Features

ORD TRACON was pretty busy last night, so we had to wait to check in for a couple of minutes. Just ahead of us, we heard TRACON issue an airliner a warning about an unauthorized laser illumination event: TRACON:“Airline XXX, unauthorized laser illumination event at 0035Z, ten miles west of PWK, reported at 7,000 feet […]

While it may be a shallow measuring gauge, the most popular indicator of the success of an aircraft refurb is the paint job. A good one can be used to disguise many ills while a bad one can overwhelm the perfection of the new leather interior and top-of-the-line glass panel. So, in the process of […]

The Weekender is still celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with plenty of March-themed events found on SocialFlight. On top of that, the flying season has sprung with airshows starting up around the country.EAA Chapter 1195 will have its first St. Patrick’s Day Fly-In Friday through Sunday at Bud Barron Airport in Dublin, Georgia. Catch a shuttle […]

Not long ago, an airline began to receive notices that crews flying the RNAV (GPS) RWY 36 approach into Birmingham, Alabama (BHM) were receiving GPWS alerts while descending from the MDA to the runway. Since it wasn’t an isolated incident, the airline suspected that the approach was flawed and notified the FAA, who flight checked […]

A few years ago, when there was a tethered aerostat by Cross City, Florida, I heard the following radio communication: Pilot 1 to Pilot 2, flying in very loose formation:“Watch for the tethered ballon at 10,000 feet.” Pilot 2:“That’s no problem. I’m well below 10,000 feet.” Jim Finley

Speed matters. Ask any pilot. Frustratingly, speed costs money and lots of speed, as the warbird set says, costs cubic money. In the single-engine piston world, we’d each love to blast across the sky over 230 knots in a Cessna TTX, yet for most, the exchequer doesn’t quite stretch to the nearly three-quarters of a […]

A pilot can learn a great deal by stripping his or her flying down to its fundamental roots. Flying an aircraft without an electrical system puts you in touch with the basics of flying by altimeter, whiskey compass, pilotage and pure stick-and-rudder skills. On the mechanical side, it’s a chance to commune with the engine […]

As spring approaches and the flying season starts warming up for much of the country, getting back to flying will require some review of the basics. Weekender found some pilot seminars on SocialFlight, plus some fun outings as well. On Saturday, the Wiscasset Annual Chili Cookoff will take place at the Wiscasset airport in Maine. […]

A few years back, I was doing multi- education in a 310 at St. Louis international. The student was making a lot of go-arounds, and I was keeping the tower informed. Finally, our clearance was: “N1234, it’s a nice night, and we’re not busy. Cleared to land on any runway you think you might be […]

We’ll admit it up front, without equivocation—we think flight simulators have improved the quality and safety of flight training substantially. We’ve seen the benefits for everyone from just starting out student pilots through grizzled veterans doing recurrent training. That’s why we are interested in the attractively-priced sims developed by one-G simulation, a Seattle-based company. We […]