Pilot Proficiency

A few weeks ago we reported on an upcoming job fair being put together by Wasinc International, China’s largest pilot placement firm, and hosted by Pan Am International Flight Academy at its training centers in Miami and Las Vegas. What was unusual about the event was the airlines being represented. There were 12 Chinese carriers […]

Online flight tracking is a great resource for travelers and flight instructors alike. Websites such as FlightAware and flightwise are frequently used by friends and loved ones to watch the progress of airplanes enroute to their destinations. And if you don’t wish to actively track the flight, you can set up alerts that update you […]

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 Ron Windmueller, who recently stopped by Yellowstone Jet Center in a Schweizer 333. Here’s what he has to say about the experience. Yellowstone Jet Center (KBZN) Bozeman, Montana […]

I got an e-mail the other day from a reader with a heart-wrenching story that should serve as a cautionary tale for all pilots. He told me about a good friend of his who was killed, along with the friend’s wife and kids, in an airplane crash last summer in Idaho. Because the two were […]

In remembrance of the 50th anniversary of John Glenn’s first American space orbit on Feb. 20, NASA produced the documentary “Friendship 7 50th Anniversary.” Actual footage and audio recordings of Glenn inside the capsule of Friendship 7 during the historic 1962 flight are blended with narrations by space shuttle astronaut Steven Lindsey, astronaut Scott Carpenter, […]

Approaching an unfamiliar airport VFR can present a challenge even in CAVU conditions, particularly if you don’t have a glass panel in your cockpit. But your heading indicator can help you quickly visualize the orientation of the runway, which makes it easier to find the airport and figure out the best way to enter the […]

A Pipistrel Virus SW 914 Turbo piloted by Matevž Lenarčič has completed the 2,000-nm flight from Concepcion, Chile, to Easter Island – the longest leg of Lenarčič’s GreenLight WorldFlight – a journey that crisscrosses around the world to showcase the Virus’ performance capabilities and bring awareness to environmental issues. And the challenging over-water flight from […]

(March 2012) When I opened my eyes, an immediate instrument scan of the Remos GX‘s Dynon PFD revealed that we were in a steep climb and right bank, losing airspeed. As I made the scan, I simultaneously took the controls and initiated recovery from the unusual attitude in which my instructor, First Landings Aviation‘s Chris […]

(March 2012) One of the things nearest and dearest to a pilot’s heart is the freedom to move about, to explore, to discover and to see new places with fresh eyes. This element of discovery is a central part of what flying is to me and why I love it so. It’s been that way […]

Last week Flying photographed Aurora, or at least what looks to be strong evidence of Aurora, the much rumored, never-acknowledged U.S. military spyplane. I snapped the pic not because I thought I was catching a peek at Aurora but because I thought the contrail was evidence of some strange meteorological phenomenon. The contrail was odd […]