Pilot Proficiency

The opportunity for me to touch and feel the inner workings of the machinery providing the thrust that keeps me airborne had always seemed an interesting proposition. With Pratt & Whitney (P&W) practically in my backyard, that possibility became a reality. On the aviation-is-a-small-world front, I was fortunate to have established a relationship with a […]

As you might guess, Martha and I are interested in the balance between aviation liberty and national law enforcement, and we would like to pass on some thoughts. It appears that government agencies are using their ability to monitor general aviation flights to select aircraft to intercept on landing based on what they consider to […]

When the weather’s truly awful the decision to stay on the ground rather than fly is easy. But you’ve budgeted this time for flying anyway so why not get some use out of it? You might instead decide to “chair fly,” where you sit down and mentally go through various checklist items. If you have […]

The most talked-about airplane rental concept to come along in recent memory is officially open for business with the launch of OpenAirplane, a network of FBOs and flight schools that lets pilots receive one annual checkout and then rent airplanes at locations across the country. Because the service is so new, OpenAirplane is limited to […]

History is written by the victors, they say. They also say that the saddest words of tongue or pen are “It might have been!” And so, in view of the manifest sadness of history, let us pause to pay heed to what was not, and to give some honor to the vanquished. Our national love […]

Every hour and every dollar I ever spent learning to fly this or that aircraft was worth this one flight. Israel is a beautiful country, every bit of it, even the dry parts. The people here are as friendly and engaging as Texans and the weather is as good as Southern California. I’m flying north […]

Every VFR pilot who has flown long enough to have gotten himself into and out of a few tight situations knows how insidious the onset of trouble is. He knows, too, that your state of mind when you are in the airplane, especially as you near your destination and the weather starts to go bad […]

Some people believe in the misconception that aviation accidents are largely caused by inexperience. But as pilots become more comfortable inside the skin of the fuselage that surrounds them, they can become more of a hazard. You may be surprised to learn that an NTSB study of general aviation accidents between 2007 through 2009 concluded […]

Bravo Kilo Echo enters the pattern to circumnavigate Victoria Falls. (Photos by Mike Venturino and Michelle Carter)| At 6,500 feet, we could see the spray of Victoria Falls billowing above the Zimbabwe flatland 70 miles out. No GPS necessary, just head for the cloud of mist and keep the roiling Zambezi River below you. Strung […]

A number of years ago, I attended an Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association flight-instructor refresher class as a newly licensed CFI-I. The instructor asked a roomful of about 60 CFIs if anyone had lost an engine and made a forced landing. I have never forgotten that day, when almost half the people in the room […]