Pilot Proficiency

The forward slip can be a useful skill to master since it allows for fine-adjustment of the airplane’s height above the runway on final approach, allowing you to stay on glide path while maintaining your target approach airspeed. Slips are useful when you’re high and need to lose extra altitude in a hurry to make […]

Dissecting the just-released final report submitted by the FAA’s Unleaded Avgas Transition Aviation Rulemaking Committee (UAT ARC), here’s what you need to know about the future of 100LL avgas: • There’s no real financial motive for any of the major fuel suppliers to create an alternative to 100LL aviation gasoline because the market is so […]

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 Gene Marsh, who frequently flies into Napa County Airport in a Cirrus SR22. Here’s what he has to say about the airport’s FBO, Napa Jet Center: Napa Jet […]

In September of 2010, the FAA changed the language used for controllers to instruct pilots to enter the runway and await the takeoff clearance from “position and hold” to “line up and wait.” This language more accurately describes what the pilot is expected to do, whether at a controlled or uncontrolled field. Here are several […]

Nothing related to preflight preparations offered even a hint that our 10-hour trip home to JFK from São Paulo would be anything but a normal operation. Reflecting back on the flight, a visit from a fearful flier just prior to our gate departure might have foreshadowed the outcome. With the enthusiasm of a child anticipating […]

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 Fred Clark, who has rented both a Cessna 172 and 152 from Aero Maintenance Flight Center at Pearson Air Field. Here’s what he has to say about the […]

Nexrad radar is a wonderful tool for picking through areas of precipitation or diverting around thunderstorms. But like anything related to flying, good judgment is key. The information on the screen, whether you’re displaying it on panel-mounted avionics or a handheld unit, is not necessarily updated enough to be trusted to navigate through or skirt […]

A question I’ve been hearing lately is whether China will scoop up the assets of Hawker Beechcraft, which has filed for bankruptcy and is known to be for sale. Already, several potential bidders have come forward with hopes of buying the entire company or select pieces. I would bet China has at least joined the […]

“Whiskey Whiskey, cleared to Jamma Intersection. Hold as published. … ” I hear this as we’re climbing out of Lebanon, New Hampshire, heading to Tampa, Florida, with my 91-year-old mother in the back and at least two low-pressure areas in front of us on the route down the East Coast. The widespread rain and low […]

Airplane tires are durable things that will last for many years if taken care of properly. But just one bad landing can burn off a thick layer of rubber in one small area of the tire. Many flight schools and flying clubs have it as a policy that pilots who damage tires pay for their […]