Features

Archaic Flight Procedures I learned to fly in the 70s and have been flying my own airplane since then. At that time, I didn’t think the private pilot flight training was overly difficult. Over the past 40 years since getting my license I have been upgrading the equipment in my plane primarily to make flight […]

Here is a text message exchange between a pilot and his wife on Facebook. It’s always better at home when your flying spouse knows proper ATC phraseology. Husband: “On the train. Arrive 16:51.” Wife: “Rog. Report Sevenoaks.” Husband: “Wilco.” John Templeton Washington, UT

Michel spent 10 days at Mario Zucchelli Station in Antarctica. The team of scientists and station staff were very supportive and helped him remove the skis from the RV-8, plan the rest of the flight, and offered friendship, a bed, and good food. Even from 10,000 miles away, Michel still found time to update the […]

Over time, many of the features in a personal airplane cockpit have become more or less standardized. Power controls are color- and shape-coded, flight instruments consistently work the same way and when we push on the pitch control, houses get bigger. Not so much for many other controls, especially those for important systems. The Cessna […]

Drones Close Gatwick Regarding your question, we don’t have enough accurate information. There are conflicting reports. There were two or more drones. Or there were no drones. But what surprises me is that any airport, especially an important hub like Gatwick, would be surprised by a drone incursion and not already have a plan of […]

I was flying with a non‑pilot friend who had never been in a small plane. We were listening in on Key West International’s tower frequency. It was early on a Saturday morning and not much was happening. A regular inbound flight checked in and the pilot and controller obviously knew one another and began talking […]

AVweb’sGeneral Aviation Accident Bulletinis taken from the pages of our sister publication,Aviation Safetymagazine, and is published twice a month. All the reports listed here are preliminary and include only initial factual findings about crashes. You can learn more about the final probable cause in the NTSB’s website atwww.ntsb.gov. Final reports appear about a year after […]

Flying is peaceful, the engine droning, wind whistling, your mind roaming to different thoughts as it gives birth to a new perspective. You reach out for your thermos to sip some hot coffee—but it’s not hot anymore. You start feeling cold, alone, and want to talk to someone, but you can’t. You fear that your […]

Are Towered Airports Safer? Overall, I consider towered airports to be safer. However, that is due mainly to the fact that they provide order to traffic procedures that does not always exist at nontowered fields. Plus, they normally handle larger aircraft with more experienced pilots who are accustomed to following directions from controllers. In my […]

I was preparing for some instrument and maneuvering practice with my instructor, Andy. Sitting in the apron area in a Cessna 172 with the engine running, I made my initial call to Texarkana Ground as follows: Me: “Texarkana Ground, Skyhawk 62689, Texarkana Flying Club; ready for departure with information Delta.” Texarkana Ground (in a completely […]