Pilot Proficiency

Evolution Revo Buckeye, Arizona / Injuries: 1 Fatal The commercial pilot, who had a total flight experience of about 4,500 hours in conventional airplanes, was learning to fly weight-shift-control (WSC) aircraft with the expressed intent of purchasing a high-performance WSC aircraft. The pilot obtained all of his 13.5 hours of WSC experience, including his WSC […]

It probably can remain unspoken, but an airplane crash is not an item I care to list on my resume. As a professional pilot, that box is something none of us ever wants to check off in our career column. I’m also quite certain that absolutely none of my passengers would care to be participants […]

Accidents attributed to controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) have decreased significantly over the years thanks to the introduction of the terrain awareness and warning system (TAWS). The technology provides life-saving information and serves as a vital layer of protection as aircraft navigate changing terrain in various weather conditions. TAWS pulls aircraft position, speed and direction […]

I had just landed at Minneapolis-Saint Paul Airport and was on a quick break in the middle of a busy workday, with just enough time between flights to grab a salad for lunch and check my email. As soon as I turned on my phone, I saw the message from Roy, lead mechanic at Aero […]

Speed Limits: In the United States — Mach 1 10,000 feet msl or above — Unrestricted (but not more than Mach 1) Below 10,000 feet msl — 250 kias Class B airspace — Unrestricted at or above 10,000 feet msl, 250 kias below 10,000 feet msl Beneath Class B or in VFR corridor through Class […]

Throughout the years of my musings with this magazine, I have espoused the attribute of mundane in regard to a safe and successful airline trip; the simulator is reserved as the venue for the exact opposite. None of my colleagues would wish for an inflight malady just to quell the monotony, but there are moments […]

“We’re going to be in the Hudson.” It was Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger announcing they were going to dead stick US Airways Flight 1549 into the Hudson River. It is a story most of us are familiar with. After the loss of both engines in their A320, Capt. Sullenberger and First Officer Jeff Skiles first […]

Arthur Rosen decided to add ADS-B to the 62-year-old V-Tail Bonanza he’s been flying the past 20 years, taking advantage of the FAA’s $500 rebate program along the way. Rosen told Flying that although installation of the new Appareo Stratus ESGi equipment went pretty smoothly, certifying the equipment hasn’t gone well at all. At press […]

Some instrument approach procedures just don’t seem fair. Take this approach into Hailey, Idaho, for example. Not only is it an NDB approach, it’s an NDB approach into a mountainous airport with circle-to-land minimums only. We’re seeing fewer NDB approaches as satellite-based RNAV procedures emerge, but nondirectional beacons are simple in their operation, if more […]

In the 10 years I’ve been writing for Flying, I’ve told the stories of heroic, ridiculous, amusing, embarrassing, illegal, skilled, humanitarian, negligent and wonderful things we pilots do — stories about me, as well as people I’ve known as instructors, FAA inspectors and examiners, or simply as fellow pilots. In short, I’ve tried to be […]