Pilot Proficiency

Few things are more important than being at the right altitude on an instrument approach. In the abstract that sounds easy, but in practice I often see pilots make mistakes in this most unforgiving aspect of instrument flight. Most of my flying is in aircraft with moving maps, as part of either a GPS or […]

The state of California recently passed a law that outlines the shape of the state’s future highway plan, paving the way for the integration of so-called “driverless cars” into California’s highway system, which has one-third more high-speed roadway than any other state in the nation. Many of these driverless cars would in fact feature drivers […]

One of my favorite jokes is the offhand remark that “Everyone talks about the weather, but no one ever does anything about it,” a quote that has been attributed to Mark Twain. Twain’s comment about the weather reminds us that there are some things, such as death, taxes and fuel prices, that we can complain […]

Several years ago my uncle and I flew up to Boston to pick up our new company airplane and fly it back to Georgia after the installation of an ice-protection system. We had dropped the airplane off two weeks earlier — a milestone for me as a pilot and my uncle as a student pilot, […]

What better way to wrap up the year than with a list of flyingtips to help carry you into 2013? From how to master a forward slip to recognizing the signs of spatial disorientation, we’ve compiled our most popularflying tips of the year in a list that offers something for beginning pilots, expert aviators and […]

2012 was a year full of innovation and change for the aviation industry, a year that saw the introduction of some revolutionary new aircraft, along with the ongoing turmoil caused by the global economic downturn. While the list of major events could go on and on, check out our picks for the top 20 stories […]

In two weeks, aviation archaeologists will start working to unearth what they expect will be as many as 36 new-in-the-box Supermarine Spitfires. British warbird researcher David Cundall believes the fighters were buried in crates near the end of World War II in Burma, now Myanmar. He worked for years to locate the cache, and earlier […]

We all know that thorough preflight planning makes for safer, easier flights. If you’re flying VFR, an important component of preflight planning is getting to know your destination airport. But there are times when unforecast weather conditions or, worse, a malfunction of some kind may prevent you from continuing to the airport you originally planned […]

Four illustrious pilots will be enshrined in the National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) for 2013. The inductees include Charles Alfred Anderson; Maj. Gen. Patrick Brady; Captain Robert “Hoot” Gibson; and Dwane Wallace, who will be honored at a black tie dinner. Anderson and Wallace will be inducted posthumously. Charles Anderson is called “the father […]

The NTSB is investigating the crash of a King Air 100 near Libby, Montana, early Wednesday that claimed the lives of the pilot and a passenger. According to local news reports, employees of Stinger Welding Inc. became concerned when CEO Carl Douglas never arrived for a planned meeting on Wednesday morning. A witness said she […]