Flight Safety

This article originally appeared in Aviation Safety, Aug. 2006. There’s an old saying: “When the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” In other words, when resources are few, people tend to use the only ones available to them, even if they’re inappropriate and have the potential to create as […]

Nominate an FBO |Rules |Tips |Questions |Winning FBOs AVweb‘s “FBO of the Week” ribbon goes to Volo Aviation at KEFD in Houston, Texas. AVweb reader Brian Hunnell recommended the FBO for making an Angel Flight go as smoothly as possible: I called the folks at Volo Aviation [during preflight, and] … they informed me that […]

Nominate an FBO |Rules |Tips |Questions |Winning FBOs AVweb‘s “FBO of the Week” ribbon goes to Winnemucca Flying Service at KWMC in Winnemucca, Nevada. AVweb reader Mick Collins told us about the FBO last week: We had a group flight (eight planes) land at KWMC … for an overnight. Buster and his crew performed flawlessly […]

One of the hardest parts of flying instruments is making the transition from on-the-gauges to visual flight at the missed approach point. Visual and instrument pilots also have difficulty at times landing in the proper touchdown zone because they’re too fast or too slow on final. One way to make safe, consistent landings, and to […]

Nominate an FBO |Rules |Tips |Questions |Winning FBOs AVweb‘s “FBO of the Week” ribbon goes to Western Aviation Services (WAS) at Rafael Hernandez Airport (TJBQ) in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. Almost all of this week’s nominations came from pilots who experienced Hurricane Omar evacuations firsthand and made it through with the help of outstanding FBOs and […]

This article originally appeared in IFR magazine, Sep. 2006. Getting tired of reading how someday WAAS-in-it-for-me technology will offer near-precision approaches to every ma-and-pa airport in the nation — but it’s not ready yet? Dreading the day when you’ll have to choose between plunking $20,000 worth of new avionics in your panel or not flying […]

Nominate an FBO |Rules |Tips |Questions |Winning FBOs AVweb‘s “FBO of the Week” ribbon goes to Homestead Executive Jet Center at X51 in Homestead, Florida. AVweb reader Skip Weld has been there twice and found them to be an outstanding FBO on both visits, going “far beyond what a normal good staff would do”: They […]

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 […]