Flying in Hawaii has been anything but pretty in recent years.  The loss of Aloha Airlines.  The mess left by go!  Not to mention their sleepy pilots.  And a tourism downturn followed by a big loss in airlift.

But something beautiful is about to arrive…

This is our first look at a brand-spanking-new Airbus A330-200 set for delivery to Hawaiian Airlines next month.  Our friends at French Frogs Aviation Pictures captured this photo during its first flight from Toulouse, France.

Hawaiian plans to operate the A330 initially between HNL and LAX, then to LAS, and eventually to Haneda if the airline secures that strategic route later this year.

A gorgeous addition to a market ready for some good news.

Chris Archer Blogs by Archer A330, French Frogs Aviation Pictures, Haneda, Hawaiian Airlines Airbus, Toulouse France

“Ok, our engine just quit!  Where are we going to land?”

As the cabin got quiet, I quickly found best glide speed and began looking outside.  Two thousand feet below, and off to the left, a perfect strip of golden sand seemed to be summoning my Cessna.

“Right there.  That beach.  Plenty of room.  I’m going for it,” I said confidently.  But what happened next was even more surprising than my sudden dilemma.

“Are you sure about that?” my instructor said.  “You might want to keep looking.”

What the heck is wrong with that beach, I thought to myself, quickly glancing at a small road just off the nose, and a few lumpy fields to the right.

“Uh, no, I’m going for the beach,” I maintained, watching my altimeter do the opposite, winding down quickly to 500 feet.

“Ok, let’s head back up to 3,000 feet and talk about this,” John said as he pushed the throttle back in, ending our simulated engine failure, but beginning the real lesson.

“Here’s the deal.  Yes, you could have landed on that beach successfully.  You might nose the plane over, but at least it’s usually soft.  But think about this,” he went on.

“I would never be able to live with myself if I made a good engine-out landing, but hurt or killed someone on the beach.  The last thing a sunbather expects to have is a plane landing on top of them.”

It was one of those student-instructor moments that stuck with me.  Tucked somewhere in the back of my mind each time I fly along the coast.  And then it happened.

Last week, a 38 year man was simply enjoying an evening walk on the beach at Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, when a crippled Lancair silently swooped in for an emergency landing.  The father of two was killed instantly.

The pilot wasn’t hurt, at least not physically.

“I’ve got a lot of issues going on right now.  I’ve got a plane that’s all torn up.  And I’ve got a young man that I killed,” shaken pilot Edward Smith told a reporter.

It’s just too difficult to even ponder.

“So, the beach isn’t always your best bet,” my instructor continued as we leveled-off at our practice altitude on that warm day 7 years ago.

“In fact, you might be better off ditching it in shallow water, in the froth, or just beyond the break.”

Words to remember.  Because the other outcome, you’ll never forget.

Chris Archer Blogs by Archer beach emergency landing, edward smith, hilton head, lancair

It’s time to kick off a new contest on ArcherBravo.com called “Is It Real or Fake?”  You decide.

We’ve all seen them.  Pictures of some darn cool-looking aircraft.  And they sure find their way onto the web and into our email boxes.  But are these photos authentic?  Check out the picture, then tell us below:

So, we want to know if you think this aircraft is real or fake.  Explain your answer by leaving a comment below…

Chris Archer Blogs by Archer real or fake

Nearly a decade after glass cockpits were first introduced in training fleets across the country, the NTSB now says you just might be safer using those round dials instead.

How can this be?  All this glass, after all, was sold on safety.  But perhaps looks may be deceiving.

As a casual rental pilot, I’m not surprised with their findings.  On my one-hour flights, I barely scratch the surface of the G1000 (good thing, or my flight school wouldn’t be happy!)  It’s sure fun to look at, but I still feel more comfortable in the cockpit I learned in.

Remember, most of us spent the first 50, raw hours of our pilot careers learning the dials.  Then dozens or hundreds of hours later, we were given 10 hours of training on the glass.

And if you don’t use it, you’ll certainly lose it.

I’d argue that in the next 5 years, the safety record for technically advanced cockpits will improve dramatically.  As new students come-up through flight schools across the country, all they’ll know is glass. And the rest of us will finally catch-on.

Do you think glass is safer?

Let us know by taking this quick 2-minute survey.

We might just pass it on to the NTSB.

