Pilot Proficiency

One of the most embarrassing things that can happen to a pilot is the case where he starts his airplane’s engine, advances the throttle and goes nowhere – because he forgot to undo the tiedown at the tail. It has happened to plenty of pilots, even those who have performed meticulous preflight inspections and yet […]

It’s really weird how certain memories stick like fish in a hot iron skillet. So it is with a memory from my past, early in my flying career. “Miserable” is the only description that fits for that Gulf Coast summer morning in July 1985. Don’t get me wrong: The sun was shining brightly, but the […]

As you’re already aware, earning an instrument rating is a fun and rewarding experience that will provide you with added confidence and make your pilot’s license more powerful. But instrument flying is also unforgiving and requires more than just passing an FAA check ride — it requires a system of continuing education and proficiency. First, […]

At a late and insomniac hour, when you can’t find a Law and Order rerun that you haven’t already seen and resuming your reading of the family’s Encyclopaedia Britannica at GUNN to HYDROX seems too arduous to contemplate, it is well to resort to YouTube, that portable and compendious ocean of funny cats, sadistic pratfalls, […]

On this January morning in Ohio, I pulled on the “heat” knob in the J-3, which is as effective as pulling “cabin air” in a Piper Warrior in July. … You can hope but you know nothing’s going to happen. We were holding short of the grass runway and my Sport Pilot applicant in the […]

There are lots of ­reasons you might consider joining a flying club. The most often cited centers on the economics: A flying club with lots of members can offer many of the benefits of aircraft ownership without the hassles or expense of being totally responsible for the upkeep of one. At the same time, the […]

Seventy-five years after the famous aviator’s disappearance, one team’s renewed search for the wreckage of Amelia Earhart’s airplane has come up empty handed. The $2.2 million effort, undertaken by the International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (Tighar), involved a five-day search of the waters surrounding the Pacific island of Nikumaroro. The expedition was launched under […]

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 Rex de Foor, who recently flew into Jack Edwards National Airport in a Beechcraft Baron. Here’s what he has to say about the airport’s FBO, Southwestern Aviation. Gulf […]

Couldn’t make it to AirVenture last year? No problem. Flying‘s editors were on site, bringing the show to you with photos, videos and breaking news galore. Among the highlights, AirVenture 2012 featured a tribute to Experimental Aircraft Association founders Paul and Audrey Poberezny, celebrations of the 40th anniversary of the Van’s RV and 75th anniversary […]

The Learn to Fly Center in the center of the EAA AirVenture campus is hosting a new initiative offered by the Society of Aviation and Flight Educators (SAFE) and the National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI) called the Pilot Proficiency Program. The center offers instructional forums and simulator training sessions to help pilots evaluate and […]