Features

I don’t know why air disasters take on the names of towns or places. I guess we have to give them some sort of name to catalogue them in our minds. Perhaps geography is just convenient. It does seem unfair to the towns. Lockerbie, Scotland, didn’t have anything to do with Pan Am 103 blowing […]

FAA Takes Credit? I am sure glad to hear that the Teflon FAA has found something to be responsible for — all those safe flights (NewsWire, Nov. 28). Well, at least I’m glad for the smile it brings. Allow me to state the obvious: Credit goes to those individual cockpit crews and especially those individual, […]

Editor’s Note: This opinion piece from the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) is in response to a letter from an AVweb reader about recent negotiations between the FAA and NATCA. First of all, NATCA is not proposing a pay increase. NATCA has proposed the current pay table, meaning the status quo would be maintained […]

This will be the column that allows devotees of liquid-cooled engines to rock back in their Aerons, place palms on paunch and proclaim, “Aren’t we the smart ones?!” With some design care, a liquid-cooling system for aircraft can be simple to execute and remarkably insensitive to variations brought by series production or less-than-surgical ongoing maintenance. […]

Submitted by a heavy iron driver… After landing on RWY 30 the other day I began to taxi to the gate when I noticed a beautiful red fox strolling across the taxiway. Me: Hey, Ground. Did you know you have foxes here on the airport? Ground: Oh, sure, plenty of them. I’m surprised you knew […]

Lightgun Signals I have never had occasion to respond to light gun signals while in a plane, either on the ground or in the air (QOTW, Nov. 17).Once, however, at night I was walking on a taxiway in a non-movement area from my hangar to a friend’s hangar somewhat further down, but still within the […]

I heard the commotion as I started down the hall from the flight school to the Pilot’s Lounge at the virtual airport. In the few moments it took to get to the door of the Lounge, individual voices became clear, split into two very vocal camps: The vehement “Yes it will!” calls being answered by […]

I was practicing night landings when another aircraft departed the airport to the southeast. This is the communication I heard between that aircraft and the tower… Departing Aircraft: Uh, Tower, N1234. Are you talkin’ to this traffic out here? He’s headed straight for us. (short pause) Departing Aircraft: Scratch that … (timidly) … we’re looking […]