Flight Training

Fran Bera, who set an unbroken National Aeronautic Association record for highest altitude attained in a twin-engine Piper Aztec—40,154 feet—died in February. Bera caught the flying bug young and worked odd jobs as a teen to save for flight lessons. She earned her first pilot certificate at 16 and became a designated examiner certifying new […]

More than 1,500 local high school students from 26 schools are set to participate in the 13th annual Aviation Career Day held at Van Nuys Airport. The event is slated for next Friday, April 27, 2018. Clay Lacy Aviation, Van Nuys Airport and The Valley Economic Alliance will host51 exhibitors showcasing interactive exhibits, static aircraft […]

Pilots from regional airline Trans States now have a direct pathway to the Frontier Airlines flight deck. An agreement was signed by the two airlines this week guaranteeing Trans States pilots a first officer position with Frontier after as little as two years of service with Trans States.Trans States operates a fleet of Embraer 145 […]

For the 13th time, China has released a Five-Year Plan – a series of social and economic initiatives that has elements aimed at boosting general aviation development. This plan is sparking demand for training aircraft in the country. Textron Aviation says it is capitalizing on this and has received orders for 52 Cessna Skyhawks from […]

General aviation pilots are not excelling when it comes to understanding weather information that’s critical to flight safety, according to a recent study conducted at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. The researchers tested 204 GA pilots to measure their ability to interpret weather information from various sources, including radar displays and written reports. The pilots correctly answered […]

As flight simulators have become ever cheaper, they are also getting more capable. In this video shot at Sun ‘n Fun, Precision Flight Controls shows off its DCX MAX series simulator. Tracy Cook gives us a 90-second rundown. view on YouTube

Last month we began our occasional series on personal flight simulators with an introduction to the world of flight simulators and, more specifically, the ones that a pilot might reasonably have at home that are capable of doing a good job of simulating the airplane the sim owner usually flies—which means matching the cockpit, including […]

The fully functioning Boeing 727 parked on Sun ‘n Fun’s Lakeland campus serves not only as a classroom, conference center and museum exhibit, but also as a safe environment to help individuals with disabilities familiarize themselves with the airline environment before travelling. Florida Air Museum personnel use the exhibit’s unique setup to allow people to […]

John and Martha King of King Schools announced at Sun ‘N Fun that all of their pilot courses will now be delivered entirely online. Until now, the courses have also been available on discs. In addition to internet access, the online pilot courses will be accessible through the KING Companion App. According to Barry Knuttila, […]

Four electric-powered Pipistrel Alpha Electro aircraft have arrived in southern California, ready to be put into service as trainers, but the regulatory structure for that to happen is not yet in place. “We are flying all four aircraft and are currently focused on working to understand how to successfully tailor a flight training program to […]