Flying Staff

The most frequent complaint I hear from pilots transitioning into turbine airplanes, particularly jets, is that the simulator doesn’t fly like the airplane. All say they can fly the real airplane just fine, but the simulator just isn’t the same. Welcome to the world of jet pilots. It is true that a simulator, no matter […]

One of the cool things about my new position with the airline is that the job is rarely routine. The trips are different. The people I fly with are different. The qualification requirements for each pilot are different. The side of the cockpit that I fly from is different. But what I hadn’t anticipated was […]

In September Piper had an open house at its Vero Beach factory for customers, dealers, prospects and members of the press, to show off and discuss its emerging PiperJet turbofan single. There was no milestone or big update to prompt the event. It was just a way for Piper to get folks down to Florida […]

100LL.com 100LL.com is a pilot’s information service with a continuously updated nationwide airport directory with aviation fuel prices including 100 Low Lead and Jet-A, hotels, ground transportation, airport services and more. Use 100LL.com on the ground during flight planning, or in your aircraft when deciding where to land or when changing your flying plans. Click […]

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association reported record dollar volume of new airplane deliveries from airplane manufacturers for the first three quarters of 2008 with a total value of $18.2 billion in deliveries, up from $15.1 billion in the same period of 2007. A total of 2,977 airplanes were delivered compared to 2,918 in 2007, indicating […]

Mustangs dive in strafing runs, explosions erupt and smoke billows and drifts across the airport, a formation of T-28s clouds the sky, a machine gun mounted on an Army jeep chatters as uniformed soldiers fire their carbines. Nope, it’s not war … it’s the afternoon Warbird Airshow at AirVenture. For pilots, the inherent problem of […]

Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, the Country Inn and Suites, 6 p.m., July 27th. In the hotel pool, a lone six-year-old blonde boy cavorts under the watchful eye of his father. The dad and I get to talking. He’s Greg Brandes, here with his son, John. This is Greg’s 35th consecutive Oshkosh; he’s been bringing John […]