Features

AVweb’s Features section offers in-depth articles, expert aviation insights, and engaging features that delve into the nuances of aviation. From pilot memoirs and technical analyses to industry insights and thought-provoking discussions, this section provides valuable content for aviation enthusiasts and professionals alike. Explore a diverse range of topics that go beyond the headlines to enrich your understanding of the aviation world.

Buying The Old Ones: Homework Mandatory

Staggerwing. Caught you. It only took one word. You started dreaming. It’s okay, we did too. In our mind’s eye we saw that sleek work of art smoke over us at 200 MPH, 450-HP Pratt rumbling as it dwindled away toward the horizon. Unless one’s blood is the consistency of water, at some time every […]

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Short Final: Hood Up

In the early 1970s, I was a captain in the Kansas Army National Guard flying a CH‑54 Sky Crane helicopter IFR north bound off of Forbes Field, Topeka, Kansas. We were headed to annual training with Jeep on a four point load hung under the CH‑54 for ground transportation upon arrival. We were level at […]

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Accident Probe: No Idea What’s Going On

No matter how successful we are in life, there’s always someone with a bigger house, a newer car and a better job to help keep us honest. That’s certainly true in aviation, where we’re often left to wonder how some pilots can get away with buying and flying more airplane than they can handle. You […]

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Top Letters And Comments, July 31, 2020

Which Came First, The Hangar Or The Airplane? There can be a third dimension regarding whether to acquire the airplane or the hangar first – the vacation home. I can recommend acquiring the airplane first. Then, it’s necessary to purchase a vacation home to justify the airplane. Finally, one builds a hangar near the vacation […]

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Subjective Pilot Reports

Most everyone appreciates pilot reports. Two of the most important are turbulence and icing. But both require a degree of judgment with respect to the severity. It’s great to hear from a pilot 50 miles ahead of you that the ride is “smooth.” But what if he says that it’s moderate chop? Is his “moderate” […]

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KITPLANES: Buying a Used Long-EZ

By LeRoy Cook Burt Rutan wasn’t the first to build and fly a pusher-type airplane with the tail in front, but he did solve the inherent weaknesses in the concept, flaws that had bedeviled the similar WW-II era Curtiss XP-55 Ascender fighter plane. Rutan’s strength as a designer has always been to find innovative ways […]

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Short Final: Top Gun

A Tale of Two Airports: There seems to be a rivalry between San Diego International Airport (KSAN) and Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (KDTW) on who is the legitimate owner of Top Gun. TOPGN TWO ARRIVAL at KSAN has dogfights (DOGFTs) among TMCATs. But only two call signs of the protagonists. Goose (GUUSE) and Iceman […]

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General Aviation Accident Bulletin

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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Top Letters And Comments, July 24, 2020

Cue The Towering CUs You’ve reminded me of the time back in the 70’s we got SO tossed around in an early 50’s V-tail over eastern Kansas that the airplane got upside down … and we weren’t IN the TCU. An old heavy mike came off its perch and boinked the PIC/owner who was spurting […]

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Maxing Out the Fun Factor

For those who have experienced it, the fun of going on a flying trip with your friends and their families in the airplanes you built comes pretty close to maxing out the fun factor for many of us. What really makes this experience enjoyable is being able to share it with a group of competent […]

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