Flight Safety

A good copilot is a good copilot, no matter what the aircraft. I fancied myself a good copilot back when I was a first officer on various airliners. I considered myself better than the average bear when it came to flight engineering, as well. Being a good copilot is harder, in my estimation, than being […]

Nominate an FBO |Rules |Tips |Questions |Winning FBOs AVweb‘s “FBO of the Week” ribbon goes to a relatively new FBO, Air 51 at LEX in Lexington, Kentucky. AVweb reader Graham Richardson discovered Air 51 “quite by accident”: We were stopping for fuel at [another FBO] as is our habit when at LEX when we passed […]

This article originally appeared in IFR Refresher, June 2007. Professional pilots have been hounding the FAA for years to increase their maximum retirement age past 60 for a number of reasons. [And the increase finally happened, although after this article was originally written.] One reason is financial: More time on the job translates into larger […]

You heard it in the Sun-N-Fun 2008 LSA Mall. Whether you were talking to pilots of Cubs, Luscombes, Bellancas, Cessnas or Beechcraft, it echoed strong in the Type Club tent. It was the talk of manufacturer’s displays and the exhibition hangars. It was even touted by purveyors of very light jets. It seems like the […]

Nominate an FBO |Rules |Tips |Questions |Winning FBOs AVweb‘s “FBO of the Week” ribbon goes to Five Star Jet Center at KBAF in Westfield, Massachusetts. This is facility that’s shown up on our nomination list several times, and but it was this strong endorsement from AVweb reader John Light that made us name Five Star […]

I‘ve always found it amazing when, in midst of the noisy confusion of a crowded room, someone can say something that triggers such a powerful recollection of an event that suddenly I am isolated from the hubbub, aware only of the intensity of my thoughts. It recently happened to me in the Pilot’s Lounge at […]

This article originally appeared in Aviation Safety, Nov. 2005. Things have progressed quite a bit since Garmin International first released its certificated version of the G1000 in the Cessna C182T Skylane. Garmin was certainly not the first to come up with a glass-cockpit display for general aviation — Avidyne’s Entegra/Flightmax EX5000 holds that distinction — […]

Nominate an FBO |Rules |Tips |Questions |Winning FBOs Maybe it’s all the travel related to Sun ‘n Fun, but we received quite a few (really compelling) nominations for “FBO of the Week” over the last few days. The standout among these was a rather unusual recommendation (and plea) from AVweb reader Doug McDowall of EAA […]

Nominate an FBO |Rules |Tips |Questions |Winning FBOs AVweb‘s “FBO of the Week” ribbon goes to Amelia Reid Aviation at KRHV in San Jose, California. AVweb reader Konstantin Blank recommended the FBO, citing the unique training experience: Amelia Reid Aviation is a rare place where you get excellent flight instruction while connecting with the roots […]

This article originally appeared in Aviation Safety, Mar. 2006. Some of my most memorable flights involve night flying, both for good and bad reasons. On the good side, I recall breathtaking sunsets, full, orange moons on the horizon, distant lightning and flying down New York City’s East River after departing the now-closed Flushing Airport. On […]