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Educational products for serious pilots
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New! Instrument Flying Update now available in ePub and Mobi (electronic book)
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Our Books
Instrument Flying Update
New in 2006
 John Eckalbar's latest
book...Instrument Flying Update: What every
Instrument Pilot Needs to Know About the New Rules on Approach
Transitions, WAAS, LPV, LNAV/VNAV, RNAV SIDs, TAWS, and Much More.
If you completed your instrument training in the era of VOR,
ILS, and basic GPS, it is time you make a commitment to getting
yourself up to speed for new world IFR.
Instrument flying is evolving at an incredible pace. New
technologies (like WAAS and TAWS) are being applied, new rules
(like those on transitioning onto RNAV approaches) are being
written, and new procedures (like LPV approaches) are being
developed. The big payoff is in unprecedented 3-D position
accuracy and enhanced situational awareness as the aircraft
position is displayed in relation to complex waypoint strings
together with surrounding terrain and obstacles.
To navigate the new world of IFR safely and efficiently, pilots
and controllers need to do their homework. We need to keep up with
the nuances of the new equipment as well as the rules and
procedures that evolve with the equipment. To cite the most
important example, many thousands of pilots are about to upgrade
from GPS to GPS/WAAS. With this upgrade comes the promise of
vastly improved instrument approaches, but we also move into an
environment which we have not yet been trained to enter–where, for
example, we get strange messages from our avionics saying that LPV
is unavailable because VPL exceeds VAL, or where LNAV/VNAV is
available, but a knowledgeable pilot will know that, given the
current weather, LNAV might be better. The relatively simple days
when we tuned an NDB or VOR, identified it, and flew the chosen
course are ending.
Safe and efficient operation in this new environment is going
to take a commitment to continuing education. I hope this book
will help.
Here is a quick outline: The first three chapters deal with
WAAS.
- Chapter 1 investigates how WAAS is able to correct GPS
position estimates.
- The next chapter looks at the TERPS criteria for WAAS-based
approaches.
- And the following chapter examines the topic of flying with
WAAS.
- Chapter 4 brings us up to date on recent changes in RNAV
departure procedures and adds a brief section on RNAV Q- and
T-routes.
- Chapter 5 explains how TAWS works, what its various
warning/alert messages mean, and what you can and should do in
response. Most pilots are unaware that ATC has its own TAWS-like
system called MSAW, Minimum Safe Altitude Warning system. MSAW
alerts controllers when an aircraft is or is expected to be too
low, and then controllers are supposed to alert pilots. But, what
prompts the alert, and what are you supposed to do when you get
one? Are you automatically getting MSAW protection when you are
assigned a transponder code and talking to ATC? We will address
these questions in chapter 6.
- Chapter 7 deals with radar vectors. Special attention is paid
to the meaning of the MVA and the issue of when it is permissible
for ATC to issue a vector when you are below the MVA.
- Chapter 8 tests our knowledge of the above topics by examining
the chain of events leading to an accident in San Diego during a
night departure, when a Lear 35A impacted terrain while trying to
maintain VFR under an overcast while following a vector below the
MVA. If nothing in the last sentence strikes you as odd, you are
likely to really benefit from reading this book.
- Chapter 9 covers the surprisingly complex topic of
transitioning onto an approach. What is permissible as you fly
"GPS direct" from one fix to another toward the FAF, Final
Approach Fix? Is it okay to go direct to the FAF from anywhere as
long as you are so cleared? Is it okay for ATC to clear you GPS
direct to the FAF or to issue a vector to the FAF? And, what is
wrong with the following clearance? "...two miles from the outer
marker, turn left heading 050, maintain 4000 until established,
cleared ILS runway 36 left." Hopefully, when chapter 9 is
finished, you will have a clear idea of some of the problems
created by any of the above.
- Finally, in chapter 10 we study the sad case of a relatively
new instrument pilot struggling against a barrage of ATC handling
mistakes as he tries to get established on an RNAV (GPS) approach.
This accident touches on many of the major themes of the
book—getting established, radar vectors, TAWS, MSAW, and more.
Instrument Flying Update is another fantastic book in the series that you have written...I re-read sections of the book at least every two weeks. Many thanks for this magnificantly written, detailed and informative book. George Mead Hemmeter, A.T.P.
Just wanted to drop you a note of thanks for Instrument Flying Update, which now occupies a coveted spot next to IFR: A Structured Approach on my bedside table for frequent re-reading. I find the information to be indispensible and your comprehensive yet approachable style unmatched in aviation writing. Mike Frantz, Cirrus SR22
Thanks for another excellent book on IFR. Having read IFR: A Structured Approach several times, I ordered Update the instant I heard about it. I just finished my first pass through it. It won't be the last...thanks again for another great book. Rick Tavan, Cessna T210
I am writing you to let you know how pleased I am about your new book Instrument Flying Update. I am in the middle of it now and am amazed at the detail and completeness you provide...Thank you very much for providing this book! I truly appreciate what you have done here. Hal M. Staniloff, Beech G58 Baron
All this, and a great deal more.
