Features

In their older years, my parents were cheapskates. When I visited them in their Southern Texas retirement community, they always were delighted to share their favorite places, those with senior discounts, dollar-breakfast specials and cheap all-you-can-eat buffets. The same proved true when buying unleaded: I thought it odd they would drive six miles round-trip to […]

Because of design, certification and insurance costs, the OEM industry is hobbled with a rather arcane system of pricing replacement parts. When it comes to interior plastic parts—like a window molding, hinge cover or a glove box overlay, for example—a couple of dollars’ worth of plastic becomes a $400 part simply because of its unique […]

The holiday weekend has a lot in store on SocialFlight, from campouts, poker runs and plenty of food. A weekend of camping, entertainment and cookouts awaits at Llano Municipal Airport in Texas, where ShareAviation will have burgers, brats and hot dogs on the grill along with campground games and an outdoor movie on a 12-foot […]

For over 70 years general aviation pilots have volunteered their time, skills and airplanes to help others in need by giving free flights for everything from search and rescue through medical transport, environmental survey and research to disaster relief, animal transport and exposing kids to the world of flight. What has been termed Public Benefit […]

A reader of IFR Refresher recently inquired about the ATC/Pilot relationship for departures from airports in Class G (uncontrolled) airspace—specifically executing these clearances, and ATC’s expectations of how that aircraft will maneuver. Hailing from an en-route center where mountainous terrain dominates and TRACONS are scarce, I frequently encounter situations where aircraft request departure off one […]

The Weekender has some family-friendly outings on the SocialFlight calendar, along with an aviation expo and even a chance to fly in for some fishing. The Idaho Aviation Association, in partnership with Aero Mark, will host the 6th annual Idaho Aviation Expo Friday and Saturday in Idaho Falls, featuring bushplanes to business turbines, displays for […]

On a flight from Panama City, Florida to Asheville, North Carolina, I heard ATC asking another aircraft if his transponder was on — to which the reply was: “We’re putting quarters in the slot now.” Ray Mansfield

The Cessna 182 series is one of the most popular and prolific all-purpose flying machines in the general aviation fleet. They are dependable, straightforward, and easy to fly. They are traded frequently on the market, and lots of people are looking to buy one at any given time. While the huge run-up in the cost […]

Regardless of whether your aircraft is metal, composite, or tube and fabric, quite a few homebuilts these days use composite fairings. Nowhere is this more true than the engine cowl—it’s just not an easy shape to fabricate out of other materials. Unfortunately, for tightly-cowled installations, heat from proximity to exhaust pipes (or a turbo) can […]

The Weekender’s SocialFlight calendar turned up some busy events with lots in store for vintage enthusiasts, all taking place on Saturday. Join fellow pilots for a grassroots fly-in to Massey, Maryland, where you can tour the Massey Air Museum and share your best chili recipe and/or hors d’oeuvre item. Good weather brings over 100 aircraft, […]