Some mentor, long ago, explained aviation weather to me: “There are two kinds of weather you never want to fly in no matter the aircraft,” he said. “Icing and thunderstorms.” He wasn’t wrong. But until we gain some experience, sometimes it’s hard to tell when we’ve gotten too close to either weather situation. Put another […]
“Unusual” is a subjective, time-sensitive evaluation inspired by something that is rare or exceptional, something not common or usual. This certainly describes the maroon two-seat biplane tied down in front of Homebuilt Headquarters at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2019. With its negatively staggered wings, it was equally exceptional when its designer, 72-year-old Miles Westfall, flew the […]
The first thing that might be on your mind is; “Aren’t there fewer rules if you are IFR?” Well, kind of. The main example is if you are IFR, you need not worry about weather requirements for entering certain airspaces. An IFR clearance in itself provides separation from other aircraft and obstacle clearance in all […]
Nearly two years have passed since Aviation Safety magazine introduced the concept of gadget flight rules (GFR) in the December 2013 issue. The original article examined using non-certified gadgets-personal electronic devices running appropriate software-to salvage a flight when your certified instruments fail. The conclusion was, yes, gadgets can provide backup, but the user must understand the […]
Dynon’s STC’d version of the SkyView HDX system was introduced a couple of years ago, but it hasn’t been retrofitted in large numbers. Part of that is because the STC has been limited to Cessna Skyhawk models (at press time Dynon earned an STC for some Beech Bonanza models), plus Dynon hasn’t established a large […]
When Garmin introduced the GPS 175 (and ADS-B transponder-equipped GNX 375) budget IFR navigator earlier this year, we wondered why it didn’t have a comm radio. Then a couple months later, Garmin tossed the $6995 GNC 355 in the mix with, you guessed it, a built-in comm. That leaves no fewer than a half-dozen choices […]
Editor’s note: Following is a first-person account of an in-flight emergency, namely smoke in the cockpit, aboard a civilian Beechcraft King Air 300 over Afghanistan in February 2019. This account preserves the operation’s security, its exact location and identities of the crewmembers. It’s the sole opinion of the author, who was the flight’s pilot-in-command, and […]
A few years ago, my wife and I were scooting along in our 1973 Cessna 182 from Visalia, California (KVIS) back home to Hubbard, Oregon (7S9) at 10,500 in VFR conditions. We were enjoying the ride having passed Mount Lassen on our right and Shasta Lake on our left, when Center called: Oakland Center: “November […]
Just because the chances of dealing with a forced landing are relatively slim doesn’t mean we shouldn’t plan for one—on every flight, and especially on every takeoff. Flying in IMC poses an even greater risk for the complacent because there’s less time to assess what lies below. Knowing the immediate steps to take by memory […]
AVweb’s General Aviation Accident Bulletin is taken from the pages of our sister publication, Aviation Safety magazine. All the reports listed here are preliminary and include only initial factual findings about crashes. You can learn more about the final probable cause on the NTSB’s website at www.ntsb.gov. Final reports appear about a year after the […]
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