Features

*** PREVIOUS RESULTS *** Last week, we polled AVweb readers about the missing funds that were supposed to be allocated to General Aviation in the wake of 9/11. Almost 40% of you thought the government pulled the rug out from under legitimate businesses, but another 33% said simply that it was “business as usual” in […]

Who Are the Terrorists? While it is very unlikely that a Jewish immigrant from Israel would be a member of al Qaeda (NewsWire, Feb. 2), it is not impossible for such a person to be a terrorist.Lest we all forget, prior to 9/11 the single most deadly act of terrorism in the continental U.S. was […]

From our, “There’s a right way, and then there’s other ways,” file… Tower: Cessna XXX cleared to land 20. Cessna: Cleared to land 20. Tower: Cessna XXX can you land and hold short 31-13.(brief pause…..)Cessna: You bethca. Tower: XXX is that a roger. Cessna: …Roger. Land and hold short 31-13.

*** PREVIOUS RESULTS *** While the number of airports in the U.S. continues to shrink, TransportationSecretary Norman Mineta talks about tripling the airspace capacity. Lastweek, we asked AVweb readers what they thought about the GA closingcrunch. An overwhelming 67% of respondents felt the FAA should interveneto protect airports. The other 30% of QOTW respondents thought […]

The whole point of getting an IFR ticket is (of course) to be able to go somewhere when the weather is less than VFR. So why don’t we do that? Let’s take a trip.Let’s say you want to fly from HKY (Hickory, N.C.), pick up your buddy at MRN (Morganton, N.C.), and then head for […]

Let’s take a few pot shots at some of the more common errors in the seemingly simple procedures of starting an engine and doing the runup, and also cover some new techniques with engine monitors. I’ve written a little about some of these procedures elsewhere, but I’ve never pulled all of them together. For Starters […]

Private in 40 Hours Excellent article (Training, Jan. 21). I have never read such a down-to-earth (no pun intended) article about learning to fly. Learning to fly is on my “to do” list; now I have a set of benchmarks and a host of practical suggestions to make it happen.Thanks.Leon Weeks I received my private […]

*** PREVIOUS RESULTS *** Nearly three quarters of more than 350 AVweb readers responding to last week’s question would prefer no privatization of Flight Service — 33 percent felt the move could impact a pilot’s safety. While the FAA considers taking the leap, only a quarter of our poll’s respondents indicated that they were open […]

When I first became an airplane owner 35 years ago, I hadn’t the slightest interest in aircraft maintenance. I had just relocated from New York to Southern California to pursue a career in the up-and-coming field of computer software. I’d earned my private pilot certificate four years earlier while a student at Dartmouth College, and […]

FSS Privatization After reading several articles on the subject of ATC privatization, I read AVweb’s coverage of the government plan to privatize FSS (NewsWire, Jan. 22). This has the appearance of a back-door entry to ATC privatization. The move to turn ATC over to private entities has met some pretty stiff resistance from the aviation […]