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Noise Troubles In Brussels Belgium The US isn’t the only country to suffer from unreasonable noise restrictions.First, a little background if you’re not familar with Belgium:The country is split right down the middle between Dutch and French speaking people. Brussels is right in the middle of this split and has some combination of the two, […]

This article originally appeared in the March 2001 edition of Aviation Consumer. Definition of a crying shame: returning home from the refurb shop with your $9000 paint and upholstery redo only to lash the thing down in a mudhole masquerading as a tiedown.Welcome to the real world of aircraft ownership, where most of us tough […]

This month, once again, I find myself firmly ensconced in a seat at the back of a Holiday Inn bar. Unfortunately, drinking more than one or two beers tonight isn’t an option. Since I am facing my equipment oral in two short days, I have to limit myself to only a few frothy brews.Others are […]

Blue Ribbon Report on Airtanker Safety Just wondering where Mr. Juan Browne (AVmail Jan. 13) got his information. First off, the PB4Y may still yet fly again, pending the release of the official NTSB report. I am a captain on the PB4Y and believe that it is safe and I would fly it again, and […]

This material originally appeared in Pipers and Cessna Owners Magazines, and is reproduced here with the permission of Aircraft Owners Group. I‘m planning a flight from my home base in Modesto, Calif., to Seattle, Wash., — and back — on business. The appointment I need to keep is on a Tuesday — giving me all […]

My two previous columns on the subject of attitude dealt with the hazardous attitudes within ourselves that have been identified by the friendly feds. This time we’ll be discussing the attitude of the flying machine itself as it makes its way through the air.What’s wrong with attitude instrument flying? In a word, nothing! That is, […]

Blue Ribbon Report on Airtanker Safety The videotaped catastrophic failure of two airtankers last summer dramatically highlighted an industry long in need of reform. The recent Blue Ribbon Panel Report on Airtanker Safety did an excellent job of listening to and reporting on the concerns of many within the industry. The resultant USFS permanent grounding […]

This article appeared in the July 2002 edition of IFR Magazine and is reprinted here by permission. Most autopilots are happiest if they intercept the localizer four or five miles outside the marker from a 45-degree intercept. Most pilots are, too. Why then does a certain subspecies of pilot — Canis familiaris nocturnis, a.k.a., a […]

Sun’n Fun Dates Your news story on the Pre-Sun ‘n Fun Races Set is in error. The race is not early. The published fly-in date for `03 is April 2nd through April 8th. The race is during the fly-in. They published the new fly-in format at last year’s event (no longer Sat.-Sun.).Thanks for the great […]

It was a defining moment. “Y” at one time was simply the 25th letter of the alphabet. In kindergarten, this was often represented by the little three-letter word “yak.” Unannounced, and quite by surprise, an important shift occurs. This particular little noun springs into action, taking on a life of its own. The event transpires […]