Aviation Safety

In “The Engine-Out Glide” article in your August issue, there was a sidebar about stopping the prop bringing an eight-percent improvement in glide distance. Many years ago, I took the GAMI Advanced Pilot Course. In that course, there was a discussion that it’s best to move the throttle to the wide-open position during an engine-out […]

There’s a truism that applies to owning machines like boats and airplanes: The two best days of your life are the day you buy it and the day you sell it. In between, so the story goes, your ownership will be a maelstrom of inspections, repairs and downtime, punctuated by frustrations and anxieties, along with […]

Beech C90GT King Air 90 Manufacturing Defect After a new master cylinder was installed, attempts to bleed the system failed. Instead, it pulled fluid from the reservoir and returned it through the same line—internal bypass not functioning properly. Disassembled and found bypass valve stuck. Parts were unable to slide smoothly on shaft; metal shavings were […]

I founded a 501(c)(3) charity to combine my love of aviation and rescuing animals—dogs, cats, wolves, sea turtles, medical flights, discovery flights, angel flights…you name it. It’s similar to Pilots N Paws but open to all types of public benefit, not just saving animals. The charity owns and operates a 1982 Piper Turbo Saratoga SP, and […]

June 1, 2021, Pinnacle, N.C. Beech A23 Musketeer At about 1720 Eastern time, the airplane was substantially damaged in an off-field landing. The student pilot was fatally injured, and the flight instructor sustained serious injuries. Visual conditions prevailed. The airplane took off at about 1641, and began maneuvers consistent with training. At about 1718, the […]

We’ve long maintained that one of the best ways for a pilot to enhance his or her aviation risk management is to earn and use the instrument rating. This is especially true if the pilot in question has plans to use their pilot certificate for transportation on anything resembling a schedule. That’s because the skills, […]

What started earlier this year as a novel legal interpretation of FAA regulations by a U.S. Court of Appeals has evolved into a full-blown policy dispute between the agency and some of aviation’s alphabet soup. As we explored in our June issue, the court’s interpretation is that FAR 91.315 “does not provide an exemption for […]

The visual approach is by far the most-used method for pilots of IFR aircraft to find their way to the destination. Compared to the typical published approach procedure, a visual approach can save several miles and several minutes, not to mention several pounds/gallons of fuel. When the weather allows, it’s the approach clearance of choice […]

I am of the opinion that thunderstorms are the most challenging weather condition to fly in regularly. Most other hazards have solid mitigation strategies or present such a high level of risk that the flight must be scrapped. Of course, this all vastly depends on your mission. Moderate turbulence, for example, does not typically present hazards […]

It was well after dark when we arrived over the unfamiliar rural airport. We were descending toward that green and white airport beacon, and I thought I could see the headlights of my brother-in-law’s crew-cab pickup truck in the parking lot. “Watch this,” I said to my daughter, and I clicked the push-to-talk switch seven […]