Flight Training

Santa Claus wears captain’s bars in the e-commerce economy but it’s some of the pilots who are getting gifts this holiday season. FedEx is offering its retirement-age captains as much as $110,000 in retention bonuses to keep working through this year’s busy time. Last year, FedEx and its competitor UPS had record years thanks to […]

FAA Approves Ultralight VTOL First of all, the FAA does NOT “approve” ultralight vehicles. The letter shown only states that in the FAA’s opinion, the craft appears to meet part 103 requirements. It either meets part 103 or it doesn’t. If it does, then the FAA is out of the picture. Mel Asberry Motorcycle gear […]

Transponders have been with us since the 1950s. They have improved greatly over the years such as the addition of providing pressure altitude in 100-foot increments and other aircraft information but essentially perform the same basic function, aiding in the positive identification of a radar contact. This is accomplished by two means. First, through the […]

It’s been hard to miss that things are changing in our industry and that pilot training is much a part of that shift. I escaped my office long enough to attend the University Aviation Association’s (UAA) 71st annual Collegiate Aviation Conference last week and talking with representatives from schools both large and small helped verify […]

While getting ready for my commercial checkride I was practicing intensively with daily flights of at least a couple of hours. Due to the time constraints and availability of school aircraft, I was flying during the same hours of the day so I got to work with the same Boston approach controller. Once on a […]

Pilot, mechanic and air traffic controller may be the most high-profile jobs in aviation, but career tracks in engineering and management are also crucial to aviation’s future. This week, Boeing and the National Science Foundation announced a $21 million investment to accelerate training and diversity in those critical areas. “The initiatives will help develop more […]

On my way home from Oshkosh Air Venture last August, I observed the billowing anvils of thunderstorms south of my flight path. Both the radar and satellite pictures showed buildups advancing northward, which would cut directly through my route. So, I took the safe option and landed at Dalhart, Texas for the night. The ability […]

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) has announced that it is now offering an interactive online version of its Rusty Pilots Program. The two-hour course is based on the in-person Rusty Pilots seminars that AOPA has been giving at venues such as fly-ins, airshows, schools and flight clubs since 2014. As the name implies, […]

From the curious headline file: Crash Pilot Had Certificate Revoked. We published that last week atop a story describing the fatal crash of a Cessna 335 in which it was revealed that the owner/pilot had apparently been flying without a pilot certificate for 21 years, having lost it by revocation. A curious headline generated an […]

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Gaetz Aerospace Institute will be expanding its concurrent enrollment program offering accelerated science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) courses for high school students to schools in Ohio and Louisiana this year. The program allows students to get both high school and college credit for successfully completed classes. Available courses include aeronautical science, […]