Pilot Proficiency

A C-17 Globemaster III headed for MacDill Air Force Base on Friday afternoon landed “inadvertently” at the much smaller Peter O. Knight GA airport located just a few miles away, according to airport authorities. The 174-foot-long transport touched down on the airport’s 3,405-foot-long, 100-foot-wide runway around 1:30 p.m., coming to a stop within 10 feet […]

In honor of the 75th anniversary of the Piper J-3 Cub, Redbird Flight Simulations has developed a special simulator based on the beloved taildragger. Like the airplane that inspired its development, the sim is bright yellow. And to further the realism of the simulation, Redbird went so far as to put a propeller up front […]

These days, with all kinds of traffic avoidance systems available for airplanes, big and small, there is a lot of help for us pilots to find targets in the sky. But that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t look outside. “See and avoid” is required by FAR 91.113 and there is no guarantee that all airplanes […]

The most important human factor in aviation is the pilot, and there has been considerable discussion in the aviation media about the decrease in the number of student pilots and the general lack of interest in aviation, especially among young people. Various factors have been discussed, including the increase in the cost of flying, the […]

Living in Southern California has many benefits. The weather is near perfect any day of the year with clear skies and temperatures in the 70s and 80s. It can be summed up in one of many aviation acronyms – CAVU. So on most days, I can jump in an airplane without having to worry about […]

One of the stressful things that can happen to you as a pilot is when an air traffic controller tells you to call a facility on the telephone after you land. A tower controller issued me a phone number once, and I have to admit the request made my heart skip a beat. Fortunately, I […]

I flew out of Fairhope, Alabama, the other night in a CJ and was witness to one of the most spectacular displays of cloud and storm I’ve ever seen. If you’re averse to sunset pictures, however dramatic, skip right on by. But if you’re interested in seeing some pretty pictures of some amazing scenery as […]

We all know that a very small temperature/dewpoint spread creates the perfect conditions for low visibility. But did you also know that a very high temperature/dewpoint spread associated with convective activity can be an indication of an imminent danger to light airplanes? When the spread between the air temperature and dewpoint is between 15 and […]

I spent last Friday at the mall. Well, not just any mall, the Eastern Shore Centre, an upscale mall in Spanish Fort, Alabama, that is a half hour from the airport where Continental Motors has its Fairhope, Alabama, plant. I didn’t spend my time at Cinnabon. I hung out at Zulu, a simulator-based experimental flight […]

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 Eric, who recently flew into Benson Municipal Airport in a Cessna 172RG. Here’s what he has to say about the airport’s FBO, Southwestern Aviation. Southwestern Aviation (E95) Benson, […]