Flight Planning

The Santa Monica Airport, which the city has long tried to shut down while the aviation community has rallied to keep it open, will close for 10 days this month so the single 4,973-foot runway can be shortened. The shutdown will begin on Dec.13 and conclude on Dec. 23, according to the airport website. The […]

My friend was flying his Mooney 201 around the world. Needless to say, it was way over gross weight, flying with ferry tanks under a ferry permit. On departure from an Australian airport on a hot morning, he was only able to manage about a 200 FPM climb to his initial altitude of 5,000 feet. […]

Whether the U.S.’s current political circumstances were the driving force or the theme was an afterthought, some skydivers in a remote area of the Southwest rode made a political statement with a modified hulk of a car for most of their trip back to earth after rolling it out of the back of a Shorts […]

An FAA program to integrate drones into the National Airspace System has drawn lots of interest, the FAA said this week, with more than 4,300 people signing up for online webinars about how they can participate. Based on the demand, the FAA has added two more webinar sessions. Each session will provide participants with an […]

I had the following exchange with a tower controller immediately after takeoff. Me: Tower, I’d like to report a bird strike during takeoff. I don’t believe there’s any damage to the aircraft, but you’ll need to have someone check for any bird parts on the runway. Tower: Was it a small bird? Me: It is […]

My friend Chuck, a recent solo student, got the following request from the tower on landing. Tower: “Expedite clearing the runway.” Chuck brought the C-150 to a halt on the runway. Chuck: “What does expedite mean?” Jeff B. Land

On final approach to Runway 23 in a D-18 Beech at Mansfield Lama Airport, Ohio, we received this inquiry from the control tower: Tower: Beech XXXXX please confirm nose wheel extension? Beech 18: After looking at each other in surprise and much laughing, we responded:“Mansfield Tower, N8504, we don’t have one!” Sue Packer

As I approached Sarasota Airport on the downwind there was a Cessna 172 ahead of me who asked the tower clearance for landing. Tower: “State your intentions.” The pilot said that he planned to have dinner with his brother-in-law that evening. Tower: “Roger, cleared to land.” Tom Wilson

A few years ago I was returning to KHLN after an evening flight. It was a beautiful night and well into dusk and not another voice on the radio when I made my call into HLN. N3969B: Hln tower cub 3969B, eight miles Northeast, inbound landing Victor. HLN tower: cub 69B, not in sight, report […]

It was Saturday afternoon some years ago at our mid-sized, midwestern airport. Things were hopping; Air Guard jets were shooting landings on the long runway, airliners were arriving and departing, two or three aircraft were in the pattern practicing, transients were coming and going, and then there was my friend and me in a 1945 […]