Features

Overheard in IFR Magazine‘s “On the Air” We were leaving Marthas Vineyard when my student nervously contacted Cape Approach: Cessna 38W: Cape Approach, Cessna Three Eight Whiskey, student pilot departing the Vineyard, requesting advisories to New Bedford. Cape Approach: Cessna Three Eight Whiskey, Cape Approach. This should be interesting. Im a student controller, squawk 2234, […]

This Week’s Question |Previous Week’s Answers PREVIOUS RESULTS *** Last week, we decided to put on an impromptu beauty contest among the new breed of very light jets/personal jets/sport little fast-moving numbers that we all wish we could stock a hangar with. The results were tremendous, bringing in enough traffic to temporarily break our polling […]

When one considers the dramatic evolution of aviation support facilities of the 1920s to present day Lockheed Martin Automated Flight Service Stations (AFSS), it is difficult to fathom how the job was ever accomplished. To give the reader a sense of the extremity of Lockheed Martin’s undertaking of the government’s largest contract with private industry, […]

Overheard in IFR Magazine‘s “On the Air” Heard one day near Chicago: Chicago Center: Southwest Two Four One Three, traffic at your nine oclock, three miles. Southwest 2413: What kind of a plane is that? Center: Beech Seven Two Two, what type plane are you flying? Beech 722: Bonanza F33A. Center: Southwest did you copy? […]

This Week’s Question |Previous Week’s Answers PREVIOUS RESULTS *** NATCA and the FAA still don’t see eye-to-eye on the state of the air traffic control system here in the U.S.  NATCA keeps telling us that we’re entering a period of crisis because of the shrinking controller population, while the FAA maintains that there are plenty […]

NATCA Pushing For Carr? It looks like NATCA is organizing a little bit of support for their former president (Question of the Week, Jun. 21). If he can get everyone a 30% increase in my paycheck, I’ll change my vote …Bill Lukens The FSS Mess Copies of this article (The Pilot’s Lounge, Jun. 18) should […]

Our airline had come out of bankruptcy and all of us were still alive. Poorer financially, yes, but wiser to the ways of the world and just how much credence to give to the promises of politicians and managers from both sides of the labor/management divide.With any reorganization, changes are bound to come. Our pilot […]

Overheard in IFR Magazine‘s “On the Air” Last July, on a 90-degree-plus day, in my Cessna 150 just 30 minutes fuel burn below gross, in IMC and at the already unbelievable altitude of 5,000 feet, Saginaw Approach made this request: Saginaw Approach: Four Five Uniform, I need you to climb and maintain 7,000. Cessna 45U: […]

This Week’s Question |Previous Week’s Answers PREVIOUS RESULTS *** Last week, AVweb pointed out that Marion Blakey’s tenure asFAA Administrator is scheduled to end in three short months and askedwho might make a good replacement. This proved to be a popular question, drawing more than 5,000 votesover the weekend and even (temporarily) breaking our vote-countingscript. […]

In my last column we covered where I think pilots of light piston aircraft should be looking during takeoff and the initial-climb phases of flight, say to 1,000 feet AGL. In my opinion, virtually all attention should be outside the cockpit unless there are no outside references available to keep the airplane upright, climbing, and […]