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.
Short Final: Hold Your Horsepower
From sister publication IFR Magazine’s “On the Air” letters page: A female tower controller at a flight-school airport was known to have a sultry voice that the young male instructors found … appealing. On one occasion, she advised one of the school aircraft that had been waiting for ground fog to dissipate: Controller: “Cessna Five […]
Short Final: Retirement Planning
From AVweb reader Erik Klavon: After an unusually long period of silence on a Denver center frequency, I heard the following exchange: Unknown pilot: “Still there?” Denver Center: “For another 25 years.”
Last Week’s Poll Results: DEI Is Bad For Aviation
The results were pretty conclusive this week and we got more than twice the average number of responses. More than half of almost 5,000 AVweb readers think DEI is hurting aviation.
Short Final: Don’t Ask!
My old Bonanza was a very capable airplane for instrument flying, but my panel avionics did not include an FAA-blessed GPS navigator. My Garmin portable was a highly capable situational-awareness tool, but for IFR flight planning, I always stuck to VOR-to-VOR airway routing, even if the turns from one fix to the next involved nothing […]
Short Final: Pick Your Poison
In the 1980s, when I worked at Daniel Webster College in Nashua, New Hampshire, it had an innovative flight training program with a diverse fleet that included Grob G109B motorgliders, Mudry CAP 10 aerobatic trainers, and swift and slippery Mooney 201 complex singles. Based at Nashua Airport, DWC’s high-density flight operations blended in with a […]
Short Final: Age Before Duty
My friend and I were flying his SR22 into Denver’s Centennial Airport. I was handling the radio. We were VFR at 13,500 feet when Center handed us off to Denver Approach. I checked in, then followed up with a request: Me: In case we need it, can I expect a Bravo clearance? Approach: No. A […]
Last Week’s Poll Results: Airlines Have Some Sympathy (Corrected)
Last week we asked whether airlines should get airspace priority and a thin majority of AVweb readers disagreed with that premise.
Short Final: Identity Crisis
I owned my little two-seat Grumman AA1-B for 22 years and loved it. But after getting my instrument rating, I realized it just wasn’t practical for IFR travel. So I eventually sold the Grumman to a friend (who formed a partnership with another pilot) and upgraded to a 1954 V-tail Bonanza, which I also loved. […]
