Pilot Proficiency

We had departed London and just passed 30 degrees west longitude, slightly less than halfway across the ocean. The flight attendant chime sounded in the cockpit accompanied by the engine instrument and crew alerting system message “cabin call.” I put the interphone handset to my ear. “Les, it’s Liz. We have a woman in coach […]

Forget about flight reviews and instrument competency checks. Part 135 operations are conducted in a thicket of regulations. Among them are the requirements of Section 299: ** a)** “No certificate holder may use a pilot, nor may any person serve as a pilot in command of a flight, unless, since the beginning of the 12th […]

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 Greg Felton, who recently visited Leading Edge Aviation at South Valley Regional Airport in a Cessna 172. Here’s what he has to say about the experience. Leading Edge […]

As the story of air traffic controllers ignoring a recent distress call spread, Flying readers took to Facebook this week to voice their opinions on the incident. Here are some snippets from the informal debate sparked by the story: _“Obviously, the controller had a cognitive bias in place, but I think the whole incident could […]

A major restoration project is underway of one of the most famous B-17s, the Memphis Belle, at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. This Flying Fortress, which completed 25 missions over Europe before returning to the United States, was made famous by the […]

The bluebonnets are in bloom at a Texas airport near you. While many think of dusty tumbleweed towns when they think of Texas, when it comes to springtime, few places in the world can rival Texas for its wildflower displays. We’re thankful that Llano Municipal Airport (KAQO), along with many Texas Hill Country Airports, keep […]

A new site simply called “Wind Map” has taken the invisible and made it really easy to see. The brainchild of Fernanda Viegas and Martin Wattenberg, the wind map isn’t intended for pilots. In fact, they say in a cute disclaimer, “Please do not use the map or its data to fly a plane, sail […]

If you’re planning a trip that is too far to take in your personal airplane and you want to avoid the airlines, you can quickly connect with charter operators through a new company called PlaneFinder. You simply go online to request a charter flight by entering the departure and arrival airports, the number of passengers […]

Have you ever advanced the power, gathered momentum on the runway and pulled back on the yoke or stick at the appropriate airspeed – only to be greeted by a shaking in the controls as you lift off that makes your mind start thinking about pre-stall buffets, your uncomfortably high angle of attack and proximity […]

While details of the F/A-18 crash in Virginia Beach, Virginia are still murky, as always there is something to learn from an accident. In this case, we should all think about how current we are with emergency procedures. Military pilots spend countless hours training in simulators and airplanes for events that likely will never happen […]