Pilot Proficiency

How can you tell if you’re on a collision course with another airplane? Your biggest clue will be that there will be no relative motion between your airplane and the other aircraft. If you can maneuver in such a way to make the other aircraft appear as though it’s moving relative to your location in […]

Last week, P-51-pilot Chuck Gardner had trouble getting his landing gear down in preparation for landing at the Mobile Downtown Airport. After attempting the recommended emergency gear operations procedures, Gardner asked for help. And did he ever receive! No one other than aviation legend Bob Hoover advised Gardner to perform some high G maneuvers to […]

Lloyd’s of London wrote the first-ever aviation insurance policy in 1911. By 1912, the company stopped writing aviation policies due to steep losses suffered from crashes by several of its policy-holders. Today, general aviation pilots face a similar situation: There were once a great many companies providing aviation insurance, but that number has dwindled in […]

(March 2012) A couple of years ago, I started flying a Piper Cub, and I have accumulated a good number of tailwheel hours in various types of antique taildraggers. As my time built, I had the opportunity to get some time in some pretty unusual aircraft, which is neat for a 23-year-old kid who is […]

(March 2012) It is understood among pilots that laminar flow is something good. But exactly what laminar flow looks and feels like eludes us, because air is invisible and so we never see the difference or the transition between laminar and turbulent. One common example of laminar flow in everyday experience is smoke rising from […]

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 Larry D. Cosby, who recently stopped by Co-Mar Aviation in a Piper Cherokee. Here’s what he has to say about the experience. Co-Mar Aviation (KBWG) Bowling Green, Kentucky […]

After a decade-long hiatus, Santa Monica Airport’s Museum of Flying, which was originally founded in 1974, opened its doors last weekend. Located on the south side of the runway adjacent to a large DC-3 monument maintained by the City of Santa Monica, the exhibit area houses a theater, several interactive displays and about two-dozen airplanes […]

Precise control of an airplane’s power is not that big a deal, that is, unless you want to fly precisely. In that case, it’s an absolutely critical part of the equation. Unless you control your ship’s power very accurately, you can’t nail the numbers, and nailing the numbers is the key to nailing the performance. […]

A few weeks ago we reported on an upcoming job fair being put together by Wasinc International, China’s largest pilot placement firm, and hosted by Pan Am International Flight Academy at its training centers in Miami and Las Vegas. What was unusual about the event was the airlines being represented. There were 12 Chinese carriers […]

Online flight tracking is a great resource for travelers and flight instructors alike. Websites such as FlightAware and flightwise are frequently used by friends and loved ones to watch the progress of airplanes enroute to their destinations. And if you don’t wish to actively track the flight, you can set up alerts that update you […]