Features

More from our When you gotta go, you gotta go file… While waiting on the ground for a half hour for bad weather to clear, I overheard the following: Tower: “United 123 taxi into position and hold.” United 123: “We are unable to. We have a passenger in the lavatory.” Tower: “United 124, do you […]

This week, we would like to know your thoughts on arming GA pilots. For AVweb’s Question of the Week, click here. PREVIOUS RESULTS We received over 500 responses to our question last week on the new D.C.-area ADIZ. The vast majority (76 percent) of our respondents felt this ADIZ is a useless idea, as the […]

For 35 years, Howard Fenton’s been telling airplane owners about the health of their engines by analyzing their oil. Howard has spotted everything from broken piston rings to excessive bearing wear to worn valve guides. Once he tracked down an airplane he was convinced was about to throw a jug — and it was. In […]

Washington ADIZ Why can’t the FAA and DoD set up air corridors for safe passage into the three DC airports affected by the ADIZ?Dave Rumney GPS Jamming Obviously, we need backup systems. With today’s technology Loran-C can provide 2d navigation for enroute and terminal, and some non-precision approaches.Local precision navigation can be provided by a […]

The Beginning of the Endalready?Ron Saeger TWA 800 Conspiracy For those interested in an exhaustive review of the evidence that TWA 800 was downed by a missile (most likely fired by the U.S. Navy in a botched exercise), get a copy of (ex) CBS investigative reporter Kristina Borjesson’s article published in “Into the Buzzsaw.” I […]

It is a sure sign of old age that you spend your time talking about the past. I almost never do unless asked. Today I found myself getting a hundred-dollar hamburger at an airport greasy spoon with a teenage student pilot son of a friend. He wanted me to tell him some “true stories” about […]

Last week’s short final made me think of our local GA airport, which features the following sign in the men’s room: “Pilots with a short pitot tube and low manifold pressure are advised to taxi up close…” Contributions to Short Final are welcomed at sf@avweb.com.

This week, we would like to know your thoughts on the new D.C. area ADIZ. For AVweb’s Question of the Week, click here. PREVIOUS RESULTS We received over 600 responses to our question last week on CFI certificate applicants. Nearly half (41 percent) of our respondents felt that no amendment was needed to the current […]

Threat Level Orange A number of coinciding events transpired this past week, including the elevation of our nation’s threat level to the second highest level, “Orange.” Simultaneously, the Washington, D.C., airspace restrictions affecting GA aircraft expanded substantially. No sooner had the news commentator made these announcements, than a film clip showing a small Cessna poking […]

I‘m sure that I’m not alone. All of us, at one time or another, do something stupid. There are no doubt a great many dumb things that I’ve managed to do in my more than seven decades of life, but as an aviator, two particularly stupid and dangerous events stand out. Towing the Line Several […]