Learn to Fly

I spent a good portion of January conducting interviews and research for a major print piece on electric aircraft to appear in the March issue of Aviation Consumer. My impression is that there’s as much going on in this field beneath the surface as there are known projects. Expect to learn more in 2016. Last […]

I was attending a Wings safety seminar recently and the 1995 American Airlines crash in Colombia was discussed, including the video American Airlines made two years after the fact. If you haven’t seen it, it’s worth a click. In this compelling video, the speaker says the words that I believe have subtly, but profoundly, influenced […]

The organizers of ModAero, a “next-generation aviation festival” set for March 16 to 19 near Houston, Texas, say they are offering a “fresh take” on the traditional aviation event, with the goal of attracting a younger demographic, especially pilots in the 16 to 39 “millennial” age range. “That’s where all the growth is happening, and […]

In last week’s blog, I recounted a conversation I had with my friend TK, who at 55 was considering himself a little long in the tooth to take up motorcycling. That naturally led to considering how old is too old to take up flying airplanes or jumping out of them. Should people of a certain […]

Despite chilly temperatures, the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo opened in Sebring Wednesday morning with a record number of exhibitors. Show organizer Jana Filip said as of late Wednesday, both outdoor and indoor space was still being sold and that outdoor section was the largest in the show’s 12-year history. “Indoor, we’ve got a few more […]

Readers of this blog know—or should know—that I have, from time to time, complained about GA’s tendency to incessantly blame and whine about the government’s poor treatment of the industry. Such diatribes tend to be too pat, lack any creative impulse and are boringly, depressingly predictable. So I try to restrain myself. So when this […]

Although he’ll probably thump for me saying it, the well-known aviation raconteur and instructor, John King, has the same thin patience with aviation psychobabble that I do. I can’t recall the context, but a few years ago, we were discussing the hackneyed five dangerous attitudes aviators are supposed to be alert to. You know the […]

The Institute for Women of Aviation Worldwide is trying to make it easier for women to be successful in aviation careers. AVweb’s Russ Niles spoke with iWOAW President Mireille Goyer at NBAA 2015. Duration: 3:10 File Size: 2.9 MB download here

Last July I wrote an introduction to tailwheel flying as an AVweb Feature. It went into those hot-button items a fledgling tailwheel pilot needs to keep in the forefront of consciousness when coming down final in a tailwheel airplane. Let’s consider it “Tailwheels, Part I.” With this article, I’ll go through what you should expect […]

Our blog earlier this week about the UK’s easyJet’s plan to hire more women pilots ignited plenty of comments.I couldn’t help but think that anyone who wants to see women make up more than 12 percent of the pilot population — even more than 30 percent — must accept the idea that targeted hiring and […]