Hardback, 250
pages
$36.95
View
Table of Contents
Read
Introduction
Read
the first page of each chapter
This book is now available only as an ePub or mobi(Kindle) file. Click
here for a purchase link.
Flying the Beech Bonanza:
is packed with interesting and important information which is
available from no other source:
- How much help are flaps in getting over a 50-foot obstacle?
- Does it really pay to cruise climb in a Bonanza?
- What airspeed and rpm yield emergency maximum range?
- Does it make sense to run lean of peak?
- What is the optimum altitude for a trip of 200 or 600 miles?
- How should you adjust your turbulent air penetration speed
for light weights?
- How do the performance, handling, and loading
characteristics of the four Bonanzas vary?
- How can two tail members do the work of three?
"...required reading for any Bonanza Pilot."AOPA Pilot,
April 1998
Absolutely outstanding job. It is extremely well
researched and reads in a manner that all pilots can
understand...I think it is about time that someone had done this
type of book for the Bonanza. I think it can be a major
contribution to aviation safety." John Frank, founder of the
Cessna Pilots Association
"...an important contribution to the aviation
literature...melding of precise technical information with
practical observation makes (the) book enjoyable reading for any
pilot...I found it fascinating and suspect other will, too."
Peter Dogan, late President of PIC (Professional Instrument
Course)
"As a retired Navy test pilot, I was particularly impressed
with both the technical presentations and the straightforward
pilot talk. I believe that I have a keen insight into how the bird
really performs." Capt. Jay Arnold
"...absolutely must reading for Bonanza pilots. It is dedicated
specifically to Bonanza flight safety and performance." Paul
Morton, retired Braniff Captain
"I don't fly Bonanzas; in fact, I haven't ridden in one for
about three years. Despite this, I've just finished re-reading
your "Flying the Beech Bonanza" for the fifth time. It's got to be
the most engaging and useful technical book about flying I've ever
seen. It literally forces one to think about the airplane and the
flight environment in a structured and deliberate manner. The fact
that it's type-specific hardly matters. Reasonable good data
exists for every airplane, but what's missing is a way to think
about that data. Your book fills that gap nicely. Thanks for a
fine work." Paul De Zan
202 pages, hardback
$38.50 retail
view
table of contents
read
introduction
read
first page of each chapter
To purchase with credit card or with
PayPal, click below
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IFR: A Structured Approach
If your instrument training was as haphazard and unstructured
as that of most general aviation pilots, then this book may cause
a profound change in your method for managing the extraordinary
demands of single-pilot IFR. With the help of this book, you
will establish your own personal standard operating practices for
IFR., including the incorporation of checklists, flows, callouts,
briefings, and "by the numbers" aircraft control. Your flying will
be much less haphazard, and much more regimented, structured, and
above all, safe.
...a wholesale review and analysis of IFR operations with
special emphasis on the integration of GPS into modern IFR.
This is long overdue. Tens of thousands of general aviation IFR
pilots are now using GPS. Most of these pilots took their last
ground school or IFR written exam years before the advent of GPS
and have never really studied the new system. Instructors see the
effects of this lack of training all the time. Many pilots
have only a perfunctory knowledge of how the GPS systems works,
and how it sometimes fails to work. Many pilots comprehend
only a small fraction of the capabilities of their specific GPS
units. Even more commonly seen are failures to understand
the new regulations that govern GPS use and the newly formatted
charts that have evolved with the GPS approaches. There are
a great many subtleties here, and it is time for serious
instrument pilots to roll up their sleeves and get to work
bringing themselves up to date. I am confident this book can
help.
"There is an EXCELLENT discussion of this whole GPS
area in John Eckalbar's new book IFR: A Structured Approach...The
GPS chapter alone is worth getting the book...it is
certainly the best instrument flying book I have ever read, and it
also ought to be required reading right after (new instrument
pilots) finish formal training ...It is also quite funny in
places. He has a great sense of humor...Wish I knew him." Fred W.
Scott, Jr, ATP, B55
"For the instrument pilot seeking to upgrade his or her
skill, John C. Eckalbar's IFR: A Structured Approach provides
compelling insights...If one book could help you make the
leap from a bit player to a skilled conductor of instrument
flight, this is probably it." AOPA Pilot, November, 2003, p.
168
"Just picked up a copy of your new book at OSH. While I am
still working my way through it, it is already apparent to me that
this is perhaps the most useful aviation training publication I
have encountered in almost 40 years of GA involvement. I regularly
train at FSI, SimCom and BPPP, and have spent many hours with many
CFI's (including a number of high time airline captains) since I
began flying in 1966; none have been able to put it all together
in the thoughtful, lucid way you do in this book. I have read your
other books and found them useful, but IFR is a different kind of
book, with its emphasis of procedures rather than technical
matters. IMO, there is a large unmet need for this kind of
training material in GA. For those of us who have not come up
through the military or airline path, access to this information
is quite limited, and much of what is available is outdated or
otherwise irrelevant to flying in today's IFR system."--Fredric R.
