Aviation Safety

October 1, 2022, Hermantown, Minn. Cessna 172S Skyhawk SP At 2317 Central time, the airplane was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain after an apparent loss of control in instrument conditions. The instrument-rated commercial pilot and two passengers sustained fatal injuries. An IFR flight plan had been filed. As the flight taxied for takeoff, […]

Owning an aircraft is an empowering experience. Winged assets in your hip pocket can open up all kinds of opportunities and adventures free of many concerns associated with traditional clubs and aircraft rental operations. It’s also an awesome responsibility, often isn’t kind to your wallet and can bring many new and unanticipated challenges. For one […]

New data from the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) show that fatal accidents involving experimental aircraft—homebuilts and others—were up sharply during the federal fiscal year ending September 30, to 56. In FY2021, the number of fatals was 42. The new numbers come from the FAA’s ongoing data tracking. “The fatal accident totals, for both amateur-builts and […]

Have you ever been so cold your fingers got numb? Ever freeze your feet numb? This is the beginning of frostbite, in case you didn’t know. Which I totally didn’t, the first time my feet went numb while ice skating outdoors in Minnesota. It was -30 degrees F and I was playing hockey with the […]

The Sphinx was a mythological monster who forced passing travelers to answer her riddle, eating those who struggled to find an answer. “Which is the creature that has one voice, but has four feet in the morning, two feet in the afternoon and three feet at night?” Oedipus’s correct answer was that the creature is […]

I have always considered myself a pilot who plays by the rules. Dare I say I may be a “goody two-shoes” to some? But I’m always trying my best to be someone quite familiar with the wide range of regulations and procedures expected of me both as a general aviation and an airline flyer has served […]

During the initial phases of my private pilot training, something I struggled with was overusing the flight instruments. Rather than use external references like the horizon and a visual point for something like steep turns, I would fixate on the attitude indicator and altimeter. After all, how could I tell if my altitude was off […]

Like many pilots, I vividly remember being handed my temporary private pilot certificate with my examiner’s congratulations and his admonishment that it was a “license to learn.” Through the years after, I heard then taught and later often wrote about how the FAA practical test standards (PTS), now the airmen certification standards (ACS), represent a […]

Good article on props (“Propeller Theory 101,” November). Many years ago, I had an old airplane that when you applied power rapidly on takeoff, you would get a surge in rpm that I think was caused by the prop first being stalled, and then “unstalled.” The airplane was a North American P-51 with a 1490-hp […]

The idea of a single pilot flying heavy jets might be gaining traction again. As online sister publication AVweb.com recently reported, “The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) filed a working paper with ICAO [the U.N.’s International Civil Aviation Organization] on Monday asking that the structure be developed for ‘a safe and globally harmonized introduction of […]