Strategy & Tactics
Flight planning, fuel strategy, and diversion logic. The mental model that turns a route into a set of pre-made inflight decisions.
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh
For one week every July, Wittman Regional in Oshkosh runs more operations than any other tower on Earth. A pilot's guide to the RIPON arrival, the color-coded landings, and the culture that built it.
- Fuel ReserveRequired unburned fuel on landing
The minimum fuel that must remain in the tanks at the intended destination — 30 min VFR day, 45 min VFR night, 45 min IFR — plus flight to any required alternate.
- DiversionCourse change to a new destination
A pre-briefed decision to abandon the planned destination and proceed to an alternate airport because conditions or aircraft state warrant it.
- Personal MinimumsSelf-imposed operating limits
A pilot's own limits — ceiling, visibility, crosswind, night currency — set higher than regulatory minimums to preserve margin for actual proficiency.
- Alternate AirportFiled backup destination
An airport nominated on the flight plan where the flight can land if the intended destination becomes unavailable.
- Best GlideV_G
The airspeed that produces the maximum lift-to-drag ratio, and therefore the flattest engine-out glide.
- IFR / VFR