Features

AVweb’s General Aviation Accident Bulletin is taken from the pages of our sister publication, Aviation Safety magazine. All the reports listed here are preliminary and include only initial factual findings about crashes. You can learn more about the final probable cause on the NTSB’s website at www.ntsb.gov. Final reports appear about a year after the […]

House Proposes Enabling 529 Funds For Aviation Career Education Options I’m a strong proponent of apprenticeship programs. It’s time we recognize that all careers don’t require a four year degree. Unfortunately our education system is a self perpetuating profit center in which the refrain often is “Without a college degree, how will you succeed?” I’m […]

As we sift through the NTSB accident reports each month, we’re consistently finding landing gear mishaps that might have been avoided if the pilot spent a little extra time inspecting the gear during the preflight, or simply knew how to recognize potential problem areas before launching. In this quick-hitter tech article, we’ll look at the […]

I had an early departure planned the next morning from my towered home airport, but I forgot what time the tower opened. I wanted to know so I could plan to get my clearance from them or know if I’d need to get it remotely. Since I was taxiing in the evening before, I just […]

Having survived a crash, it’s easy to recommend shoulder harness upgrades in aircraft that still sport old-school lap belts. Without a shoulder belt, I’m convinced my flailing noggin would have smacked a panel full of new Garmin avionics—and it wouldn’t have been pretty. But taking that safety net one step further are airbag seatbelts, which […]

There’s no phenomena that shapes the flying experience quite like wind. It’s almost always present in some form. A crosswind makes for tricky landings, a gusty wind brings a bumpy flight, and a strong tailwind buys you an extra 15 minutes at your destination. It makes sense that this temperamental, fickle element should get an […]

When one pores over the number of accident reports I have over the years, a few things stand out. One is there are a lot of engine failures resulting in the NTSB’s definition of an accident. Another is that post-accident investigation frequently fails to identify a reason for the failure; the engine runs fine when […]

Blow Your Own Doors Off My Stinson 108-2 flew just fine with the door off to parachute out of, probably needed the STC too, never even thought about it. Jumping out of the J-3 was a bit more of a production, remove the rear stick so you could climb out of that seat, lean out […]

Like a lot of kids, I dreamed of flying. I used to ask for a flying car for Christmas every year. As an adult, that dream didn’t fade away. Now I’m a 23-year-old private pilot with my own airplane—a Van’s RV-6. After a lot of work, I made my dream a reality. Growing up, it didn’t […]

In less than 25 years, the “miracle” of GPS transformed how even the smallest and least expensive aircraft navigates. Thanks to the wide area augmentation system (WAAS) in the U.S. and similar technologies deployed in other countries, GPS is more accurate, more reliable and more repeatable than what came before. If you need proof, look […]