Chris Archer Blogs by Archer G1000, glass cockpit safety, NTSB

A child clears a jetliner to take-off.  Then says “adios” to another one bound for Mexico.

It seemed like a nice break from the norm for the pilots being jerked around a bustling JFK airport.  All of them played along, some of them even laughed, and no one seemed concerned.

Untill now.  Sure enough, this innocent moment has now turned into a public outcry, and big no-no among “safety experts.”

Give me a break.

If you listen carefully to the tape, it’s clear the child’s father was ably guiding flights to and from the airport, while simply giving his son the precious chance to fall in love with aviation.

It’s why airlines used to let children into the cockpit.  Why we let our passengers grab the controls during those innocent weekend flights.  Why we look up when we hear that familiar buzz or whine.

Still wonder why flying just might be dying?

Chris Archer Blogs by Archer child air traffic control, child atc recording, jfk atc

Suicide is a sad and selfish act.

So much so, it has now become the leading threat to general aviation.

Not user-fees.  Not fuel prices.  Not terrorists.  But the individual act of this man, and others like him.

When Joseph Stack pushed the throttle forward in his Piper Cherokee at 9:40am Thursday, he wasn’t thinking about the future of general aviation.  He just wanted revenge.

Thirty miles and just a few minutes later, an Austin building was on fire in front of millions, and America’s already fragile trust in “small planes” was melting before our eyes.

It didn’t help that Stack picked a slow news day to kill himself.

Every cable news network jumped on the story, and didn’t change topics for several hours.  CNN’s regurgitation of the nation’s economic woes was suddenly boring compared to the debate over how this could have been prevented.

And the mainstream media had a compelling argument.  What’s stopping a pilot from turning their plane into a missile?  Honestly, nothing.

Even three days later, reporters were still banging the drum.

“Austin Plane Crash Shows Gap in Security,” was the headline Saturday after the crash, and articles poked at past threats from small planes.

The numerous ADIZ violations.  The White House lawn crash.  The Tampa skyscraper suicide.  And now Austin.

Suddenly Joe Stack’s suicide was turning into a potential mass murder for general aviation.

And while our well-funded GA lobby groups go to work on the collateral damage, it’s likely this crash won’t get lost in the wreckage without our government calling for hearings, testimony, and perhaps even change.

So what is the answer to this crime against all pilots?

Other than banning general aviation outright, the only solution sits within the individual.  So, please hear me clearly.

If you’re going to be selfish, ask for help.  But if you don’t want it, don’t be a jerk and take your anger out on your fellow pilots.

Go find a bridge.  Not a small plane.

The media won’t care.  And neither will we.

Chris Archer Blogs by Archer austin crash, ga lobby groups, irs building, joseph stack, suicide, tampa skyscraper, white house lawn crash

Updated on January 19th with new reaction from Cessna…

It looks like Rose Pelton will be the only one with a Cessna Skycatcher for awhile.

Archerbravo.com has learned that order-holders for the new 162 will be receiving letters informing them that their estimated delivery dates have been delayed 6-10 months.

This means flight schools banking on fresh business with the Cessna LSA on their lines later this year will now have to wait until 2011 or later, in some cases.

The original delivery dates were issued in April 2008, and since then the Skycatcher has had its share of issues, including two test-flight crashes and several design modifications to the tail.

“We made several changes to the airframe and systems,” Cessna’s Doug Oliver told ArcherBravo.com, explaining the delay.  “These aircraft, as with all Cessna aircraft, are designed to be in service for decades.  So we prefer to take a little extra time now to ensure long term success.”

In the short term, Cessna proudly announced its first 162 delivery last month, not to a busy flight school with dozens of students, but to the wife of Cessna CEO Jack Pelton.

Cessna would not comment on that decision.  Perhaps we should just chalk it up to the perks of being the boss.

Thank you for making www.archerbravo.com your first source for flight school and rental pilot news & information.

Chris Archer Blogs by Archer Cessna 162, cessna lsa, cessna skycatcher delay, jack pelton, rose pelton

Forget about Santa Claus.  President Obama is coming to town, and he must think Hawaii has been naughty, because he’s bringing with him the TFR of all TFRs.

I was stunned when I saw the FAA alert.  No pattern work.  Limited tour operations.  For 13 days during the President’s holiday vacation.

