Pia Bergqvist

Scientists at NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California are celebrating after the Curiosity rover completed a successful landing in the Gale Crater on Mars late Sunday night PST. After its long journey, which began atop an Atlas V rocket on Nov. 26, 2011, the rover […]

There are some in-flight failures that are extremely difficult, if not impossible, to recover from. One such malfunction is the failure of a major control surface. A positive control check is part of the preflight procedures section of the practical test standards for gliders since they are often assembled right before the flight. While a […]

If you ever wonder where you should fly next, there’s a new app available for the iPad, iPhone and Android devices that can help. SocialFlight is a free tool developed by Where2 Interactive that displays upcoming air shows, pancake breakfasts, aviation seminars, conventions and other aviation related events. You can view lists of events or […]

The U.S. military is continuing to show its commitment to the integration of unmanned aircraft, a strategy that is also being adopted in the civil world and causing alarm for many general aviation pilots, including us at Flying. This past weekend, the Navy moved on to the second flight-test phase of the X-47B Unmanned Combat […]

Last week’s AirVenture air show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, was a big treat. As I’ve come to expect after years of attending, the show was filled with new exciting aviation products and every imaginable airplane type. And there was plenty of opportunity to learn new things at the forums and seminars. As I’ve also come to […]

It’s not often that a product is introduced that could potentially increase the chances of a successful landing – one that you can walk away from – in the case of an in-flight emergency. Recently, I had a chance to check out a product that fits that description called the VP 400 from a company […]

The fuel-injected, fadec-equipped Rotax 912 iS, which was introduced by BRP earlier this spring, has achieved ASTM approval. What this milestone means is that LSA manufacturers can now install the engine and meet the industry’s consensus standards without the airplane being under an experimental certificate. Engines already installed will be able to get ASTM stickers […]

Jeppesen has made available its instructional textbooks in an electronic format for the iPad. This means that you can download the entire books from the Apple iBookstore and read them anywhere, without having to lug around the heavy paper manuals. Currently four textbooks are offered – the Guided Flight Discovery Private Pilot and the A&P […]

The Learn to Fly Center in the center of the EAA AirVenture campus is hosting a new initiative offered by the Society of Aviation and Flight Educators (SAFE) and the National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI) called the Pilot Proficiency Program. The center offers instructional forums and simulator training sessions to help pilots evaluate and […]

On the opening day of AirVenture, American Champion introduced a new, more powerful version of the Super Decathlon called the Xtreme Decathlon. The airplane is intended for aerobatic training and the working prototype that is on display at the show will eventually go to a Melbourne, Australia-based flight school called Aerobatics Australia. The new airplane […]