Pilot Proficiency

Every airplane has a power curve. And every power curve has a backside. It’s an area of the performance envelope in which induced drag rises dramatically, necessitating considerably more power to maintain a given airspeed and altitude. Venturing into this “region of reverse command” on approach can be particularly hazardous because as you “drag it […]

When you lay your towel down on a beach mere feet from the arrival end of an active runway, do you assume any of the responsibility for your personal safety? A German sunbather is likely contemplating that very question after a Piper Archer nearly landed on top of him recently as he relaxed on an […]

Jan. 21, 2000. 5:30 a.m. I huddle over the wheel of the tug, savoring the warmth of the dashboard heater though it adds to my early-morning stupor. I’m not sure when I fell asleep last night, but it had to be mere hours before the alarm jolted my head from its resting place on my […]

Seven people in a Gulfstream IV were killed Saturday night in a fiery crash at Hanscom Field in Massachusetts, approximately 20 miles northwest of Boston. Hanscom is one of the busiest business aviation airports in the country and is a popular destination for bizjets going into Boston but wanting to avoid Logan International. The airplane […]

With aviation technology advancing all the time, we’re always asking the question: what will they think of next? Well, how about using only your brain to control an aircraft? Scientists at Technische Universität München and the TU Berlin have put the futuristic idea to the test and successfully demonstrated that brain-controlled flight is feasible — […]

Timetables, safety cards, even sick bags. Classic aviation and airline memorabilia has a legion of collectors around the world. And while you can pick up a an orange Braniff Summer 1981 timetable on eBay for less than $10, rare pieces at the most coveted end of the spectrum fetch significantly more. Here are five of […]

Flying is a risky activity. Many pilots like to think otherwise, but this basic truth is being officially acknowledged by the FAA. It has recruited groups of highly qualified instructors, examiners and course designers to collaboratively design an improved pilot evaluation system. The latest working group is charged with assisting in the implementation of Airman […]

Oh, brother, it is cold. I just can’t get this wall unit heater to warm up the place. It is dark and forbidding outside. I see the flat rooftop of the garage and not much else. It is white with snow. Is this the Holiday Inn in Secaucus, New Jersey, or the Embassy Suites in […]

We all know the importance of a preflight inspection to make sure the airplane is structurally sound and has enough fuel and oil to get you to your destination. After the flight is over, however, most pilots simply park the airplane without paying a whole lot of attention other than to tie the airplane down […]

The FAA and NTSB are investigating the crash last Friday of a Beech Bonanza near Silver City, New Mexico, that killed the pilot and three passengers, all of whom were students at a small local charter school. The airplane was piloted by an Albuquerque psychiatrist, Peter Hochla, who had been a pilot, according to local […]