Pilot Proficiency

Most pilots haven’t given much thought to the requirements that the examiner must meet in order to qualify as a Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE). However, recent changes to the PIC requirements for examiners may have a direct impact on pilots trying to schedule a check ride. Historically, experience requirements for PIC qualifications for examiners were […]

When the idea to create a full-motion helicopter sim in which to train EMS personnel came to Joe Brown, CEO of Hartzell Propeller, he immediately thought of Jerry Gregoire, founder of Redbird Flight Simulations. Within a matter of months, the concept turned into a product, designed not to make money but to save lives. As […]

Lockheed Martin and Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) have both won contract bids to provide DUATS for a year, the FAA recently announced, meaning Data Transformation Corporation (DTC) will no longer provide service as it has for the past 25 years since DUATS first became available in 1989. The new contracts, which can be renewed each […]

What’s cooler than a high-def video of the Jetman blasting across the sky beneath his jet-powered carbon-fiber wing? A video of two Jetmen flying formation aerobatics over Dubai, of course. Yves “Jetman” Rossy has made a name for himself by flying all over the world with nothing but his jet wing attached to his body. […]

“What’s that?” you wonder, as your back straightens and your ears come to attention. The engine coughs and continues to cough, spitting and hesitating before, suddenly, it dies and all goes eerily quiet. You pitch for best glide, run through your flows, read the checklists, but the engine refuses to restart. It has just become […]

When it comes to properly controlling airspeed and altitude there are a couple of schools of thought depending on which group of pilots you happen to be talking with. One subscribes to the idea that power management is all that’s really needed to control airspeed and altitude assuming the airplane is properly trimmed. The other […]

Video from a news helicopter captured the scene as the crew of a United Express jet was forced to make an emergency landing on Monday morning at Los Angeles International Airport after experiencing a landing gear problem. United Express Flight 5316, a Bombardier CRJ-200 operated by SkyWest Airlines, departed Monterey, California, at about 6:50 a.m. […]

Airbus is signaling its strong commitment to its flagship military transport plane after the crash of a new A400M in Spain on Sunday that killed four and injured two on a test flight. The brand new four-engine turboprop had just departed on its first shakedown flight after rolling out of the Airbus factory in Seville. […]

The AeroMobil 3.0 prototype developed in Slovakia crashed on a test flight on Friday. The pilot and inventor of the flying car, Štefan Klein, suffered minor injuries as a result of the crash and was able to exit the cabin by his own strength, according to the _Prague Post. _ The vehicle reportedly entered a […]

Like many, flying has always been my dream. By some miracle, I have been able to turn that dream into a successful career and hobby. As I passed midlife, suddenly realizing how valuable time is, I thought it time to fill that “bucket” that has loomed in the back of my head for so many […]