Adventures & More

Air Force Test Center Flight Safety deputy chief Bill Koukourikos and Public Affairs specialist Laura Mowry approach their T-38.| There is always an edge, a place where what we know, the very best of our machine and our skill do not match what might happen, a place where “a wing and a prayer” holds operational […]

It seems like a paradox for an airplane based in Florida, but my wife, Cathy, and I fly our Cheyenne less in the winter months than any other time of the year. Why? Well, because the winter weather is so consistently agreeable, there is little incentive to leave home base in Tampa. When we do […]

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 Dave and Ginny Young, who recently flew into Hilton Head Airport in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, in a Beech Baron B58. Here’s what Dave had to say […]

For more than 50 years of jet airliner operation, the APU has been an integral part of airplane independence. The APU is a small jet engine located within the structure of the fuselage. With today’s airliners, the unit is operable both on the ground and in flight. In flight, the APU provides both a backup […]

The creators of the popular animated Disney movie Cars are about to release a new animated feature called Planes. Set to open in the theatres on August 9, Planes follows Dusty the crop duster as he tackles his fear of heights to achieve his dream of becoming an air racer. A wide variety of animated […]

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 Scott Sedam, who recently flew into Sawyer International Airport in Marquette, Michigan, in a Commander 114. Here’s what he had to say about the airport’s FBO, Boreal Aviation: […]

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 Phil Rutherford, who recently flew into Front Range Airport in Denver in a Cessna 140. Here’s what he had to say about the airport’s FBO: “[Front Range provides] […]

The Swiss all-electric, solar-powered Solar Impulse has completed the first leg on its 2013 Across America mission. Bertrand Piccard, Solar Impulse’s initiator and chairman, landed on Saturday at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix, 18 hours and 18 minutes after he departed from Moffett Airfield (KNUQ) near San Francisco, California. The 650 nm flight averaged about […]

All pilots must eat. Learjet pilots on an overnight have to eat. Due to unusual circumstances, I’ve participated in a variety of eating experiences while flying trips as a backup first officer in a Lear 31A for Elite Air of St. Petersburg, Florida. I say unusual because I am not your usual first officer. My […]

It seems simple enough: a small taildragger — a Stinson, it looks like — lined up for takeoff on a nice but shortish downhill sloped grass strip. Then something goes terribly wrong: The pilot actually tries to take off. The resultant takeoff is the most harrowing I’ve ever seen that doesn’t end in a flaming […]