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As the government’s budget sequestration gains steam, the FAA is expected to announce which control tower might close as a result, perhaps as early as today. Discussion on this topic has produced plenty of opinions, some valid and some best characterized as fear mongering, in my view. Sequestration cuts will likely result in at least […]

Each week, we run a sampling of the letters received to our editorial inbox here in AVmail. One letter that’s particularly relevant, informative, or otherwise compelling will headline this section as our “Letter of the Week,” and we’ll send the author an official AVweb baseball cap as a “thank you” for interacting with us (and […]

AOPA started on this project about one year ago, announced its intentions publicly at AOPA Summit last October, and is now setting out on an effort to grow the nationwide collection of 650 independent flying clubs into 1,000 networked aviation cooperatives. Like many large successful organizations that attempt to collect people — and money — […]

Mid-airs aren’t always fatal, and all of them can be avoided. Keep up your speed, look outside and vary your aircraft’s attitude to eliminate blind spots. Few chapters in the great book of safe flying are as incomplete and misleading as guidance for avoiding mid-air collisions. In over 50 years of active flying, I have […]

Some insist it began production as the world’s largest flying sweet potato and evolved into Snoopy crouching as he waited for his supper. The original Piper PA-23, the Apache, seemed almost round and had such modest powerplants that single-engine operation could be hazardous—just as with other twins with small engines. The last versions, the Piper […]

The Eclipse 500 lives at two ends of the same spectrum. At one terminus, it’s the over-sold, overpromised underperformer that traditional jet operators love to hate. At the other, it’s a nifty little high-tech jewel that a small cadre of owners rave about. Somewhere in the vast gulf between, the new Eclipse Aerospace hopes to […]

Whether it’s a calamity of wrong button pushes or a subtle input failure to a glass panel, understanding the interface is key to safety. As an avionics guy, I’m often asked if I would rather deal with total avionics failure in an all-glass or round-gauge aircraft. My preference is all-glass because total failure is pretty […]

Each week, we run a sampling of the letters received to our editorial inbox here in AVmail. One letter that’s particularly relevant, informative, or otherwise compelling will headline this section as our “Letter of the Week,” and we’ll send the author an official AVweb baseball cap as a “thank you” for interacting with us (and […]

Deviations happen, even to the best pilots. Some also may come with a heart stopping “call this number on the ground.” Knowing how to handle the call can improve your odds of keeping it from becoming a violation. Even pros flying hundreds of hours a year slip up once in awhile. Those of us who […]

It cruises easily at better than 165 knots, can carry six (provided at least two aren’t large), and has a range of 1,000 miles. The pilots who fly it generally love it, and the pilots who don’t generally respect it. Samples can be found on the used market today in decent shape and for less […]