Pilot Proficiency

Recently, a former private pilot student of mine revealed some information during his biennial flight review that made my heart skip a few beats and nearly get stuck in my throat. He said he enjoys flying through clouds. Had this been one of my instrument students, I would have been happy. But this man never […]

In 1804, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark departed from St. Charles, Missouri, for a two-year exploration of America, inaugurating a grand American tradition that has persisted to this day — the road trip. Maybe it’s due to my airline pilot lifestyle, but I have never been a fan of travel for travel’s sake so my […]

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 John Carpenter, who recently stopped by Smyth Wythe Airport Commission at Mountain Empire Airport in a Cessna 172M. Here’s what he has to say about the experience. Smyth […]

This 1960s-vintage video shows the incredible performance capabilities of the C-130 Hercules. After some footage of C-130s landing on skis in Antarctica and conducting refueling missions, extensive coverage is shown from what the video claims to be the first carrier landings by a Hercules. Lt. James Flatley and his co-pilot Lt. Cmdr. W. Stovall conducted […]

The traffic pattern around an airport keeps the flight paths of airplanes in the vicinity predictable. By following the same track, it is easier for pilots to see other airplanes approaching to land. But the safety and efficiency of the traffic flow is dependent on the pilots in the pattern. It can become quite frustrating […]

If there’s anything that the FAA’s latest aviation industry forecast proves, it’s that you can make the numbers paint just about any picture you want them to, especially when you’re guessing using assumptions about what might happen 20 years from now. For instance, what if I told you that the number of student pilots in […]

Jim Lauerman, former president of Avemco Insurance Company, shares his top list of “aviation insurance myths” – those long-held beliefs about aircraft policies that are misunderstood by pilots, whether they own the airplane they fly, rent the airplane they fly or fly a friend’s airplane. These myths are specific to Avemco® in many cases, 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 Greg Thomas, who frequently visits Texas Jet in his Cirrus SR22. Here’s what he has to say about the experience. Texas Jet Fort Worth, Texas “Every time I […]

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 […]