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This is the third in a series of excerpts that began with Chapter One. Chapter Four: Notes on Lesson Three — Climbing and Gliding/Power Descent Today I had a new instructor. His name was Mike. I found Mike to be a very pleasant young fellow with an air about him that lent immediate confidence. Well, […]

ATC Staffing Pilots have their own agenda while operating an aircraft and that is, or should be, getting to the destination in one piece. My job is to make sure that the folks in that other aircraft, with the same agenda as you’ve got, don’t occupy the same space as you at the same time. […]

You’ve heard it since you were a little kid — we all have. The old saw “practice makes perfect” has been drummed into us by mothers, piano teachers and just about anyone else who was trying to teach us anything. I’d be willing to bet that at some time or another, a flight instructor has […]

Recently, while conducting yet another tour of Atlanta Center, I noticed a pilot’s fascination with the D-side. He just couldn’t quite figure out what the D-side was doing. We had walked over to a different Area than mine to take a look at his home airport. It just happened to be quite busy.As a matter […]

“Air Show” Crash at Fullerton I would have hoped that AVweb would do a better job of factual reporting than to classify a maintenance test flight of the Ford Tri-motor replica as an “Air Show” crash (NewsWire, Sep. 30). This is how air shows get a bad name! Bill Cornick AVweb Replies The initial information […]

It’s not the bitter cold, or the freezing ice, or the chronic clouds that make flying in Alaska so different from everywhere else. It’s not even the six months of murky darkness, when the arctic sun barely creeps above the gray horizon.It’s the emptiness.”You can fly for miles and miles, hours and hours, and there […]

“The Age Of The Impossible” Burning Nitrous Oxide and Rubber (and not rolling) to 367,442 MSL (according to the chief on-site X Prize judge), Mojave Aerospace Ventures led by Burt Rutan and funded by Paul Allen Monday earned the Ansari X Prize of $10 million. The October 4, 2004 flight of SpaceShipOne flown by Brian […]

Airport Closures and Other Anti-Aviation Stuff I agree with Terri Lee Jones (AVmail, Sep. 13): The TSA should use the terrorist watch list to ensure those people who object to aircraft sound and overflights are not unduly provoked. Timothy McVeigh was a great guy, very conscientious, convinced the government was on the wrong track, and […]

Old Hack was the instigator. Because of him the Pilot’s Lounge departed the virtual airport in mid-September, and headed for the National Air Races at Reno Stead Airport, north of Reno, Nev., for a serious fix of airplanes flying very fast and very low, while making noise that hits a person right in the gut […]