(Rick) Boswell, PhD
"A unique and welcome aspect of the book is Eckalbar's
treatment of GPS. Not only does he give it extensive treatment, he
integrates it with other nav systems the way we do in the real
world. Eckalbar addresses a problem I struggle with, remembering
to run in-flight checklists. His suggestion is to use the trigger
of power change. Any time you change a power setting, you run a
(the appropriate) checklist. Based on his discussion of the
subject, I've modified my checklists and adopted the "power
change" trigger idea. The book is targeted at pilots flying the
high performance singles and twins. The flight example he uses is
a Beech Baron equipped with the full suite of avionics: HSI,
autopilot and Garmin 430 GPS. However, there's plenty in the book
for the more basic 172 driver as well. The discussion of enroute
and approach charts is enlightening and includes the latest
additions to IFR approaches LNAV/VNAV and RNP."--Peter Cassidy
250 pages, hardback
$34.95 retail
view
table of contents
read
introduction
read
first page of each chapter
To purchase with credit card or with PayPal, click below
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Flying High Performance Singles and Twins
- Operating new engines, like the Continental IO-550, which
permit running lean of peak EGT.
- Chapters on turbochargers and intercoolers.
- Chapters on normally aspirated engines, turbine engines, and
propellers.
- A tutorial on partial panel flying and instrument flying "by
the numbers."
- Two comprehensive chapters on multi-engine flying. One
dealing with the aerodynamics of engine-out flight, including
performance, the meaning of the "ball" when an engine is out,
and the importance of zero sideslip. The other offering
practical advice for multi-engine survival, including special
considerations regarding takeoff technique and the handling of
an engine failure in all phases of flight.
- Four chapters on advanced systems and situations, including
pressurization, autopilots and flight directors, radar and
lightning detectors, and icing.
- Four hundred pages that continue his tradition of clear
tightly executed explanations." John Geitz, ABS
Newsletter
"A worthwhile read for any pilot." Flight Training
Used as a text at Embry-Riddle, Midland College, and
more.
400 pages, hardback
$38.50 retail
view
table of contents
read
introduction
read
first page of each chapter
To purchase with credit card or with PayPal, click below
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Instrument Flying "By the Numbers"
- This is a 46 minute cockpit video shot in a Beech A36
Bonanza as the author demonstrates the power settings, pitch
attitudes and aircraft configurations that work so well to add
simplicity and precision to handling an airplane on instruments.
- A thorough ground school covering the whys and wherefores of
the "by the numbers" technique.
- The tape provides in-flight demonstrations to answer
questions like:
- What pitch attitude should you use on a missed approach?
- What power setting works best on an ILS?
- When should you drop the gear on approach?
- What's the best way to arrest your descent at the MDA?
This video is about the hands-on, stick and rudder basics of
flying on instruments.
"I have shown this method to over eighty Bonanza Pilot
Proficiency Program participants and all have adopted it
immediately." Bill Hale, BPPP instructor, board member
"How could one not be impressed with...the rationality of
John's "Flying by the Numbers," which has caused a total change in
my approach to flying the Bonanza." V. Bryan Medlock, ABS
Newsletter
46 minute DVD
$48.50 retail
To purchase with credit card or with PayPal, click below
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About the Author:
John C. Eckalbar is an airline transport pilot and instrument
flight instructor for single and multiengine airplanes. He
has been a pilot for ExecutiveJet and has flown in the Federal
Express feeder system. He has been an active FAR Part 135
charter pilot with air taxi and cargo experience in a wide range
of general aviation airplanes, from Skylanes, 210s, and Bonanzas
to Barons, 400 series Cessnas, Caravans, King Airs, and
Citations. At one time or another he has owned a Grumman
American TR-2, three Bonanzas, an E55 Baron, and a Piper Seneca
II. He is the author of the books IFR: A Structured
Approach, Flying High Performance Singles and Twins and Flying the
Beech Bonanza as well as the creator of the video tape "Instrument
Flying By the Numbers." John is one of the original ground
and flight instructors in the American Bonanza Society's highly
regarded Bonanza and Baron Pilot Proficiency Programs, and he is a
co-author of the manuals for those classes. He is also the
author of numerous articles in general aviation magazines.
He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado and is a
Professor in the California State University system. He has
published many articles on mathematics for economists and been the
principal investigator on a National Science Foundation research
project on dynamics and stability.
How to Order:
1. Send check or money order to SkyRoad Projects, 41 Crow
Canyon Court. Chico, Ca. 95928
Include $6 postage and handling
for the first item, $4 for each additional item.
California
residents add 7.25% sales tax.
2. Phone 530-343-6791 or email to order COD.
To purchase with credit card or with
PayPal, click below
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SkyRoad Projects
41 Crow Canyon Court
Chico, Ca. 95928
530-343-6791 Photos courtesy of Paul Bowen
Email
Mr.Eckalbar |
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