Flight Planning

The Alliance for Aviation Across America has grown from a small advocacy group to a national force in setting aviation access policy, particularly in rural America. AVweb’s Russ Niles spoke with Selena Shilad, the group’s executive director. Duration: File Size: download here

Legally, 14 CFR 91.123 says, When a pilot is uncertain of an ATC clearance, that pilot shall immediately request clarification from ATC. Seems easy enough, but under pressure of time, heavy weather and busy controllers we are tempted to assume that ATC knows its intentions and to accept a clearance as given. Egregious errors appear […]

The following takes place at a high-altitude sector with multiple air carrier aircraft: Pilot 1(apparently meaning to talk to the passengers) :“This is the flight deck. Air traffic control has – uhh -” [unkeys] ATC:“Darn. I wanted to hear that.” Pilot 2 (cheerfully) :“Yeah. He was gonna blame you!” Cheryl Bavistervia e-mail

Letter of the Week:Me-Too Mooney? News of the imminent resurgence of Mooney spawned two reactions in me. I’m happy that owners of the breed are likely to have a secure supply of spares to keep their birds flying. I have fond memories of a variety of Mooneys. Most of my M-20 time is in a […]

Somewhere over Nevada, returning to Utah from San Jose. All the airliners where working hard to find their customers smooth air. There were sigmets for turbulence up to 14,000 feet and above 18,000. A UPS flight checked in on-level at 35,000 feet and asked:“What altitudes are working for smooth rides?” Controller: “There does not seem […]

One way of attracting a crowd at shows like AOPA Summit is to have a clever gadget, and Anthony Chan definitely has one in his wirelessly controlled aircraft tug. Chan was putting the tug through its paces on the exhibit floor in Fort Worth this week and drawing plenty of interest. Unlike most tugs, which […]

Renting an airplane away from home has always been a hassle, but OpenAirplane aims to make that process “as easy as renting a car.” The company has made progress since its launch earlier this year. Co-founder Rod Rakic gave an update to AVweb’s Mary Grady at AOPA Summit in Fort Worth, Texas on Saturday. Note: […]

Lockheed Martin Flight Service rolled out some new features this week to make online flight planning easier and more intuitive for pilots. At AOPA Summit in Fort Worth, system architect Mike Glasgow explained the Next Generation services to AVweb’s Mary Grady. Duration: File Size: download here

The cost of fuel is a constant concern for pilots, and Jack Pelton told AVweb’s Paul Bertorelli at AOPA Summit this week that EAA will do what it can to help control those costs and keep airplanes flying. Pelton also discussed EAA’s conflict with FAA over paying for controller staff at AirVenture. Duration: File Size: […]

At AOPA Summit, Garmin International is showing off something new: a sophisticated pilot watch that features GPS navigation, built-in altimetry with alerting, multiple timers, and even wireless camera control. The new gadget sells for $449 is expected to be available in November. view on YouTube