Features

Did you ever notice it’s always the little things that jump up and bite you? We all worry and obsess about the big things. We know not to fly into thunderstorms. We know to stay away from icing. There’s nothing wrong with focusing on the big things. It’s made aviation one of the safest forms […]

I‘ve just had the rare opportunity to fly this very rare and remarkable warbird, and I’m just busting out all over to tell all. I am still amazed that I got the chance, and it appears that I’ll get to fly it on a continuing basis. To my knowledge, there are only two flying in […]

Why Twins Crash I very much enjoyed the recent article, and agree that maintenance on older twins must be one of the bigger safety factors. I was interested in the author’s comments about practicing asymmetric go-arounds.Here in the U.K. the CAA standard for the initial instrument rating and its annual renewal requires you, typically, to […]

I fly skydivers and am talking to controllers at the best ATC facility around quite often. One day traffic on the frequency was a little light so one of the controllers had a little fun:Cessna123: Jumpers away!Approach (in his best kid-on-a-ride voice): WEEEEEEE!

This week, we would like to know your thoughts on WAAS. For AVweb’s Question of the Week, click here. PREVIOUS RESULTS We received over 300 responses to our question last week on flying during the July 4th holiday weekend. Nearly a third (31 percent) of those responding indicated they did fly during the holiday weekend […]

It was the first night of the Gulf War, January 17, 1991. Members of the F-18 fighter squadron VFA-81 — “The Sunliners” — launched off the deck of the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Saratoga in the Red Sea. Five pilots headed out on a mission into enemy territory. Only four would return.There are many questions regarding […]

Boeing Looks To The ATC Market … But Can The NAS Be Fixed? Your story this morning shows an aerial photograph of Halifax airport. No mention is made of the photo, and its relevance to the story is not clear.Did you know that this is Halifax International Airport (CYHZ) in Nova Scotia, Canada? It was […]

Over the last few years the news we hear in the Pilot’s Lounge, here at the virtual airport, has tended to be pretty grim. With Chicago’s Mayor Terrorist destroying Meigs, TFRs and airspace restrictions as rampant as mushrooms in a damp cellar and airline managers doing their level best to bankrupt their charges while competing […]

After holding short of runway 4, with the vice-president of the company riding shotgun and no traffic in sight… Pilot: “Cessna 123, still holding short.” Tower: ” Cessna 123, Hold your taters.” Pilot: “Taters held, over.” Tower: “Cessna 123, release taters, [chuckle] Runway 33, position and hold.” The VP was impressed and the pilot is […]

First Experience Today, I walked in the clouds, flew 50 feet above the ground and discovered much to my delight that I enjoyed both sensations. Manfred Leuthard’s Experimental Gyro N71ML provided the transport, and the pilot himself was an excellent host, a splendid pilot of the Magni two-seater auto-gyro, and a subject matter expert where […]