Features

My neighbor spent most of his career as an airline pilot, but he also did one stint during a furlough in the early 1980s as a controller at Van Nuys. He swears the following is true. One day, my friend, who we’ll call Bob (since that’s his name), was reading a clearance to an an […]

During WWII, tens of thousands of Americans were either taught to fly by the U.S. military or were exposed to the routine use of air transport to cover long distances quickly. Aircraft manufacturers naturally assumed this fertile crop of newly released soldiers, armed with the recently enacted G.I. Bill of Rights, would generate a sales […]

How have your airline experiences been lately? Is United better with Continental? Is Southwest better with AirTran? Are Delta and Northwest good together? Will American be better with US Airways? Is rationalization helping? Is the trend toward airline consolidation a good thing? (click to answer) Last Week’s Question: Results Want to see the current breakdown […]

Flight simulation is a part of nearly every pilot’s curriculum, whether he or she is just starting out, staying current, or landing a type rating. But the type of simulation and its benefits (especially when it comes to motion) is often the subject of controversy — maybe for good reason. Use of simulation is the […]

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 […]

Navy basic training: A normally outstanding student was having a bad day. Keying the intercom by mistake, he said, “Sorry, sir, I am all #$@*^! up.” An immediate reply came back: “Station using profanity, please identify yourself!” The instructor instantaneously answered, “He may be #$@*^! up, but not that #$@*^! up!” Charles Thomvia e-mail

The only reason leaded avgas still exists is to deliver high octane cheaply and the only reason for octane is to prevent detonation in high-power, high-compression engines. But octane isn’t the only way to quench detonation, something engineers have known for years. Injecting a water-methanol spray into the combustion chamber-so-called anti-detonation or anti-detonant injection (ADI)-was […]

There are seven nominees this year, but we’ll also give you a write-in opportunity. Remember that the award criteria stipulates that the winner goes to “the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America, with respect to improving the performance, efficiency, and safety of air or space vehicles, the value of which has been thoroughly […]

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 listening to the approach frequency to LAX (Runway 25L), I heard an airliner report a party balloon at 600 feet during his approach on the ILS. The tower proceeded to report the balloon to the aircraft following. While doing so (and clearing another airliner to land), this communication took place: Airliner:“Los Angeles Tower, Airliner […]