Pilot Proficiency

Think you know airplane noise? Put your knowledge of vintage aircraft to the test with our engine sounds quiz. We’ll give you several different engine noises to listen to and then ask you to match them up with the airplanes that make them. Launch the quiz here.

I recently spent a week on a sailboat as a guest of an experienced captain and his first mate – in this case, literally so because she is also his wife. This was my first real exposure to sailing on the open sea, of which past experiences have been confined to the occaisional summer afternoon, […]

It was a picture-perfect early February day in Michigan — clear blue sky, calm wind, 30 degrees Fahrenheit. It was even better because there was no snow on the grass strip. But a storm was forecast to bring 12 inches of snow the next day. That much snow would shut down my flying for days […]

We had departed London and just passed 30 degrees west longitude, slightly less than halfway across the ocean. The flight attendant chime sounded in the cockpit accompanied by the engine instrument and crew alerting system message “cabin call.” I put the interphone handset to my ear. “Les, it’s Liz. We have a woman in coach […]

Forget about flight reviews and instrument competency checks. Part 135 operations are conducted in a thicket of regulations. Among them are the requirements of Section 299: ** a)** “No certificate holder may use a pilot, nor may any person serve as a pilot in command of a flight, unless, since the beginning of the 12th […]

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 Greg Felton, who recently visited Leading Edge Aviation at South Valley Regional Airport in a Cessna 172. Here’s what he has to say about the experience. Leading Edge […]

As the story of air traffic controllers ignoring a recent distress call spread, Flying readers took to Facebook this week to voice their opinions on the incident. Here are some snippets from the informal debate sparked by the story: _“Obviously, the controller had a cognitive bias in place, but I think the whole incident could […]

The bluebonnets are in bloom at a Texas airport near you. While many think of dusty tumbleweed towns when they think of Texas, when it comes to springtime, few places in the world can rival Texas for its wildflower displays. We’re thankful that Llano Municipal Airport (KAQO), along with many Texas Hill Country Airports, keep […]

A new site simply called “Wind Map” has taken the invisible and made it really easy to see. The brainchild of Fernanda Viegas and Martin Wattenberg, the wind map isn’t intended for pilots. In fact, they say in a cute disclaimer, “Please do not use the map or its data to fly a plane, sail […]

If you’re planning a trip that is too far to take in your personal airplane and you want to avoid the airlines, you can quickly connect with charter operators through a new company called PlaneFinder. You simply go online to request a charter flight by entering the departure and arrival airports, the number of passengers […]