Aviation Safety

There I was, 1000 feet above the airport, flying the pattern, with no safe way to land my plane. I was lonely, angry, afraid and somehow also at peace. “Fly the plane!” Those words kept repeating more than I could count. My past instructors’ words offered encouragement. It’s now been two years since that flight, […]

One of the many avionics advances in recent years is the autopilot. Not that long ago, the typical personal airplane didn’t have a working autopilot—it might have been in the panel, but it was rare for it to work, much less as well as a modern one does. For one thing, altitude hold or preselect […]

I’m a big believer in “chair flying.” The best chair is the pilot’s seat of the aircraft you’re learning, with the engine or engines stopped and external electrical power. As a helicopter student, I spent many happy hours sitting in the hangared Robinson, practicing autorotations, a maneuver I found really difficult. Hold your hand like […]

Thank you for Aviation Safety magazine. It’s exceptional. But I do have an issue with April’s Accident Probe entry, “Exceeding Capabilities.” As you know, aircraft certified for flight into known icing conditions, both single pilot and crew-­piloted, have succumbed to in-flight icing. More recently, as you also know, an aeromedical operation flying single- and crew-piloted […]

It’s been more than a year since FAA Administrator Steve Dickson left the agency just more than halfway through his five-year term. Then-Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety Billy Nolen became the Acting Administrator when Dickson took off, and he’s about to throw in the towel also, announcing in late April he will “depart as soon […]

In recent months, a number of notable and high visibility events have occurred in the National Airspace System (NAS). While the overall numbers do not reflect an increase in incidents and occurrences, the potential severity of these events is concerning. Six serious runway incursions have occurred since January 2023, including an incident at John F. […]

Cessna 172R Skyhawk Broken Oil Pressure Switch During a private pilot checkride, the examiner noticed oil specks on the windshield and diverted for a precautionary landing. The dipstick indicated zero oil. Examination revealed the oil pressure switch had broken and three quarts of oil remained. An airworthiness directive requires switch replacement by 3000 hours. This […]

It was a beautiful day for flying, if a bit breezy, which contributed some bumps. That would be important later. Meanwhile, I was out with a new-to-me rented Cessna 210 to bore some holes with a pilot-rated friend. After boring holes in the local airspace, we headed back to the airplane’s home base. The bumps […]

February 4, 2023, Austin, Texas Boeing 737-700/Boeing 767-300 At about 0640 Central time, a Federal Express Boeing 767 and a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 “were involved in a runway incursion with overflight that resulted in a loss of separation,” the NTSB reported. There were no injuries in the incident. Both flights operated under FAR 121 […]

Primary students often encounter a number of plateaus in their training. It might be stall recoveries, landings, cross-country navigation or something as simple as “mic fright,” a fear of using the radio to talk with ATC. Often, however, it’s crosswind landings and takeoffs. The reasons for difficulty with certain maneuvers and/or curriculum stages vary, but […]