Pilot Proficiency

One of the callout items used in crew resource management, and one that many pilots are and should be in the habit of using, is “positive rate of climb.” The process of confirming that an initial climb has been established after the airplane leaves the ground is the signal to retract the gear. Even if […]

Lieutenant Nilofor Rhmani| Islamic Women Take Flight The Taliban has been waging a brutal war against women for two decades, but at least a few women are literally preparing for battle. On September 30th, 2012, Lieutenant Nilofor Rhmani became the first female pilot in the Afghanistan air force to fly solo in a military Cessna […]

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 Adolph Ohlmeyer, who recently flew into Lakefront Airport in New Orleans in a King Air. Here’s what he has to say about one of the airport’s FBOs, Hawthorne […]

Most all of us keep detailed logbooks recording the numbers of hours we’ve flown as PIC in the various aircraft types we frequent. Another type of record you might consider keeping is a “lessons learned” log that includes not just the basics of how long you flew and where you went but also a detailed […]

More than two weeks after a large team of researchers, archeologists and photographers arrived in Yangon, Myanmar, the search for a collection of Spitfires, which British farmer and warbird researcher David Cundall claims were buried there after World War II, has been unfruitful. Wargaming.net, which funded the expedition, reported bringing more than 1,300 pounds of […]

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 Eddie Kirkland, who recently flew into Jack Edwards Airport in a King Air 200. Here’s what he has to say about one of the airport’s FBOs, Ferguson Air […]

The plight of the glider pilot who was arrested for overflying a nuclear powerplant in violation of zero federal or local laws reminds me of another instance in which overzealous police overstepped their bounds after a pilot did exactly what he was supposed to be doing. It happened on New Year’s Eve in 2003. My […]

Recognizing that pilots’ stick-and-rudder skills may be atrophying in an increasingly high-tech world, the FAA has issued a new safety alert for operators (SAFO) reminding crew members to continuously maintain and improve their hand-flying skills by switching off the autopilot every once in awhile. An analysis of flight operations data including several incidents and accidents […]

We all remember the tedious work of the manual flight planning required for the Private Pilot certificate, where we spent hours calculating headwind components, ground speeds and, ultimately, the fuel required for the trip. Advanced avionics have made the task of knowing whether you have enough fuel as complicated as entering the fuel remaining and […]

At first blush, you’d expect the year 2012 to have been a placeholder, a midrecession period where general aviation companies treaded water while waiting for the economy to recover. Nothing could be further from the truth. Indeed, 2012 saw a remarkable level of innovation, from the most unassuming sport airplanes to the fastest and most […]