Features

“Old pilots tend to be a deaf bunch,” as one AME so bluntly called it. He would know. For me, the tough reality is sinking in that I too may someday join the ranks of the hearing impaired—wrong in expecting that growing old would take longer.  So when reader and hearing-aid candidate Thomas Folk reached […]

I was flying a Lear with a callsign of Coyote going into Midland, Texas. Me: “Fort Worth Center, Coyote 123, request EASYY for the straight‑in Runway 28 in Midland.” Center: “Coyote 123, cleared direct EASYY.” Me: “Direct EASYY, thank you. That’ll make it easy for 28. (Laughter)” Later… Center: “Coyote 123, contact Midland approach. Ya’ll […]

With lots of downsized P-51 replicas to choose from, ScaleWings’ carbon fiber version offers the Revell-model ease of assembly, while retaining the all-metal “look.” The Germany-based company painstakingly duplicated all the rivets, screws, hardware—even replicated the fabric-covered rudder—with indentations in the factory molds. Many people assume it’s actually a metal airplane.

There’s an amusing quip from award-winning author Robert McCloskey that says, “I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I’m not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.” This double speak serves to illustrate the importance of clear communication. There are few places in human […]

AVweb’s General Aviation Accident Bulletin is taken from the pages of our sister publication, Aviation Safety magazine. All the reports listed here are preliminary and include only initial factual findings about crashes. You can learn more about the final probable cause on the NTSB’s website at www.ntsb.gov. Final reports appear about a year after the […]

The Long, Twisted And Slightly Ridiculous Story Of Avgas Good articles 1 and 2. I didn’t see much on the FBO’s point of view. I talked to my home airport FBO. They can’t afford multiple fuel tanks and pumps so they only sell Jet A and 100LL. The types of fuel that they buy are […]

I recall a chilly morning at the Reno-Stead airport when I realized I no longer felt like a total outsider. It was 2017, the first year I towed Jeff LaVelle’s trailer full of tools, hardware and a spare Hartzell propeller to the National Championship Air Races in Reno, Nevada. He raced his Glasair III and I stood alongside him […]

One beautiful day in Atlanta Center, Smiley, a well‑known character at the TRACON, was the final approach controller and was assigning everyone 180 KIAS to the marker. Atlanta Center: “Corporate 123 say speed.” Corporate 123: “160 … Ahh I mean 180.” Atlanta Center: “Corporate 123 maintain 200 knots. Your 180 is 20 knots slower than […]

Just as with any other complex endeavor that’s developed over time, aviation has many myths. That’s especially true when it comes to FAA regulations—the FARs. To be fair, there are a lot of regulations, and many of them are written for attorneys, not pilots. Especially for newer pilots or those who fly different aircraft in […]

AVweb’s General Aviation Accident Bulletin is taken from the pages of our sister publication, Aviation Safety magazine. All the reports listed here are preliminary and include only initial factual findings about crashes. You can learn more about the final probable cause on the NTSB’s website at www.ntsb.gov. Final reports appear about a year after the […]