Pilot Proficiency

Landing on a beach or on a beautiful remote backcountry airstrip in an airplane equipped with fat tires. Flying in formation with some of the top airshow performers in the world doing loops and rolls in a sleek single-engine jet or a roaring round-engine T-6. Testing out the capabilities of some of the coolest new […]

When taxiing or idling on the ground for long periods of time, it’s possible to experience spark plug fouling, even with modern, fuel-injected aircraft engines running low lead fuel. The way to prevent fouling during taxi is to aggressively lean your engine while on the ground by following the specific procedure in your POH or, […]

When something unexpected happens in flight, the last thing you need is to have to search for equipment that could help ease the problem. Keeping any gear that you could potentially find a need for in flight within reach or even attached to your body could prove invaluable. Let’s just say that you are flying […]

It was a beautiful day for flying. The takeoff from Waco Regional Airport in Waco, Texas, was routine and uneventful as I turned onto a northwest heading as indicated by the GPS. I had reduced from takeoff power to about 2,450 rpm and about 24 inches of manifold pressure. As I was leaving 1,500 feet […]

Just after noon on a June day in 2012, a Pilatus PC-12 took off from Fort Pierce, in the middle of Florida’s Atlantic coast, bound for Junction City, Kansas. The pilot, his wife and their four young children were aboard, returning from a vacation in the Bahamas. Less than a minute later, the pilot engaged […]

I could feel my mind going deeper and deeper into a fog. No matter how hard I tried to focus, I couldn’t seem to make sense of the basic problems that I had been tasked with. What is the sum of 15 plus 4? The question wasn’t hard, but it took all of my brainpower […]

Invariably whenever somebody posts a fun flying video online, the Internet “sheriffs” come out in droves to inform the original poster of just how many Federal Aviation Regulations he or she has broken. Of course, the only thing that really matters is what the FAA has to say about your video. And a new national […]

The fast-moving cold front bristled against the western edges of Washington’s Cascade Mountains. Rain showers and gusty winds swirled through the valleys as thick clouds enveloped the rising terrain. Darkness had long since fallen that February night as clock hands edged past 10 p.m. Air traffic controller Jared Mike plugged his headset into the workstation […]

As the holder of a Private Pilot certificate, you can fly any airplane with a gross weight up to 12,500 pounds. That means you can legally jump into any airplane as long as you meet the currency requirements established by the FAA. But would it be smart to simply jump in and go? The answer […]

Aviation weather columns typically talk about hazards in terms of elements: Watch the 0 to -20 degrees C layer for icing. Be cautious of wet, clear nights because of fog, etc. We can always learn more from a change in perspective, and we can do so using surface charts from the Aviation Weather Center website. Using these charts we can get a better understanding of why weather hazards occur rather than how they develop. Lets take a look at the sample chart below and break down all the patterns that are going on.