Max Trescott Aviation Trends Aloft

Sun Sets on DayJet—More wreckage along the VLJ highway

What started as a bad week for Wall Street has ended as an even worse week for DayJet and possibly for VLJ manufacturers counting upon a robust per-seat, on-demand air taxi business. DayJet’s website says that it “has discontinued its jet services and cancelled all future flights as a result of the company’s inability to arrange critical financing in the midst of the current global financial crisis.” While hardly a death knell...

The Private PTS – Your Chance to Provide Inputs

Anyone who's studied at all seriously for a pilot certificate knows that the final hurdle is to take a checkride which is governed by an FAA PTS or Practical Test Standard. The purpose of these booklets is to standardize the process, so that checkrides given in Peoria and Poughkeepsie are the same. It also attempts to reduce subjectivity by providing objective standards to which the checkride must be flown.

At some point in your aviation pursuits, you may have wondered why a particular task appears in a PTS or…

Becoming a Master Pilot: Zen and the Art of Instrument Flying

Fellow blogger and friend Dan Pimentel emailed recently and asked for advice on his upcoming instrument checkride. I was flattered to be asked and sent some suggestions. One, that I tell all my clients when they’re under the hood, is to take a few deep breaths, relax and get into the “Zen of airplane.” It’s probably more correct to say to “become one with the airplane.” However, my clients understand me and usually lean back a little in their seat, become more focused on the instruments and their performance instantly improves. Dan said that made sense and asked if I could elaborate. When I realized I couldn’t, I decided to research the subject.

The best website I found is...