Pia Bergqvist

In response to a petition filed by EAA in the spring of 2012, the FAA recently granted a partial exemption from sections of 14 CFR 61.113, allowing pilots to receive compensation for flights under the EAA Eagle Flight and Young Eagles programs. While the petition included sport and recreational pilots, the FAA exemption applies only […]

Airtime on aviation frequencies, whether you are communicating on a clearance, ground, tower, departure, en route, arrival or CTAF frequency, should be kept to a minimum. You need to make yourself understood in a quick, concise manner. You do this by using certain wording that all pilots should be accustomed with. But if you speak […]

Hawthorne, California-based SpaceX completed an impressive precision flight on Tuesday with the Falcon 9 rocket, also called the Grasshopper. In what SpaceX referred to as a divert test, the rocket climbed to an altitude of about 800 feet, then moved about 300 feet laterally before making a picture perfect landing at the center of its […]

Dover Air Force Base has reported that a Cessna 172 based at its Aero Club in Dover, Delaware, made an emergency landing, coming to a halt on a four-lane highway. Pictures indicate that the Cessna sustained damage to the outboard portion of the left wing and the left horizontal stabilizer, at minimum. However, according to […]

Sporty’s has released a new and completely revamped version of its E6B app for the iPad, iPod Touch and iPhone, including the iPhone 5. The new version includes the same features as the electronic E6B that is available from Sporty’s Pilot Shop. The app includes 22 aviation functions, conversions for 10 different parameters and some […]

As a result of multiple cases of cylinder head cracks and cylinder head-to-barrel separations related to cylinder assemblies supplied by Engine Components International (ECi) in Continental engines, the FAA has proposed an airworthiness directive that could cost aircraft owners big money. The affected engines include Continental’s IO-520, TSIO-520, IO-550 and IOF-550 among others — engines […]

| It takes a village to make an animated film. Around 500 people contributed to the creation of Planes, Disney’s latest animated movie, slated for release on Aug. 9. I had the chance to meet with a few of the key creators to learn more about what goes into making an animated movie that, through […]

San Diego-based King Schools has launched a new app to help pilots make studying easier on the go. The new King Schools Companion app allows students access to their King Schools courses on an iPad or iPhone. Students simply need to download the Companion app from the App Store. Then they can log in using […]

A whole new airshow concept made its debut this weekend with the inaugural Gathering of Warbirds and Legends in Topeka, Kansas. Sixty-one airplanes of various types and sizes were on display and flew over Forbes Field. But none of these flights included what airshow attendees have become accustomed to: aerobatics, inverted flight or wingwalkers. “This […]

The Society of Aviation and Flight Educators’ (SAFE) Pilot Proficiency Project, which the organization has offered at AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and Sun ‘n Fun in Lakeland, Florida, for the past few years, has become such a success that SAFE has decided to offer the training at other locations around the country. SAFE President Doug […]