Features

After a local excursion to exercise my C-172 engine, I returned to my local airport. There was a helicopter in the area providing position reports. After I announced downwind, the helicopter came on the radio: Helicopter:“Do you know anything about the airplane crash this morning?” Me:“No. I have been out of the area, haven’t heard […]

To cover its expenses, the FAA’s AeroNav proposes to charge at least $150 per user for its digital databases, more than doubling the cost of apps like ForeFlight and WingX and probably eliminating free viewing of charts on services like DUATs and other no-charge sites. Is the FAA right to raise prices for digital charts? […]

At EAA Airventure in 2006, a mysterious airplane made a low flyby, arriving unannounced. It turned out to be the Cessna NGP, the now-tabled high-performance follow-on to the popular 210 that Cessna dropped from the line in 1986. But at a glance, it was easy to mistake the airplane for something else: the Cessna 177 […]

[AVweb‘s reprint of Dick’s memoir began with the Introduction.] March 1956. On the move again, this time headed for Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, for advanced flight training.Nancy and I surrendered our rather sparse collection of household goods to a mover in Enid, Okla., and packed the bare necessities in our station […]

Our tower does periodic checks. About mid-day, I heard on the scanner: Salem Tower:“Tower test for tapes. One, two, three. Three, two, one. Test out.” A Local Aircraft:“Salem tower, loud and clear. N12345.” Salem Tower:“Aircraft N12345: Frequency change approved.” Mary Ann Leboldvia e-mail

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 […]

After a weekend arrest on DUI charges, FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt promptly resigned his position. Did Babbitt have to go? (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 Mind? Have […]

In Brainteaser Quiz #165, I asked, “What certificated general aviation (GA) pilot (preferably living, but that’s not a deal breaker) should be the next president of the United States?” No actual politicians were eligible for consideration. Three unnamed pols attempted to sneak into our caucus but were unmasked and will be forced to stand atop […]

Realizing that I had not practiced an engine-out approach in too long, I decided to “fail” my Lycoming while doing touch-and-goes at Jacksonville’s Herlong airport. Me:“Cherokee 69T. Simulated engine-out and short approach.” [After a few moments, I saw that I would be seriously short.] Me:“Cherokee 69T again, simulating getting my engine back on!” (The next […]

Cessna announced a hefty price increase for the 162 Skycatcher to $149,000 last week, and this week Pipistrel said it can do one for a little more than half that at around $84,000. What’s the sweet spot when it comes to LSA pricing? (click to answer) Last Week’s Question: Results Want to see the current […]