Flight Training

Watching the progress of this week’s Question of the Week, I was reminded that my attitude toward women in the workplace was pretty much crystalized all at once at 5:30 a.m. on February 10th,1969. Standing in the induction line at Fort Holabird, it occurred to me that if women were eligible for the then draft, […]

Last month’s feature on the frustrating persistence of engine operating superstitions generated a number of comments from readers, most appreciating the ammunition to fire back at the Old Wives’ Tale-spouting “experts” at their local airport. Several referenced other operating superstitions—engine and airplane—regularly being passed off as time-honored aviation truths and asked if they could be […]

A young pilot took some major steps toward his dream of flying for a living by earning three individual pilot certificates and two type ratings, all in a 48 hour period. But before Preston Allen, a 24-year-old private pilot with 1,200 hours, could earn each piece of paper, he had to crack the books. “He’s […]

The 88Charlies, an organization named after its home airport in Palmyra, Wisconsin, shows how a grassroots approach to teaching kids about airplanes can grow into an organization that makes aviation fun for all. view on YouTube

Every pilot is inspired to fly for different reasons—personal and technical challenge, freedom and new perspectives, civilian or military professional career paths. But the obstacles that arise between us and that goal are just as varied. Medical problems, family priorities, geographic inconvenience and financial obligations can all get in the way. The latter is what […]

AOPA has launched a new program, the High School Aviation Initiative, to encourage students to enter aviation careers. As part of this effort, the newly formed Aviation Education Leadership Alliance will hold its first gathering Nov. 9 in Lakeland, Florida, home of the Central Florida Aerospace Academy. The organization invites new members to join and […]

With glass cockpits becoming more prolific, a wider spectrum of the pilot community is now engaged in flying them. Understanding the implications of malfunctions is an important responsibility of the PIC as higher levels of technology competence and preparedness are required. While glass presents increased capabilities for pilots, it also offers a new set of […]

When did you last experience an embarrassing moment on the takeoff roll? Have you ever had to taxi back to the ramp to deal with a problem discovered during the run-up? Any moments of tension or near-terror because you missed something during the pre-flight? Most pilots can recite at least one tale about discovering they […]

As with any airplane there are specific techniques to managing the finer points of the critical phases of flight. Historic Flight Foundation’s John Sessions got some pointers from Dan Gryder when he picked up his refurbished DC-3 at Sealand Aviation in Campbell River, British Columbia. view on YouTube

During a recent conversation with a pilot I had just met, he mentioned that one of the things he did as a volunteer pilot for Civil Air Patrol was to tow gliders in the squadron’s Cessna 182. He expressed frustration with the very time-consuming and complex power reduction procedure imposed on the pilots to prevent […]