Learn your limitations

Wind catches a few students and many certificated pilots. On some days the outcome is questionable-there may be too much wind for us or for the aircraft. On other days the outcome is not in doubt-there will be a problem. A wind-related problem usually occurs during landing, but not always.
http://www.aopa.org/members/ftmag/article.cfm?article=283

Chicken Wings

Don't Fly With A Cold

The headline says it all. It's really very simple. Don't fly with a cold. Every pilot should learn this, most of us know it, but many have broken this dictum at least once. You have a little cold, but it's a great day to fly or you have to be somewhere, so off you go. Bubbles squeak in your ears and nose, so you equalize the pressure during the climb to altitude. You feel pretty good at altitude, but when it's time to descend - uh oh, you've got a problem. Your head feels like it's in a vise, and descending increases the pressure.
http://www.aopa.org/members/ftmag/article.cfm?article=1272

Chicken Wings

History of a High

All pilots love high pressure. Highs give us the sunny skies, unlimited visibilities, and light surface winds that free us of weather worries and let us have our fun. While there's no such thing as total predictability, the typical large summertime high-pressure system does have some signposts to tell us of its arrival, layover, and departure.
http://www.aopa.org/members/files/pilot/2004/wx0407.html

Chicken Wings

Windy Flight Operations

Windy Operations: Experience and Judgment
http://www.aopa.org/members/files/topics/wind.html

Flight of Mistakes

Two pilots' harrowing tale of violating the nation's most restricted airspace.
http://www.aopa.org/members/files/pilot/2006/flight0601.html