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Editor’s Note: This week we introduce a new columnist to AVweb readers. Thomas Turner is a NAFI Master CFI who also has a Master’s Degree in Aviation Safety. His monthly Leading Edge column will address pilot training and proficiency issues culled from his extensive experience as a flight instructor. Congratulations! You’ve just earned your first […]

You may think it’s the wrong time of year to write about thunderstorms but that is what I’ve chosen to write about. My reasoning is that there is much to learn — and much I can’t teach you. I’m going to talk about various things but my goal is to get you to do some […]

Comair Crash in Kentucky All the obvious reasons have been given for this accident (AVwebFlash, Jan. 22). However, I think the root answer lies in the fact that the regional airlines have a big rush to get pilots in the left seat. In most all cases, pilots are qualified based on paperwork, but in many […]

After taking most of December and a good part of January off, winter has arrived at the virtual airport. I’m alone in the Pilot’s Lounge because freezing rain is falling outside and those who were here realized flying was done for the day and went home. Naturally, because I’ve come back out here to do […]

TFRs at Border Patrol Gee, if you close large blocks of airspace for UAVs to patrol the borders, and advertise the fact in advance so GA won’t be in conflict (AVwebFlash, Jan. 15), it doesn’t take a genius to see that all the bad guys have to do is read the NOTAMS and avoid detection […]

This article originally appeared in Aviation Safety, Nov. 2004. There are two weather phenomena that the average personal airplane just doesn’t handle well: thunderstorms and airframe icing. No one in their right mind — except researchers — would intentionally fly an airplane into the teeth of a mature thunderstorm; avoiding that potential is why we […]

We’ve been doing it since our earliest days as student pilots. Now that we’re aircraft owners, we still do it as part of our standard preflight ritual. But are we doing it right?It turns out that there’s a lot more to checking the engine’s oil dipstick properly than just making sure that the oil level […]

Shortage of Maintenance Technicians I don’t believe [there is a shortage of maintenance technicians] for a microsecond (Podcast, Jan. 5). I was not an airline mechanic but I know that there are thousands out there that have been laid off from the airlines. I have to believe in the adage, “Follow the money, stupid!”Mike Dolan […]

It was the kind of night that people always think of when they envision airline flying. Clear and a million and smooth as a baby’s backside.There was no moon and as we headed east over the west side of the Rockies, the only interruption from the star-filled darkness was the occasional meteor entering our atmosphere. […]

This article originally appeared in IFR Refresher, Nov. 2005. The fuel systems on some piston-engine airplanes can be quite complicated and require a great deal of the pilot’s attention during flight. Pilots must maintain an awareness of which fuel tanks the engine or engines are feeding from, as well as an idea of how much […]