Pilot Proficiency

(March 2011) WRITING ABOUT ADVENTURE – whether the adventure is climbing a mountain, fighting a war or flying a small airplane across the country – is something of a challenge. Not because the source material is lacking. To the contrary. But there’s a reason explorers and generals who cared about recording their battles for history […]

On Monday FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt announced a plan to reduce general aviation accidents substantially and incrementally over the next 10 years with a 10 percent improvement as the target. At Sun ‘n Fun, the FAA will host the first of nearly 100 meetings across the country designed to let pilots and the FAA work […]

It’s no great revelation that all airplanes are made up of several different systems — some more complex than others. For the more complex systems, your POH should have several nice diagrams that display their intricate details. A prerequisite for this tip is that you learn the details of systems that run the airplane you’re […]

It’s commendable that a group of U.S. private investors led by aviation market analyst Brian Foley wants to make a play to purchase the assets of lightplane maker Cirrus by outbidding a subsidiary of AVIC, China’s aviation manufacturing powerhouse. But like a lot of people who’ve heard about the plan, I see the would-be end-around […]

There used to be a Grumman Albatross — a 2,800 hp, 28,000-pound flying boat — at the airport where I keep my airplane. Its occasional takeoffs began with a growl echoing among the hangars and swelling to a smooth, leonine roar. I would gaze after the straining sound as it faded eastward. Nothing. I would […]

The next time you’re practicing in the pattern, try these basic tips to help you win that next spot landing contest — or at least touch down in the correct zip code. First, you’ll need to buy in to the premise that, on approach, pitch really does control airspeed and throttle the rate of decent. […]

Last week, the Los Angeles Times reported that two members of the Los Angeles City Council suggested the closure of all flight schools at Santa Monica airport. This is just another scheme in a continuing battle that has been fought for decades and one that has bothered me ever since I first started flying at […]

If you own a copy of Microsoft’s Flight Simulator X, you might want to grab a pen, scratch the name Microsoft off the box and write Lockheed Martin instead. That’s because Lockheed Martin has licensed the software and the intellectual goodies that go with it, marking the end of the line for one of the […]

(March 2011) IF YOU ARE DEVOTED TO airplanes, you’ll understand. If the maximum number of takeoffs and landings per month is of interest to you, you’ll get it. If you’ve ever found a way to fly from New York to San Francisco on a Boeing 707 that landed in Nashville, New Orleans, Dallas, Phoenix and […]

When you’re flying into an airport where there’s a lot of jet traffic, controllers often ask you to keep things going fast. They might say, “best forward speed,” “maintain 160 knots,” or something to that effect, but the desired outcome is the same regardless of who you are: They want you in your piston airplane […]