Ask FLYING

Like many other professions, preparation and luck play a big role.

We explain how someone taking insulin and wants to fly possibly can.

Q: I started flight lessons and put in several hours years ago. I would like to complete my certificate and buy an airplane. Three and 1/2 years ago, I had open-heart surgery, and I’m on medication for diabetes (I should be going off this medication soon). I radically changed my diet, and I am in […]

To answer the question this FLYING user asks, there are other important questions that have to be answered first.

There’s a lot you need to know to prep for a safe takeoff, and performance charts can tell you what you need to know.

Can you legally—and safely—rely upon a tablet to deliver the goods during instrument flight?

Q: I’m 83 years old and in good health. Is it too late for me to learn to fly? I took some lessons many years ago in a Cessna 150. A: No, it isn’t too late.  Although there is a minimum age limit for solo flight (14 years old for gliders and balloons, and 16 […]

Q: Can you trust datalink weather even though it’s delayed? Yes. Just because the radar picture you see on your screen is delayed by five to 15 minutes doesn’t mean it can’t be used for smart in-flight decisions. Whether it’s from a portable ADS-B re-ceiver or a panel-mount Sirius XM receiver, datalink weather can help […]

A FLYING reader has a question about backing in the iconic Boeing B-17 bomber, and Martha Lunken has the answer.

The FAA released an advisory circular on self-briefing in 2021, but what are the details?