Ajay Raghavendra, Ph.D.
Ajay Raghavendra, Ph.D. is an Airbus A220 first officer with a major U.S. airline and an aviation officer flying the UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter in the New York Army National Guard. He holds a Ph.D. in atmospheric science from the University at Albany and graduated with honors from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University with B.S. degrees in meteorology and computational mathematics. Over the course of his flight career, Ajay has logged over 3,900 hours of total flight time. His diverse background in air transport and specialized operations includes flying the Boeing 737 for a U.S. carrier, the Embraer ERJ-175 for a U.S.-based regional airline, and the Cessna 340 as a mission pilot for an atmospheric cloud-seeding program. A dedicated advocate for flight safety and pilot education, Ajay actively serves the general aviation community as an FAA Safety Team (FAASTeam) Representative with the Albany Flight Standards District Office. He is an FAA Gold Seal Flight Instructor (CFI/CFII/MEI) and provides flight instruction out of Albany, New York.
Ice Crystal Icing: The Invisible Threat in Convective Anvils
High ice water content (HIWC), which results in ice crystal icing (ICI) is perhaps one of the most counterintuitive traps in modern commercial aviation....
The “Try-Again” Trap: Breaking the Cycle through CRM and TEM
When Higher Approach Minimums > Lower Approach Minimums: A masterclass in Meteorology, Technological Limitations, Crew Resource Management (CRM), and Threat and Error Management (TEM),...
Beyond the Numbers: Mastering Takeoff Performance and Limitation
Every professional pilot is accustomed to the routine: plug the weights into the FMC, verify the V-speeds, and brief the departure. But while our...
The Windshear Paradox: Why Dispatch Performance Requirements Mandate a Fixed Derate
Editor's Note: This month we launch Desk One, a new column relating to the art and science of dispatch. Joining us as...
TAT vs. SAT: The Temperature Error that Puts Pilots on Ice
No doubt winter is here as pilots grapple with environmental and weather-related threats related to icing. In this article, I provide some clarification on...
Beyond the Radar: Using Planning and CRM to Conquer Thunderstorms
Pilots are tasked with the decision-making process in the face of a significant weather threat. Let me share a story and reflection on the...
Game-Changing Turbulences Avoidance using SkyPath®
Flight segment by flight segment, airline pilots are committed to the safety of every flight. Each segment is ripe with a minefield of threats....
Understanding Weather Delays, Flight Delays, and Cancellations
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) maintains a robust operations and performance dataset accessible through the Aviation System Performance Metrics (ASPM). Broadly speaking, flight delays...
Dissecting the Mach Transition
In the United States, the first jet-powered airplanes that most non-military pilots transition to, are those of the regional airlines or to a light-...
Should You Overfly a Developing Thunderstorm?
On July 8th, Hurricane Beryl made landfall at Matagorda, Texas (approximately 90nm south-west of Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental – KIAH). As expected, air traffic...
