Pilot Proficiency

Jack Knight’s was not a hero’s face. Neither rugged nor square-jawed, it was, rather, overly broad in the forehead and narrow in the chin, somewhat like Fred Astaire’s or the famous face on the bridge in the Edvard Munch painting called The Scream. But heroes are as heroes do. Knight was an airmail pilot at […]

The view is from on high. It is hard to believe you are even moving. The engines are so far behind you that they produce but a whisper. Richard Rolland sits to my right in the FO’s seat, flicking a few switches and acting all the while as if I’m doing the flying. We’re in […]

If you’ve been flying for a while and have flown with a few different people you are probably well aware that, in aviation as well as in many other facets of life, there are many ways to skin a cat. And so it is in the profession of flight instructing. For example, there are different […]

A public relations war of words between UPS and the cargo airline’s pilots union has gotten both kicked off the investigation team working to determine what caused the crash of UPS Flight 1354 in Birmingham, Alabama, on Aug. 14, 2013. The National Transportation Safety Board announced yesterday it has revoked the party status of UPS […]

How my confreres come up with ideas for their columns I have no idea, but the process is probably more studied and logical than mine. This may seem oblique, but I’ve been thinking about propellers since recently deciding it was time to quit talking and take action. So I presented myself at ­”Mother’s,” a tattoo […]

As a result of the speculative theories regarding the disappearance of Malaysia Flight 370, the subject of cameras and streaming data from the cockpit has been re-energized. But why? And for what purpose? The obvious answer is to monitor cockpit activities in the event a situation arises. But what kind of situation? A terrorist event? […]

Sunshine! It feels so foreign, so exotic, and so wonderful! I know that you are comfortably ensconced in the warm embrace of summer, but back here in late April, the upper Midwest is just now escaping the clutches of a memorably brutal winter. My home airport, Airlake, is bursting to life from its sleepy state […]

If you are ready to deal with the answer, here’s something you can try the next time you are in a room full of pilots. Ask them to hold up their hands if the answer to this question for them is “yes.” “How many here knew someone personally who was killed in an aircraft accident?” […]

The IFR Proficiency Center that was a popular draw at EAA AirVenture in July will be making a repeat appearance this fall at Flying Aviation Expo in Palm Springs, California. An offshoot of the IMC Club and sponsored by Jeppesen, Hartzell, Redbird Flight Simulation, EAA and Flying, the Proficiency Center at Aviation Expo will feature […]

A Beechcraft Bonanza that was lost in Marin County, California, on Monday evening sparked a 40-acre wildfire in a remote area of farmland and open grass fields. Lieutenant Douglas Pittman from the Marin County sheriff’s department told a local CBS station that dense fog in the area delayed the search and the wreckage wasn’t located […]