Pilot Proficiency

The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles International Airport in Chantilly, Virginia, recently got an addition to its immense collection in the Boeing Aviation Hangar. Unlike some of the massive airplanes on display there, such as the Space Shuttle, SR-71 and Concorde, this new member of the Smithsonian […]

Dusty Crophopper and his flying friends are returning to the big screen this summer in a sequel to the hit Disney movie Planes. This time Dusty shifts gears from air racing to aerial firefighting in Planes: Fire & Rescue. In the sequel, due to hit theaters July 18, Dusty joins forces with veteran fire and […]

A student pilot called recently about scheduling a private practical test and mentioned that he had logged several hundred hours over a number of years. He then explained he’d surrendered his private pilot certificate after an accident — well, actually, after two accidents. Somehow he’d avoided any FAA action on the first one, a sort […]

Every pilot knows that flying is an intense mixture of uncommon rewards offset with exposure to risk. After all, while airplanes provide some of the greatest pleasures in our lifetimes, they do have to reach a lethal speed just to get airborne and then fly at thousands of feet above the ground. Balancing the risk/reward […]

Flying with friends and fellow pilots can be the best times, but it also has the potential to turn into a nightmare. This can happen when the person beside or behind you becomes a backseat flier. While it is important to speak up in cases that could turn into safety or legal issues, constant reminders […]

Flying Magazine Editor-in-Chief Robert Goyer has been named Editor of the Year by parent company Bonnier Corp., a publisher of nearly 40 consumer magazines in the United States. Judges singled out Goyer for “significantly advancing the way Flying leverages content to increase audience size and engagement on the brand’s website, social media, eNews and tablet […]

The Society of Aviation and Flight Educators (SAFE) will host its second regional Pilot Proficiency Project (PPP) session on the weekend of March 8 to 9 in Melbourne, Florida. The event will be sponsored by the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) and hosted at the school’s aviation division. A total of 14 seminars and 11 […]

When Felix Baumgartner stepped out of his Red Bull capsule and began his record freefall 24 miles above the planet, we collectively held our breath. Within 42 seconds, the intrepid adventurer had reached a top speed of 843.6 miles per hour, becoming the first human to break the speed of sound without flying in a […]

A Rockwell 690C Commander on its second approach to Nashville’s John C. Tune Airport early Monday evening crashed next to a packed YMCA, killing all four people on board. Nobody on the ground was hurt. The Aero Commander, N840V, had departed Great Bend Municipal Airport in Kansas for the planned 2 hour, 15 minute flight, […]

When I set out to learn to fly at the age of 13, I did not actually want to learn to fly. I wanted to be a pilot, and if I could have snapped my fingers and instantly acquired all the necessary skills and knowledge, I would have. I am sure I am not alone […]