Pilot Proficiency

A whole new airshow concept made its debut this weekend with the inaugural Gathering of Warbirds and Legends in Topeka, Kansas. Sixty-one airplanes of various types and sizes were on display and flew over Forbes Field. But none of these flights included what airshow attendees have become accustomed to: aerobatics, inverted flight or wingwalkers. “This […]

“Recognize that conversation is a powerful distracter.” As I quoted those words from the NASA study of crew error accidents in January’s article, a flood of accident case studies flowed through my head. Some I had discussed earlier in that same article — the Teterboro controller who was engaged in a discussion on the phone […]

The Society of Aviation and Flight Educators’ (SAFE) Pilot Proficiency Project, which the organization has offered at AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and Sun ‘n Fun in Lakeland, Florida, for the past few years, has become such a success that SAFE has decided to offer the training at other locations around the country. SAFE President Doug […]

Marking the sixth major software update of the year, ForeFlight has introduced some great new features to the latest version of its Mobile flight app that received rave reviews from pilots at AirVenture last week — before the update was even available. The newest version, ForeFlight Mobile 5.3, can now overlay approach plates and airport […]

AirVenture 2013 wrapped up on Sunday after a week that was remarkably successful despite a number of challenges leading up to the show. Before AirVenture, EAA was in negotiations with the FAA over the agency’s plan to charge the association $650,000 to staff the controllers at the event, a fee that the EAA was able […]

It’s been just over a decade since the FAA commissioned WAAS for general aviation use. So these days I am so used to having WAAS that I don’t think twice about it, particularly when flying behind a Garmin G1000 panel. But if you are purchasing or renting an airplane that is a few years old, […]

When Flight debuted, I shook my head, like most of my airline colleagues. A Super 80 rolled upside down? Really? That being said, the preposterous nature of the event was still intriguing. I was tempted to see the movie for that reason alone. But I would ruin date night with my wife, being compelled to […]

John and Martha King, founders of King Schools, and Matt Zuccaro, president of Helicopter Association International (HAI), announced at AirVenture this week the launch of a flight instructor refresher course (FIRC) specifically designed for helicopter instructors. This is the first time a helicopter-specific FIRC has been offered online. As with King Schools’ regular FIRC, the […]

OpenAirplane, the airplane rental network that launched earlier this summer, inched closer to expanding nationwide by growing from six inaugural locations to 15. Company founder Rod Rakic said he is in discussions with 90 additional flight schools that could be added to the Zip-car style rental network. The new OpenAirplane locations include Addison, Texas; Scottsdale, […]

At EAA’s annual Gathering of Eagles gala on Thursday night, EAA Chairman Jack Pelton announced the new Young Eagles Chairman, aerobatics star Sean D. Tucker. In a hilarious and energetic acceptance speech (Pelton later said he was pretty sure that Tucker actually accepted), Tucker wowed the crowd with his infectious enthusiasm for the role. “Yeah, […]