Pilot Proficiency

Before the introduction of Loran, GPS and integrated glass panel avionics, airplanes were commonly equipped with one or two VOR systems, perhaps an ADF and sometimes a very handy piece of equipment called DME. Transitioning to a new panel mostly required finding the avionics master switch and figuring out how to enter the digits associated […]

(October 2011) The LabCorp offices are only 20 minutes from work; I think I’ll try to get over there during lunch break. As I open the tinted glass door, I come upon a room full of 40 (maybe) people sitting on plastic chairs, most of them staring blankly at a television that is tuned to […]

The Monday launch by Cessna of its Citation Latitude light-midsize jet threw the balance of power in the midsize market into a bit of a tizzy in a number of surprising ways. The airplane at first seems an odd way for Cessna to innovate to win back market share in the light to midsize bizjet […]

Piston engines don’t run well on water or anything other than what they’re designed to burn. Water can be present in the fuel from condensation, particularly if the tanks are not kept full. Since water is heavier than fuel, it collects at the lowest points in the tanks, where the fuel strainers are located. That’s […]

Strolling the million or so square feet of exhibit space at the NBAA Convention in Las Vegas, you’d swear you’d stepped into some strange parallel universe where the business aviation industry’s worst-ever downturn simply never happened. The show floor is packed with people and products, business jet makers aren’t skimping on their lavish Vegas exhibits […]

When all was said and done, AirVenture 2011 was a good one. Despite some pre-show storms and a single day of rain, the weather was nothing short of spectacular. Even with the down economy, pilots came to Oshkosh for the festivities from all around. Airplane parking and on-site camping was maxed out early in the […]

In our FBO Spotlight series, we’re highlighting FBOs around the country that have received rave reviews from our readers. The latest Spotlight is brought to you by Moises Lomeli, who recently flew into KDTS in a 172 and paid a visit to Destin Jet. Here’s what he had to say about his trip to the […]

Let’s imagine for a moment the following hypothetical situation: Two airplanes are taking off at exactly the same moment from parallel runways. Airplane A accelerates to and climbs out at Vx while Airplane B accelerates to and climbs at Vy. What will happen in each case? Of course, we already know that Vx is the […]

(October 2011) Those of us who have been around airplanes for any length of time understand the concept of stepping up, whereby a nonpilot becomes a pilot, learns to fly in a certain brand of airplane and then remains loyal to that brand while gaining experience and moving up through the model lineup to bigger, […]

During my 12-year flying career, I’ve had one engine failure. I was lucky. It happened during a takeoff in my Cessna 170, and thankfully the engine quit immediately after I applied full power on the runway. I was able to use what forward momentum I had achieved to roll onto the hard surface area between […]