Pilot Proficiency

FAR 91.209 requires pilots to use anti-collision lights any time an airplane is in operation unless the pilot determines that operating conditions makes it unsafe to have them on. Whether the airplane you fly is equipped with a beacon, strobes or both, you are probably in the habit of turning on some type of anti-collision […]

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association has announced the dates and locations for the regional AOPA Fly-Ins that will replace the organization’s annual AOPA Aviation Summit convention. This year, the one-day events will be held on Saturdays at each of the following locations: April 26 – San Marcos Municipal Airport, Texas (HYI) May 31 – […]

In those kinder and gentler days (which may be more legend than fact), an FAA inspector who learned that your Mooney was sitting on its belly might have taken down the details over the phone, filed a brief report and even offered sympathy for your embarrassment and the cost of the repairs. General aviation activity […]

Pilots who transition from flying strictly for pleasure to a combination of pleasure and utility face a whole new set of challenges. For instance, weather conditions that might have kept a pilot on the ground if he had no place in particular to be suddenly present a conundrum for the same pilot who has made […]

For nervous passengers who stiffen the moment an airplane begins to move forward and do not relax until the grab-your-carry-ons chime has sounded, it must be hard to imagine that pilots could actually fall asleep while flying. No pilot would like to admit to doing so. Nevertheless, there have been instances of airline crews overshooting […]

During the holiday season, there can often be pressure to be in a place at a specific time. You may have a big family gathering planned, possibly at several distant locations within a span of a couple of days. Get-There-Itis becomes a reality. Making the choice to stay on the ground or turn around if […]

Every year, the editors at Flying get together to select a small group of new products that have had an impact on the world of aviation during the previous calendar year. The airplanes that made the cut this time around were unusual choices for us. One of them, the Citation M2, recently received certification. Cessna […]

Our county medical society was hosting a winter conference at Sun Valley, a ski resort town in Idaho. Being an avid skier and pilot, I jumped at the opportunity to scratch both itches and fly to the conference. The FBO at my field had a Seneca II available, with oxygen, boots and hot props (but […]

Flying on a gorgeous afternoon last week in the Florida Keys, I saw something that made me shake my head. From my vantage point cruising east at 1,200 feet after stopping for lunch in Key West, I spotted a tiny speck of an airplane at an altitude of maybe 50 feet buzzing cars on a […]

Gallup reported today that Congress’ approval rating has dropped to 14 percent, the lowest figure in four decades of polling. The recent battles over the budget and health care are driving the public’s exasperation with the House and Senate, and rightly so. But pilots shouldn’t be so quick to criticize. Never have we enjoyed a […]