Aviation Safety

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A good pilot is always learning and practicing. Whether your aviating is geared toward a ratings-oriented career or just going for the occasional $100 hamburger, we all should put some effort into maintaining proficiency and enhancing related knowledge. If you’re stuck at home with nothing to do and can’t fly, how can you spend the […]

May’s article, “Defensive Flying,” was well-done and long overdue. It brought back vivid memories for most of us who have been in the air for awhile, me in particular. As a VFR-only aviator, I would have appreciated more emphasis on en route transitions, especially when one takes it for granted that they are all alone.  […]

I probably don’t have to tell you that all segments of the aviation industry have taken a major economic hit as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Various sources report domestic air travel is down more than 90 percent year-over-year and that some 2400 jet transports have been grounded in the U.S. alone. Observers project a […]

February 2, 2020, Florence, Colo. Piper PA-28-150 Cherokee 150 At about 1355 Mountain time, the airplane collided with terrain shortly after takeoff. The flight instructor and student pilot were both seriously injured; the passenger was fatally injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. Visual conditions prevailed. An eyewitness watched the airplane’s takeoff roll on Runway 29 […]

I love flying and, like many of you reading this, I enjoy sharing it with others. I regularly invite family or friends for a flight. For all but one of these flights, things have gone well. I can’t fully describe how vivid the lesson I learned was for the one flight that went awry. Picture this: […]

Beech/Raytheon G58 Baron Intermittent Flap Limit Switch Wing flaps were not extending from approach position to the full-down position. Found one set of contacts inside of limit switch to be intermittently open. Replaced switch and adjusted flap 14-degree and 16-degree limit switches rigging as required. Part total time: 166.0 hours Beech B200 Super King Air […]

Some mentor, long ago, explained aviation weather to me: “There are two kinds of weather you never want to fly in no matter the aircraft,” he said. “Icing and thunderstorms.” He wasn’t wrong. But until we gain some experience, sometimes it’s hard to tell when we’ve gotten too close to either weather situation. Put another […]

One of, and by no means the only, impact of the Covid-19 disease and its rampage through the U.S. is the effect it’s having on essential workforces, like health care professionals. Its impact also has been felt among the ranks of air traffic controllers, who often work in close proximity to one another. To its […]

In early April, as this issue was being finalized, the FAA had taken several steps to provide relief for certificate holders at the same time it warned it likely would take a dim view of state or local governments who want to close any federally funded airports as part of their response to the Covid-19 […]