Pilot Proficiency

What does it take to build the coolest airplane ever? In the case of college student Luca Iaconi-Stewart’s creation — which definitely gets our vote for most spectacular paper airplane — the answer to that question is five years of effort and an abundance of glue and manila cardboard folders. The 22-year-old constructed this incredible […]

You’ve probably noticed that test pilots, law enforcement and emergency response pilots, and pilots flying military airplanes generally wear flight suits. You are also likely aware that these pilots don’t wear these garments just to fit into some kind of fraternity or to look cool. Flight suits serve a purpose. While you may not want […]

A few years back, a Cessna 172 pilot had trouble starting his airplane and decided to hand-prop it near the Typhoon restaurant at the Santa Monica airport. No one was inside the Skyhawk. The engine spun up, and the airplane made a solo trip across runway 21. In the process, it made a business jet […]

It was an old story. A relatively inexperienced pilot practicing landings got too slow on final approach, stalled and crashed. The pilot, 56, was flying a club Cherokee 180, a type in which he had logged 13 of his 130 hours. He was making a short round-robin cross-country flight, ostensibly for practice, with landings at […]

There I was: fat, dumb and happy. My friend Tim and I had taken my 1977 Mooney 201 from Camden, South Carolina, to Myrtle Beach to get the oxygen cylinder filled. We filed IFR on the outbound leg at 7,000 feet msl and had to fly the ILS at Myrtle Beach to get through some […]

I spent some time this week with Kenny Dichter, the founder of Wheels Up, a startup private aviation company that is rolling the dice with a fleet of brand new King Air 350i turboprops. The New York-based firm has taken delivery of its first nine King Airs as part of a massive deal with Beechcraft […]

We recently heard a story involving a student pilot who headed out to the airport for some night solo time and ended up facing his first real emergency. According to his instructor, the student performed a preflight inspection in the winter chill with a flashlight before climbing aboard and heading out to the active. When […]

It is very likely — I hope — that this slightly edited version of a 709 re-examination letter is the only one you’ll ever see. The FAA can legally demand a retest of your qualifications any time it chooses, but in practice, this happens only on the heels of some event — an accident or […]

In our FBO Spotlight series, we’re highlighting FBOs around the country that have received rave reviews from our readers. This latest Spotlight is brought to you by Joe Melapioni, who has recently flown into Ocean County Airport in Toms River, New Jersey, in a variety of different airplanes (C172/C425/C421/PA-44/C152). Here’s what he had to say […]

The embossed certificate I received as a 6-year-old boy after climbing aboard a Lockheed Electra for my first airline flight is a cherished possession. Not only did the certificate record that memorable moment, but it also promised a pilot interview 20 years later. Although I hedged my bets by interviewing with other companies, no other […]