Pilot Proficiency

The migratory white stork has been a welcome visitor to Europe for centuries. It seems to display a peculiar affinity for human beings, building its huge stick nests on their rooftops and chimneys, foraging in their fields, and playing starring roles in their myths and legends. It eats mice and rats, is thought to bring […]

Piper PA-24 Sturgis, South Dakota / Injuries: 1 Serious, 1 Minor The pilot reported that he was conducting an instrument approach in instrument meteorological conditions. Upon reaching the decision altitude, the front-seat passenger reported the runway was in front of the airplane. The pilot looked up from the instruments, but could not see the runway […]

Evolution Revo Buckeye, Arizona / Injuries: 1 Fatal The commercial pilot, who had a total flight experience of about 4,500 hours in conventional airplanes, was learning to fly weight-shift-control (WSC) aircraft with the expressed intent of purchasing a high-performance WSC aircraft. The pilot obtained all of his 13.5 hours of WSC experience, including his WSC […]

Accidents attributed to controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) have decreased significantly over the years thanks to the introduction of the terrain awareness and warning system (TAWS). The technology provides life-saving information and serves as a vital layer of protection as aircraft navigate changing terrain in various weather conditions. TAWS pulls aircraft position, speed and direction […]

I had just landed at Minneapolis-Saint Paul Airport and was on a quick break in the middle of a busy workday, with just enough time between flights to grab a salad for lunch and check my email. As soon as I turned on my phone, I saw the message from Roy, lead mechanic at Aero […]

Speed Limits: In the United States — Mach 1 10,000 feet msl or above — Unrestricted (but not more than Mach 1) Below 10,000 feet msl — 250 kias Class B airspace — Unrestricted at or above 10,000 feet msl, 250 kias below 10,000 feet msl Beneath Class B or in VFR corridor through Class […]

Throughout the years of my musings with this magazine, I have espoused the attribute of mundane in regard to a safe and successful airline trip; the simulator is reserved as the venue for the exact opposite. None of my colleagues would wish for an inflight malady just to quell the monotony, but there are moments […]

“We’re going to be in the Hudson.” It was Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger announcing they were going to dead stick US Airways Flight 1549 into the Hudson River. It is a story most of us are familiar with. After the loss of both engines in their A320, Capt. Sullenberger and First Officer Jeff Skiles first […]

In the 10 years I’ve been writing for Flying, I’ve told the stories of heroic, ridiculous, amusing, embarrassing, illegal, skilled, humanitarian, negligent and wonderful things we pilots do — stories about me, as well as people I’ve known as instructors, FAA inspectors and examiners, or simply as fellow pilots. In short, I’ve tried to be […]

The late afternoon sky was clear and the air crisp. Light spread itself evenly across the landscape in the absence of clouds, and colorful fugitive leaves danced across the runway ahead of a mild, quartering crosswind. The relative calm outside the cockpit of my Cessna trainer dueled in graphic opposition to the inner excitement I […]