Learn to Fly

A few weeks ago, I spewed for a few hundred words on gear-up landings and this month I’ve been continuing the research. Just ask me about gear-up landings. Ask anything. I’m about to write a book. You’ll be enthralled. As I was trudging through this, I finally got to the insurance angle and my colleague, […]

AVweb’s Geoff Rapoport spoke with founder Xylon Saltzman about One-G Simulation’s first foray into virtual reality with their simulator for the Robinson R44. view on YouTube

The EAA Pilot Proficiency Center (PPC) is now a regular feature of AirVenture, with presentations and simulators available for an hour of free, loggable dual instruction. The 23 different scenarios are posted on eaapilotproficiency.com, with all the briefing materials, so pilots at the show can arrive prepared. Pilots not at the show can download basic […]

At AirVenture, a California startup called Kitty Hawk rolled out a unique new multi-rotor aircraft that’s essentially similar to a large drone. It will carry a single person and be manufactured under ultralight standards. AVweb interviewed Kitty Hawk’s Todd Reichert for this AirVenture video. view on YouTube

Jeff Van West interviews Greg Roark, the founder of the Aspen Aerospace Alliance and the Director of Aeronautics for the Aspen School District. Roark leads a program that weaves aerospace into the curriculum from grade three through high school. The most involved students will graduate high school with single-engine, multi-engine and instrument ratings. Duration: File […]

At AirVenture 2017, Cirrus announced a bold new approach to training pilots new to Cirrus aircraft—including new and used SR22 and SR20 models. Called Cirrus Embark, the complimentary transition training program applies to any new Cirrus owner (including all partners in shared ownership situations) whether the aircraft was purchased directly from Cirrus or from a […]

Today’s blog was going to be a PSA to set straight the horrible thrashing general aviation took at the hands of yet another misguided network news feature. But, damn it, foiled again. The piece in question ran Sunday night on NBC’s Dateline and chronicled the story of McKenzie Morgan, a plucky 17-year-old student pilot who […]

The U.S.’s busiest FAA flight examiner was remembered as a generous, humble man whose love of aviation knew no bounds. Services were held last week at Madison County Executive Airport near Huntsville, Alabama, for Clyde Harold Shelton, who died after a brief illness at the age of 86. He stopped flying last Nov. 30, having […]

At the end of Sun ‘n Fun, as I was shooting this video with P-51 owner Louis Horschel, I was marveling at the fact that with only about 100 of these aircraft still flying, it’s still supportable. As Horschel explained, parts are findable, if not readily available, and the economics allow the manufacture of some […]

I suppose as analogies go, using fruit and baked goods is as good as any to describe the state of the general aviation market. A decade ago, it was sugar plums. Now it’s pies or, to be more accurate, pie in the singular. About 2005 or so, but definitely by 2007, every GA manufacturer of […]