Pilot Proficiency

(June 2011) It makes me want to go back to high school,” I confessed to Patrick J. Cwayna Sr., CEO of the West Michigan Aviation Academy (WMAA). His response wasn’t surprising. “I hear that a lot,” he said. “Many of the students’ parents tell me that; they really recognize the value of what we’re offering […]

(June 2011) For an 80-something-hour pilot, the Sacramento Valley was like a giant flying playpen for me. The foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains border the eastern side while the Coastal Range separates the valley from the Pacific Ocean on the west. The Cascades, including 14,000-foot Mount Shasta, form the northern boundary of the valley. […]

We all know making left-hand turns is the proper way to fly a traffic pattern most of the time – unless, of course, you’re landing at an airport with a non-standard, right-hand pattern or flying a straight-in instrument approach procedure. But what about departing from a non-towered airport? Can you make a straight-out departure and […]

(June 2011) I jumped down from Don’s red Ford 350 pickup and, with what I hoped was a disarming grin, sauntered up a gravel lane toward two men standing stolidly, feet apart, holding shotguns. Don Harner wasn’t a pilot but was one of those people who have a lifelong love affair with airplanes. And there […]

You’re on your Private Pilot checkride and established in a steep turn. Everything is perfect. You’re spot on your altitude and the bank angle is pegged at 45 degrees. It seems easy. You’re thinking: “I’ve got this!” Then the nightmare happens. Your scan moves down to your heading indicator and you realize you’ve already blown […]

Know of a great FBO? We’d love to hear about it! Take this quick online survey and tell us about your memorably positive FBO experience. Flying will select a number of these stories and share them with tens of thousands of our readers by featuring them on our website and our weekly enewsletter. To take […]

(June 2011) I recently asked FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt about the tough time that applicants have been having on FAA Knowledge Testing (the tests that many of us still refer to as the “writtens”). Many test takers are failing the tests because the FAA has included a lot of new, previously unpublished questions that are […]

(June 2011) “Shortly after takeoff, I knew we were in trouble — everything looked, acted and sounded OK, but I watched the vertical speed indicator drop to zero. Knowing we had taken off from a strip located down in a mountain valley, that’s not a good thing. It was just after dusk, so I couldn’t […]

In many regards light airplanes are more forgiving than jets. This is one reason that pilots of jet aircraft are trained to approach each flight in a very regimented fashion. There are just so many different systems in a jet, and if mismanaged some of those systems have the potential to kill you. Flaps and […]

This year’s Paris Air Show is shaping up to be one of the biggest ever as the beleaguered aerospace and defense industries look to rebound after 2009’s running of the international air salon came up far short in terms of orders booked and deals announced.** ** Highlights at the show, which runs June 20 to […]