Pilot Proficiency

The FAA’s handling of a variety of prickly issues from the planned closures of scores of contract control towers to the hotly anticipated Part 23 rewrite to the up-in-the-air fate of leaded aviation gasoline will affect general aviation in important ways for years to come. Get the Part 23 rewrite right, and we could witness […]

An incensed reader, reacting to my parenthetical remark “Making Range,” Technicalities, August 2012 that, contrary to widespread belief, a leaner-than-peak-EGT mixture reduces cylinder head temperatures, wrote: _Maybe I am missing something, but it is against the laws of physics that a leaner mixture can run cooler, as the more dense the mixture, the cooler the […]

If you fly IFR in busy parts of the country where direct routings are rare, knowing what routes ATC is likely to give you can be a big time saver. You can look up the preferred ATC routings between airport pairs online to get a good idea of what you should file. My favorite site […]

All pilots must eat. Learjet pilots on an overnight have to eat. Due to unusual circumstances, I’ve participated in a variety of eating experiences while flying trips as a backup first officer in a Lear 31A for Elite Air of St. Petersburg, Florida. I say unusual because I am not your usual first officer. My […]

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 C.K. Bondar, who recently flew into Witham Field Airport in Stuart, Florida in a PA-28-181. Here’s what he had to say about one of the airport’s FBOs, Stuart […]

A group of Bonanza owners share the love for their airplanes at an American Bonanza Society convention. (Photo by American Bonanza Society)| Around the beginning of factory production of airplanes, which happened a mere handful of years after the dawn of powered flight, it occurred to aviators that it was in their strong interest to […]

When setting up for an IFR flight, there is no lack of things to remember. Mnemonics and checklists are very helpful in making sure that you don’t forget anything while setting up for a departure or an approach. One way to make sure that your avionics are set up properly is to use the audio […]

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 Ron Sterba, who recently flew into McNary Field Airport in Salem, Oregon in a Cessna 172. Here’s what he had to say about the airport’s FBO, Salem Aviation […]

FAA Administrator Michael Huerta got the chance to experience what it feels like to be raked over the coals yesterday as lawmakers at a House hearing expressed their mounting frustration over his agency’s handling of sequester-related controller furloughs. It was uncomfortable to watch as House members bluntly told Huerta he did a poor job of […]

I keep my Cherokee at Ramona Airport (KRNM) in Southern California and am actively involved with other pilots there in an organization that offers introductory flights to youngsters through a program called Young Eagles. It is a very worthwhile program that offers kids ages 8 to 17 the opportunity of a free introductory flight along […]