Features

Initial Pilot Certification Passing Rates As with the military, the CFI shortage or experience level in GA could be helped by engaging retired pilots. The problem for this segment of pilots/CFII’s is that flight schools/ military training units want schedule control over the CFII or the insurance co requires permanent employment status. There should be […]

While there are some rare instances when a history of seizures, paralysis or other neurological events won’t be disqualifying, any presentation of a neurological disorder is usually met by an adverse FAA decision. Neurological disorders are item 18L on the Basic Med checklist. The FAA’s Guide for Aviation Medical Examiners is helpful if you think […]

As an FAA Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE), I’ve felt like my pass rate on practical tests has been declining over the last couple of years. It started as a gut feeling, but then I compared my recent numbers with my pass rate from a few years ago and found it was also statistically true. It […]

Many pilots are placing more reliance on the Electronic Flight Bag. This requires that we become aware of its foibles as well as its magic. Portable moving map displays have come a long way towards making the lost pilot a thing of the past. However, its use requires more awareness and preparation on the pilot’s […]

Nearly 20 years ago I began writing a column—The Pilot’s Lounge—for AVweb. It eventually evolved into the position of Features Editor and writing two or three feature articles each month. As a result of my association with AVweb, I’ve been fortunate enough to meet many of the fascinating and delightful people that characterize aviation, learn […]

The face of aviation training is changing and one of the places where the effects can be seen is in how many and what kinds of new aircraft are entering the aviation training fleet. There are a lot of factors driving the shift—a more globalized economy, new investors, training costs and developing technologies, to name […]

In this installation of AVweb’s series on flight simulators we’re going to take a look at a company that uses an innovative program to bring access to sophisticated—and expensive—flight simulators to users who otherwise could not afford them. Started in 2010 by Xylon Saltzman, a flight instructor and charter pilot who was unhappy with the […]

AVweb’s General Aviation Accident Bulletin is taken from the pages of our sister publication, Aviation Safety magazine, 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 at www.ntsb.gov. Final reports […]

The whole-body impact of type 1 or type 2 diabetes can affect eyesight, heart function and kidney output. It can lead to fatty liver disease, skin infections, osteoporosis and even dementia. No other disease–except perhaps an autoimmune disorder–carries this kind of whole-body risk. Clearly, losing any of these capacities risks your pilot privileges, let alone […]

As a student pilot I badly embarrassed myself by making about six go-arounds while trying to land at an airport in a gusting crosswind. My instructor had told me to land there, so I had then told myself that I had to land there—there was no alternative. I also had internalized that go-arounds were a […]