Features

Mooney aficionados tend to be clustered in the end of the gene pool that has “I want a fast airplane” in the DNA. For years, they flocked to the marque that promised and delivered speed while sipping fuel. Starting with the single-seat Mite, they were willing to shoehorn themselves into tiny cabins in return for […]

Back in the ’70s, a Southern gentleman friend was an airline pilot who owned a C-182 that he called “Juan” – as in “Juan Eighty-Two.” His N-number ended in 4Q, and if he either wanted a laugh or didn’t like an ATC instruction, he acknowledged with, “Roger. Four Q.” Pronounced in that Southern-gentlemanly style that […]

Air shows will look a little different this year without the U.S. military presence, but they’re working hard to get you to come. What air shows are you planning to attend? (click to answer) Last Week’s Question: Results Want to see the current breakdown of responses? Take a moment to answer the question yourself, and […]

For over two years, Lockheed Martin has been investing heavily to develop new applications to bring to its Flight Services, seeking to create what it hopes will be a significantly more useful platform for pilots, but pilots are no longer the only direct users the company targets. According to Jim Derr, head of flight services, […]

In the early ’70s in Orlando, an Aztec, N910JQ, would always ask for a straight in to Herndon. So we could say: “Nine ten Jack Queen has a possible straight.” Jim Woolfvia e-mail

Ah, June — the beginning of summer and the inspiration for flying plans. What’s your agenda? What are your summer flying plans? (click to answer) Last Week’s Question: Results Want to see the current breakdown of responses? Take a moment to answer the question yourself, and then you can view real-time results. What’s On Your […]

The insurance market for older pilots isn’t as grim as it once was. Stick with the same company, fly often and get recurrent training. The insurance market cycle has come a full 180 degrees from where it was in 2003, from very hard to very soft. The number of insurers competing for every GA insurance […]

Each week, we run a sampling of the letters received to our editorial inbox here in AVmail. One letter that’s particularly relevant, informative, or otherwise compelling will headline this section as our “Letter of the Week,” and we’ll send the author an official AVweb baseball cap as a “thank you” for interacting with us (and […]

While flying a Beech 18 in the late 1960s, my instructor requested take-off clearance in an unusual way: XXX Tower:“Twin Beech N1234 ready to accelerate on runway heading to generate sufficient lift to overcome the effects of gravity.” Without skipping a beat, the tower retorted:“Twin Beech N1234, you are cleared to accelerate on runway heading […]

EAA has been put on notice by the FAA that it wants the organization to cover the extra costs of controllers for the annual extravaganza. What do you think? Who should foot the ATC bill at AirVenture? (click to answer) Last Week’s Question: Results Want to see the current breakdown of responses? Take a moment […]