Photos

“Show me how to start the engine, and I can fly anything,” is a boast I’ve heard from several pilots, and not all of whom I’d consider the best “stick” at the aerodrome. ‘Course, if you can’t start it, you can’t fly it. I once rented a Cessna 150 for a flight with my sister, […]

The currently controversial theory of “peak oil” holds that the top of the curve of world oil production – a barrels-per-day arc that rises with demand until it begins to fall because of dwindling supplies – either has already been reached or will be soon. Whatever side of the argument you’re on – there are […]

Never have I regretted spending money on airplanes. The costs for upgrades and maintenance may have been prodigious, but they always felt good. The airplane was either improved or restored. I never questioned these investments. Same for hangar, insurance and fuel. I wanted the airplane protected indoors, I wanted to protect the people flying in […]

I received a letter from a reader after our story on the Cessna Mustang ran in the May issue asking me to compare the Mustang to the original Lear Jet 23, to measure 40 years of progress in light business jets. Interesting idea, and there is a valid comparison, but it’s not the Lear and […]

As the last guys finish their dinner, we all look at each other with similar glances. Not a word needs to be said but everyone is thinking the exact same thing. The expressions say it all. It’s time to walk upstairs and play ball. We’ve been preparing ourselves for this for years now, and it’s […]

The graceful, curving point of Half Moon Bay is moving closer in the windscreen, and the airport runway there is now clearly visible. “I can take the controls back, if you want, to get us around the airport,” I offer to my friend Dan, in the right seat. He answers without taking his eyes off […]

Is landing an art or a science? That’s what the pilot of this King Air is about to find out as he maneuvers for a landing on a scenic runway out west, in the mountains. Once the King Air gets down, go flying with Tom Benenson as he explores landing through the eyes of a […]

At first glance the newly certified Mooney Ovation3 looks like just another Mooney (which, granted, is a little like saying “just another Porsche.”) But behind the familiar long-body lines are a couple of big changes. Even before the Ovation3 came along, these airplanes were fast, and over the past few years they’ve gotten faster, and […]