Features

SocialFlight is showing fly-ins and aviation gatherings in almost every state this weekend, with some venues not waiting until Saturday to host aviators. On Friday, May 2, at Tri-Cities Airport, Pasco, Wash., Bergstrom Aircraft is holding its annual Cinco De Mayo Potluck Lunch. It runs from noon to 1:00 p.m.; bring a side dish or […]

When approaching (and departing) an airport, I turn on my strobes and landing light to be more easily seen by others. Several weeks ago, I was about five miles south of the field when a Bonanza pilot came on CTAS to announce his take-off and departure. Bonanza:“Bonanza 12345 taking runway 30 for take-off with a […]

As much as we drill instrument students on any of the 10 items from FAR 91.175 (c) you must see to go below DA/MDA, in the real world if we see anything that might be part of the runway, we land on it. Its nearly certain that youll first see the approach lighting system (ALS), […]

A trip to the airport doesn’t have to just be for pilots — SocialFlight’s listings include lots of opportunities to bring in new people and kids for an introduction to the diverse world of aviation. In Wisconsin, the Wausau Downtown Airport is hosting a Pilot for a Day event on Saturday. The curious can sign […]

When Fred Weick and John Thorp set out to design a less expensive alternative to Piper’s Comanche, it’s unlikely they thought the resulting PA-28 series would become so popular, so durable or so varied. Since introducing the Piper Cherokee 150 and Piper Cherokee 160 (PA-28-150 and PA-28-160, respectively) in 1961, Piper has stretched, T-tailed, turbocharged […]

Over the North Pacific in the middle of the night, we were catching up to a slower aircraft below us as we were coming up to a position-report waypoint. We listened out on the HF, and it was a MAC flight. He was obviously listening out as we gave our position report, and, shortly after, […]

By the time a person finishes training for a pilot certificate, he or she has gotten a good introduction to a small corner of the FARs, has probably learned nothing about whats involved in buying or owning an airplane and had an immersion in aviation Old Wives Tales (OWT) regarding legal obligations and potential liabilities […]

We Americans like our stuff. We accumulate it madly and take it with us when we go places. We happily buy and jam our highways with SUVs, minivans and gigantic pickup trucks, each able to comfortably swallow several people and their stuff. Yet, when it comes to airplanes, it’s tough to fulfill the deep-seated desire […]

Our weekly review of the fly-ins posted on SocialFlight showed that with warmer weather, fly-ins are increasing in number as well as associated activities. We found fly-ins that included everything from a pig roast to a spot landing contest. The Orange Municipal Airport in Orange, Mass., is hosting a fly-in pig roast on Saturday from […]

To date, the single-engine turboprop market has been a classic economic model of independent niches—the players don’t compete directly. The Pilatus PC-12, Daher-Socata TBMs, Cessna Caravans, Quest Kodiak and Piper Meridian target different mission and load needs; there’s not much to encourage price competition, although the TBMs are so fast they do go head to […]