How do I set the image next to a comment I’ve written?
Visit en.gravatar.com and sign up with the same email you used here. Then, any WordPress site you visit (with that email) will then have the image you set at en.gravatar.com.
What equipment do you use?
- JVC GY-HD250U
- 12′ Green screen in Marc’s garage
- A small kit of tungsten lights (1k and a couple others including cyc lights for the green screen)
- Adobe CS3 (Premier/After Effects)
What pilot certifications does Marc hold?
- Airplane, single engine land
- Instrument airplane
What aircraft does Marc fly?
- Cessna 172
- Cirrus SR20
- Piper Warrior
- Diamond DA20, DA40
Is Marc planing on getting a CFI rating?
No. He will likely get his commercial certificate so he can ferry aircraft if he’s ever asked, but at the moment there is no reason for him to become a CFI.
I’m interested in becoming a pilot. Can I use podcasts as training aids?
Yes, absolutely! We’ve heard many podcasts and pilots put a disclaimer before their opinions. This is crazy. You, as the pilot in command, are responsible for the safety of the aircraft, passengers, and people on the ground. There’s no reason for anyone to provide a disclaimer, as it’s up to pilots to decide what information they are going to use.
Pilots have a long history of learning from each other, regardless of their ratings. A CFI rated pilot only affords you the ability to count that time/lesson toward your rating. CFI’s aren’t guaranteed to know any more than any other pilot. If a pilot friend wants to help tutor you, don’t ignore what he/she teaches you just because they’re not a CFI – it’s all good information to have and discuss. You are the only person in charge when you are PIC.
Getting information from a CFI doesn’t make it gospel. You can’t go to the FAA and defend your bad actions with, “but, my CFI said it was okay to…”. In order to stay informed you must get your information from anywhere you find it. Sometimes the information will be wrong, and many times the FAA doesn’t have better answers. You must be the judge of what information makes sense to you, and weigh it against everything else you know. Don’t take anything for granted.
As an example of using all information you can find: There are quite a few float plane pilots around the San Juan Islands. Also, there aren’t a whole lot of weather stations near the coast of these islands. It might be foggy on one side of an island, and clear on the other. So, the float plane pilots have taken to looking at people’s (private) web-cams to figure out if they want to fly to a particular port. No, it’s not FAA approved. It’s not written anywhere that this is something you should do, but it makes sense. Still, these pilots have to keep in mind that the web cam they’re looking at may not work, or the image could be old. So, they have to cross reference, and carry enough fuel to make the round trip if they decide to abort the trip.
