News: Sky High Charters: "Gliding with George" released

PilotEdge has launched “Gliding with George”, the fifth scenario in the Sky High Charters program. Launched in June of 2018, Sky High Charters is a simulated Part 135 operation providing one new assignment per month, including a dead head assignment to the starting point for the next month’s mission.

The latest assignment starts at Columbia Gorge Regional, OR (KDLS) in the Pacific Northwest heading west to McMinnville (KMMV) and then onto Tillamook (KTMK). The first leg features a graphical Obstacle Departure Procedure then a choice of approaches at McMinnville. The second leg utilizes a textual ODP, then has different routing for RNAV and non-RNAV routing. Non-RNAV pilots are encouraged to solicit a shortcut from ATC to the second airway once they are above the minimum vectoring altitude. The final destination only has a TAA RNAV approach, so non-RNAV pilots need to plan accordingly based on the weather.

Each assignment consists of a textual briefing, a short video brief, a longer video briefing, a cockpit video of the entire flight and a textual.debriefing. Pilots can view as much or as little of the video material as they feel is necessary to prepare for the flight. It is anticipated that proficient IFR pilots will view less of the video material in advance while newer or less current pilots might take advantage of more or perhaps all of the video material before undertaking the flights.

The cockpit video for these flights utilize the X-Plane 11 BE-58 Baron with a Garmin 530 GPS. The legs are handflown with particular attention being paid to the turn anticipation required during the high speed descent and 90 degree turn at the Intermediate Fix on the RNAV approach into Tillamook.

Sky High Charters pilots must have completed the venerable I-Ratings program to be eligible to take part in the program.