Pilot Proficiency

Pilots looking to get comfortable using the iPad in the cockpit as well as seasoned tech geeks seeking to put their iPad prowess to the test can do just that at the Flying Aviation Expo later this month, thanks to two seminars that will be held by pilot supplies company MyGoFlight. During the company’s “IPad […]

A Hawker 800 made an emergency gear up landing at Denver International Airport on Wednesday after circling for hours to troubleshoot the problem and burn off fuel. Video of the touchdown shown by Fox 31 Denver gives a good indication of just what the crew was dealing with as the belly of the business jet […]

If you are one of many pilots who enjoy flying as well as driving fast cars, this simulator game may be something to add to your Christmas list. CXC Simulations’ Motion Pro II provides the versatility of experiencing fast vehicles on the ground and in the air. Best of all, the company says the simulator […]

When I was a little girl growing up on the west side of Cincinnati in the ’50s, I was obsessed with airplanes, but the closest I came to any were the distinctive V-tails that flew regularly over our house. And I remember my father saying, “There go the Hogans,” referring to four brothers who operated […]

For you instrument-rated pilots, and even you VFR-only fliers, how often do you look up the published departure procedure for a given airport before taking off into clear blue skies — or maybe not-so-clear skies? The answer should be every single time. Over the years a number of fatal accidents have been attributed to controlled […]

“Let’s get one thing straight. There is a big difference between a pilot and an aviator. A pilot is a technician. An aviator is an artist in love with flight.” So said Elrey Borge Jeppesen. As I try to migrate from pilot to aviator, I’ve discovered, or I should say rediscovered, an important truth. It […]

It was a setup for loss of control. Martha and I were brand-new VFR-only pilots and, while returning from California to Indiana, had decided to scud–run through Tennessee to hurry our way home. The ceilings had pressed us down below the tops of tall antennas, and we were circling tightly over a small town while […]

The sole pilot aboard an S-2T died on Tuesday when the air tanker crashed during a firefighting mission at Yosemite National Park. The pilot has been identified as 62-year-old Geoffrey “Craig” Hunt. The FAA said the airplane went down “under unknown circumstances,” but a California Highway Patrol officer who witnessed the crash says the airplane […]

Imagine blasting past the pylons over Reno at 440 mph in your highly modified Rolls-Royce Griffon-powered P-51 Mustang race plane when suddenly — engine failure! You immediately pitch up, trading airspeed for altitude as you scan for the runway. There it is! Feather the prop, bank hard left and head for the ribbon of black […]

In March 2011 a pilot flying a Beechcraft B35 Bonanza near Whidbey Island, Washington, heard strange noises that he described as thumps coming from his airplane as he maneuvered to avoid a restricted area. The pilot reported that his airspeed was 165 knots, which is in the yellow arc of the airspeed indicator. Once on […]