Features

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 […]

In an age when the majority of new airplanes are made of plastic and equipped with glass panels and envelope-protected autopilots, it’s hard to imagine that as recently as 1985, at least one company was still making a popular taildragger. But it was. That company was Cessna and the airplane was the 185. It’s no […]

Royal Flying Doctor Service was flying a B200 IFR out of Broken Hill, Australia and had a young student doctor in the right seat, who was unfamiliar with flying and for whom English was a second language. As the flight progressed, the pilot noticed the student becoming more and more uncomfortable and, after a normal […]

Pilots are flying less these days, and among the most important skills that might be eroded are those involving IFR flight. The IMC Club is trying to address that with “organized hangar flying” meetings, but what’s your own assessment of your IFR currency? How comfortable are you on the gauges? (click to answer) Last Week’s […]

The world of training aircraft has all but reinvented itself since Diamond introduced the DA20 to the North American market nearly 20 years ago. When the Katana appeared, Diamond reasoned that the fleet of ancient Cessna 150s and 152s was growing weary and operators would lust for replacements. What it didn’t anticipate was a couple […]

Heard on KBIS tower frequency years ago: Tower:“NorthWest XYZ, cleared to land, 31. Be advised of model rocketry testing from the United Tribes Educational Center just west of the airport.” Northwest XYZ (with a Texas drawl) :“Ah liked it bettah when they only used bows and arrows.” Rob Scarlettvia e-mail

Do you feel tempted to answer a call or reply to a text while you’re flying? Canada’s Transportation Safety Board has implicated texting while flying in an accident in nothern British Columbia in 2011. What’s your cell phone protocol in the cockpit? (click to answer) Last Week’s Question: Results Want to see the current breakdown […]

[AVweb‘s reprint of Dick’s memoir began with the Introduction.] When I returned to the Ohio State University in June 1969 after 18 months of Air Force active duty in Korea, I joined a group of flight instructors that provided classroom instruction for general-aviation pilots preparing to take FAA written examinations. The program was sponsored by […]