Flight Training

The successful completion of an Instrument Proficiency Check (IPC) combines the knowledge and personality traits of both the instructor and pilot. Contributing editor Joe Shelton undertook the challenge of obtaining an IPC while both he and instructor Ken Maples share their thoughts and observations about the process. This point/counterpoint presentation should help us more fully […]

Five aviation groups have submitted a letter (PDF) to the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs asking it to amend legislation that would cap benefits for veterans who take flight training. Under the bill, which is similar to one being taken up the House, veterans taking flying training would be limited to about $20,000 in […]

Especially when looking at recent accidents involving scheduled airliners, it occurs that some people are still having problems with their landings. Yes, they can be difficult to master, especially when crosswinds or other factors complicate things and distract us. But this shouldn’t be so hard. If you’re having trouble, it may be you’re simply out […]

Talk about IFR holding patterns in a recurrent training setting and your time will most likely be spent discussing entries, maximum speeds and mandatory reports. There is a need created by the realities of the system for ATC to park you somewhere in the sky until it is time to move on. The reasons for […]

In discussions with new pilots at airports and on aviation forums, two of the recurring questions I get are how to give a good ride to someone who has never been in an airplane before and how come the spouses and families of a fair percentage of pilots don’t like to, or simply won’t, fly […]

Judy Rice and the Think Global Flight team have returned from their two-month trip around the world promoting education in an aviation context to students and adults in 25 countries. They departed Burbank, California on June 13 in a donated Citation Mustang. Along the way, Rice reached out to more than 20,000 students, who were […]

Departing from a 4200-foot runway, the twin engine Beech B60 Duke lifted off after a 1500-foot takeoff roll. The landing gear was immediately retracted but at approximately 100 feet agl, a large puff of black smoke erupted from the left engine. Witnesses stated the airplane pitched up and then banked sharply to the left. At […]

What of Icon? One of the airplanes we hoped to cover here at AirVenture was the new Icon A5, an amphibious LSA that the company says has the potential to reset the entire market. Well, maybe. It’s sure a good-looking airplane. Icon promised us a trial flight then, without explanation, abruptly withdrew the invitation. This […]

FlyThisSim introduced a new floor-mounted simulator Wednesday at AirVenture in Oshkosh. The TouchTrainer FM 210 offers full cockpit controls and panels for more than 100 aircraft models with a 210-degree horizontal view. view on YouTube

A gift of $30 million from the Boeing Company and Mr. and Mrs. William E. Boeing Jr. to the Museum of Flight, in Seattle, is “unprecedented,” the museum announced this week. The money will fund the Boeing Academy for STEM Learning, comprising a variety of programs to promote education in science, technology, engineering and math. […]