Pilot Proficiency

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 […]

They say a pilot never stops learning. But that’s not true. Complacency can set in right around the time we’ve forgotten what flaming tomatoes have to do with flying airplanes. We realize that most flights go just fine, and without a healthy spook now and then, we reach a learning plateau. My first spook hit […]

FlightSafety International says customers will soon be able to take advantage of a number of new business aviation training initiatives including simulators, eLearning programs and custom training packages. In an announcement yesterday at NBAA-BACE, the company said its third full flight Gulfstream G280 simulator is expected to come online in Savannah, Georgia, by March 2018. […]

In its most basic form, a yaw damper inhibits movement of an aircraft around its vertical axis, performing like an automated set of feet on the rudder pedals. A yaw damper pulls aircraft movement information from a series of accelerometers or rate sensors in the rudder and translates it into the proper amount of calming […]

With a quick handshake and a soft thank you, Lyle and Kurt pulled up the airstair and started up my airplane. I watched in the rain as the props came up out of feather and the nav lights blinked on. Stricken, I retreated to the observation platform at the FBO and watched as Lyle taxied […]