Features

AVweb’s Question Of The Week… *** PREVIOUS RESULTS *** Best that we can tell, we received over 4000 responses to our question last week on contract ATC towers. That’s about 10 times our normal response rate (and may suggest a technical error … or union participation.) The overwhelming majority (80 percent) of those responding felt […]

Photos by Kirk Webber and Maria Rieger It is midmorning on what is shaping up to be a hot, sunny day at 4 Wing Cold Lake, Alberta. Members of the public are beginning to gather at the end of a runway at Canada’s busiest fighter base, hoping to catch a glimpse of the “tiger.”It is […]

The scene is played out over and over on nice, sunny weekend afternoons across the country. The proud and excited new pilot leads her passenger out to the airplane. As they walk across the ramp, the pilot assures the passenger the weather will be good for the flight. Using all of the weather terms she […]

Prop Strike In his article (Prop Strike!) John Ruley wrote: Up through the mid-1960s, it was common practice not to open the crankcase after a simple blade strike. Instead, a dial-indicator test was performed on the crankshaft end (basically, to see if the shaft was bent). This is now considered inadequate.” Not always. A 310 […]

Overheard on tower frequency at El Monte, Ca. airport, several years ago… Tower: “Cessna Nxxxx., say your location.” Cessna Nxxxx: “I’m over here!”

AVweb’s Question Of The Week… *** PREVIOUS RESULTS *** We received over 300 responses to our question last week on noise-abatement procedures. Half of those responding indicated they normally follow airport noise-abatement procedures, while 32 percent claim they are “somewhat observant” of these policies. Only 3 percent of our respondents seemed to show a total […]

If you’ve been reading my columns, you know I’m always going on and on about following the rules and the way things are supposed to work. I try to explain why and how, but I always feel like I’m not getting through to some folks. So this month I thought I’d try something a little […]

Editor’s Note: This is the second of a two-part series on flying the Zero. Read Part One first. Revisiting the very interesting aileron tabs, I have updated information. Thanks again to historian Alan Gaynor, who dug up further details on those strange devices. I got it almost right last month, but some documents he found […]

Commercialism at Oshkosh I note that many people responding to your QOTW think commercialism is “way out of hand at Oshkosh.” I beg to differ. Oshkosh has infinite potential — what it turns out to be for you is exactly what you make it.I camped beside a guy who was flying a Kitfox ultralight and […]

As I was heading across the Desert a few monthes back, at the height of the Iraqi war, and wanting to cut through R2515 around Edwards Air Force Base, I had the following exchange with Joshua Approach…Joshua Approach, Musketeer 123 requesting transition through R2515.Joshua: Restricted area currently off limits, but let me talk to them […]