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It is nice to once again find myself within the confines of my trusty 767 cockpit. A lamb’s wool seat cover caresses my ample behind, as I sit ensconced in my little home away from home.This home has its advantages over my earthbound abode. I can get coffee just for the asking up here, people […]

Editor’s Note: Because of ongoing controversy with the Beech T-34 wing spars, John Deakin updated this 1999 column in May 2005. His updates are [bracketed in red], but the entire column is even more relevant today than it was then. Ground all Bonanzas?Well, no, not immediately, and all parties will deny that this is even […]

Flying is a lot of fun and isn’t particularly dangerous for pilots who actively manage the risks. Since three-quarters or more of accidents are pilot-induced, we’re largely in control of our fate if we pay heed to the missteps of others and avoid risky behaviors. Hence, it’s totally appropriate that many government and private safety […]

Firefighting Tankers I recently was at the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center inTucson. There is a whole line of C-141 and C-5 aircraft that are being decommissioned.It would seem much more logical to convert a C-5 to a tanker rather than a 747 since the C-5 was originally designed as a cargo aircraft (AVmail, Apr. […]

If you’ve ever been to the South, you might have heard the expression, “It’s fixin’ to come up a bad cloud.” It’s just our quaint way of saying that storm clouds are brewing. If you’ve ever flown in the South, you know when we say, “A bad cloud,” we mean bad. Big, bad thunderstorms are […]

Flight Service Privatization This letter responds to Fred Twigge’s letter about ATC privatization (AVmail, Apr. 18). As a flight service specialist, I would like to know what bonus package us AFSS personnel are getting! If we are not at a facility that’s staying open, come six months after L-M’s takeover, we’ll be shown the door. […]

This is what I call a great start to the flying season: Sun ‘N Fun blew into Lakeland sporting great weather and a kind of subdued enthusiasm that bodes well for Experimental aviation. Why am I pleased with anything less than a full-chat hype fest? Because a mature industry is much more sustainable than one […]

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Nothing New Under the Parachute I must smile as I hear folks call these Ballistic Recovery Systems “something new” and “in genius.” Back in the 50s there was a TV show titled “You Asked For it” sponsored by Skippy Peanut Butter. The premise was that viewers would send in requests to see, on the show, […]

From time to time, we who frequent the Pilot’s Lounge here at the virtual airport put on an evening seminar in which presentations are given on topics of interest to us. Attendance varies, but is usually large enough to fill most of the chairs we borrow from the You Stab ‘Em, We Slab ‘Em Funeral […]