Turbine Flying

Cruise altitude: Flight Level 330. Mach 0.83. Entering oceanic airspace. Two hundred miles east of the Newfoundland coastline. Destination: London Heathrow Airport. HF Selcal check with Gander Oceanic: complete. Autopilot: engaged. For a moment, no words are spoken. The copilot and I have silently acknowledged that our Boeing 777-300 is ready for the journey across […]

In an effort to encourage its policyholders to become safer pilots, the United States Aircraft Insurance Group (USAIG) is offering discounts to pilots who complete courses through USAIG’s Performance Vector program as a safety initiative for turbine operators. This week USAIG added upset recovery training courses through Aviation Performance Solutions (APS) to the program. Two […]

Aspiring pilots pursuing an airline career now have additional financial incentives to follow their dreams, thanks to a new tuition reimbursement program offered in partnership by ATP Flight School and GoJet Airlines. The program, unveiled last week, will provide up-front financial assistance to ATP pilots in exchange for a commitment to fly with the regional […]

Looking to get type rated in a Boeing 737? If you’re a member of Women in Aviation International, you could potentially get one for free, thanks to a new scholarship sponsored by Southwest Airlines. The airline is offering four free 737NG type ratings, complete with round-trip airfare and hotel accommodations in Dallas, where the training […]

The lure of a jet is strong. Not only are they fast and high-flying but they’re undeniably cool. Who wouldn’t want to take that next step and lose the props? Truth is, a lot of pilots out there have the money to move up to the jet world but just don’t do it, and the […]

(February 2011) — Forty-three years after obtaining a private certificate for single-engine land airplane operations, I have gotten it into my head to fly airplanes for real. By that I mean to fly passengers in somebody else’s expensive airplane. I have visions of epaulets, exotic layover destinations and, naturally, extraordinarily fast, ridiculously expensive and new […]

December 2010 — A diverse gathering of aviators from all age groups could probably debate for hours the first airline airplane that required administrative thinking to manage the cockpit. If alcohol were included in this debate, days rather than hours would pass before a collective agreement occurred, if at all. For my purposes, and the […]

JUNE 2010 — WITH A SUBTLETY BORNE through years of experience, the captain pushed the power levers forward on the Super 80. Other than the occasional rattle and the whirring of the nosewheel below our feet, the cockpit was absent the typical sounds of a jet airplane accelerating. Engines mounted at the far end of […]

Though I thoroughly enjoyed being the guest of US Airways, after two tiring sessions in its simulators, I was ready for a break. The Boeing 757 and 737 had been fun and, for the most part, understandable to me. I had survived assorted V1 cuts and wind shear in both airplanes and was pretty well […]

What really scares pilots and airplane owners? Is it an instrument approach to minimums? Not really. With proper training and a good flight director, nailing the approach is a piece of cake. How about a crosswind landing? They’re tough, but with practice you can learn how to master the technique. Maybe thunderstorms? Nah. Having satellite-delivered […]