Pilot Proficiency

Two business associates and I were on the second leg of a three-leg business trip that would carry us from Chino, California, to Las Cruces, New Mexico, to Boulder, Colorado, and then back home. The first leg was one I had made on numerous occasions because my company had several customers in the New Mexico […]

The warm wind through the steel brace wires generated a distinct whistle over the rumble of the Stearman’s big radial engine as we followed our shadow up and over the rolling green hills. The prop churned the summer air and flung it across the open cockpit, beating it against my head in a steady, rhythmic […]

In remote regions of the world, general aviation serves as a vital tool for countless people who rely on the life-saving transportation it provides. Flying enthusiast Peter Neal gives us a closer glimpse into the types of incredible missions aviation makes possible with this video footage of service flights to the Borneo Jungle. Check it […]

There’s been a lot of nervous hand wringing over the idea of letting more recreational pilots self-certify that they are fit for flight by forgoing the formal FAA medical process. Christopher Hart, the acting head of the National Transportation Safety Board, told lawmakers recently he is “very concerned about pilots flying without adequate medical standards,” […]

Here’s a story with an interesting twist. Flying reader Maurice Cabirac shares his run-in with an unexpected aircraft in the sky. For a midair collision, the incident had a rather unexpected ending. My student, a 70-year-old friend, and I were shooting touch-and-gos when on one of our takeoffs our airspeed indicator went completely to zero. […]

The “good ol’ days” of aviation often weren’t all that good. When I learned to fly instruments in 1970 in our Cherokee 140, we had a single navcom and no DME. Trying to determine my position by using cross-radials from nearby VORs often left my head, as well as the OBS, spinning. And in the […]

From my peripheral vision, I caught a glimpse of our flight engineer using his thumb repeatedly to push on an amber press-to-test light. I turned in my seat and looked directly at the engineer panel, taking note of the area causing concern. The area was the hydraulic system. One of the ­B-pumps appeared to be […]

This year’s Oshkosh Airshow will rank as one of the best of all time based on attendance figures, the number of airplanes that flew in for AirVenture and the mood of visitors and exhibitors, EAA chairman Jack Pelton proclaimed on Sunday as the big Wisconsin aviation extravaganza wrapped up. “Overall attendance was up,” he said. […]

You’re lined up on the runway, the pre-departure checklists complete, ready to blast off on another fun flying adventure. You’ve confirmed the runway is long enough, that you’ve got sufficient fuel, the weather is within your personal limits and all notams and TFRs have been checked. Is there anything you missed? What about the engine […]

Greg Anderson, the former EAA staffer who came up with the idea for the Young Eagles program, received the 2014 Phillips 66 Aviation Leadership Award last week during AirVenture Oshkosh 2014. Anderson has dedicated much of his life to inspiring young people to get involved in aviation, personally flying more than 600 youths on Young […]