Pilot Proficiency

As the gear of the Mooney 201 thumped into the wheel wells, I squinted over the glareshield at a setting sun that was transforming the horizon into a postcard of purple, yellow and red. We climbed southwestward toward the VOR that established most of the routing around our airport. It wasn’t a 777, but just […]

One of the pleasures of this job is hearing from readers. Some write to correct my errors or to note my omissions. Some are hostile, though the population recommending my immediate consignment to the infernal fires has for some reason dwindled in recent years. Maybe they went first. Some ask questions. Some of the questions […]

Reddit user Theodore Funkenstein recently released stabilized video footage of the 1968 aircraft crash that forced Neil Armstrong to bail out at low altitude, allowing a one-of-a-kind look at an event that nearly took the life of the world’s most well known astronaut. A little more than a year before his giant leap for mankind, […]

Thanks to the success of Sporty’s 2014 RV-12 Sweepstakes, the popular pilot supplies provider has once again selected the Van’s LSA for its annual airplane giveaway. One lucky winner will be awarded the two-seater on May 16, 2015, during Sporty’s annual fly-in. Individuals who make purchases at Sporty’s between May 9, 2014, and May 8, […]

Ever wish that paper airplane you made would go just a little bit farther? Thanks to a new gadget from PowerUp Toys, you can now make that homemade airplane go the distance by turning it into a flying drone. To make it happen, users can simply add a dime-size battery and motor to their paper […]

Cessna is launching its third annual Cessna Discover Flying Challenge. But this year is quite different from previous years. Instead of flying Skycatchers, the two-seat airplanes that Cessna took out of production in the past few months, the selected pilot interns will jump into six Cessna 172 Skyhawks. “The enthusiasm of our interns is contagious […]

Just when you thought pilot selfies couldn’t get any cooler, the Royal Netherlands Air Force released a series of photos on their Facebook page showcasing their welcome home of the first Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner in the Netherlands. The two F-16 fighter jets were escorting the Dreamliner that the Dutch airline Arkefly received last week. But […]

Since the age of 10, Mary Moe has had a dream. She wanted to fly airplanes. She was too young to join the Women Air Force Pilots during their short stint and she was too short to become what she referred to as an airhostess. Like so many women, Moe was married, had children and […]

An epic air race across the heart of China? Apparently it’s really happening, with a qualifying event planned for this September in conjunction with the upcoming Open Skies General & Business Aviation Leaders Forum in Xian, China. Pilots of light piston airplanes are being invited to participate in the race next year from Istanbul to […]

With only one month left to compete in the finals for the Flying Challenge Cup stick-and-rudder skills competition in Redbird’s full-motion flight simulators, both pilots and non-pilots are giving it their all for that free ticket to Oshkosh 2014. And it’s still anyone’s game. Since its launch at Sun ‘n Fun this year, the numbers […]