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The pilot wasn’t having much luck on his flight review. As he and his instructor were about to depart, the airport weather went from a manageable SCT006 to BKN006, requiring an IFR clearance. Since they had planned to depart VFR, they didn’t file an IFR flight plan. To top it off, the part-time tower was […]

Only a small percentage of the controller work force in the system today—or for that matter, in the past—are or have been pilots. Controllers are taught to perform the duties and provide the services that are outlined in the controller’s bible, the FAA Order 7110.65, Air Traffic Control Manual. While they have been made aware […]

The maturing support network for LSA models is building at least some confidence in their dispatch reliability. But for owners and flight schools looking for a simple and reliable trainer that’s easily supported on most every maintenance floor, it’s still tough to beat the familiar Cessna 150/152 series. That’s why old 150s are still flying […]

Letter of the Week:Personal Airspace I would register my drone prior to flying it above 200 feet AGL. I think it is clear from U.S. v. Causby (1946) that the FAA has no authority to regulate “the immediate reaches of the enveloping atmosphere” of my property, which in the Causby case is at least 83 […]

Things can go “bump” in the night. Daytime, too. Most of them either have been considered before or encountered by someone, resulting in a section of your AFM/POH labeled “Emergency Procedures.” But not everything that can happen is covered there: Pilots are constantly inventing new ways to screw up, and the aircraft themselves can present […]

Hi, my name is Bill and I’m a toolaholic… Very few aircraft builders are not tool hounds. These are the people who walk through the local tool stores with a glazed look in their eyes. They are thankful when their spouse gives them a wrench for a present, even if they already have 12 identical […]

As winter unveils its hand across the nation, it seems appropriate to take a look at one of the last of aviation’s “firsts,” the aerial circumnavigation of our globe via the Poles. The first flight around the world was made in 1924 by a U.S. Army team. The North Pole was overflown in 1926 by […]

Most pilots I know are lazy. Writing as one who has spent most of his career flying airplanes, that’s meant to be a compliment. The lazy pilot tends to accomplish the least work necessary in order to achieve the intended goal. This usually improves workload management and provides a greater reserve of attention. However, sometimes […]

Last July I wrote an introduction to tailwheel flying as an AVweb Feature. It went into those hot-button items a fledgling tailwheel pilot needs to keep in the forefront of consciousness when coming down final in a tailwheel airplane. Let’s consider it “Tailwheels, Part I.” With this article, I’ll go through what you should expect […]

The glass in your bird is looking a little milky, there’s some crazing on the windshield and a little crack where the pebble hit. Is it time to replace the windows? How can you tell? What’s it going to cost? How can I make the glass last longer? First, it’s worth noting that what’s on […]