Flight Safety

As many as a million new toy drones could be given as Christmas gifts this year, an FAA official said at an Airlines for America event in Washington, D.C., on Monday. Rich Swayze, an assistant administrator for policy, said he heard the one-million figure from “several sources” that are studying the impact of drones. Swayze […]

As with any airplane there are specific techniques to managing the finer points of the critical phases of flight. Historic Flight Foundation’s John Sessions got some pointers from Dan Gryder when he picked up his refurbished DC-3 at Sealand Aviation in Campbell River, British Columbia. view on YouTube

In my lofty role as editorial director here at AVweb, I am also self-appointed Chief of Word Police. We all have our little foibles and sacred cows, no? I actually have only two. I sweep the copy for two things; one is a word, the other a phrase. The word is “upbeat,” the phrase is […]

During a recent conversation with a pilot I had just met, he mentioned that one of the things he did as a volunteer pilot for Civil Air Patrol was to tow gliders in the squadron’s Cessna 182. He expressed frustration with the very time-consuming and complex power reduction procedure imposed on the pilots to prevent […]

One of the last flying C-46 Commandos was likely written off in an off-airport landing in Canada’s Northwest Territories on Friday. A Buffalo Airways Commando suffered engine trouble on a cargo flight from Yellowknife to Norman Wells. The crew tried to divert to Deline, NWT, but apparently didn’t make the airport. The aircraft was belly […]

Legislation designed to waive the third-class medical for private pilots flying light aircraft has turned into a plan to require one-time medicals for new pilots or those who haven’t had one for more than 10 years, according to remarks made Thursday on the Senate floor by Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla. Inhofe, who introduced the Pilot’s […]

A couple of weeks ago, the local paper ran a headline on the front of the inside section: Plane Lands on 301 … Safely. I look at such a head on two levels; one as a pilot and a second as an editor. In some ways, it’s the equivalent of a headline that says: No […]

I’ve really only had one landing-gear-related situation in many years of flying retractables. In that event, a brand-new gear motor—installed at annual—failed to extend the gear while airborne after several successful tests on jacks. After an uneventful landing, the motor was repaired and there were no further issues with that airplane or its landing gear […]

A vehicle dashcam in Irvine, California, captured a Piper Cherokee rolling down a city street after making a forced landing last week. The unidentified vehicle was sitting at a rush-hour red light when motorists saw the airplane speed by them through the intersection, luckily with a green light that helped clear the way. A male […]

Bill Moyle, a veteran aviation educator, will be the next executive director for the Society of Aviation and Flight Educators, the group announced on Monday, after a six-month search. Moyle, of Waxahachie, Texas, succeeds former director and co-founder Doug Stewart. “We’re fortunate to have found a leader with Bill’s aviation and education background,” said Donna […]