Flight Training

NASA, working with the Lindbergh Foundation, will show off early research that it believes could lead to “potentially revolutionary aviation concepts and technologies” during a three-day virtual seminar held Oct. 22-24. Subjects include ceramic matrix and hybrid composites for next generation aircraft, cooperative gust sensing and suppression for aircraft formation flight, sense and avoid radar […]

For more than a year, Continental Motors has been experimenting with a new flight training center based in an upscale mall in Spanish Fort, Alabama. AVweb recently visited the center and interviewed Gloria Liu for a briefing on the training works. view on YouTube

Letter of the Week:Fly the Airplane The old saying of “I can type at 80 words a minute but I can’t fly” applies, in my opinion, to a high percentage of airline pilots around the world. Belatedly, in April of this year, the FAA issued a safety alert for operators, the purpose of which was […]

China is expecting to lead the region’s demand for new commercial pilots as it takes delivery of more than 5,500 aircraft over the next two decades, and its current pilot population may already be stretching work hours to meet demand, so changes are likely coming. China’s civil aviation had a shortfall of 10,000 pilots in […]

A new direct to final rule issued Sept. 16 by the FAA introduces a subtle but substantive change for CFI candidates, and according to NAFI chairman of the board Robert Meder, “This is a good thing.” The new rule considers practical tests flown for the issuance of a flight instructor certificate, or renewal of a […]

Transitioning to your first aircraft that has ice protection equipment beyond a heated pitot tube is a big step for a pilot. Having a full complement of ice protection usually gives pilots warm fuzzy feelings about being able to complete more trips and handle any ice related problems that arise. Unfortunately, the current regulations and […]

Letter of the Week:Factoring Human Factors I was interested in the article on the KSN770 published in the Sept. 13 AVwebFlash, in which it states that “graybeards may still prefer [to use] a transfer key” as opposed to using touchscreen controls. I’m not a graybeard (is there a politically-correct term for female pilots, too?), but […]

One of the largest orders Cessna has ever recorded was placed at Moscow’s JetExpo 2013 for 79 of the manufacturer’s Skyhawks (more than half the number of Skyhawks delivered in all of 2012), purchased by Moscow-based operator ViraZH. ViraZH plans to establish the aircraft as trainers and will place them at flight schools throughout western […]

Many round-the-world pilots are in a hurry to get the trip done, but Calle Hedberg of Capetown, South Africa is taking a different route. He has eight months to do the trip in his kit-built Ravin 500, and he plans to savor every moment. AVweb’s Russ Niles flew with him after he got a float […]

The blatant oversimplification of basic aerodynamics displayed in a new video implies we’ll soon learn what agency, what company, or what individual has decided that showing a paper airplane steadily thermalling over a stove would be a good marketing concept. But, until then, let the debate rage. The video’s own description claims it teaches viewers […]