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Everybody knows about “buyer beware,” but how about seller beware? Much has been written on the subject of protecting oneself when purchasing an aircraft (see Rick Durden’s excellent AVweb column or Brian Jacobson’s comprehensive book on the subject, Purchasing & Evaluating Airplanes), but I have yet to see anything on the subject of protection for […]

Ialways had enjoyed waking to find snow falling, although it had been a long time since I’d had the experience. Maybe this morning’s snow was prophetic, as a white blanket was never guaranteed in these parts this time of year. It made me feel particularly good in spite of the fact it would take while […]

I recently returned from Mobile, Ala., where I spent a full week at the Teledyne Continental Motors factory going through TCM’s Aviation Technician Advanced Training Program (ATATP). I attended the course with AVweb Executive Editor Jeb Burnside (who owns a TCM-powered C33A Debonair) and my good friend Chris Wrather (who owns a TCM-powered V35 Bonanza). […]

It was a typical late winter day in Chicago — overcast and in the low 50s. My student, Joe, was getting close to his instrument checkride and wanted to get some actual IFR practice in and, since I am reluctant to sign a student off for the instrument rating without some cloud time, I agreed. […]

The Malibu Mirage has the rare distinction of being in a class by itself. No other plane currently in production can claim to be a six-place cabin-class pressurized piston single. In spite of a complicated history, the aircraft ultimately lives up to its reputation as a full-capability IFR platform providing comfort and reliability in the […]

Time: 0600. Over Lake Michigan, eastbound at 320 knots, out of 10,000 feet, looking into the predawn skies. Just under the calm professionalism of the Learjet photo crew, veterans of hundreds of air-to-air filming for commercials and movies, it’s clear there is something very special about this mission. A three-plane formation of American Airlines jets, […]

If Benjamin Braddock paid more attention to his future – and less to Mrs. Robinson- he might today hold an executive position at a young, new airplane company.All Ben, the central character in the classic film, “The Graduate,”had to do was heed that “one word” of advice he received during theopening reel of the movie: […]

Air rage is big news these days, but it seems to apply only to passengers who act up. Sadly, it occurs in cockpits, too. There are a small number of pilots who really do need some counseling in anger management, a lot more who could use some of the techniques, and nearly everyone could benefit […]

It barely even looks like an airport. There’s no fuel pump. No FBO. And there’s certainly no control tower. The asphalt is crumbling, and there’s an inadvertent pothole here, there and yon. Pilots who land on the runway had better brush up on their short/soft-field landing skills or risk dinging their prop with loose gravel. […]

It’s very easy to sit comfortably reading a magazine article and be judgmental of pilots who have run out fuel. Of course, the most obvious example that comes to mind is the Avianca wreck on Long Island in January, 1990. If you’ve ever flown into a congested area like the New York TCA, you know […]