Flight Safety

As a variation of the old and bold pilots clich, there’s an old Sicilian saying: You can be arrogant; you can be ignorant, but you can’t be both at the same time. It’s appropriate for flying in Alaska, where I live. Every year we revisit the world of midair collisions and year after year, they […]

Fall conjures memories of bright blue skies, cool mornings and generally good daytime flying. But in aviation, looks can be deceiving. New air masses are on the move, the jet stream begins to flex its muscle over much of the United States, fronts are marching southward, and there’s likely a tropical storm in the Caribbean […]

Only the FAA can set standards for aviation safety, AOPA told the Supreme Court this week, and states and courts should not be allowed to undermine that responsibility. AOPA submitted a “friend of the court” brief asking the judges to hear the case of Sikkelee v. Precision Airmotive Corp., which involves a 2005 airplane crash […]

The crew of a Hawker 700A jet that crashed in Akron, Ohio, a year ago showed a “disregard for safety,” NTSB Chairman Christopher Hart said today, and the company where they worked also “fell short of their obligations.” Both crew members and all seven passengers died when the jet crashed into an apartment building about […]

Back in the 70’s I was in the pattern at Palamar Airport, along with several other aircraft. One fellow was having issues with his radio. Tower:“N1234 turn off your radio.” After several long seconds. Tower: “OK turn it back on” John Heiser

Some power in reserve and the pilot’s decision to use it may have prevented a disaster at Shanghai International Airport Oct. 11. The South China Morning Post reported that a China Eastern Airlines A320 at near takeoff speed came within 75 feet of T-boning a company A330 crossing the active runway. Both aircraft had been […]

NavWorx says it expects agreement in “two to three weeks” with the FAA on the qualification of some of its ADS-B products for the $500 rebate the agency is offering early adopters of the technology. Aircraft operators who get the gear installed before next Sept. 19 or when 20,000 applications have been received (whichever comes […]

Last week, I attended a briefing at the local town hall where airport officials briefed a new arrival at the airport, a skydiving operation. As I figured it would, that ignited a minor freakout among the local pilot community, but they listened politely and asked good questions of the operator, who intends to start selling […]

Mother Nature hasn’t been particularly kind to general aviation airplanes this year. Not every aircraft owner was able to get away from the winds and flooding of Hurricane Matthew and a lively tornado season did its share of recycling aircraft aluminum into beer cans. The word on the street is that, in most cases, the […]

A Cessna Citation carrying four people, including former Alberta premier Jim Prentice, crashed Thursday night in British Columbia. Canada’s Transportation Safety Board said the jet dropped off radar after departing Kelowna bound for Springbank, Alberta, in the Calgary area, according to a CBC report. Rescue crews received a report of a crash about 9:40 p.m. […]