Pilot Proficiency

Curious if there are drones operating near you? A quick look at recent data unveiled by the FAA may provide some insight. As a result of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation earlier this year, the agency was forced this week to divulge a list of 63 authorized UAV […]

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 Dr. Bob Larkin, who recently made a stop at Burns Municipal Airport in a Cessna 172 Cutlass. Here’s what he has to say about the experience. Burns Municipal […]

I attended a meeting last night at Morristown Municipal Airport (MMU) in New Jersey, where officials from the tower and the FAA were on hand to discuss with local pilots the new Mandatory Occurrence Reporting (MOR) system that many have likened to an ATC snitching program. Here’s a quick overview in case you aren’t familiar […]

Extended physical stagnation is not good for your body. It restricts blood flow and can lead to clots. Fortunately, you can take action and create circulation in your body, even while flying on long cross-country flights when you can’t get up and walk around. The following exercises can easily be performed while you’re seated, but […]

If you’re fortunate enough to live a long life, you may reach a point when you start to wonder whether it’s time to retire as pilot in command. You may feel that your vision or mental status isn’t up to par, or you may begin to have trouble entering or exiting the airplane. The point […]

Good habit patterns are the best indications of a good pilot. It’s easy to get lazy when flying non-complex airplanes that don’t require a lot of action on the behalf of the pilot. But if you don’t continue practicing your ingrained habits while flying airplanes that are “easy” to fly, you’ll be sorry once you […]

I’ve been lucky to have flown a lot of airplanes over the past 20 years, almost all of them belonging to other people. Some were high wings; some were low. Some were taildraggers; some were nose pushers. Some were brand new; some were downright decrepit. Some were fast; some were painfully slow. Some were pleasantly […]

The FAA has given the nod to the TouchTrainer – a home-based basic avionics training device (BATD) based on the X-Plane software with which you can stay instrument current in the comfort of your own home. You can even log up to 10 hours toward your instrument rating with this system, as long as you […]

After hearing news that one English farmer’s 15-year quest to locate Spitfires buried beneath Burma has proven successful, Prime Minister David Cameron has in turn struck a deal to have the iconic aircraft returned to England. According to the Telegraph, the announcement stems from the dogged efforts of 62-year-old David Cundall, who made it his […]

“Kick the tires and light the fires.” It’s a comment often heard at general aviation airports. And while many say it with a grin and actually perform a preflight before they take to the skies, most pilots probably don’t take the time to preflight sufficiently. And if they do, it is possible that some items […]