Features

Back in the 1970s, while flying an MU-2 into El Paso, Texas, I heard the following exchange between approach and an airline crew after repeated attempts to get the crew to reduce speed: Approach:“Flight 123, I must have you at 120 knots right now.” Captain of Flight 123:“Son, do you have any idea of the […]

When an air traffic controller asked an aircraft to reduce speed even more than he already had: Aircraft 1234:“If I reduce any further, I’ll fall out of the sky!” Controller:“Roger. Report leaving altitudes on descent.” Ed LeSagevia e-mail

Various groups this week sent out reminders of government initiatives whose comment period deadlines are looming. How often do you submit comments? How active are you in aviation politics? (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 […]

[AVweb‘s reprint of Dick’s memoir began with the Introduction.] The final act of “My Life in the Blue Suit” began in June 1974 with the Fairchild C- 123K “Provider,” an airplane with a most unusual lineage. In 1943 the Chase Aircraft Company contracted to build assault gliders for the Army Air Forces; their first prototype […]

One day I took a friend’s son up for a flight in my Cessna 150. As we flew around the area, I explained, “One of the things we have to do is look out for other airplanes.” As I was scanning the skies, I found a plane off in the distance and pointed it out […]

AOPA and NBAA have hit the political convention circuit, buttonholing movers and shakers and their supporters at events in Tampa and Charlotte. What should they have been talking about? What would you ask your elected representative about with regard to GA? (click to answer) Last Week’s Question: Results Want to see the current breakdown of […]

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 […]

Let’s begin this review of the single-versus-multi-engine issue by agreeing to disagree that declaring which is better — safer, faster, more efficient, sexier — will never be settled in a civilized manner. Red Sox and Yankees fans will link arms and sing “Kumbaya” before pilots come together on this. Still, some of us can’t pass […]

In view of all the recent hurricane news coverage, I recalled a pertinent exchange from the the Port Columbus, Ohio (CMH) tower. I worked at the “Lane Gate” vehicle check point for several years, regularly monitoring the tower frequency to get a “play by play” description of what was going on around me. I overheard […]

An MIT grad student’s thesis says that one of the factors limiting flight hours is a lack of time by pilots. Do you have enough time to fly? (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 […]