Flight Safety

Nominate an FBO |Rules |Tips |Questions |Winning FBOs AVweb’s “FBO of the Week” ribbon goes to Zenith Flight Support at KRAL in Riverside, California. AVweb reader Bob Spidell quot;didn’t know a thing about local FBOs … [and] picked one out of Pilot’s Guide,” but he was surprised at how well he’d picked when he arrived […]

This article originally appeared in Aviation Safety, Mar. 2005. A little anxiety is perfectly normal when an airplane begins rotating toward the ground in a 60-degree nose-down attitude. But the thought of spin training need not cause you to break out in a cold sweat. In fact, many pilots find that the actual spin experience, […]

I doubt a day goes by without someone here in the Pilot’s Lounge at the virtual airport expressing concern about the diminishing number of pilots in the U.S. and the seeming lack of interest on the part of young people in learning to fly. There are evenings when the subject is batted around endlessly, yet […]

This article originally appeared in Aviation Safety, August 2005. Pilots are a curious bunch. Arguably the result of concentrated, lengthy training in everything from reading and understanding aviation regulations, manipulating an aircraft’s controls, and obtaining and understanding weather reports and forecasts, we still find ways to bend sheet metal and injure people. Yes, every now […]

Nominate an FBO |Rules |Tips |Questions |Winning FBOs AVweb’s “FBO of the Week” ribbon goes to Cutter Aviation at KCOS in Colorado Springs, Colorado. AVweb reader Jim Landfried recommended the FBO after getting top-notch, personalized service from a big chain operation: I was surprised that at [an] airport this [big] they didn’t charge any more […]

It isn’t often that an airline flight crew has time to go to a football game during a layover. Many years ago when I was a plumber on the old DC-8 we used to have beacoup Detroit layovers, which meant we were laying-over in Ann Arbor at the venerated Ann Arbor Inn.Those layovers were seasonal […]

Nominate an FBO |Rules |Tips |Questions |Winning FBOs AVweb’s “FBO of the Week” ribbon goes to Hutt Aviation & Soar Minden at Tahoe-Minden Airport (KMEV) in Minden, Nevada. The Civil Air Patrol’s Brent Ludlow spent quite a few hours there during the last two weeks as part of the search for missing aviator Steve Fossett. […]

This article originally appeared in IFR Refresher, Oct. 2006. Most ILS approaches take from three to five minutes to complete after crossing the final approach fix (FAF). What you’re about to read is the story of a pilot who was cleared for an ILS approach just before his aircraft disappeared from radar, only to pop […]

Look at the Pilot’s Operating Handbook (POH) or installed placards on most airplanes and you’ll find a notation about “unusable fuel.” Unusable fuel is that fuel in the tank(s) that is not considered to be accessible for running the engine(s). Fuel tank design philosophy provides a sump area into which heavier-than-fuel water or other contamination […]

Nominate an FBO |Rules |Tips |Questions |Winning FBOs AVweb’s “FBO of the Week” ribbon goes to Lancaster Aviation at McWhirter Field (KLKR) in Lancaster, South Carolina. AVweb reader Alex McDowell recommended Lancaster for the usual reasons – “down-home hospitality, excellent service, and very reasonable rates” – but like many pilots, Alex discovered the true value […]