Search Results for: vfr

This article originally appeared in Aviation Safety, December 2003. Each pilot rating or certificate is a hard-earned trophy that rewards pilots for their efforts, not with a shiny sparkle from a shelf in the den, but with heightened skill for flying the airplane. They stand as testaments to the pilot’s ability to eke utility out […]

The permanent zone that will likely result from all this is almost certain to be round, or close to it. The current “Mickey Mouse ears” shape of the ADIZ invites navigational error and also makes it tough on those monitoring the airspace. Just how big the circle should be is another matter. GA proponents say […]

Like most single-engine aircraft owners, I find myself drooling over photos of the latest all-glass panel hardware, and even wondering if I’d be qualified to use it. For those of us who fly virtual airplanes based on Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004, there’s now an opportunity to find out: In conjunction with their 2005 sweepstakes, the […]

BRAINTEASERS Quiz #104: Preflight ThisNo person shall begin a flight without ensuring that most of the aircraft parts are attached in an airworthy fashion. That inspection requires more than a laminated checklist, so let’s preflight the logbook, fuel, and pilot’s airworthiness. ___________________MAINTENANCE MATTERS No Muss, No Fuss Oil ChangingIf you’re interested in changing your own […]

COLUMNS The Pilot’s Lounge #97: Precautionary LandingsYou probably only flew an approach to an off-airport field as part of your “power-failure” training — and you probably didn’t actually land on that crop field (balloons and gliders excepted, of course). But if that’s the only thing that will save your life when you get caught scud-running, […]

As do pilots all over the world, we who gather here in the Pilot’s Lounge at the virtual airport read and discuss aircraft accident reports. Recently we got to perusing a fatal accident involving a relatively new, inexperienced, private pilot flying in the Midwest.While I’m amending the details a bit to preserve anonymity, the gentleman […]

Three people died near San Diego last Wednesday, when a Cessna 172RG and a Cessna 182 collided in midair at about 4:40 p.m. Nobody on the ground was hurt, though flaming debris fell into a residential area and set a home on fire. A pilot and instructor in the 172RG, owned by Scandinavian Aviation Academy […]

COLUMNS As the Beacon Turns #98: Just Another Winter Day In ColoradoSome days you take off when it’s beautiful and it’s all gone sour in time for you to land. It’s best to prepare for these times with relaxation, a soft touch on the controls … and a few alternate plans, as Michael Maya Charles […]

Overheard at my local ‘drome this [superbowl] weekend… N465: Ground, N465 at Pacific Aviation, VFR to the west with Victor, ready for taxi, we’re going to need a progressive, please. Ground: N465, roger. Alpha three, right Bravo, hold short 27 Right.[short pause]Unknown: Hike!

The GlobalFlyer could launch on Wednesday, weather permitting. Steve Fossett plans to take off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida and fly farther than any other aircraft in history… New York’s busy LaGuardia Airport will get a new control tower, to be completed by 2009 at a cost of $40 million. The new facility will […]