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Congress has mandated a 1,500 hour minimum flight time requirement for scheduled air carriers next summer, and unless FAA regulations come along to supersede it the “impending pilot shortage” that even the general media has latched on to could become a reality sooner than later. When regulation outpaces thinking, and policy is made without concern […]

It seems there’s always an Arrow on the ramp as well as a good selection of them on the used market. Flight schools have long sworn by them as relatively economical complex trainers, and owners report happy relationships with their combination of useful load and range. Through longevity and numbers, it may have replaced the […]

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 […]

If your seat belts are frayed or inadequate―such as a lap belt up front―you can fix it for a reasonable cost. Airbags cost more, but are a real aftermarket option. The FAA didn’t get serious about seatbelts until 1978, and even then it was only requiring shoulder restraints for the front seats. Ten years later, […]

Simulators can affect the time and cost of flight training, and the pace of technology makes it easier than ever to access them, but if you listen to Frasca — which has more than 50 years of experience in the simulator business — access shouldn’t be the only concern. Frasca has been in business since […]

What compelled 45 women from Anchorage to Chesterfield, N.H., to trek to Vernon, Texas, a tiny north-Texas town where there are more trucks than cars? All had heard about a unique program called Girls in Flight Training (GIFT) Academy that provides free ground and flight instruction for women in all stages of flight training. The […]

The apps market is a young, fast-paced, booming, and rapidly evolving segment of the aviation industry that isn’t just transforming how pilots get information, it’s starting to affect how manufacturers build their products. Some of today’s most popular apps include Garmin Pilot, WingX Pro, and ForeFlight, which produces popular flight planning and in-flight support apps […]

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 […]

I’ve always been fond of pointing out one of the most dangerous things in personal aviation is a private pilot with a #2 Phillips screwdriver. That’s because I’ve occasionally come across the aftermath of an owner who tried but failed to accomplish a simple inspection or maintenance task without the proper knowledge, tools or training. […]

In five years since its birth, Redbird has gone from zero to number one in its market niche. It has put more than 300 active-motion flight simulators into general aviation pilot training centers. It has introduced a compelling price for performance argument within the flight training segment. And it has wrapped all that in an […]