Pilot Proficiency

The accident statistics prove it: The base-to-final turn continues to be one of the big killers in general aviation. Most often, troubles arise when a pilot realizes too late that he is overshooting the runway and so tightens the turn while simultaneously hauling back on the yoke. That’s a recipe for a rarely survivable stall-spin […]

As I have reported before, the City of Santa Monica is going through a three-step airport community process, also called the visioning process, to help determine what the future holds for the Santa Monica Airport (SMO). Phase II of the process, in which community members were given an opportunity to put in their vision for […]

I was up at the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon, the other week listening to the curator of the place, a very interesting gentleman named Stewart Bailey, talking with wonder about his boss, the octogenarian owner and founder of Evergreen Airlines, Del Smith. Smith, like many great achievers in aviation, has contributed […]

The story is a cliché: Pilot moves from “those who will” to “those who have” landed gear-up, despite his protestations in the past. Different day, airplane, pilot — actually two pilots, but the story is, in so many ways, always the same, but different too, and so worth telling — and there’s another lesson for […]

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 Jeff Wallach, who has frequently made stops at North Texas Regional Airport in a Cessna 172RG. Here’s what he has to say about the airport’s FBO, Lake Texoma […]

It’s not very often that you get to witness anything but the aftermath of a bird strike, but in this very rare footage, a camera mounted on the wingtip of microlight pilot John Comley’s trike caught the very last moments of a small bird as it impacted his craft as it was flying at around […]

Chances are good that you’ve never heard of Tavares Seaplane Base in Central Florida, but city officials there are hoping that changes soon. The base hosted a seaplane splash-in last weekend that attracted 34 floatplanes and amphibians from around the state to enjoy the airplane friendly confines of Lake Dora and enjoy the charms of […]

Every two years, whether you’re current or not, you have to complete a biennial flight review with an instructor. The BFR is not a test – there is no such thing as a pass or fail. Your instructor simply needs to feel confident that you’re a competent pilot before endorsing your logbook. But rather than […]

Air traffic controller and pilot James Price has taken home flight simulators to a new level. His project? The construction of a Boeing 737 simulator out of the nose section of a retired airliner. A long-time flight sim enthusiast, Price purchased a retired Continental Airlines Boeing 737-130 nose shell more than 10 years ago for […]

Airplane crashes are generally unplanned tragic events that we all do our best to avoid. But this weekend, a 170-seat Boeing 727 was deliberately crashed in the remote Sonoran Desert in Baja California, Mexico, all in the name of science. “This groundbreaking project features an actual crash of a passenger jet and explores the big […]