Flight Training

When I was a little kid riding in my Dad’s Oldsmobile across the plains of Texas at night, we would spot the lights of Amarillo in the distance and two hours later, we’d get there. An exaggeration of course, but it reminds me of covering the electric airplane industry. We’ve reported periodically about this company […]

A pilot can learn a great deal by stripping his or her flying down to its fundamental roots. Flying an aircraft without an electrical system puts you in touch with the basics of flying by altimeter, whiskey compass, pilotage and pure stick-and-rudder skills. On the mechanical side, it’s a chance to commune with the engine […]

It’s a fact of aeronautical life that virtually every pilot has to complete some form of recurrent training every two years to fly as pilot in command in Part 91 operations. While FAR Part 61.56 outlines a number of methods of meeting its mandate, another fact of aeronautical life is that most pilots comply by […]

Probably the most difficult task on the Instrument Rating (IR) practical test is Area VII, Task D: Approach with Loss of Primary Flight Instrument Indicators. But why is the FAA so concerned about this? In their own words from the IR Practical Test Standards (PTS): “The FAA is concerned about numerous fatal aircraft accidents involving […]

When I was reading over the draft small UAS regs and analysis that leaked out of the FAA over the weekend, I couldn’t help thinking … man, this feels like a breech birth assisted with a crowbar. For one thing, the timing caught the FAA off guard. Thanks to the wonders of the web, the […]

I’ve been covering and writing about businesses of various kinds for a long time and I’m trying to recall if executives always coveted buzz phrases they way they do now. Probably they have, but I just found it less obnoxious when I was younger. (Now, everything is obnoxious. Didn’t I warn you about being on […]

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 […]

I was doing some video shooting at the Sport Aviation Expo on Saturday when an AVweb reader approached me to say hello. It wasn’t long before our conversation devolved into an arm-waving, spittle-flying moment of high dudgeon. We weren’t arguing, but agreeing that the FAA’s baffling announcement that it was withdrawing the tiny little baby […]

Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology, based in Denver, Colorado, has signed an agreement with Aero Electric Aircraft Corp. to buy 20 electric-powered two-seat trainer aircraft. The college has reserved the first delivery positions for the Sun Flyer airplane, which is still in development. “This agreement signifies our commitment to innovation and to serving the […]

At Sebring’s Sport Aviation Expo, Elaine Kauh prepared this video report on AOPA’s Cessna 152 Reimagined project. She spoke with the association’s Jamie Beckett. view on YouTube