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This article originally appeared in Aviation Safety, Aug. 2007. Unless you’re someone like Sean Tucker or Patty Wagstaff, or one of the Blue Angels, you probably spend most of your time in the left seat of an airplane flying it straight and level. I know I do, since I’m usually going somewhere, even if it’s […]

Theres something about the Meyers 200 that doesnt look like a 40-year-old factory airplane. Its bubble canopy and gently-tapered wings are reminiscent of modern, composite airplanes. Sweep the tail and clean up the cowling a bit, youd start thinking Lancair had an all-metal retractable. Alas, the Meyers is a product of the late 1950s, with […]

Aircraft Registration Changes Here is my idea of the registration fix (AVwebFlash, June 6). It would be similar to the way boat registration is done in Georgia. Every three years you have to pay for continuing your registration. You get a small, color-coded sticker that has the registration numbers and the date when it expires […]

“That’s by far the best Flight Review I’ve ever had.” That’s among the greatest praise a flight instructor can receive. It was even more meaningful given the man who said it has actively flown for decades, and has seen his share of required, recurrent training. I don’t quote his comment to boast; instead, I repeat […]

Hope On The Horizon For Easier Flying Aero Expo at Prague had a solid showing earlier this year, and was host to an important European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) meeting. The agency announced its proposal for simpler and lighter regulations regarding airworthiness.What this means practically is that it will supposedly be easier to certify aircraft […]

“You moron.”Visiting the Pilot’s Lounge at the virtual airport is usually one of the highlights of my day. That greeting, however, caused me to think that this wasn’t going to be one of those days. I’d stopped by to see who was around and found that the column I had written last month about post-war […]

This article originally appeared in IFR Refresher, July 2006. Throughout more than 8000 hours and 20 years of flying, I have, like most of us, had numerous opportunities to scare myself and marvel at my own incompetence.Flying — and especially instrument flying — is such a complex endeavor that, given enough time, it’s inevitable that […]

When we left our intrepid round-the-world pilots two weeks ago, they were about to launch for a flight up the Nile. First stop was Abu Simbel, two ancient, massive rock temples on the western bank of Lake Nasser, southwest of Aswan. A nearby airfield made it a convenient stop, and the visit was specatacular, despite […]

Rising Fuel Costs; Falling Flight Hours In your aviation news e-mail about this topic (AVwebFlash, May 30), your writer made this statement: “There’s an old saying that if you have to worry about the cost of fuel, you probably shouldn’t be flying.” I personally find this offensive! Everyone should have the opportunity to fly if […]

This article originally appeared in Aviation Safety, May 2006. One of the few drawbacks to getting and using the Instrument rating is the regulatory and practical need to maintain currency. If you fly a lot and in all kinds of weather, you may be lucky enough to accumulate the required experience in the allotted time. […]