Features

It was a foggy mid-week morning when I stopped into the pilot’s lounge at the virtual airport. I was doing some research for an article in our sister publication Aviation Consumer and I needed Wi-Fi access, so I figured I’d tap into the flight school’s system. Karver, recently instrument rated and Kary, a long-time pilot […]

We’ve all told apocryphal stories of pilots falling so far behind the airplane that they were only holding on by the static wicks. Amusing as these tales may be, falling behind is a major cause of accidents and incidents. There are two reasons for finding yourself in this unenviable situation: Either the airplane is going […]

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 […]

The ride over was smooth and generally clear on a recent flight, but there were intermittent clouds and bumps at 7000: Piper 28D: “Allentown Approach, Piper Two Eight Delta, request.” Allentown Approach: “Go ahead.” Piper 28D: “We are about to enter a cloud layer at 7000. Is 5000 available? I’ve got my 90‑year‑old dad with […]

Mooney’s Last Act? At an average equipped sale price of $850,000 per aircraft, selling 30 airplanes per year to break even, would result in $25.5 million dollars in annual sales. An infusion of $150 million would take 6 years to pay back…and at zero investment profit for the sale of 180 Mooneys. Besides, six years […]

Flight planning invariably includes choosing an expected altitude for the trip and varying it as necessary for anticipated terrain encounters and ATC requirements. The question at the outset will often be, shall I go as high as practical, or as low as I can? Many factors enter into the decision, with each trip having du […]

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 […]

In 2006, Addison, Texas, the new tower structure was up, but without windows and a few walls. I was taxiing out to the runway and overheard this exchange: Addison Tower: “Lear Eight Tango Fox, turn right at Golf and taxi to parking.” Lear 8TF: “Right at Golf. Our Tower is going to look like your […]

How to Look Less Worse When Tailwheel Flying I got a tailwheel endorsement in the 1980s in a Champ, and as I recall, the instructor told me, “You land a conventional gear exactly like a tricycle gear. Just keep the damn thing straight – which you ought to be doing anyway.” I’ve never changed a […]

There’s an amusing quip from award‑winning author Robert McCloskey that says, “I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I’m not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.” This double speak serves to illustrate the importance of clear communication. There are few places in human […]