight to South Carolina at least once before, and he had called her at midnight before departing to come help him fix a flat tire. She declined and urged him to get some sleep and make the trip in the morning.

“I told him he was starting down the ‘accident chain,’” she wrote. “New pilot, new plane, late start, nighttime, bad terrain, etc….To me, he seemed a little overly self-confident in his piloting skills, but he didn’t know enough to know what he didn’t know.”

He fixed the tire himself and made the trip safely that night. Undoubtedly, that success encouraged him to go again.

We have seen over and over how capable pilots, including ones with much more experience than this pilot, fail to perform at their usual level when they encounter weather emergencies. A sudden, unexpected plunge into IMC—which, on a dark night, can happen very easily—opens the door to a Pandora’s box of fear, confusion, and disorientation for which training cannot prepare you.

There are two clear avenues of escape. One is the autopilot. Switch it on, take your hands off the controls, breathe, and count to 20. The fact the pilot did not take this step suggests how paralyzed his mental faculties may have become.

The other is the attitude indicator. It’s a simple mechanical game. Put the toy airplane on the horizon line and align the wings with it. That’s all. It’s so simple. Yet in a crisis, apparently, it’s terribly hard to do. The fact that so many pilots have lost control of their airplanes in IMC should be a warning to every noninstrument-rated pilot to treat clouds—and, above all, clouds in darkness—with extreme respect.

This column first appeared in the November 2023/Issue 943 of FLYING’s print edition.

The post A Night Flight Leads a Pilot to a Tragic End appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

I am often inspired by the real locations and weather I experience when I am on a real work trip. With ForeFlight by my side, it’s fun to test the realism of the sims and how they’re interpreting live weather worldwide. Both X-Plane 12 (XP12) and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 (MSFS2020) do a pretty good job of keeping up with it and both have shown continual improvements. It seems each month the message forums are showcasing live weather questions, observations, frustrations, and praise. 

I feel the most accurate live weather award currently goes to MSFS2020 as most of the flights I take, with ForeFlight next to me, are startlingly accurate. The altimeter, visibility, and clouds are really spot on. Locations of rain or snow are pretty accurate too with virga and visual depictions often having me saying “wow.” 

I made my way westward recently from the East Coast to encounter winter spots. The first was a stop into Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (KCLE) using a 787 Dreamliner. KCLE is known for lake-effect snow and this day didn’t disappoint. Snow bands were flowing west to east, and my flight session, down the ILS to an eventual autoland, took me right in the heart of it all.

Various moments from the cockpit view included bursts of snow whooshing past, some varying visibility, and not a lot of turbulence. Even as shown on ForeFlight, the snow showers ended east of the field near the city, allowing for an almost completely visual approach. As I got closer, some definite wind shear jibs and jabs made the wings bounce, something the 787 is famous for with its dampening, flexing wings.

Testing live weather was a success in this scenario. Let’s see the next one. 

I proceeded westward a few hours to the Dakotas and upon reaching there had some very windy weather and snowy bursts to contend with as well. I was using the amazing Learjet 35 I recently featured and it was a blast to feel this one out in surface winds gusting to 40 knots. The Learjet has enough fuel for about 1,500 nm tops, and in this case I traveled about 1,000 miles. I set out for a field in the North Dakota-eastern Montana area for fuel and aircraft change.

The somewhat higher elevations and wide-open areas with some gradual terrain will start making shear. The bumps were noticeable but not yet overly crazy. The wind flow over terrain effect within MSFS is remarkably accurate. 

For the next leg of the adventure, I chose the default Cessna Longitude bizjet, with more range and modern avionics to attempt a “visual” in horrendous weather, surrounded by dangerous terrain. Revelstoke, British Columbia, in Canada is spectacular as it gets, so I went to go check it out.

I vectored myself onto the arrival below the terrain. I would be landing on Runway 30 with the poor weather conditions, so I decided to use the modern technology at hand.

Following the 3D view with an eyesight-enhanced vision system on the Latitude, I could see right through the clouds and snow, down the river in virtual visual conditions. Now, I don’t think pilots with this avionics package do this yet, but I could see someday in the not too distant future the ability to just fly a visual approach in something horrendous.

I was led right down the shoot to the breakout point and runway in real visual conditions at a low altitude I would say was near ILS minimums.

In the real Challenger 300 I fly, similar to the Longitude, the reversers are so effective and rev up to such a high percentage, we don’t even touch the brakes until almost walking speed or something under 40 knots.

MSFS has great icing modeled with effects on performance. It doesn’t always come off cleanly, and sometimes even windows don’t get cleared very rapidly.

Continuing the adventure, I got into an A321neo (LatinVFR available on sim marketplace) for the rest of the journey westward. There is no better, more scenic place than Juneau, Alaska, and an unusual weather event was occurring at the time—clear skies! Alaska in winter is usually terrible with huge rain storms likely along the coast or wet snow blizzards. Apparently a cold snap following some heavy snows was occurring the day I tried this, and the built-in live weather matched the conditions almost to a T.

I have to stop somewhere, because the adventuring available in Alaska is endless. Maybe I’ll do this  again later this winter as there is so much to discover and tinker with. Setting up manual weather to something wild and dangerous is also fun, especially in mountainous regions. Using the variety of GA aircraft available in the sims opens up a whole new avenue of bush flying, where icing dangers are more noteworthy. 

