Pilot Proficiency

Maybe, someday, at the end of a flight I will be able to say, “My performance as a pilot was perfect on that flight. I didn’t make a single mistake.” So far I have never come close. My performance (and John’s) on a recent flight is a great example. It was time for us to […]

Looking for a spiritual lift, I entered Signature Flight Support in Boston with its soaring cathedral ceilings and even higher fuel prices. I had hoped to beat Capt. Courtney Crain to the FBO as she was airlining in from Palm Beach, Florida. We had not flown together in months. Alas, she was already hunched over […]

I am fortunate that the majority of my trips can be categorized as mundane, a characteristic that all airline pilots aspire to for the sake of our passengers. The law of averages indicated I was due a trip that fell out of that category. And on this particular flight, it almost seemed as if the […]

Galen Hanselman, who has published several guidebooks and charts for pilots interested in landing on something other than 5,000-foot paved runways, sent me his two-volume flier’s guide to Utah and the associated “Supplemental World Aeronautical Chart,” which resembles a WAC chart but includes a slew of backcountry airstrips not on the WAC. The quality of […]

While we may not be able to defy gravity as pilots, this group of fliers has found a fun way to play with Newton’s law while in the air. Check out this video submitted by Flying reader Alex Mazz and see how a simple science experiment in the air can bring a smile to just […]

You are likely aware of NASA’s Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS), which can give you a “get out of jail free”-card if you self report a mistake you’ve made during a flight. What you may not be aware of is that the ASRS publishes the submitted stories, anonymously of course, in a newsletter and in […]

It is uncommon for everyone to survive during a midair collision with major damage to the airplanes involved. But that is exactly what happened during a failed F-16 training mission that was conducted on October 20 last year. Unable to maintain visual contact with its lead airplane during a formation maneuver, one pilot collided with […]

The Red Bull Flying Bulls aerobatic team was performing at the Aero India airshow in Bengaluru on Thursday when two of the airplanes collided midair, sending both into emergency descents that ended with successful landings. Both pilots escaped the accident uninjured, but one aircraft suffered significant wing damage. Local reports say the collision between the […]

I’ve been to a handful of parties in my life, and for the most part, they’ve all been rather staid affairs. Which is quiet ironic. You see, at most of these dos, I often run into people who tend to have the ideal solution for fixing the weakening Euro, rising inflation, ISIS, India’s meek bowling […]

Chances are you’re fairly comfortable with landing in a crosswind — up to a point. When the wind is howling, you might feel you lack the skill (or rudder authority) to track a straight line along the centerline with one wing held low into the breeze. What should you do? Head for another airport with […]