Features

Overheard in IFR Magazine‘s “On the Air” Departing Oakland for Redding, California, NorCal Departure handed me off to Oakland Center. I changed frequencies but attended to some other issues and couldn’t remember if I’d checked in: Me:“Oakland Center, Skyhawk XXXXX, six thousand. I can’t remember if we actually checked in or if I just thought […]

This Week’s Question |Previous Week’s Answers PREVIOUS RESULTS *** Last time, we asked how much of a crimp Old Man Winter put in your flying over the past few months (if any). Nearly half the readers who took a moment to answer our poll said, The seasons don’t matter to me. I fly year-round. Only […]

Southwest Airlines Just read your blurb regarding Boeing defending Southwest Airlines (AVwebFlash, Mar. 7). What you did not mention — and I believe you should have — is that the FAA approved of the action taken by Southwest Airlines after the airline self-disclosed the problem. The action to defer the inspection for 10 days was […]

[AVweb’s reprint of A Pilot’s History began with Chapter 1.] Jeanne, our son, dog and baggage arrived back in Miami just as our tenants were moving out of our home. I checked in with National Airlines and was welcomed as “… someone with the right qualifications; nice to have someone current in DC-4s, also qualified […]

Overheard in IFR Magazine‘s “On the Air” We’ve heard different variations on this tale through the years, but here’s one that can’t be beat, if only for sheer enthusiasm: I tried to pass on this little tale many years ago without success, and since I never saw a response, I will try one more time, […]

ADS-B and Privacy Regarding ADS-B (AVwebFlash, Feb. 27):Am I missing something here? I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t fully understand ADS-B, but some parts of the program make me really nervous. Not just because of the cost to a GA pilot, but because of the extraordinary surveillance capabilities it gives the government. […]

A folded newspaper fell into my lap as I was sitting in the “king seat” awaiting pushback in Newark. It was a USA Today with the headline, “Two Biggest Airlines Set to Merge,” appearing above the fold. My co-pilot, Chet, had dropped it onto my dormant daddy parts and then flopped into his own lambs-wool […]

Overheard in IFR Magazine‘s “On the Air” I’m a CFI who was flying into Vero Beach, Fla., and it’s widely known that one of the tower controllers often flies to work. The winds were favoring the single runway, so the parallel runways were not in use, and the tower was busier than usual. While flying […]

This Week’s Question |Previous Week’s Answers PREVIOUS RESULTS *** The AFSS system has been privatized for a while now, and last week we asked AVweb readers about their recent flight service experiences. The biggest segment of respondents (a full 41%) told us the state of FSS is terrible, and I’m increasingly using alternatives. For the […]

“VFR Flight Not Recommended.” How often have you heard this phrase and flew anyway, to find conditions perfectly safe? And how many times have you heeded the warning and canceled, only to see perfectly flyable weather? Yet there are times the admonition proves wise, and “on the edge” conditions grew just enough worse to make […]