As always, I have to link the “must-haves” as you fly: 

FS Realistic Pro for the best add-on ever made.

Sporty’s Pilot Shop for all the flight controls imaginable and an easy home setup.

ProDeskSim for the coolest affordable add-ons to the Honeycomb throttle quadrant that will leave you drooling. 

The post Testing Live Weather and Winter Wonders Along the Way appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Voyager combines satellite imagery, high-resolution terrain, and live traffic data to create a real-time aviation experience. Each airport comes to life on a floating disk, allowing users to explore from different perspectives. Whether you’re curious about featured airports, searching globally, or sorting by proximity, Voyager offers a dynamic and interactive exploration of aviation hubs worldwide.

• READ MORE: ForeFlight Adds Oceanic Routing, Fleet Tracking Features to Dispatch Version

ForeFlight CEO Tim Schuetze expressed excitement about delivering a unique 3D airport exploration experience. “This exciting new spatial computing platform enables us to deliver all-new experiences that were never before possible, and the new Voyager app is a great example of our continued innovation,” Schuetze said in a release.

The app provides real-time depictions of various aircraft, from commercial jets to helicopters, with accurate altitude, pitch, and bank details. Users can access comprehensive information about each aircraft, including flight plans, aircraft type, and live speed, altitude, and heading.

ForeFlight Mobile, the company’s flagship iPad and iPhone application, seamlessly integrates with Vision Pro. Active ForeFlight subscribers can access advanced flight planning capabilities, making the aviation experience even more dynamic. Transitioning from Voyager to ForeFlight Mobile, users can delve deeper into airport details and flight information.

ForeFlight, a Boeing company, has been a pioneer in integrated software solutions for general, business, and military aviation since 2007. Voyager stands as a testament to ForeFlight’s commitment to pushing boundaries and offering innovative experiences to aviation enthusiasts worldwide.

The post Explore Airports with ForeFlight’s Voyager for Apple Vision Pro appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

• READ MORE: New ForeFlight Safety Update Includes Runway Alert

Pilots can choose to keep their recaps private or share an image and interactive preview of them on platforms such as Facebook and X (formerly Twitter). In addition, ForeFlight included a “Make Private” button, so access to previously shared recaps can be revoked. Recaps can also be downloaded.

• READ MORE: National Aviation Hall of Fame Honors ForeFlight Co-Founder Tyson Weihs

According to the company, Recap is now available for any pilot who logged flights on ForeFlight in 2023. ForeFlight noted that Recap will also work for pilots who have not logged flights in ForeFlight Logbook, provided they “import data from other digital platforms or from their paper logbook using catch-up entries.”

Recap is currently not supported by the ForeFlight Mobile app but can be viewed with both computer and mobile device on ForeFlight Web.

The post ForeFlight Launches Interactive Flight Recap for 2023 appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Oceanic Plotting

Building on the Active Navlog product, released in May 2023, oceanic plotting is part of the integration between Active Navlog and ForeFlight Dispatch to enable paper-free utilization by crews using ForeFlight Mobile for flight planning and record keeping. The oceanic plotting feature records position reporting information along with gross navigational error (GNE) checks into the master flight log with screenshots available. Completed navlogs can be uploaded to ForeFlight Dispatch and attached to the flight plan to make for a seamless postflight effort by pilots and flight departments.

• READ MORE: ForeFlight Integrates Features into Single Source for BizAv Operators

The product has been targeted specially for EASA-based users, according to Kelsey Groves, director of marketing for ForeFlight, in a pre-NBAA briefing with FLYING. “It’s a game changer,” she said, being able to use ForeFlight rather than plotting by hand on paper charts.

Said Kevin Sutterfield, ForeFlight and Jeppesen global sales leader: “Logging position reports and GNE checks has been a manual, time-consuming task for our customers, and we’re excited to introduce our integrated digital solution to simplify and streamline this process. Throughout the development of this feature, we actively incorporated feedback from numerous ForeFlight customers. ForeFlight’s Oceanic Plotting feature simplifies the process of oceanic crossings for pilots while also automating the regulatory compliance required for those operations.” 

According to ForeFlight, Active Navlog is available “as a per-user subscription, add-on product, with or without a subscription to ForeFlight Dispatch, while Dispatch will be required in addition to Active Navlog to enable the Oceanic Plotting capability once it’s available.”

Fleet Tracking

Another key new feature available now is Fleet Tracking within ForeFlight Dispatch, which allows operators to monitor fleet status in real time, helping to ensure on-time operations and an early warning for potential schedule disruptions. The app uses ADS-B ground data from AirNav Systems and integrates ForeFlight’s map-based weather layers to aid with visualization of aircraft position and any upcoming issues.

“Providing dispatchers with real-time and accurate aircraft tracking significantly boosts safety and efficiency,” said Sutterfield. “I believe that digital solution suites are changing the business aviation industry because they allow operators to anticipate schedule disruptions and mitigate issues in real time.”

According to ForeFlight, “two distinct tiers of Fleet Tracking will be available for purchase: The first includes global tracking via ground-based ADS-B, while the second, higher tier adds support for global tracking via datalink position reports as well as the ability to track FAA-blocked tails. Both tiers of Fleet Tracking will be available as per-tail, add-on subscriptions and will require a subscription to ForeFlight Dispatch.”

The post ForeFlight Adds Oceanic Routing, Fleet Tracking Features to Dispatch Version appeared first on FLYING Magazine.