Pilot Proficiency

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, […]

A couple week’s ago I spelled out the reasons why I thought China would probably buy the assets of bankrupt Hawker Beechcraft, and why I also thought it would be a smart move. Now, in the wake of the announcement that a Chinese firm is indeed pulling the trigger on the deal, potentially worth a […]

Whether you’re an instrument rated pilot or not, there are times when you will need to copy down a clearance from air traffic control. And in the interest of time, the controller will give you the clearance quite quickly – faster than you could possibly write down the clearance verbatim. It is therefore critical as […]

One cloudy spring day a few years ago a Beechcraft Baron piloted by a high-time ATP and with a relatively experienced private pilot in the right seat hit a peak in the Ruby Mountains of eastern Nevada while en route from Truckee, California, to Salt Lake City. Both occupants were killed in the crash. The […]