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This article appeared in the February 2003 issue of IFR Magazine, and is reprinted here by permission. Recently I had the pleasure of visiting the Baltimore/Washington National Weather Service Forecast Office (WFO) in Sterling, Va. Besides issuing the local forecast and official weather warnings for the public, WFOs are responsible for preparing two familiar aviation […]

Guns In The Cockpit (Yet Again) Up until now I have tried to keep my opinion on this issue to myself. But, after reading Mr. Shaw’s April 28 letter on the subject I feel compelled to comment.I mean no disrespect to Mr. Shaw, but please, please, please do not drag what is, in my opinion, […]

As mentioned in the May 2003 issue of Light Plane Maintenance, AVweb has obtained a PowerPoint presentation created by Advanced Pilot Seminars to describe the leaning procedure they teach in their classes.To view the presentation, click on the following link, and the presentation will either open in its own browser window, or you will be […]

You are resolute in your pursuit of a flying career. Despite what the pundits have stated in their gloomy predictions about the state of the economy, no matter that there are still many qualified aviators on furlough from their airline jobs, regardless of forecasts that predict a soft job market and a slow recovery for […]

Here it is the first day of May. It’s hard to believe it’s here already. The daffodils are done. The azaleas are blooming and it’s time to put the tomato seedlings in the ground. What? You wanted me to write an article about emergencies? You meant “MAYDAY!” huh? It just goes to show you how […]

Pentagon Cold Shoulder As long as the DOD is expressing its right to boycott, can someone ask them to also boycott the 2003 Chicago Airshow? I think Mayor Daley can make the connection. Mitch Aldrich Meigs Field The purpose of this letter is to express my dissatisfaction with the City of Chicago’s recent closing of […]

Guns in the Cockpit While reader Boney’s hypothesis [AVmail April 20] can’t be disproven (that’s the neat thing about hypotheses), the U.S. score at this point in the terrorist war is Suicidal Terrorists 19, Suicidal Pilots 0 for fatal cockpit insurrections. In the case of a single, armed pilot, the probability is at least 50% […]

This article appeared in the October 2002 edition of Aviation Safety and is reprinted here by permission. Recent high-profile incidents involving allegedly drunk airline pilots reporting for duty have renewed the call for more random drug/alcohol testing of flight crews. Public hypersensitivity over anything aviation even led CNN to host an online poll that asked […]

I just had a colonoscopy, my fourth.Folks, if you have read and enjoyed any of my writings, I would beg you to read this column. Even if you haven’t. For some of you, it may the most important column I’ve ever written, or that you’ll ever read.I have a very personal interest in this, for […]

EAA Flies Reality TV Show I assume that the EAA’s student pilot, Kyle, is male. This is unfortunate, in that if GA is to grow, organizations like the EAA have to capture the imagination of women. Females are vastly underrepresented in the ranks of GA, and if GA is going to grow it will only […]