Flying Staff

One of the first words Emmy Dillon, Garmin Human Factors Engineer said, was “plane.” Emmy believes that truly shows what she lives for. Emmy earned her Human Factors Psychology degree from ERAU, where she is also working on her masters. She picked that line of study because of an aviation camp she went to in […]

You’re no doubt familiar with IFR training goggles, aka foggles, view-limiting devices that simulate flight in IMC. Sporty’s has introduced a new take on that idea with its VFR training goggles. Rather than blocking the view outside the airplane, Sporty’s VFR goggles were invented by a Sporty’s Academy flight instructor to keep primary students’ eyes […]

Michael Mainiero went to see the Patriots Jet Team performing in Sacramento, California. That was a life-changing decision for him. He was invited out to the Patriot’s facility in Byron, California. When he walked into the facility with his father, he said, “we are coming back.” With his experience with the Patriots Jet Team, he […]

When you land at the SUN ‘n FUN International Fly-In and Expo, April 10th through 15th in Lakeland, FL, how do you see it all? Best suggestion – come early!! Tuesday through Friday are the best days to speak with the 500+ aviation vendors and exhibitors about new products and just-released technology. Many companies have […]

“I first knew I wanted to be a pilot when my father’s friend took me up in his little Cub airplane,” Envoy Air first officer Jay Herring recalls of what inspired him to pursue a life and career in aviation. “Before that I’d always kind of looked up and thought, that would be a neat […]

When temperatures dip below freezing, there are many good reasons to preheat the engine. The different metals inside expand with heat at different rates, so quickly cranking up the engine when the pieces and parts are cold can cause damage. Additionally, cold oil doesn’t lubricate the parts as well. Starting the engine at temperatures below […]

The Commemorative Air Force has succeeded once again in returning a historically significant airplane to the skies. And this one is extra special. That’s All Brother happens to be the Douglas C-47A Skytrain that led some 800 paratrooper-carrying C-47s over Normandy, France, during the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944, when about 13,000 aircraft and […]

The point of last fall’s Info17015 circular was to remind pilots that some instrument approach procedures demand specialized training before they’re authorized to use them. A few of the airports that fall into this category are Aspen and Rifle Colorado and Lebanon Region New Hampshire. Despite the friendly reminder, the NBAA says, “a number of […]

Hypoxia takes hold when the oxygen level in a person’s arterial blood-flow to the brain is too low. Without enough O2, pilots can experience tingling in their extremities, tunnel vision and an ever-worsening ability to safely control the airplane. Oxygen deprivation is difficult to self-diagnose because symptoms, masked by a sense of euphoria, appear gradually. […]

Possession of an instrument rating opens the door to airports when the weather is below basic VFR, provided the aircraft is properly equipped and that someone has a copy of the appropriate instrument approach plate — either electronic or paper — for guidance. Anywhere and in any weather… almost. There are roughly 40 U.S. airports […]