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.
This article originally appeared in Aviation Safety, Feb. 2008. It’s an interesting phenomenon: As student pilots, we master VFR traffic patterns in just a few hours. After earning the private, we work on our instrument rating. Initially, nothing is quite so nerve wracking as a difficult approach. Then, our careers progress and we land that […]
This article originally appeared in IFR Refresher, Nov. 2007. Every pilot wants to avoid tough winter weather, especially icing conditions, even if that means delaying a flight or canceling one altogether. But some pilots are foolish enough to think that last-minute weather decisions will save them during a poorly-planned IFR approach. Poor IFR skills during […]
It always fascinates me that general aviation airports somehow become ghost towns about 5:00 on Sunday afternoons, even if the weather is superb. This particular Sunday was no exception: The Pilot’s Lounge at the virtual airport was rapidly emptying. The students had headed home, and the only folks around were some of the flight school […]
Nominate an FBO |Rules |Tips |Questions |Winning FBOs AVweb‘s “FBO of the Week” ribbon goes to Showalter Flying Service at KORL in Orlando, Florida. AVweb reader Jim Thomas recommended the FBO for exceptional performance “amid the hubbub of NBAA”: Despite nearly 500 aircraft on static display, the great crew at Showalter are still delivering high-quality […]
This article originally appeared in IFR Refresher, March 2008. Pilots and controllers rely on each other to communicate unambiguously, especially when working together to complete an instrument approach. The rules of the game are supposed to be clear, yet somehow pilots and controllers continue to clash when an aircraft is in position to join the […]
The quiet home I expected to find when I returned from my last trip was not as serene as I might have hoped. My nephew Kermit was there and was going to stay for at least a few days while his parents vacationed in Vegas.The first indication I had that he was in the building […]
Nominate an FBO |Rules |Tips |Questions |Winning FBOs Not all great “FBO of the Week” recommendations start with a mechanical problem, but sometimes it’s just such a problem that makes an AVweb reader realize how important good support can be when something goes awry during a trip. Case in point: Jim Dunn recently found himself […]
The Real Deal click for a larger image Having an instrument rating doesn’t mean that you have to fly in the clouds-it just means that you can, legally. In fact, the FAA doesn’t require a pilot to have any experience whatsoever flying in actual IMC in order to qualify for, or maintain, an instrument rating. […]
Nominate an FBO |Rules |Tips |Questions |Winning FBOs AVweb‘s “FBO of the Week” ribbon goes to Tunica Air Center at UTA in Tunica, Mississippi. AVweb reader Steve Spinney did his research before a 600-mile flight and learned about the FBO online: I started by checking out their web site and also called and asked a […]
The airplane may not know it’s dark, but the pilot does, and the accident record shows it. AVweb‘s Thomas P. Turner helps reduce the risk of night flight. Added Risk Countering the argument that “The airplane doesn’t know if it’s light or dark,” the record clearly shows a greater number of aircraft accidents at night. […]
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