Search Results for: vfr

In a market rich with tablet and smartphone navigation apps, Garmin has announced a new, purpose-built portable GPS navigator, the aera 660. It’s the company’s first dedicated aviation portable since the aera 796 appeared in 2011. Following the trend in smartphones, the aera 660 has a 5-inch capacitive touchscreen and more interface capability than any […]

A fatal crash in Alaska in November 2013 was initiated by one small mistake by the pilot — a missed frequency change, which meant the lights failed to come on as expected at the destination airport — but in the NTSB’s final report, issued on Friday, the safety board said a chain of events and […]

In 2009, I was making multiple flights around the southeast U.S. and landed in Columbia, South Carolina at Columbia Downtown Airport (KCUB) on multiple occasions for business. The runway at KCUB is parallel and adjacent to an active railyard. After contacting the KCUB tower for my IFR departure clearance on a clear VFR day, the […]

Back in the 1950s, social critic and philosopher Lenny Bruce said that no one is shocked anymore. He was probably correct, given our national tolerance for the excesses of those in the entertainment biz, and those seeking to join the weirdness. Yet, I find my level of amazement at flight schools that grind out new […]

The Weekender’s fly-in season has already begun, as far as breakfast is concerned. TheSocialFlightcalendar has plenty of choices in warm and wintry climates to suit your taste. EAA Chapter 237 in Blaine, Minnesota, invites all for its mid-winter famous pancake breakfast on Saturday, where a donation will get you a big plate and a boost […]

Ask aircraft owners about their experience with an annual inspection and you are likely to get many different opinions and scary tales of what was and wasn’t done. Unfortunately, there are shops and mechanics doing business haphazardly and that have little concern for customer service. I have been an IA mechanic and shop owner for […]

Why do holiday newsletters begin with, “It’s hard to believe another year has passed”? Have we not yet accepted the earth’s orbit around the sun? Or is it truly unfathomable that no matter what reality dictates we’re doomed to repeat the same dumb things year after year? And I’m not just addressing you folks in […]

Here’s a common scenario: You bring your airplane to the avionics shop for its 24-month IFR pitot and static system certification and the tech says you’ll be wheels up in a couple of hours. Thirty minutes later while you’re cooling your heels in the pilot lounge, the technician tracks you down with news you don’t […]

The Weekender is hangar flying for a few days as the SocialFlight calendar is full of events to help brush up on flight safety — especially for those in the midst of winter weather. Learn about the hazards of icing in a Redbird simulator in Burlington, North Carolina, on Saturday. Group scenarios will include airframe […]

The Weekender hopes to start the new year right by getting others airborne, and SocialFlight found at least one New Year’s Eve party to kick things off. TheLiberty Aviation Museum in Port Clinton, Ohio, will host a 1940s-style Big Band Hangar Dance complete with live music, food, free dance lessons and theme contests. The event […]