Pilot Proficiency

If you ever feel rushed while flying, take a deep breath, gather your thoughts and return to the task at hand — and whatever it was you were doing, do it more slowly. After all, very few things in aviation need to be done in a hurry. Rushing will only cause you to make mistakes. […]

I advance the power levers slowly. Once I am satisfied with our tracking on the runway centerline, I push them rapidly forward into the takeoff detent. With the acceleration sinking me back into my seat, I glance at the airspeed tape as it rolls past 70 knots. V1. VR. V2. I apply increasing back pressure […]

In our FBO Spotlight series, we’re highlighting FBOs around the country that have received rave reviews from our readers. This latest Spotlight is brought to you by Bob Maxwell, who has recently flown into Marv Skie-Lincoln County Airport in Tea, South Dakota, in a Cessna 152 II. Here’s what he had to say about the […]

If you are looking for a new place to fly for breakfast, lunch or dinner, you may want to take a look at a list of fly-in spots called the “Best of the Best” created by John Purner, the founder of “The $100 Hamburger.” Purner used feedback from a pool of 54,000 web-based subscribers to […]

Malaysian officials released a preliminary report on Thursday detailing missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370’s mysterious journey on March 8, providing the first complete glimpse of the timeline with maps showing the Boeing 777-200ER’s presumed flight path. According to the official account of what happened, Flight 370 departed Runway 32R from Kuala Lumpur International Airport at […]

The first in a series of fly-ins that AOPA is calling a “grassroots effort” took place in San Marcos, Texas, this past Saturday, and the results were beyond anyone’s wildest expectations. The event raised the question, “can a fly-in be too big,” and punctuated it with a big “yes.” This one came close. With “more […]

A Piper Lance flying in foggy weather in central South Dakota yesterday crashed into the blade of a wind turbine, killing the pilot and three passengers. The FAA has confirmed that the 1978 Piper PA-32R-300 struck a blade of the wind tower outside Highmore, South Dakota, in poor weather, but offered no explanation as to […]

So far, all pilots other than those flying under light sport pilot rules must possess a medical certificate in order to fly legally. These regulations may soon change and you may be able to fly with a driver’s license and by self-assessment of whether you are fit to fly. Whether you have a medical certificate […]

The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for a Cessna 210, which crashed into the waters of San Pablo Bay near Richmond, California, after it collided with a WWII-era Hawker Sea Fury T Mk.20 at 4:05 p.m. on Sunday. The FAA issued a temporary flight restriction over the search area to protect Coast Guard […]

One of the legends clinging to the Sopwith Camel is that it was so reluctant to turn 90 degrees to the right that pilots preferred making a 270 to the left. Now, this is being said about the airplane that is widely regarded as the premier dogfighter of World War I. You have to wonder […]