Pilot Proficiency

During the winter months, when the temperatures drop in Northern climes, the sky turns gray and days are cut short as the sun spends more time on the opposite side of the equator, there are fewer opportunities to fly for most of us. Airplanes begin to collect dust, and some engines even get pickled as […]

I overheard a conversation years ago on a Colorado mountain flying trip that really stands out in my mind. It was long before I began running my own mountain trips (I was a hired gun on this one) and it stands out because I lost all respect for one of my colleagues that day, an […]

Learning to fly is simply too expensive, especially for young people … or at least that’s the complaint the industry hears again and again. Julia Lair, a high school sophomore in Sioux Falls South Dakota understands budget concerns, as well as any other fledgling aviator, but she didn’t let the cost become a barrier to […]

When temperatures dip below freezing, there are many good reasons to preheat the engine. The different metals inside expand with heat at different rates, so quickly cranking up the engine when the pieces and parts are cold can cause damage. Additionally, cold oil doesn’t lubricate the parts as well. Starting the engine at temperatures below […]

The National Transportation Safety Board’s decision to add “loss of control” to its 10 Most Wanted list of safety improvements in 2015 served as another clarion call for help to stem what has become the top killer in airplanes of all shapes and sizes. While pilots losing control of their aircraft is not a new […]

Peter Edenhoffer doesn’t remember which teams were playing in last year’s Super Bowl. A year later, Sunday, February 5, 2017, is still pretty much a blur, because that Super Bowl Sunday was the night Edenhoffer was flying his Cessna Cardinal alone back to his home airport, Cox Field near Paris Texas (PRX) from San Antonio […]

As a requirement for our upcoming flying safari trip in New Zealand, I had to produce evidence of a “type rating” in a Cessna 172. The type rating was part of the qualifications necessary to obtain the equivalent of a Private Pilot license. Although I have flown a C-172 periodically throughout my flying lifetime, I […]

For pilots expecting never again to face a non-precision approach tied to a land-based navaid, we can confirm that rumors of the demise of the VOR have been greatly exaggerated. In 2016, the FAA began eliminating many of the GPS overlay approaches tied to older VOR procedures ahead of plans to also eliminate a significant […]

Pilots who want the most out of their Garmin avionics can attend a number of new, expanded pilot training classes this year. The instructor-led classes are available for the GTN 650/750 touchscreen navigators, the G500/G600 glass flight display systems, and all Garmin integrated flight decks, including the new G1000 NXi platform. Garmin says supplemental eLearning […]

An aviator known as Rachelle is breaking new ground on fundraising techniques to raise money for a scholarship that aims to bring more women to the field of aviation. On January 21, the funds from Jeanne King’s class at Pilates of Pasadena, in Pasadena, California, will go toward Rachelle’s I Hart Flying campaign. The class […]