Features

Weekend activities on SocialFlight offer holiday fly-ins and even a marathon. Santa will land at the Lapeer Airport in Michigan Saturday. Fly (or drive) in and look to the skies as Santa makes a special appearance at 12:30 p.m., so be sure to arrive in time to see his approach into Lapeer. Bring the little […]

One clear Christmas night, my wife and I were returning to San Diego after visiting our son in central California. There was little radio traffic, but check-ins with controllers were invariably prefaced with “Merry Christmas.” So, as we proceeded into Bakersfield’s air space: Me:“Good evening, Bakersfield. Merry Christmas.” Bakersfield Tower:“Humbug.” Me:“Why ‘humbug’?” Bakersfield Tower:“Have you […]

Letter of the Week:Third Class Medical Issues Regarding Woody Beck’s article on the decline of GA: He states the following,“Over the longer term, changes in the third class medical will have no significant impact because its cost is negligible, roughly the cost of 15 gallons of av fuel every two years for us older pilots.” […]

Let’s start at the very beginning since that’s where tales of all good adventures originate. When you are raised by two pilots it is natural to have flying in the blood, but passion is not something inherited; it’s something discovered. For me, true passion came in the form of four hooves and a soft nicker […]

Keeping your holding skills up to date these days feels like keeping a working fax machine around; well, I suppose this might come in handy. Someday. Maybe. Holds are rare, and the most common ones for the fat middle of GA are holds published on instrument approach charts where you have to make a few […]

The holiday spirit is gearing up on SocialFlight, where winter flying and Christmas treats are plentiful, snow or no snow. On Saturday, Oceano Airport in California will host its annual Toys for Tots event in cooperation with the U.S. Marine Corps. Bring a new, unwrapped toy and enjoy the fun. Arrivals and holiday beverages will […]

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 […]