Pilot Proficiency

Although the term “precision approach” merely means that vertical guidance is included, it seems to imply that the approach ought to be executed with precision by both pilots and controllers. On a December evening in 2013, a Cessna 310 carrying a pilot, 60, and his two daughters, 17 and 20, crashed while executing a missed […]

The occasional audible swoosh of ice departing the propellers and the bang of that ice hitting the fuselage provided the only comforting moments of this flight. How did I get here? Countless times when growing up I would look up from the ground at an airplane flying overhead and wish I were up there. This […]

When the Environmental Protection Agency began phasing out leaded gasoline in the 1970s with the passage of the Clean Air Act, aviation got a pass. Because lead was needed to boost octane levels and prevent detonation (also known as “knock”) in high-­compression piston aircraft engines, leaded avgas was exempted from the law. Lead is a […]

In more than 40 years of flying, Mary Schu says she has never been more frightened than the day she encountered extreme ­icing in flight. Schu flies in Oregon, one of the United States’ “iceboxes.” She’s the National Association of Flight Instructors’ 2015 Flight Instructor of the Year as well as an FAA-designated pilot ­examiner. […]

Many general aviation passengers have a dream to be a pilot, but the apparent complexity in the cockpit can be an intimidating place to a non-aviator. To make the cockpit more inviting to your non-flying friends you should explain what you are doing and encourage your passengers to ask questions. You may find that the […]

We were sitting on the porch, reading the paper. My wife, Cathy, held actual newsprint in her hand while I stared at the bright black-and-white copy and colorful photos on a tablet. As the newspaper rustled toward her lap, she looked over at me and asked, “Why is it that you want to be captain?” […]

Before your next flight review or instrument proficiency check, you’ll want to read over a new FAA Advisory Circular that contains guidance for instructors on special areas of emphasis for general aviation pilots. The FAA is concerned that pilots’ hand-flying skills might not always be up to acceptable standards and that many may suffer from […]

The family of Michael Copeland, a Qualcomm executive who died when the Cessna 172 Skyhawk he piloted crashed as a result of a midair collision with a Sabreliner 60 last August, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against New Jersey-based Serco Inc., the private air traffic control company that contracts with the government to provide […]

Cold and flu season is upon us and many of you may be suffering with severe coughing or sneezing both day and night. Winter is also the time of year that presents the least times available for flying, with cruddy weather conditions being the norm. But if you get one of those rare, CAVU days, […]

Tick, tock. I resisted the temptation to look at my watch, then stole a furtive glance into my shirt cuff. Still only 2:15 p.m. I’d been at Horizon Air’s operations center on the edge of the Portland International Airport for a little over four hours, but it seemed much longer, and now time was slowing to […]