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Let’s take a shot some of the common aviation myths and “Old Wives’ Tales” (OWTs) so common in this wacky business, some of which I intend to make the main subject of future columns. Many people equate a gift of gab, gray hair, hours aloft, or years in the business with pilot quality. High-time, or […]

For nearly a year now, I’ve been hearing rumors of asmaller-sized aviation GPS from Lowrance Avionics to supersede the rather hefty AirMapthat they introduced in 1996. I was concerned that Lowrance might be following the lead ofthe Garmin GPS III Pilot, a unit that I don’t care for one bit. When Lowrance introducedtheir 12-channel AirMap […]

Flight Operational Quality Assurance (“FOQA”) programs are an attempt by airlines to identify data from uneventful airline flights in order to pick out potential problems and correct them before they lead to accidents. A FOQA program requires the installation of a Quick Access Recorder (“QAR”) onboard an airliner to record flight parameters. Data is collected […]

AVweb subscribers are invited to share their own most interesting primary flight training experiences with the rest of the AVweb community. To participate, simply write a 500- to 1,500-word story about how you learned to fly, and submit it via e-mail to training@avweb.com. If you care to attach a photo or three, that’s even better. […]

Now that you’re enrolling in flight training, it’salmost like being back in school again. There is one significant difference, however. Nowyou have a choice. When you were a kid in grammar or high school your teachers were assigned to you: thatwas it, cut and dried, no argument. Now as a prospective aviation student and customer,you […]

Using mnemonics is an effective way to learn airspaceclassifications, and nothing suits Class B airspace better than the letter B. Class Bairspace surrounds “Big” airports in a shape that looks like a big upside downwedding cake. Class B airspace isn’t reserved only for big airplanes, however. Flying toand from a Class B airport or transitioning […]

Few things define spring in Utah better than the change in sportsseasons. Skis get tuned and hung in the garage, and creaky mountain bikes and dustyriver-running gear get cleaned up in anticipation of rides and runoff. Airport junkies areno different; hangar doors are more likely to be open, and GA activity around Salt LakeCity’s several […]

At my home airport, there isalways a copy of Trade-A-Plane sitting on the table in thelobby of the terminal building. The airport manager marks it “Lobby Copy — Do notremove.” That single copy is probably the most widely read of all the periodicals(and there are many) that are left for the reading pleasure of those […]

It is a big decision. You have wanted to fly for some time and now you’re going to doit. Excitement. Anticipation. You go to the airport and they take you out to the plane youare going to fulfill your dream of learning to fly in and… The plane is older thanyou are. It looks its […]

It had been my intention to make each column entirely different, but given some of the questions and responses to my first column, “Throw Away That Stupid Checklist.” I think a follow-up is in order. Apparently, a lot of people read the headline, or the lead, or scanned the column quickly, and came to some […]