Flight Safety

We’ll admit our bias up front: We like flight simulators. A lot. Being cheap, we came to like them originally because we could use them to keep our instrument skills up for a fraction of the cost of getting in an airplane and putting on the hood—whether we could log the time or not. As […]

The Aviation Electronics Association Convention powers up Monday, March 26 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The annual event offers a way for manufacturers, distributors, technicians and business leaders to connect and learn about regulatory issues impacting their business, according to the association. AEA says their exhibit hall will have more than 135 companies […]

The text message was familiar: “Have to cancel today’s lesson.” The accompanying sad-face emoji didn’t mitigate the fact that too many flying lessons never get off the ground, stalled by self-imposed realities of alleged real-world issues. Over a quarter-century of instructing, I estimate about half of all appointments cancel and not simply because the student […]

Airshow pilot Andrew Hill, 53, whose 1955 Hawker Hunter crashed in August 2015, killing 11 men, has been charged with “manslaughter by gross negligence” in a British court. He will appear before a judge on April 19. The 11 who died were either in vehicles on the road or standing on the roadside, outside the […]

The FAA on Thursday published an emergency order that prohibits the use of supplemental passenger-restraint systems in doors-off flight operations that can’t be released quickly in an emergency. “This order formalizes the FAA’s prior communications on these operations,” the agency said. The FAA had already told operators last week to stop the “doors-off” tours. The […]

Sandel Avionicsannounced that longtime avionics executive Larry Riddle has joined the company as VP of marketing and sales. Previously, Riddle was with L3 for 16 years. Sandel has an extensive line of specialty avionics including primary attitude displays, AHRS and TAWS systems. Aviation apps for the iPhone and iPad continue to proliferate and the latest […]

While flying one day in Northern California, I heard the following: Center: “Cessna 1234 are you planning to pass east or west of Mt. Diablo? Cessna: “We’re currently heading south. Center: (with a chuckle) “I understand that you’re heading south. But when you pass that mountain ahead, will it be on your left or right […]

Drone flights are restricted within 5 miles of an airport, unless the FAA gives advance permission, but now the FAA is beginning to approve flights within the airport boundaries for professional operators. Last week, the FAA said it will allow first responders to operate drones at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport — one of the busiest […]

An Alaska pilot was fined $25,000 last week and given probation and restitution after being charged with felony assault for striking a man in a boat while buzzing him in a De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver floatplane. The incident happened on the Mulchatna River near Dillingham in June 2014. The victim survived but suffered permanent brain […]