Pilot Proficiency

When all was said and done, AirVenture 2011 was a good one. Despite some pre-show storms and a single day of rain, the weather was nothing short of spectacular. Even with the down economy, pilots came to Oshkosh for the festivities from all around. Airplane parking and on-site camping was maxed out early in the […]

In our FBO Spotlight series, we’re highlighting FBOs around the country that have received rave reviews from our readers. The latest Spotlight is brought to you by Moises Lomeli, who recently flew into KDTS in a 172 and paid a visit to Destin Jet. Here’s what he had to say about his trip to the […]

Let’s imagine for a moment the following hypothetical situation: Two airplanes are taking off at exactly the same moment from parallel runways. Airplane A accelerates to and climbs out at Vx while Airplane B accelerates to and climbs at Vy. What will happen in each case? Of course, we already know that Vx is the […]

(October 2011) Those of us who have been around airplanes for any length of time understand the concept of stepping up, whereby a nonpilot becomes a pilot, learns to fly in a certain brand of airplane and then remains loyal to that brand while gaining experience and moving up through the model lineup to bigger, […]

During my 12-year flying career, I’ve had one engine failure. I was lucky. It happened during a takeoff in my Cessna 170, and thankfully the engine quit immediately after I applied full power on the runway. I was able to use what forward momentum I had achieved to roll onto the hard surface area between […]

There has been a lot of talk this year about student retention and what flight schools can do to inspire their customers to keep flying. I think one of the most important aspects of this issue is the student-instructor relationship. Learning to fly is a very intimate experience requiring many hours in close quarters. In […]

FBO Spotlight: Lanmar Aviation (KGON) Groton, Connecticut In our FBO Spotlight series, we’re highlighting FBOs around the country that have received rave reviews from our readers. The latest Spotlight is brought to you by Bruce Drost, who recently flew into KGON in a PA 28-181. “On arrival they greeted my family and I with a […]

As we all learned in Flight School 101, airspeed indication is a measurement of the difference between ram air and static air. Since the pitot tube points right into the relative wind, taking in the ram air, it is also exposed to any debris in the air that you’re flying through. It’s not entirely uncommon […]

The First Amendment guarantees our right to petition our government. For generations, Americans have used this right to organize around issues they care about, from ending slavery, to guaranteeing a woman’s right to vote, to furthering the civil rights movement. Now, with the rise of the Internet, any citizen can create an online petition in […]

Galveston Aviation Services (KGLS) Galveston, Texas In our FBO Spotlight series, we’re highlighting FBOs around the country that have received rave reviews from our readers. The latest Spotlight is brought to you by Rob Maas, who recently flew into KGLS in a Cessna Cardinal. “KGLS took a direct hit in 2008 from Hurricane Ike and […]