Features

This Week’s Question |Previous Week’s Answers PREVIOUS RESULTS *** With the letters LSA on everyone’s lips following the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo, we thought last week would be as good a time as any to ask when AVweb readers might make their first light sport aircraft purchase. At press time, your responses to our question […]

Winter in the Pilot’s Lounge at the virtual airport can be pretty slow, with days of low overcast and generally lousy flying weather. Either no one comes out to the airport and our flight-school owner starts to panic over whether last summer’s revenues can be stretched through the winter, or a lot of people come […]

Overheard in IFR Magazine‘s “On the Air” The following exchange took place en route to the opening day at Sun ‘n Fun one April: Me:“Jacksonville Center, Bonanza Four Seven Two Zero Yankee. 11,000.” Center:“Bonanza Four Seven Two Zero Yankee, roger. Jacksonville altimeter 30.12.” Me:“Are you working a lot of traffic to Lakeland this afternoon?” Center:“I’ll […]

This Week’s Question |Previous Week’s Answers PREVIOUS RESULTS *** No matter who you are or what you fly, one thing is true:  There’s always something you can upgrade or add to your aircraft.  Last week, we asked AVweb readers what their biggest purchase for the airplane might be in 2008. Not surprisingly, the biggest segment […]

Better Way to Save Gas? Nice story (Airmanship, Jan. 13), but no mention of a Rotax-powered aircraft? Cirrus or Diamond as a gas saver? Please! Time to catch up with 21st century technology: Go for the Rotax. An IFR legal Tecnam Sierra goes 20 knots faster than my C172 on half the fuel, automatically adjusts […]

Overheard in IFR Magazine‘s “On the Air” En route from San Antonio, Texas to Kerb Wille, I let my 19-year-old private pilot daughter run the radios: daughter:“Center, Piper Five Six Six Seven Romeo.” Center:“Piper Six Seven Romeo, go ahead.” daughter:“Request flight following.” Center:“Piper Six Seven Romeo, state vour location, altitude, and destination.” [long pause] daughter:“Uh, […]

This Week’s Question |Previous Week’s Answers PREVIOUS RESULTS *** 2008 is here, and even with clouds in the economic forecast, we know plenty of AVweb readers are planning to take the plunge into ownership (or perhaps just upgrade their existing airplane) in the next 12 months.  Last week, we asked those of you who are […]

Cessna’s China Blunder I am amazed at the public-relations spin spooling up over at Cessna … and being propagated by the air-related media (AVwebFlash, Jan. 7). Comments against taking their Skycatcher manufacturing to China are more like 50:1 against it, not the 50/50 split being reported with the negative “remarks appeared to be based on […]

Cruising in the sun after a long ground delay, three bouts with de-icing and a half-mile-viz takeoff on a snowy runway can really help a pilot relax. The sun was shining in the big, 767 cockpit window on my left and was slowly roasting my arm. I still had my zone heat up high and […]

Heard a few years ago whilst flying a 747 from LAX to LHR: Salt Lake Center:“Airline 123, you bound for Vegas?” Airline 123:“Yup.” Salt Lake Center:“You a [DC-]10?” Airline 123:“Yup.” Salt Lake Center:“Well, I guess your passengers need a 10 to take home their winnings?” Airline 123:“Nope! Our passengers can take home their winnings in […]