Pilot Proficiency

The Navy says Paramount’s 1986 classic fighter-pilot flick Top Gun persuaded men and women to join up in numbers not seen before or since. Over a cup of coffee near St. Maarten’s famous Maho Beach (pre-Hurricane Irma), Rob Ceravolo told me the film worked some of its magic on him and was at least partially […]

I made my first trip to Oshkosh in 2007 to unveil the Redbird FMX simulator prototype at AirVenture. That was the start of what would become an annual tradition for me, a pilgrimage north from Austin, Texas, along with 500,000 fellow general aviation disciples, to take part in the “World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration.” Last year, […]

One of the reasons that Steve Thorne’s Flight Chops video channel has become so successful is that he’s a digital pilot for a digital age. As he told us recently, it wasn’t until modern tools like the iPad and its bevy of flight-related apps came along that he felt like he could hit the sky […]

If there’s one thing to take away from the latest episode of Flight Chops, it’s that Steve Thorne really enjoyed flying the Carbon Cub FX. It’s hard to miss him raving about the experience, and he also has nothing but praise for Backcountry Aviation‘s Patrick Romano, who took Chops on this week’s adventure as part […]

With 130,962 subscribers and counting, Steve Thorne is undoubtedly one of the most popular aviators on YouTube. Known to the aviation world as Flight Chops, he’s a self-described “weekend warrior pilot” who is basically living every pilot’s dream by flying a wide variety of airplanes and sharing his experiences with his fans. And while his […]

Remember those executive orders President Donald Trump issued early this year aimed at simplifying and cutting costs in government? My favorite was the one requiring agencies to repeal two existing regulations before creating a new one. Close on the heels of that came “Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda,” which directed agencies to evaluate existing regulations […]

Ah, summer, the season of the good life. The season of verdant, rolling hills speckled with lazily grazing cattle, of smoky backyard burgers and grilled corn on the cob, of golden beaches replete with giggling children, bronzed skin and the tangy bouquet of salt air and sunscreen. I hope you enjoyed the summer just passed […]

For this week’s Throwback Thursday Flight Chops video, we’re revisiting AirVenture 2015, where the YouTube aviation star got to live every pilot’s dream of flying with the AeroShell Aerobatic team. Simply put, Chops said, being able to see all of Oshkosh from a T6 was “mindblowing” and “ridiculously awesome.” More jealous we could not be. […]

Mojave, California-based Flight Research has introduced a course to help pilots understand how icing conditions affect performance and what to do if they enter icing conditions inadvertently. The course includes three hours of ground instruction, teaching pilots about the dangers of icing on the airframe and how it affects aircraft performance. Like all of Flight […]

I am always thankful for the days when the only major task performed is to safely fly the airplane — and the biggest decision is whether to have the chicken or the steak. Those days of pure simplicity rarely occur. My trip back from London in the middle of May was no exception. The day […]