Flight Training

Charles Welden grew up in Alabama watching a seaplane come and go off of Lake Martin and thinking it was the coolest thing he’d ever seen. He learned to fly and eventually bought a Cessna 150/150 so he could figure out flying seaplanes himself. In one of those moments that occasionally happens in aviation, he […]

The Italian company Vulcanair is touring with the V1.0, a four-place single they hope to market to the training segment. It’s more than $100,000 cheaper that a Cessna Skyhawk and that might make it attractive to schools. In this video, AVweb’s Paul Bertorelli takes an in-depth look at the V1.0. CORRECTION: The Skyhawk wingspan is […]

Fixed-wing pilots start learning stall recognition and avoidance during pre-solo training. The private and sport pilot checkrides require recovering from developed stalls with minimal loss of altitude, and stall and spin awareness are (or at least should be) refreshed during flight reviews for the duration of one’s flying career. But unintended stalls still put dozens […]

The FAA has issued a notice removing several regulatory restrictions identified as major contributors to increasingly long wait times for pilot practical exams. FAA Notice N 8900.485 (PDF) gives designated pilot examiners (DPEs) the ability to conduct up to three tests and an unlimited number of retests per day and lets flight instructor applicants schedule […]

This week, AVweb‘s news roundup found reports of a new simulator for a Florida flight school, a scholarship for aspiring pilots, the launch of a STEM working group in the U.K., an AML expansion for fuel quantity senders and international garbage handling authority earned by a Washington FBO. ALSIM has announced the sale of an […]

The Trouble With Trainers Interesting, Paul’s correlation of lack of trainer sales to the alleged “pilot shortage”. The lack of interest by producers (or former) of trainers just another indication to me how overblown the “pilot shortage” is. As far as Cessna building piston powered planes, I agree that I think they want to eventually […]

Here in Florida, September was the hottest month on record. Ever. So on Sunday, when the weather finally delivered the fall temperature break, I luxuriated in simply standing in front of the hangar for 10 minutes watching the world go by. And what went by, among others, was what I sometimes call the Cryin’ Shame. […]

The FAA is accepting comments until Dec. 21 on its proposed new ATP certification standards, which have been posted online. The standards were revised by an industry group chaired by David Oord, AOPA senior director of regulatory affairs, working with the FAA’s Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee. The working group proposed the new standards, and the […]

As the oft-paraphrased aphorism goes, all is well when the ties that bind us are stronger than the stresses that can separate us. The same goes for parking an aircraft. When we properly secure it after a flight, it’s reasonable to expect it’ll be there when we return. Once we release the ties that bind […]

The FAA has proposed a regulatory change that would allow flight training in experimental light sport aircraft (E-LSA) to be conducted for compensation or hire under a letter of deviation authority (LODA). Aviation organizations including the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association (LAMA) and United States Ultralight Association (USUA) have been working toward […]