Flight Training

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 […]

FlyRight, a simulator training company that specializes in King Air training, has announced that it has received FAA Level-D certification of its new King Air 350 ProLine21 simulator. The company, which is located at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, already trains to that level in King Air 90-, 100- and 200-series simulators and will start 300-series training […]

At AirVenture, the really cool airplane wasn’t from an airplane manufacturer but from Redbird, the guys who build motion simulators. They showed off a nicely refurb’d Cessna 172 with a diesel engine from Continental, and they invited us to come fly it at their San Marcos, Texas Skyport. So we did. In this video, we […]

The definition of what it means to be a good pilot may be changing. AVweb speaks with former Northwest captain and Embry-Riddle educator Jack Panosian to explore the question of what’s more important in keeping passengers alive: stick and rudder skills or systems management. Duration: File Size: download here