Pilot Proficiency

When you’re at an unfamiliar airport and you get taxi instructions as you’re sitting among a maze of taxiways, it’s easy to be lost and a bit confused even as you’re sitting still. So here are a couple of tips to help you feel found and confident instead. Have a chart handy. I use one […]

“Hello, bonjour. This Is CANPASS.” It was the day before I intended to fly four of us to ­Halifax, Nova Scotia, from New England. The phone call to the Canadian Passenger Accelerated Service System (888-CANPASS or 888-226-7277 for those of us with telephone keypad dyslexia) provided a stark contrast to my just-completed wrestling match with […]

Flying a light jet hadn’t been on my radar. But when Tom Torti offered me a spin in his Citation Mustang, I couldn’t refuse. With a couple of exceptions, I had never really flown a smaller jet, the 727 being my first jet. The opportunity to compare notes with the 777 seemed like a great […]

In our FBO Spotlight series, we’re highlighting FBOs around the country that have received rave reviews. This latest Spotlight is brought to you by Jonathan Spoer, who recently flew into Santa Paula Airport in a Citabria. Here’s what he has to say about the airport’s FBO, CP Aviation. FBO Spotlight: CP Aviation (KSZP) Santa Paula, […]

As the FAA prepares to fully integrate drones into American airspace over the next few years, a growing number of schools are also prepping for the change that influx will bring to the country’s pilot training landscape. Several universities have already staked their claim in the drone arena, with dozens approved as authorized UAV launch […]

Earlier this year we reported on the possible closure of the Cincinnatti-Blue Ash Airport (KISZ) in Blue Ash, Ohio, six miles northeast of downtown Cincinnati. Sadly, on Aug. 29th at 8 a.m. local time, the 91-year-old airport closed permanently. According to now former Blue Ash Airport manager Fred Anderton, who also manages Cincinnati Lunken Airport, […]

It seems like in many areas people are divided into two camps, with each side strongly supporting its way of thinking while disparaging any other approach. Sometimes the pendulum of opinion swings from one side to the other, never pausing to stop in the middle. A balanced approach is usually more reasonable, applying the appropriate […]

Last weekend, I placed my three-year-old son Benjamin in the co-pilot’s seat of a Piper Archer for the first time. We were going to visit my friends George and John Kounis at an airport nearby and meet their new puppy, Radar. I was really excited to take Benjamin up for a flight and, while I […]

Ever wondered what it’s like to be in the cockpit with Sean D. Tucker, one of the premier acro pilots in the world? Well, wonder no more. Our Flying video team in conjunction with JVC puts you in the cockpit as Sean makes an incredibly low-level and high-octane flight at Oshkosh 2012 in high def. […]

Here’s a tip if you’ve ever wondered when you should start your descent to your arrival airport (assuming you don’t have an FMS with top-of-descent calculation capability). A quick and easy way to figure it out is to start with your altitude above field elevation and multiply that number by three. This will give you […]