“It’s really not that unusual,” an FAA spokesperson was quick to remind me.

True, a 30 mile radius and 10 mile core is quite common for TFRs on the mainland.  And Martha’s Vineyard had a similar experience in August.

But hey, that was for less than a week.

And did anyone stop to think about that fact that Honolulu is the world’s most isolated metropolis with the next closest Cessna Pilot Center more than 2,000 miles away?

The no-fly zone blankets the entire island.  Honolulu’s sightseeing and flight school businesses will have their wings clipped, at a time when tourists and vacationing pilots flock to the islands to spend money.

“We always try to find a good balance between airport operations and the President’s security,” Secret Service Agent Ed Donovan told me.  “And we are working with tour operators to let them fly some routes.”

But as the local CBS and NBC station reported, those modified routes will likely miss the most popular and beautiful spots along Oahu’s windward side, where the President is vacationing.

“This is like right after 9/11 for you guys,” a briefer at the Honolulu Flight Service Station remarked in an unusual show of personality over the phone.

There are exceptions to the rule.  In fact, the Feds were nice enough to allow skydiving and limited general aviation operations at Dillingham Airfield (HDH) on the famous North Shore during certain hours.

Great, but they overlooked the main touch-and-go training airport, John Rodgers Field (JRF) on Oahu’s West Side.

That’s where all the students go, since Honolulu International doesn’t allow pattern work.  And should a pilot stray, it’s less than 10 miles from a row of battle-ready F-15s at Hickam Air Force Base.

“We had to make a decision, and we’re not going to reconsider,” the Secret Service said.

The price of living in paradise?  Perhaps.

But you’d think a Hawaii-born President might have more compassion for his pilot people.

Chris Archer Blogs by Archer FAA, general aviation, hawaii air tours, hawaii cessna pilot center, hawaii flight training, hawaii sightseeing, hawaii tfr, honolulu flight service station, honolulu tfr, jrf, kalaeloa, obama tfr, president obama, secret service

I hadn’t seen him in more than two years.  At last check, my original flight instructor John had a healthy heap students, and was flying a Pilatus for a nearly-famous family.

That was then.  This was now.

26 months and thousands of layoffs later, the aviation industry isn’t what it was in 2007.

So when I saw John this last weekend, I was somewhat surprised and very happy to hear he still had students, and was now flying not one, but three single-engine turboprops on a charter basis.

Dear John, how have you survived?

“It hasn’t been easy.  But it’s all about building those relationships and being more than a good pilot,” John told me before we climbed aboard a Cessna 172SP for a reunion flight of sorts.

He had always been a great pilot, and he also had a way with people.  Funny.  Personable.  Professional.  Passionate.

“I’ve seen a lot of guys that went on to become regional pilots come back looking for charter jobs.  These guys were great pilots, but they never had the passion, and this economy has exposed their disadvantage.”

John said the Part 135 money is still flowing, even after all the bad press.  But it takes a good reputation, plenty of pride, and a good business sense.

“When the economy was great, and the flying plenty, other pilots quickly started raising their rates.  I kept mine the same, and my clients took notice,” John proclaimed.

“Now that we’ve hit bottom, those same pilots are slashing their rates, and I’m still holding mine steady when I can.  You’d think the cheaper pilot would get the job.  But clients are still coming to me because they know I don’t just go with the flow.  Integrity goes a long way in this business.”

Same goes for flight instruction.

“If I don’t think a student is going to make it through their lessons, I’m not going to waste their time just because it’s steady money for me.”

What goes around, comes around.

Dear John, something great is coming around… for you.

Chris Archer Blogs by Archer bad aviation economy, flight instructor, John Bell, Part 135 economy, Pilatus, regional pilots

The NTSB has commented on a crash that our Amateur Accident Investigator thought he had solved.  Turns out, he was partially right.

A first we thought it was a bad landing.  Then someone said it was wind sheer.  But we “concluded” the Cessna stalled on takeoff because the flaps were down.

Well, the NTSB agrees that the plane probably stalled on takeoff.  But the flaps may have been up, and the crash was likely caused by a distracted pilot who reached over to close a window that popped open on rotation.

Read the factual report here.

Don’t forget: a door or window won’t bring a plane down.  A distraction will.

Chris Archer Blogs by Archer