AVweb’s Flight Safety section offers in-depth coverage of aviation safety topics, including accident analyses, risk management strategies, regulatory updates, and pilot training insights. Designed for pilots, instructors, and aviation professionals, this section provides timely information to enhance situational awareness and promote best practices in flight operations.
No one was seriously injured after the pilot of a hot air balloon was ejected from the basket and the two non-pilot passengers were left on their own. On an otherwise calm evening at an event in Chatsworth, Illinois, Thursday, a 20-30 mph gust of wind tore through a group of balloons getting ready to […]
The Aviation Funding Stability Act (AFSA), introduced by Reps. Peter DeFazio and Rick Larsen, Democrats on the House Aviation Subcommittee, would require Airport and Airway Trust Fund income to be paid over to the FAA, providing the air traffic agency with more direct access to revenue collected from ticket taxes. A key argument in favor […]
The task definition for slow flight in the Airmen Certification Standards (ACS) is changing, again. When the private pilot ACS were finalized in June 2016, the FAA changed the definition of slow flight to maintenance of “an airspeed, approximately 5-10 knots above the 1G stall speed, at which the airplane is capable of maintaining controlled […]
On Tuesday night, a Piper Navajo landing on Runway 7/25 at Orlando Executive Airport struck an alligator. The piston twin suffered damage to the wing, according to Brad Pierce, a pilot who posted information about the accident to Facebook. The 11-foot alligator was killed. While rare, alligator strikes are not a new occurrence. The FAA’s […]
The idea of an inflight fire rightfully scares the bejabbers out of pilots. Uncontrolled combustion in a confined space is ugly enough—adding altitude and speed to the mix can make a fire lethal in short order. It’s no wonder that pilots dealing with an inflight fire have jumped out of their aircraft even though they […]
Relations between pilots at Columbia County Airport and the neighboring Meadowsgreen Golf Course in Ghent, New York have been strained since a pilot reported a golfer taking aim and striking an aircraft in flight with a golf ball ten years ago. Earlier this spring, the owner of the golf course, Carmen Nero, escalated the conflict […]
The aviation community is continuing to respond to the Trump administration’s proposal on Monday to privatize the air traffic control system. FAA Administrator Michael P. Huerta released a brief statement, saying he supports “looking at new ways to help us provide stable and sufficient funding to more rapidly modernize our system, while maintaining the highest […]
Sixteen general aviation advocacy groups signed on to a letter on Monday (PDF) opposing President Trump’s plan to turn the FAA into a private nonprofit corporation. “Dismantling the current system will devastate GA, while not accomplishing the desired goals of efficiency and technological improvements,” the letter says. “Today, the U.S. air traffic control system is […]
As expected, President Donald Trump announced on Monday that air traffic control will no longer be a government function but instead will become a “self-financing nonprofit.” Calling the change “a great new era in American aviation,” he said it will replace “an antiquated horrible system that doesn’t work.” Trump also called the current system “ancient” […]
Holding at the holding point Nelson, New Zealand, we were waiting for the cabin to be cleared before calling ready.Tower:“Link XXX, are you ready?”Link XXX:“Just waiting on the cabin.”Tower:“It’s right behind you.” Justin Zangerl
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