Sometimes terrain, weather, and winds conspire to make a three-dimensional puzzle with no clear solution. The best route for terrain might have the worst weather. The shortest route may have no airports for diversion. Flying higher for more options in an emergency may mean accepting brutal headwinds. How will you balance these factors today?
Dave Hirschman
Dave Hirschman is an ATP/CFII who specializes in aerobatic and tailwheel flight instruction. He has provided more than 2,000 hours of aerobatic dual instruction in airplanes including the Decathlon, Pitts S-2B, Extra 300L, Stearman, WACO, and T-6. He has flown piston singles in Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Mexico, and the Bahamas and performed air-to-air photo missions in those places.
Dave is the author of “Hijacked: The Heroes of Flight 705,” and he has been on the editorial staff of AOPA Pilot magazine since 2008. He has logged more than 8,000 flight hours in single and multi-engine land and seaplanes. He has a masters degree in journalism from the University of Michigan.
