Pilot Proficiency

It has been widely recognized that pilots with a sense of community are more likely to continue the path to becoming licensed pilots or to carry on the pursuit of aviation for fun or as a career. Now two of the most recognizable faces within the aviation community, John and Martha King, have launched an […]

At the Sun ‘n Fun International Fly-In last week, the National Association of Flight Instructors inducted the latest flight instructor into the National Flight Instructor Hall of Fame at its annual members’ dinner on Thursday night. This year’s inductee is Kirby Ortega, who was previously honored as the NAFI Flight Instructor of the Year in […]

Flying with a friend from Oshkosh back to New Jersey, I called up clearance delivery at our first fuel stop, a leg from Muskegon County Airport on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan to Burke Lakefront Airport on the southern shore of Lake Erie — and was pleased to hear those magic words: “Cleared as […]

The United States Helicopter Safety Team (USHST), a group made up of FAA and industry representatives, shared some good news this week regarding helicopter accident statistics. The group analyzed accident data during two three-year periods and found that the accident record has improved by 21 percent. USHST compared accidents that occurred during the three-year period […]

This year, Sun ‘n Fun celebrated its 40th anniversary on April 1-6 at the Lakeland Linder Regional Airport. With over 500 vendors and exhibitors, airshows every afternoon, special youth activities, forums, workshops, seminars and evening programs, there will be something for every aviation enthusiast to enjoy. And this year, the Blue Angels made their their […]

Ever wished you could rent your airplane to strangers? OpenAirplane, the creator of a Zipcar-style aircraft rental network, announced a new service called Collaborative Aircraft Rental that aims to let aircraft owners rent their personal airplanes to qualified OpenAirplane members. The idea is to broaden the OpenAirplane network of available aircraft while allowing owners to […]

Here’s an idea for a reality TV show we’d be sure to DVR: A pilot, a chef and a treasure hunter head off in an airplane to visit the coolest small airports across the country, sampling the food at the airport restaurants, meeting interesting airport characters and discovering the incredible airplanes and historic items inside […]

Embry-Riddle flight students will continue training in Cessna 172s for years to come after the university signed a long-term purchase agreement for 57 Skyhawks as part of a multi-year agreement. Cessna said 29 aircraft will be delivered to ERAU this year and the remaining 28 next year. The fleet will replace the Cessna 172s currently […]

Flying‘s senior editor Stephen Pope paid a visit on Thursday morning to David Clark’s booth in Hangar C at the Sun ‘n Fun campus to present the Editors’ Choice Award. David Clark’s winning product was the DC Pro-X active noise reduction headset. Weighing in at only 7.5 ounces, the DC Pro-X weighs about half as […]

Some of the booths drawing attention at the Sun ‘n Fun International Fly-In and Expo this week are those with piston-powered helicopter trainer simulators. We checked out a couple of affordable simulator versions, the Elite TH22 and X-copter flight simulators, both of which feature models from the largest helicopter manufacturer in the world — Torrance, […]