features_old

This is an update of an article originally published on AVweb in 1997, and includes information about new technologies and the status of WAAS and LAAS, as well as suggestions about avionics purchases. Most pilots think GPS is the best thing to happen to air navigation since the compass. And why not? Having accurate position […]

Question of the Week — Kit Planes vs. Production Better reasons for factory-built aircraft: You can probably think of more!Doug Nichols I notice I joined a good bunch of voters in selecting “None of the above” for this week’s question regarding ownership of aircraft: kit vs. factory.For me, there should have been a choice of […]

“Now I’ve done it,” I muttered into the left-seat microphone of the Cirrus SR22, forgetting that the factory pilot, my bride and my partner could nearly hear me think.”Everything looks OK,” the demo pilot assured me. “Everything is in the green on the engine monitor and we’re clear of the special-use airspace …”No,” my Annie […]

Every once in a while I find myself leaving the pleasant confines of the Pilot’s Lounge at the virtual airport and speaking to a group of pilots. So long as they don’t throw produce and I depart before my tires are slashed, I consider such endeavors successful. I usually discuss the contents of whatever talk […]

GA Pilots Recruited For Cockpit Study Read your article, and jumped right away to the NASA web page; ’twas looking good ’till I found the following on the Pilot Background Questionnaire: Due to NASA base restrictions, all participants must be a U.S. citizen. If you were born in a foreign country you must bring your […]

Flying for Business The company I work for has prohibited private flying ever since a “Risk Management” department was started over 10 years ago.The company owns two Gulfstreams and two Sikorsky S-76 helicopters, which were flown by professional pilots under contract with an outsourced firm.About two years ago, the company started its own Flight Department […]

This article appeared in the February 2002 edition of Aviation Safety and is reprinted here by permission. For most owners, airplane maintenance is a pit of quicksand. If you plunge in, it’s easy to get in over your head. But if you stay out, mechanical problems can accumulate until dispatch reliability and safety are severely […]

Finally, the long winter has passed, and we pilots are finally able to shed our heavy uniform coats and show up for work in our summer attire — white shirts with epaulettes.The winter uniform coats are great for “experienced, healthy” (meaning chubby) captains like myself, because the formal jacket covers a lot of the results […]

My company specializes in providing pilots with the lowest term life rates available … if you qualify medically. Typically, an insurance company requires a life insurance medical exam before they can approve your policy and provide you with a final premium rate. After taking your application for life insurance, your agent will call a paramedical […]

This article originally appeared in the October 2002 issue of IFR Refresher and is reprinted here by permission. You couldn’t buy a warm day in central Canada during April and May, and that cold pool of arctic air drifted south over the northern plains and pushed deeply into the Ohio River Valley, where it faced […]