Flight Training

Mark Vanhoenacker, author of the new book Skyfaring, shares a story familiar to many aviators — as a kid growing up in the hills of western Massachusetts, he was fascinated with airplanes, but unsure how to pursue or afford an aviation career. So he got sidetracked — until he ended up flying a 747 for […]

When Mark Vanhoenacker was growing up in Massachusetts, being an airline pilot seemed like an impossible dream — “like wanting to be an astronaut,” he says — but today he flies all over the world in the front seat of a British Airways 747. How he made that journey, and what the experience is like, […]

No matter how smooth and enjoyable the flight, your passengers always will remember the landing. Anything other than a single, bounce-free touchdown is ripe for comment and, if your passengers also are pilots, ridicule. While a good landing is a combination of many factors, the last chance you have to affect its outcome is in […]

AOPA this week opened its application period for student pilots who are looking for help with the cost of flight training. The AOPA Foundation will award almost $120,000 to help teens learn to fly, study in an accredited aviation program or attend a summer camp with an aviation or aerospace theme. Applications will be accepted […]

Aviation groups say a proposed new bill will essentially block military veterans from using their Veterans Administration benefits to obtain aviation degrees. The new measure would cap the VA benefits at $20,235 per year for flight training, a fraction of the cost of the programs that form the basis of degree aviation programs. The provision […]

When I tour around to report on airplane projects, I have basically two reactions and having the imagination of a turnip, these are consistent. The first is wide-eyed wonderment at the audacity of it all; building machines that lift and hurl themselves through the atmosphere with people in them. The second, upon realizing the staggering […]

The question of a pilot shortage continues to draw comments from all segments of the aviation industry, showing that interests instead of fact may be what’s generating press and clouding real analysis. The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) contends that there is no pilot shortage, but a pilot pay shortage. If you think this is […]

The pre-flight inspection is something we learn about during our first flight lesson. We poke, prod, uncowl, measure and eyeball various fluids and components while the airplane is still safely on the ramp, all to help decide if it’s safe to fly. Yet, once we take off, we often find we missed something. Hopefully, what […]

Instrument pilots take far more checkrides than their more visually oriented counterparts. In addition to the initial rating check, you occasionally face an instrument competency ride when you are more than six months out of currency. Most times when you add a rating, like a multi-engine ticket, you’ll be expected to show off your gauge […]

Cessna’s admission this week that it now has no definite timeline for its diesel 182 JT-A invites speculation. Or maybe I’m the only one who can’t resist asking what’s going on in Wichita. Earlier this week, we got an email from a reader trying to snag some hangar space at Independence, Kansas, where Cessna builds […]