Rob Mark

The Hillsboro Aero Academy, an Oregon-based helicopter and airplane pilot training school, has launched a standalone CFI Completion Program that allows pilots who already hold a commercial pilot certificate to enroll in a CFI-Airplane, -Instrument or -Multiengine rating course. According to a Hillsboro news release, the academy launched the new program largely in response to […]

Inadvertent VFR flight into IMC weather and the resulting fatal accidents are not simply a problem for aircraft pilots, but also for those flying helicopters. In a news release, the US Helicopter Safety Team (USHST) said, “Between 2000 to 2019 in the US, there were 130 fatal accidents directly linked to the issue of spatial […]

Surf Air Mobility says it’s acquiring Ampaire and its hybrid electric powertrain technology as a critical component of Surf Air Mobility’s plans “to improve the affordability, accessibility, and environmental footprint of regional aviation travel.” Surf Air Mobility added in a news release that “Ampaire is currently creating hybrid electric powertrains for existing popular aircraft, aimed […]

Early on, pilots are taught that safety of flight depends on, among other things, a consistent flow of air across the airfoil and a positive angle of attack to produce lift. AOA is the angular difference between the wing’s chord line and the relative wind. Increase back pressure on the controls and lift increases, up […]

At this time, EAA’s AirVenture 2021 is full speed ahead according to a story published by EAA’s Warbirds magazine. However, attendees should expect the show to look a bit different from AirVenture extravaganzas of the past because of the health and safety measures in place to cope with the pandemic. EAA stresses that almost anything […]

The media team at Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque, New Mexico, first reported the story of how a civilian air traffic controller—Wendy Smith—working in Kirtland Tower saved the six-person flight crew of an Air Force CV-22, and avoided a $90 million accident. Cassidy is a 12-year veteran controller at Kirtland. “They were taking off on a […]

The FAA this week approved the uAvionix AV-20-S multi-function display as an advanced time-keeping device equivalent and hence a replacement for the sweep-second-hand clocks of old. The unit is considered a replacement for clocks in Part 23, Class I and II IFR aircraft per advisory circular AC 20-94A. The new AV-20-S meets the requirements of Part 91.205 (d)(6). The Non-Required Safety […]

Though hundreds of American Airlines passengers were inconvenienced last week when American Airlines subsidiary PSA Airlines grounded its fleet of Bombardier CRJ700 and CRJ900s –because of worries about potential mechanical issues—the efforts should not go unnoticed in an era of anxiety about aircraft safety. The grounding affected some 230 PSA flights system wide, with most […]

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) researchers just published a paper demonstrating the bias faced by aspiring female and minority commercial pilots and showed consumers—and even other pilots—respond more favorably to white male pilots over female and minority pilots. It represents a scientific look at consumers’ perceptions of pilot quality based on their gender or race and […]

Frontier Airlines and ATP Flight School said in a recent news release that they’ve formed the Frontier Direct Program, targeting ATP graduates and instructors for employment as first officers following graduation. The new partnership offers ATP graduates an accelerated path to a career with Frontier. The airline gains access to a high-quality pool of qualified pilot applicants. […]