Pilot Proficiency

** | |Illustrations by Chris Gall**| In Joni Mitchell’s 1969 song “Both Sides, Now,” a haunting and sentimental little earwig, the singer laments that after looking at clouds “from both sides now,” she really doesn’t know them very well at all. The same could be said for many pilots. Even after thousands of hours in […]

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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 Av Shiloh, who recently flew into Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport in a Piper PA24-260TC Turbo Comanche. Here’s what Av had to say about one of the airport’s FBOs, […]

As many of you already know, I recently started flying a new Diamond DA40 XLS as one of the inaugural “members” to sign up with DiamondShare, a new concept in aircraft ownership that is seeking to dramatically alter the economic equation for buyers. I first heard about DiamondShare last summer at the Oshkosh Airshow. My […]

The cloud were building beautifully over the ­California coast range. I was back from college for the weekend and itching to fly, so I grabbed my camera and hopped into one of the Fresno Sky Riders Club Cessna 150s. It was a 1963 model with the standard Continental O-200 engine, producing 100 galloping horsepower — […]

By order of FAR Part 91.113, “vigilance shall be maintained by each person operating an aircraft so as to see and avoid other aircraft.” It all starts before you leave the ground. You may be cleared for takeoff or taxi onto the runway to “line up and wait,” but it’s worth taking a final look […]

ATIS “Tango” was advertising 43 degrees C when we landed Sunday afternoon. Although I’m “mathematically challenged” I think that works out to about 110 degrees F, which might explain the eerie quiet on the Lunken tower frequency. David Zombek had just flown an outstanding private pilot check ride in the 172. He’d worked long and […]

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 Frank Himmerich, who recently flew into Fullerton Municipal Airport in Fullerton, California, in N8530N, a Piper Cherokee 235. Here’s what he has to say about one of the […]

The history of the National Aeronautic Association is a long and glorious one. From the organization’s first award to Glenn Curtiss for the development of the floatplane, the NAA has much more often that not hit the nail on the head, recognizing remarkable achievements that have stood the test of time. But there have been […]

Strong surface winds can throw pilots an unexpected curve ball if they’ve planned a flight to a favorite destination and find the conditions at the arrival airport exceed the capabilities of their airplane, themselves or both. An experienced flight instructor I was talking with recently related a story in which he damaged the wing of […]