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In the aftermath of its investigations into recent midair collisions the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in November released guidance for pilots stressing the inherent limitations of the long-standing see-and-avoid practice and urging adoption of technological solutions. The NTSBs guidance is found in Safety Alert SA-058, Prevent Midair Collisions: Dont Depend on Vision Alone. The Safety Alert is available in the PDF file format free for the download at tinyurl.com/SAF058.

I’ll admit it: I’m a fiend for change. I thoroughly agree that variety is the spice of life, and when things get too stagnant, I tend to shake them up whether they really need it or not. Perhaps you sensed this in my September column: My wife and I had a really nice, comfortable life […]

since both the FAA and the NTSB define this category precisely in terms of the crew consisting of a single non-professional pilot who operates the aircraft as an incidental duty to the pilot’s business. Source: FAAüThis chart is from a presentation by NTSB Member Earl F. Weener delivered at the NBAA’s Single Pilot Safety Standdown in November 2015. It highlights how the business aviation segment fatal accident rate

while in four out of five accidents blamed on fuel contamination

Over the years, Ive had my share of urgent situations, events that were abnormal and required ending a flight in a fashion other than was planned or performing a checklist from the flight manuals emergencies section. These events never really turned into full-fledged emergencies, but emergency is defined by the person experiencing it. Most of us have experienced such episodes-peaking oil temperature, a rough-running engine, an unsafe landing gear indication. The outcome is more likely to be frustrated phone calls from unfamiliar airports, plus unscheduled underwear changes, than an accident report.

The day of my departure, I had one good sign. The area forecast predicted tops at between 12,000-14,000 feet. Thats a familiar forecast for the time of year, and I find it enjoyable to fly over a cotton-like cloud deck. It was also well within my airplanes capability, and I had a four-place oxygen bottle that had been recently topped off. Looking at the satellite data, Metars and TAFs at my destination, it appeared to be clear on the far end of my route.

The criteria we use to select our annual Editors’ Choice award winners are fairly simple: We look for the best products, technologies, ideas and innovations that emerged in the preceding year. Once we’ve separated the merely good from the great, we cull our list even further, debating why some contenders should make the final cut […]

It was a whole new world to us. From the air, John and I saw the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, the Pacific Ocean, and what was to become our new hometown in California — all on our first cross-country after we got our licenses. We were hooked. From that time on, our lives were […]

After completing its investigation of two fatal midair crashes last year in which seven people died, the NTSB in November issued a Safety Alert urging general-aviation pilots to make use of cockpit technologies that can help them see and avoid other aircraft. The inaugural Sport Aviation Showcase kicked off in Deland, Florida, in November, providing a new venue for fans of light sport aircraft. Boom Technology of Denver, Colorado, unveiled its XB-1 one-third-scale supersonic demonstrator in November. NBAAs annual Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition was held in Orlando, Florida in October, and led with big news from Cirrus that they have achieved FAA certification for their single-engine jet.

David Melcher, president and CEO of the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA), began Tuesday’s annual media luncheon by alluding to the continuing social media “saga” created throughout 2016 by President-elect Donald Trump. Melcher was referencing a tweet posted just a few hours before the lunch, in which Trump called the cost of the two new Air […]