Features

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 […]

Alaskan officials attribute a steady decline in accidents and fatalities to increased safety awareness and the adoption of more safety-related gear. Are you well-equipped, safety-wise? (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. […]

The app revolution has changed more than the cockpit; it’s displacing dedicated handheld gps units, giving panel mount avionics a run for their capability (at a deeply discounted price), and challenging the FAA’s chart distribution systems. In other words, relative to the still slow economy, it’s a booming industry that’s changing how a segment of […]