Features

The bad news for amphibian airplane owners and pilots is that, no matter how cleverly you design it, putting a boat hull on an airplane does not make for efficient aerodynamics. You also wind up with a complex airplane that has all the costs of maintaining a retractable landing gear and constant speed prop, plus […]

It’s often difficult to compare the risks imposed by different activities, but its reasonable to state flying a certified single-engine airplane for an hour on a severe-clear day isnt as risky as spending that same time performing low-level aerobatics in an Experimental airplane. At the same time, and according to John King of King Schools, […]

San Marcos, Texas (KHYI) was busier than normal this recent November weekend due to Formula 1 racing in Austin when the following exchange was overheard: KHYI Tower:“Mooney 1234N, cleared for take-off, Runway 13.” Mooney 1234N:Tower, Mooney 1234N. Can I land first? KHYI Tower:Mooney 1234N, cleared to land. Robert Elliottvia e-mail

On September 10th, 2001, the world of general aviation was, if not rosy, not too bad. Cessna had re-started single-engine production and a new company called Cirrus was having encouraging success with a composite airplane with a parachute. You could see a future. A day later, it all but vanished in a choking cloud of […]

Instrument pilots take far more checkrides than their more visuallyoriented counterparts. In addition to the initial rating check, you occasionally face an instrument competency ride when you are more than six months out of currency. Most times when you add a rating, like a multiengine ticket, youll be expected to show off your gauge gazing […]

Letter of the Week:100UL Should Be Cheaper than 100LL Regarding Shell’s announcement that it has created an unleaded 100-octane aviation fuel: Once in production, and without knowing the ingredients, this should actually be lower in cost than 100LL for several reasons, some of which are: Larry Wheelock I’d hoped a 100UL fuel would cost less […]

While on a local flight close to my base airport (KLWB), a landing Gulfstream contacted the tower. The controller in the cab gave the Gulfstream clearance to land, along with a warning that buzzards were circling near the approach end of the runway. “O.K.,” replied the Gulfsteam. “We’ve got the BB gun loaded.” Kyle Jonesvia […]

There will be owners who say they have aircraft batteries that are five or more years old and it still cranks just fine. Chances are they live in a warm climate, dont ever worry about having an alternator failure and have some good luck. Some use proper aviation battery chargers, but probably not. Hopefully, these […]

Probably the most difficult task on the Instrument Rating (IR) practical test is Area VII, Task D: Approach with Loss of Primary Flight Instrument Indicators. But why is the FAA so concerned about this? In their own words from the IR Practical Test Standards (PTS): The FAA is concerned about numerous fatal aircraft accidents involving […]

DiamondShare, a cost-sharing program for new Diamond DA40 aircraft, isnt designed to be a cheaper way to fly. Instead, it’s intended to make the high cost of new aircraft ownership more compelling, especially for owners that dont plan to fly more than 100 hours per year. For the non-owner, its a way to gain access […]