We Fly

I first flew a Pilatus PC-12 Model 10 back in 2008 and found it made a nice, stable instrument platform. At 270 knots, it was no jet, but a walk through that gargantuan cabin on the ground with the massive rear cargo door open made no bones about the airplane’s ability to carry tons of […]

Your punishment for whatever mistake you’ve made in an airplane shouldn’t be the ultimate one. Not for you—and certainly not for your passengers. That’s the underlying philosophy inspiring engineers to create revolutionary safety technologies for light aircraft across the past century. Advancements such as the large-format multifunction display with in-cockpit weather, upset protection and emergency-descent […]

On a beautiful spring morning in Greensboro, North Carolina, it was with great familiarity and joy that I stepped into the exquisite cabin of a deep red HondaJet with company pilot Stefan Johansson, senior manager of flight operations. As I slid into the soft leather seat on the left side of the cockpit, my first […]

This Italian piston twin makes a surprising alternative to a turboprop.

The sound of bells emanating from the cows and goats that graze in the lower parts of the picturesque valley below Mount Pilatus can’t be heard at its peak, which sits at 7,000 feet. But as I take in the view of the bright-green fields and the snowcapped Alps and breathe in the crisp high […]

I’m hanging out with photo­grapher Jeff Berlin and Quest’s chief demo pilot Mark Brown beside the stunning Green River, which through the millennia has carved a deep gorge flanked by dramatic red rock cliff walls through Canyonlands National Park in Utah. The river begins at the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming and feeds into the […]

Since Cirrus first certified the SR20 nearly two decades ago, the company has grown to become by far the most productive single-engine piston manufacturer in the world, with its sleek composite airplanes known for good speed, comfort, advanced avionics and the BRS full-airframe parachute. Many manufacturers have tried and failed in the hunt for a […]

“One thousand to go,” Brian Dickerson called from the right seat. I confirmed with a nod while also holding up my index finger. Hand-flying the airplane in the upper flight levels and still climbing smartly, I began adding just a tiny bit of forward pressure on the G500’s sidestick to arrest our climb at FL […]

The Vashon Ranger R7 made a surprise entrance after an unusual rollout strategy.

Some pilots believe a great aircraft, like a fine wine, only improves with age. Others turn up their nose at the thought of flying an airplane based on a decades-old design. Passing up a Beechcraft Baron G58 simply because the first Baron flew in 1962 would be a major mistake. The G58 is definitely not […]