Pilot Proficiency

A pilot out of Jacksonville, Florida, is lucky to be alive after surviving two unusual inflight accidents in one year. According to First Coast News, Graham Hill and his passenger walked away from a plane crash after the Cessna 172 from which Hill was towing a banner over a Florida Gators football game reportedly lost […]

No wonder the White House believes it’s winning the 10-day-old standoff with Republicans over the government shutdown. With the power he has American businesses, including much of the aviation industry, the president holds what might be an unbeatable hand. If Republicans didn’t know it before, they do now. With one phone call to Transportation Secretary […]

When the pilot of a Cessna 172 lost consciousness over northern England on Tuesday, his passenger, 77-year-old John Wildey, knew enough to make a Mayday call. That initiated a flurry of rescue activity that resulted in a successful emergency landing, though the unidentified pilot later died after being taken to a hospital. Wildey and the […]

AOPA’s initiative to promote flying clubs around the country, which was announced at last year’s AOPA Summit in Palm Springs, California, has inspired Sporty’s to launch a program to aid clubs as well. Sporty’s is offering 5 percent rebates on all purchases from customers who are members of a registered flying club. “We are in […]

If you thought Redbird’s $1 a gallon gasoline promotion for the month of October sounded too good to be true, well, you were right. Citing overwhelming demand and the toll it has taken on the Skyport FBO staff in San Marcos, Texas — not to mention the company’s bank account — Redbird has decided to […]

Fiscal year 2013 was less unlucky than 2012 for fatal accidents among the experimental category. There were 55 accidents involving fatalities this year, compared with 73 last year, a 25 percent decrease. The accidents resulted in 70 deaths, down 18 percent from the 85 who lost their lives in 2012. EAA also reports that the […]

If the registration for your airplane is expiring at the end of this month and the government shutdown continues past October 31, you could face a thorny proposition: Should you consider your airplane grounded or keep flying as though nothing has happened? Based on an unscientific survey of pilots on online message boards, most appear […]

It’s back! The Red Bull Air Race World Championship will return to the skies starting next year with a seven-race circuit across six countries. Two of the world championship races will take place in the United States — first at the Texas Motor Speedway near Dallas next September 6-7 followed by a race October 11-12 […]

Ever since Tom Poberezny suddenly left the Experimental Aircraft Association in 2011, his presence has been lacking at EAA’s annual AirVenture. Now there are rumors that Poberezny will return to next year’s aviation extravaganza in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. A sizable group of high profile EAA members, including Bob Hoover, Dick VanGrunsven, Frank Christensen and Burt Rutan, […]

Hearing about John and Martha King’s encounter with law enforcement and reading about similar horror stories, I adjusted my eye patch and was about to swing through the rigging, knife in teeth, in defense of pilots’ rights. Like Clark Kent, I would use my journalistic skills to battle the forces of evil — menacing cops […]