Features

Overheard on a scanner recently at St. John’s International Airport (CYYT): An inbound commercial flight was getting the bad news from the tower that conditions for the active runway were 200 feet and 1/4 mile in heavy fog. Controller and aircraft discussed alternatives for a few minutes before the pilot, knowing his passengers were going […]

This Week’s Question |Previous Week’s Answers PREVIOUS RESULTS *** Last week, we asked whether electronic emergency locator transmitters (ELTs) should be required equipment in the cockpit. The largest segment of respondents to our unscientific poll said it should be up to the pilot, accounting for 42% of readers who answered. The rest of your responses […]

In many ways, the Pitts Special is responsible for the current state of amateur and professional aerobatics. First flown in 1944 (or 1945-sources vary) as a single-seat homebuilt with only a 55-HP engine, the type has developed into todays highly refined and FAA-certified, two-seat, 300-HP aerial hot rod used for advanced training and-at least in […]

There is no cockpit seat in our airline more uncomfortable and embarrassing than the jumpseat on the MD-88.First, it isn’t really a seat so much as a giant, Chiclet-shaped, folded cushion that is hung in the cockpit by the most secure and opening-proof, metallic click-lock ever invented in this or any other universe. To release […]

Here’s a story from above the Polar Circle: I am involved in a voluntary home defense pilot group in the northern part of Sweden. We only fly Cessnas and Pipers on a regular basis, and our pilots are mainly bush pilots, not accustomed to using the radio often. During a training weekend at a controlled […]

[AVweb’s reprint of A Pilot’s History began with Chapter 1.] Jenks had done a very good job on the executive aircraft (see Chap. 10, Part 1), proving he was a very talented man. A few days later, he had a meeting with Al and Ray and thereafter did not appear at work. Thomas, the individual […]

This Week’s Question |Previous Week’s Answers PREVIOUS RESULTS *** Last week, we asked what AVweb readers thought of the TSA’s efforts to beef up GA security. To no one’s surprise, most of our readers – as they tend to when faced with tighter regulation, longer delays, and more paperwork – called it the first step […]

Branson’s Airport I must have been staying in a cave somewhere that did not have wireless internet available. This is the first time I’ve heard of Branson’s private airport (AVwebFlash, Aug. 1).Kindly tell me where it is (maybe even Lat/Long), but in particular, what business/population area it is intended to provide service for.Keep up the […]

A commonly glossed-over subject on complex-airplane checkouts can cost you several knots in cruise speed, and perhaps several hundred hours of operating life from your cylinders. It’s not the landing gear, or a controllable-pitch propeller, or even the mixture control. Cowl flaps can have a profound, long-term effect on the health and longevity of a […]

An exchange overheard while flying over the Mojave Desert: Joshua Approach:“Bonanza 50Y, traffic two o’clock, five miles. Unmanned aerial vehicle has you in sight.” 50Y (me):“50Y looking. If he’s ‘unmanned,’ how can he have me in sight?” Joshua Approach:“Oh. He’s got a T-38 spotter plane, so really it’s a flight of two … . Now […]