Aviation Safety

On April 2, 2021, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia issued a response to a petition that concludes, in relevant part, that compensated flight instruction constitutes carriage of a person for compensation, possibly giving rise to the FAA’s commercial operating regulations (e.g., FAR Part 135). According to a joint letter to […]

After the primary flight controls—elevator, rudder and ailerons on conventional airplanes—the most frequently used secondary control is pitch trim. That’s because a typical flight in any airplane involves a range of speeds, and pitch trim is used to minimize control forces throughout the operating envelope. Even if the pilot can supply that force, it’s fatiguing. […]

March 2, 2021, Johnstown, N.Y. Cessna P210N Pressurized Centurion At about 0747 Eastern time, the airplane was substantially damaged when its landing gear collapsed on a runway. The solo pilot was not injured. Visual conditions prevailed. While in cruise, the pilot heard an unfamiliar noise that became increasingly louder and he diverted to a nearby […]

Although I had practiced go-arounds during my primary training, it was a few years after earning my private certificate before I had to perform one in anger. I was on final for a small, non-towered suburban airport, having made my radio calls all the way around the pattern. About a half mile from the runway […]

Beechcraft S35 Bonanza Cracked and Corroded During an annual inspection, discovered right lower aileron control cable turnbuckle barrel located under aft cabin heat duct was cracked ¾ inches longitudinally from its end. The heating system duct above this turnbuckle assembly was in a decayed condition. Recommend close inspection of cables and turnbuckles in this area. […]

I’ve long maintained that one of the most dangerous things in general aviation is two pilots trying to fly the same airplane at the same time. The problem is that, eventually, one pilot will come to think the other one is flying the plane while the second pilot knows they’re not flying it. The inevitable […]

I love Aviation Safety, and actually read it. The May 2021 article, “Moose Stalls,” echoes a difficulty also seen in soaring, the stall-spin in the turn from base to final, where the glider is closest to the ground. Your box on page 5, “Steep Turns, Low To The Ground,” implies that the danger is angle of […]

I don’t recall all the reasons that initially attracted me to aviation, but one of the things that’s kept me interested and active over the years is its dynamic nature. Not only are you moving through the air at some worthwhile speed, looking down on the world, but what you do next and where you end […]

Something I discovered early in my career is that one of the easiest ways to combat complacency and maintain proficiency is to join the training department of wherever I am lucky enough to be flying. I know this is not always easy or even logistically possible, but if the opportunity arises, I will take it […]

The National Transportation Safety Board in March formally asked the FAA to enhance a series of safety requirements for some revenue passenger-carrying flight operations conducted under FAR Part 91 as general aviation flights. Labeling existing standards for such flights “inadequate,” NTSB Chairman Robert L. Sumwalt said the current regulatory scheme “exposes customers to unnecessary risks.”  […]