Pilot Proficiency

FlightSafety International has added a level-D Pilatus PC-12/47 simulator to its Dallas Learning Center, making it the only such simulator in the world qualified to the highest approval standard. The simulator is equipped with legacy avionics including a Garmin GMX 200 multifunction display and a pair of Garmin GNS 530W GPS units. It also features […]

It was late January 1962 and my sister Mary and I had been taking flying lessons for about a month, but I don’t think either of us had soloed yet. The Ercoupe — loaned to us by an incredibly generous friend — had sat forlornly in the weeds for some time, so there were issues: […]

To the traveling public, I suspect that airline pilots are all essentially one and the same. We roam the terminals in the same weathered polyester uniforms, towing the same beat-up flight kits festooned with the airplane stickers of our pasts. We’re all pretty clean-shaven and tend to sport the same close-cropped haircut — only some […]

If you enjoyed Disney’s Planes, the movie about Dusty Crophopper’s quest to become a successful air racer that hit theaters last summer, you’ll be able to see the sequel next week. Planes: Fire and Rescue opens on July 18, and with great action scenes and a cast of new endearing characters, the follow-on has all […]

Have you ever wondered how the images on the beautiful posters of the Thunderbirds are made? Well, here’s your chance to find out. In this video U.S. Air Force photojournalist Staff Sergeant Larry Reid Jr. explains how the airplane he flies in follows the team of six F-16s in close trail to allow him to […]

The NTSB has released a preliminary report on an accident that happened on July 1 immediately after a Piper PA-12 departed from Merrill Field Airport in Anchorage, Alaska. According to the report, a witness who saw the accident said the “airplane’s angle of attack was so steep” that he knew “something was not right.” Another […]

Organizers have released the jam-packed schedule for the upcoming Flying Aviation Expo, scheduled for this October 31-November 2 in Palm Springs, California, which is promising to offer something for every pilot. The show, co-hosted by Flying magazine and Lift Event Management, will feature dozens of panel discussions and educational sessions along with exhibits inside the […]

Accident investigators in Poland are reviewing the maintenance logbooks of a 1976 Piper Navajo in which 11 people were killed and one was seriously injured when the parachute jump plane crashed shortly after takeoff on Saturday. The pressurized PA-31P took off from an airfield in Czestochowa, Poland, with 11 jumpers and one pilot onboard. Weather […]

On a recent flight over the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range I spotted a prominent landmark — Half Dome — a massive rock formation at the end of the valley at Yosemite National Park. While I had an idea of where it may be located from looking at the Sectional Chart, I didn’t know exactly where […]

Precision navigation into Sydney, Australia, just got easier with the implementation of a version of Honeywell’s Ground Based Augmentation System (GBAS). Honeywell and Airservices, a government entity in Australia, jointly developed what has been termed SmartPath, which allows for precision approaches and landings within one meter of the centerline at the Sydney Airport. SmartPath incorporates […]