Pia Bergqvist

Velma Lunt Wallace, the widow of Dwane Wallace, passed away this weekend at the age of 95. Dwane Wallace was Clyde Cessna‘s nephew. He became president of Cessna Aircraft in 1936 and during his nearly 40-year legacy as Cessna’s leader he grew the company to become the world’s largest general aviation manufacturer. After her husband […]

Whether you’re an instrument rated pilot or not, there are times when you will need to copy down a clearance from air traffic control. And in the interest of time, the controller will give you the clearance quite quickly – faster than you could possibly write down the clearance verbatim. It is therefore critical as […]

Spaceport America, the first purpose-built commercial spaceport, based in southern New Mexico, revealed its new image on Independence Day — a logo the new spaceport has named “Spirit.” The new logo symbolizes one red and one blue star coming together, displaying “Spaceport America’s core commitment to the spirit of exploration, the promise of human potential, […]

The FAA issued a new document last week pertaining to the issuance of special airworthiness certificates for light-sport category airplanes. The policy statement, which becomes effective on September 12, may have a significant impact on SLSA (special light-sport aircraft) manufacturers, in particular for those SLSAs that are manufactured outside the U.S. An assessment of the […]

Last week, the FAA issued a report on its plan to replace 100LL with an unleaded alternative. The goal of the new Unleaded Avgas Transition Aviation Rulemaking Committee is to develop a entirely new fuel to replace 100LL. After attending a presentation at Santa Monica’s Museum of Flying this weekend, I’m wondering why. The presentation […]

Terrafugia has completed phase one of six planned phases in its flight-testing program for the single-engine, pusher prop Transition flying car. This first phase included testing of the airplane’s stability and power on and off handling. Engine-cooling and propeller settings for various flight conditions were also evaluated. “It’s a real airplane; we’re flying it whenever […]

How can you make a student who is nervous about practicing stalls more comfortable? Eric Crump is the aviation editor and Part 141 chief instructor for Gleim Publications. He designs, edits and manages training curricula and training programs for Sport Pilot through ATP certification. He is an active CFI with a particular interest in the […]

The FAA and EASA have signed off on Gulfstream‘s new cockpit upgrade for GIV, GIV-SP, GV, G300 and G400 airplanes. Called PlaneDeck, the new upgrade provides pilots with geo-referenced electronic charts and maps, in-flight XM weather and video displays for the six-screen Honeywell system. Pilots should notice better clarity as the previous cathode ray-tube DU-880 […]

The Solar Impulse HB-SIA concept airplane has cleared another hurdle and successfully completed a flight from Rabat-Salé International Airport outside Rabat, Morocco, to Ouarzazate. This was the most challenging flight to date for the test mission in preparation for a round-the-world flight scheduled to take place in 2014, according to the Swiss company. At an […]

In September of 2010, the FAA changed the language used for controllers to instruct pilots to enter the runway and await the takeoff clearance from “position and hold” to “line up and wait.” This language more accurately describes what the pilot is expected to do, whether at a controlled or uncontrolled field. Here are several […]