Rob Mark

High-speed takeoff aborts are an extremely serious, though seldom-practiced, maneuver, as are landings following unstable approaches, with both events tied to accidents and fatalities in a wide range of aircraft. The FAA believes its new Takeoff and Landing Performance Assessment (TALPA) initiative will help reduce the risk of runway overruns by delivering better runway condition […]

Nearly three-quarters of the Society of Aviation and Flight Educators (SAFE) members who answered the organization’s survey at AirVenture 2016, voted in favor of allowing technically advanced aircraft (TAAs) to be substituted for the complex aircraft currently required to complete the practical portion of a commercial pilot or certified flight instructor check ride. Traditional complex […]

Second quarter data released Friday by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) showed aircraft billing figures continuing their downward, across-the-board slide, a trend that began in 2014. Aircraft shipments in the first half of 2016 declined 4.5 percent to 970 units, while billings fell 11 percent from $10.4 billion to $9.3 billion. By comparison, the […]

While learning to fly can appear daunting at times, another challenge lying in wait for would-be aviators is learning to maintain a pilot logbook, a struggle that demands keeping a calculator and plenty of Wite-Out close by. Or at least it used to. Ready to become one of the solutions to the problem, Pilot Partner’s […]

The pilot of a Glasair Sportsman GS-2 was temporarily blinded after his aircraft took a direct hit from a wedge-tailed eagle at 5,500 feet. Wedge-tailed eagles typically weigh between seven and eight pounds. The incident, reported by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), serves as another reminder of the substantial damage and adverse effects to […]

If you’ve ever thought of becoming an air traffic controller, now may be your chance. Beginning next Monday, August 8, through August 15, the FAA will accept applications for entry-level ATC positions. The agency said Tuesday, “The job vacancy for the Air Traffic Control Specialist-Trainee position will be available on USAJobs.gov, where applicants can also […]

In the old days, as in pre-2013, the regional airlines that feed the majors in the United States had their pick of pilot candidates, often aviators right out of a university aviation program with fresh certificates and a few hundred hours in their logbooks. Then came the 2013 rule requiring all first officers in air […]

Hartzell Propeller just extended the warranty on its Top Prop conversion propellers through the first overhaul, a move considered one of the longest propeller warranties in the general aviation industry. The new warranty becomes effective on the company’s entire line of Top Props delivered after July 1, 2016, and extends Hartzell’s standard three-year, 1,000-hour coverage. […]

It’s no secret that aviation has introduced hundreds of remarkable cockpit technologies over the years, but as light aircraft owners are quick to point out, “At what price?” Garmin recently took a major step forward in the war against the high cost of electronics by introducing the G5, a compact sunlight-readable electronic flight instrument for […]

The AOPA Air Safety Institute (ASI) recognized Cirrus Aircraft’s efforts to stem the tide of fatal accidents by awarding the Duluth, Minnesota, company the first ever Joseph T. Nall Safety Award. With the SR20 and SR22, Cirrus became the first mainstream manufacturer to deliver products from the factory with a rocket-propelled airframe parachute as an […]