Aviation Safety

May 1, 2022, Huntsville, Ala. Van’s RV-7A Experimental At about 1705 Central time, the airplane was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain short of the intended runway. The pilot was seriously injured. Visual conditions prevailed. The airplane departed Dallas, Texas, at 1328 and climbed to about 10,500 feet msl on an easterly course. Two […]

That aviation is a highly regulated activity should come as no surprise to readers. Many other applicable rules are unwritten, developed by pilots after a mishap or mistake, which not necessarily resulted in an accident or incident. How we tackle becoming comfortable with new avionics aboard a familiar airplane is a question FAA regulations don’t […]

As international supply chain issues in 2022 continue to affect the world economy, they also can be easy to ignore. Until something you need isn’t readily available in a timely fashion. So it is—and has been—with the FAA’s designated pilot examiner (DPE) cadre. The DPEs necessary for an FAA pilot certificate practical test can are […]

If you’ve had your instrument rating for a few years, filing IFR has probably become second nature for you. Before launching on a cross-country, you naturally pick up the phone to file, even when the weather is CAVU. The idea of not filing an IFR flight plan doesn’t really occur to you. Until, that is, […]

Quite a lot has been written (and vlogged) about the crash of a Cessna 140 in a spot landing competition in May 2022. Most accounts point out—correctly—how decisions about spacing and glide path management, and even whether it was wise to hold the “pick-up game” contest in winds that caused cancellation of a larger, planned […]

Regarding the May 2022 issue’s staff article, “Fly in the Yellow Arc?” I disagree with the recommendation to extend the gear above VLO to slow down “in a hurry.” The pilot has no idea how the airplane will react to lowering the gear at a high airspeed—will it pitch or yaw? Asymmetric drag if a […]

Way back in February, the FAA, most of general aviation’s alphabet soup and even the American Petroleum Institute, representing Big Oil, announced their EAGLE Initiative: Eliminate Aviation Gasoline Lead Emissions. A joint press release at the time noted the new effort outlines how the U.S. “can safely eliminate the use of leaded aviation fuel by […]

Cessna T182T Turbocharged Skylane Cracked Wastegate Attach Flange During annual inspection, overboard exhaust pipe was discovered cracked and leaking at the waste gate attach flange. Part total time: Unknown Cessna T206H Turbocharged Stationair Disengaged Slip Joint Overboard exhaust elbow, between the wastegate and the tailpipe disengaged by the slip-joint from wastegate flange, p/n 1250992-4. No […]

Many years ago, as a new private pilot, I found myself dealing with a false sense of security and passenger distractions. It was a nice afternoon in southern California, and a couple of co-workers and I just finished work. They had never been in a small plane before, so we headed to Montgomery Field in […]

April 2, 2022, Morristown, N.J. Learjet 45 At 1119 Eastern time, the airplane was substantially damaged when it departed the runway during landing. The two airline transport pilots and two passengers sustained minor injuries. Visual conditions prevailed; an IFR flight plan had been filed. The jet made a visual approach to Runway 23, with reported […]