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This article originally appeared in IFR Refresher, Oct. 2007. On Oct. 7, 2005, the pilot of an A36 Bonanza deviated significantly from the ILS Runway 27 approach procedure he was flying into the Pike County Airport (PBX) at Pikeville, Ky. The pilot lost control of the aircraft and crashed just south of Pikeville, killing all […]

Under the FARs, performing maintenance is the job of an A&P mechanic or FAA-approved repair station, but managing maintenance is the owner’s job. In essence, the FAA looks at each aircraft owner as the Director of Maintenance (DoM) of a one-aircraft aviation department. Unfortunately, few owners know how to do this important job, and most […]

In many ways, the Pitts Special is responsible for the current state of amateur and professional aerobatics. First flown in 1944 (or 1945-sources vary) as a single-seat homebuilt with only a 55-HP engine, the type has developed into todays highly refined and FAA-certified, two-seat, 300-HP aerial hot rod used for advanced training and-at least in […]

There is no cockpit seat in our airline more uncomfortable and embarrassing than the jumpseat on the MD-88.First, it isn’t really a seat so much as a giant, Chiclet-shaped, folded cushion that is hung in the cockpit by the most secure and opening-proof, metallic click-lock ever invented in this or any other universe. To release […]

[AVweb’s reprint of A Pilot’s History began with Chapter 1.] Jenks had done a very good job on the executive aircraft (see Chap. 10, Part 1), proving he was a very talented man. A few days later, he had a meeting with Al and Ray and thereafter did not appear at work. Thomas, the individual […]

This article originally appeared in Aviation Safety, Sep. 2007. You are a skilled, proficient and responsible pilot. You do everything in your power to avoid dangerous situations, but there are a few unavoidable moments during each flight where, if the unthinkable happened, you’d be left with few options. Flying is, after all, an exercise in […]

Branson’s Airport I must have been staying in a cave somewhere that did not have wireless internet available. This is the first time I’ve heard of Branson’s private airport (AVwebFlash, Aug. 1).Kindly tell me where it is (maybe even Lat/Long), but in particular, what business/population area it is intended to provide service for.Keep up the […]

A commonly glossed-over subject on complex-airplane checkouts can cost you several knots in cruise speed, and perhaps several hundred hours of operating life from your cylinders. It’s not the landing gear, or a controllable-pitch propeller, or even the mixture control. Cowl flaps can have a profound, long-term effect on the health and longevity of a […]

Diamond Announces AE 300 Engine Launch Diamond Aircraft along with Austro Engine have announced an official launch event for the AE 300 engine shortly after its predicted type certificate receipt from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), expected in fall 2008. The two-day event will be held at Austro Engine’s headquarters in Wiener Neustadt, Austria. […]

It happened the second day I was at Oshkosh. I’d vacated the Pilot’s Lounge at the virtual airport to visit Oshkosh along with a few hundred thousand of my closest friends for our annual immersion in all that is aviation. I gaped at the latest in electronics for the instrument panel, marveled at some of […]