Flight Safety

The FAA says it hasn’t yet determined whether pilots will be able to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and keep their medicals. In a statement issued to AVweb late Sunday, the agency said it’s waiting for the outcome of an FDA committee meeting on an emergency approval for a vaccine developed by Pfizer. The meeting is […]

The Department of Transportation has cleared the air somewhat on how airlines may decide which animals can travel in the cabin with their owners, and flight crews are breathing easier. Last week the DOT essentially rid the already-cramped aluminum tubes of “emotional support” animals, which have heretofore been limited only by the imaginations and temerity […]

It’s Saturday morning at 0730. Weather is VFR and a million, and most of the flight schools and weekend warriors are calling up Ground with the ATIS, ready to go. Add student pilots, crosswinds, a runway closure and more. What are the chances of pilots missing something critical or letting expectation bias hit? That risk […]

In the Innovations building at last year’s AirVenture, Idaho-based Aithre was showing what we think are the most innovative pilot-focused biometric devices we’ve seen. Aithre is an attention getter because surprisingly, there’s been a slow progression of gadgets for minding pilot and passenger health in the cabin. For measuring blood-oxygen saturation, or SpO2, some finger […]

AVweb’s General Aviation Accident Bulletin is taken from the pages of our sister publication, Aviation Safety magazine. All the reports listed here are preliminary and include only initial factual findings about crashes. You can learn more about the final probable cause on the NTSB’s website at www.ntsb.gov. Final reports appear about a year after the […]

The average wasp’s interaction with an airplane almost always ends up as an annoying smear but there is a species that can actually bring down even the largest plane, hypothetically at least. According to ABC News, Australian authorities are studying methods of preventing the so-called keyhole wasp from setting up housekeeping in pitot tubes. It […]

The FAA’s Piper PA-28 and PA-32 wing spar inspection AD takes effect Dec. 28 and it involves 11,476 aircraft. The FAA issued the notice on Nov. 23 and requires operators of the affected aircraft to have a look at the hard-to-reach section of spar within 100 hours or 12 months of that date. Extensive input […]

A good pilot is always learning and practicing. Whether your aviating is geared toward a ratings-oriented career or just going for the occasional $100 hamburger, we all should put some effort into maintaining proficiency and enhancing related knowledge. If you’re stuck at home with nothing to do and can’t fly, how can you spend the […]

The Flying Musicians Association (FMA) has announced that it is currently accepting nominations for its 2021 FMA Solo Scholarship program. The scholarships offered through the program provide flight training through first solo for junior and senior high school music students interested in learning to fly. To date, twelve students have soloed through the program, which […]

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) has released a new weather product as part of a series of upgrades to its flight-planning tools. According to the organization, AOPA Weather is designed to provide “national and airport-specific data in a mobile-friendly format” with features such as National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) charts, AIRMETs/SIGMETs, the […]