Pilot Proficiency

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 […]

Suddenly, the so-called “Part 23 rewrite” has grown from a simple tweaking of aircraft and equipment certification standards to a full-on international effort to harmonize regulations around the world. Changing the rules of the game for how manufacturers approve new technology for light airplanes by shifting from the federal aviation regulations (or their international equivalent) […]

With two iconic military aircraft on the line this year, the Lockheed U-2 and the A-10 Warthog, fans have been showing their support in various ways. One particular agency, Hangar 30, which specializes in video production, has created a heart-pounding tribute to the A-10 Warthog showcasing the upcoming budget battle. And it asks the question: […]

When something went wrong in the air during a practice flight, aerobatic pilot Dan Marcotte jumped from his Ultimate Aero 10-200, parachuting to safety as the single-seat biplane crashed in a fireball onto a northern Vermont interstate. Marcotte, an experienced aerobatic pilot, bailed out of the airplane last Friday over Highgate, Vermont, near the Canadian […]

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is partnering with a company founded by Erik Lindbergh, the grandson of Charles Lindbergh, to curb emissions and noise from aircraft engines by developing new electric and hybrid power systems. Lindbergh, CEO of Powering Imagination, and Dr. Richard Anderson, Director of the Eagle Flight Research Center at Embry-Riddle, noted that pollution and […]

With warmer weather on the way many pilots around the country will be trading their winter hats and gloves for t-shirts and shorts. If the airplane you fly doesn’t have air conditioning you’ll want to be sure to plan ahead to avoid roasting in a sun-baked cockpit. Once you’re airborne this isn’t usually a problem […]

In the third week of November 2011, a Rockwell 690 made a night VFR round trip from Safford in eastern Arizona to Falcon Field in Mesa, just east of Phoenix. On the return leg, the pilot turned right immediately after taking off from Falcon’s Runway 04R, remained at 4,500 feet until emerging from under Phoenix […]

It is a Saturday night in Ithaca, New York. The temperature is 7 degrees, and the gusts of 26 knots blow snow across the ramp. The only available evidence of this blowing snow is provided by powerful floodlights attached to the hangar that make for a scene that is both bright white and, just beyond […]