Features

We did not have digital radar in the TRACON 25 years ago when I was an air traffic controller. With our analog radar, spring and fall waterfowl migrations of ducks, geese, and cranes always created a cluster of raw radar returns on the scope. It was one of those days when the scope was almost […]

I am a 68 year-old Baby Boomer who got his private certificate in 1975 with the University of Michigan Flyers at the Ann Arbor, Michigan Airport. At that time, the Flyers had five Cessna 150s, a Skyhawk, a Piper Arrow, and a Citabria. Within a few months, a twin was added to the fleet-which continued […]

A weekend getaway from Thanksgiving leftovers and shopping crowds is in store for pilots viaSocialFlight, especially those looking for continuing education opportunities. If you’re still looking for food — perhaps something other than turkey — head south for breakfast and east for lunch.The Sugar Hill Pilots Association will hold its Fly-In Foot Long Hot Dog […]

Were flying blissfully along enjoying the smooth night flight conditions and the panorama of lights below. The engine is purring smoothly, and, for once, we have caught a tailwind. We think to ourselves, this is why we became pilots and then we proudly wonder out loud what the ground-bound populace below is doing on such […]

After a VFR departure from a satellite airport, I called TYS approach. Me:“Knoxville, Cheyenne 1234 is off Morristown for a clearance to Nashville.” Approach:“Squawk 2345.” Me:“O.K., squawking 2345.” [A bit of a pause.] Approach:“Cheyenne 1234, squawk Oscar November.” I fixed the problem right away. Billy Chandler

Welcome to the start of the Holiday Season-Thanksgiving, Chanukah, Christmas, New Year-the highest stress time of the year. Welcome to the season of intense pressure, spoken and unspoken, to make the flight you’re planning to be with your family. Before you start saying that Scrooge was the more caring member of my family, the point […]

With holidays and winter looming, activities in the northern half of the country are more scarce than usual this week, but SocialFlight still can help adventure-seeking pilots find plenty of places to go. In Niagara Falls, New York, the Niagara Aerospace Museum invites visitors to enjoy vintage Curtiss airplanes, Bell helicopters, and vintage artifacts from […]

Few general aviation aircraft are as iconic as Cessna’s 310. Whether because of its aggressive ramp presence, its supporting role in an old television adventure series or its suitability for a wide range of missions, the 310 is what many non-pilots recall when piston twins come up in conversation. It’s arguably the first “modern” light […]

Batteries are often crippled from the outset-that may be a bit of hyperbole, but it may be other causes than the battery maker responsible for problems with short lived or early failed batteries, especially with flooded cells. Look at the battery maker requirements for activation of a dry-charged battery as well as elements that an […]

I was on my way back to Chicago Midway after delivering some freight out east. “It was a dark and stormy night” with scattered thunderstorms and few airplanes. I was with Cleveland approach when this call came through. Something Something Yankee:“Cleveland, this is Something Something Yankee. How do you hear?” Cleveland:“Loud and clear. How me?” […]