Pilot Proficiency

Strong surface winds can throw pilots an unexpected curve ball if they’ve planned a flight to a favorite destination and find the conditions at the arrival airport exceed the capabilities of their airplane, themselves or both. An experienced flight instructor I was talking with recently related a story in which he damaged the wing of […]

Airplane lovers looking for a new event to attend this summer can now mark their calendars for “The Gathering of Warbirds and Legends.” This inaugural event, scheduled to take place August 1-4 in Topeka, Kansas, is expected to become an annual gathering where historical airplanes, still in airworthy condition, will be on display. While “The […]

The next daredevil attempting to break the world record for freefall speed will have to go a little faster following the release of new data from Felix Baumgartner’s jump from the edge of space in October. According to Red Bull Stratos, Baumgartner achieved even higher speeds than initially thought, albeit by slight margins, after jumping […]

In our FBO Spotlight series, we’re highlighting FBOs around the country that have received rave reviews from our readers. This latest Spotlight is brought to you by Don Jockwig, who recently flew into Madison County Executive Airport in Huntsville, Alabama in a Piper Comanche 180. Here’s what he has to say about one of the […]

If all goes according to plan, the famed Hawker name will all but cease to exist after bankrupt Hawker Beechcraft emerges from near financial death in the coming days under the Beechcraft name alone. Just how long the storied Hawker brand remains dormant is anybody’s guess, but it’s hard to imagine it going away forever […]

The Cirrus SR20 that deployed its whole airplane recovery parachute last week in Danbury, Connecticut, did so after making a classic mistake that continues to top the list of general aviation accident causes. According to a preliminary report released by the National Transportation Safety Board on Friday, the airplane was on approach to Runway 26 […]

One of the callout items used in crew resource management, and one that many pilots are and should be in the habit of using, is “positive rate of climb.” The process of confirming that an initial climb has been established after the airplane leaves the ground is the signal to retract the gear. Even if […]

Videographer Cy Kuckenbaker, whose recent video of 70 airplane landings in 25 seconds went viral after capturing the attention of aviation enthusiasts across the web, has used the same time-lapse video effect for an even larger legion of airliners taking off. The short film condenses six hours of real time into 30 seconds, capturing 90 […]

Lieutenant Nilofor Rhmani| Islamic Women Take Flight The Taliban has been waging a brutal war against women for two decades, but at least a few women are literally preparing for battle. On September 30th, 2012, Lieutenant Nilofor Rhmani became the first female pilot in the Afghanistan air force to fly solo in a military Cessna […]

In our FBO Spotlight series, we’re highlighting FBOs around the country that have received rave reviews from our readers. This latest Spotlight is brought to you by Adolph Ohlmeyer, who recently flew into Lakefront Airport in New Orleans in a King Air. Here’s what he has to say about one of the airport’s FBOs, Hawthorne […]