Features

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 […]

Regional Airline Hiring A comment on regional hiring (Question of the Week, Jun. 13): You get what you pay for.Over the past 20 years the system has been its own worst enemy. Why would a person invest $50,000 to $75,000 or more to get all the ratings and experience it takes, plus the cost of […]

Flight instruction is considered to be one of the safest categories of general aviation. AOPA Air Safety Foundation’s 2006 Nall Report (3 MB Adobe PDF file) calls flight instruction “… relatively safe … result[ing] in just 13.2 percent of all [NTSB-reported] accidents and only 6.5 percent of fatal accidents.” AOPA attributes this to “… the […]

Overheard in IFR Magazine‘s “On the Air” Overheard at the Shreveport Downtown (KDTN) Airport, from a student pilot still very green on the radio. N3AB: Uh, Downtown Ground, this is Cessna Three Alpha Bravo, will be taxiing to the north practice area, negative radar. Downtown Ground [amused]: Cessna Three Alpha Bravo, I guess that would […]

This Week’s Question |Previous Week’s Answers PREVIOUS RESULTS *** Last week, AVweb pointed to the trend of regional airlineshiring low(er)-time pilots to fill key positions and asked what theminimum qualifications should be for a new hire at one of theseairlines. As you might have expected, there were quite a fewletters on the subject, but most […]

The atmosphere in the Pilot’s Lounge at the virtual airport has been decidedly unpleasant over the last several weeks. About half of the pilots here rely on telephone briefings with Flight Service to get their aviation weather information and file flight plans. As any pilot in the U.S. is now aware, the Lockheed-Martin takeover of […]

Flight Service Stations I must be the only person in the country not affected by the FSS problems (AVWebFlash, Jun. 13). I’ve been using DUATS since its inception because it gave me the one thing FSS never could seem to provide: just the facts, M’am, just the facts. All I ever wanted was the weather […]

Overheard in IFR Magazine‘s “On the Air” Overheard at DFW: Dallas/Fort Worth Clearance Delivery: Nine Eight Two Sierra Yankee stand by to copy clearance. N982SY: Nine Eight Two Sierra Yankee ready to copy. Clearance Delivery: Nine Eight Two Sierra Yankee is cleared direct Rockport, after departure fly runway heading at or below 2,000 expect 10,000 […]

This Week’s Question |Previous Week’s Answers PREVIOUS RESULTS *** Last week, AVweb solicited reader opinions on the FAA’s revamped, internet-based WINGS program. The largest segment of those readers who chose to answer our question were on the fence about “WINGS 2.0”:  34% of you said you might try one or two of the online courses […]

Flight Service Stations I have been a pilot weather briefer for almost 20 years — four years in Missoula, Mont., and the last 15 here in McMinnville, Oreg. I take pride in the experience and knowledge-base I have gained over the span and in the fact that I can convey to pilots what they need […]