Pilot Proficiency

My family has owned a 1931 Buhl Bull Pup single-place, open-cockpit “flying bathtub” since 1969. I was 16 when I won the youngest-pilot award at Merced’s Antique Fly-In in 1970. I’ve been flying this little antique airplane all my life. A few weekends ago, I came as close as you can to rolling it (and […]

A huge number of portable ADS-B receivers has hit the market in the last couple of years, giving pilots instant access to traffic and weather information on their iPad or Android tablets. Weather is broadcast continuously so there isn’t much mystery there. But traffic data is somewhat limited. This can make ADS-B confusing as pilots […]

Each year aviation enthusiasts and avgeeks alike look forward to AirVenture in Oshkosh, America’s largest annual gathering, and this July and August look to be shaping up for another great show. From a sneak peek of Disney’s new animated feature _Planes ___to a first public U.S. flight by Yves “Jetman” Rossy and musical performances by […]

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 Gary Peek, who recently flew into St. Charles County Smartt Airport in St. Charles, Missouri, in a Cessna 182. Here’s what he had to say about one of […]

Eugene Corbett Patterson died last January. You may have a flicker of name recognition, as his obituary was in almost every newspaper in the country. The New York Times announced his death on the front page and devoted considerable space to this farm boy, soldier, scholar, journalist and editor. To me, he was the best […]

Recently I received notification of an event I couldn’t pass up — a “General Aviation Accident Reduction and Mitigation Symposium,” sponsored by the Arizona Pilot’s Association (APA) and the Arizona Safety Advisory Group (ASAG), which links many of the aviation groups in Arizona in the quest to reduce accidents, and especially fatal accidents, in the […]

The mnemonic lights, camera, action reminds pilots to turn the transponder to ALT before lifting off in controlled airspace. But did you know that the FAA recommends activating the transponder while on the ground? You may have been trained to put the transponder in STBY mode while taxiing. But this practice no longer satisfies the […]

The following article is from the January 2013 print issue. Way back in the early ’70s, an old friend of my husband’s, Harry Combs, invited us to join him and his wife at the National Aviation Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony and dinner in Dayton, Ohio. Serving as master of ceremonies that year, Combs was […]

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 Mitch Wohl, who recently flew into Centennial Airport in Denver in a Cessna 170. Here’s what he had to say about one of the airport’s FBOs, Denver Jet […]

Normally if I heard about a documentary that purported to uncover “new” evidence about the TWA Flight 800 disaster, I would roll my eyes. But I’m actually quite interested to see the film and am approaching it with an open mind. Here’s why. The crash of Flight 800 into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast […]