Flight Safety

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 […]

We just had a little excitement in the Pilot’s Lounge, here at the virtual airport. No, Old Hack didn’t get into another fight with someone over nosewheel versus tailwheel pilots; one of the charter pilots actually had one of the engines on a twin Cessna quit on him in flight. I’ll refer to him as […]

Nominate an FBO |Rules |Tips |Questions |Winning FBOs AVweb’s “FBO of the Week” ribbon goes to Atlantic Aviation at Wiley Post (PWA) in Oklahoma City, Ok. AVweb reader Bill Johnson gives the FBO a stellar recommendation: If your travels take you to Oklahoma City, the best airport is Wiley Post and Atlantic Aviation. Their facities […]

This article originally appeared in Aviation Safety, July 2005. Stuff happens. Despite our best, most conscientious plans, once we get airborne things can change. Weather forecasts turn to lies, passengers change destinations and a well-maintained aircraft can break. It can get lonely up there.When the landing gear fails to extend, do we calmly and professionally […]

Nominate an FBO |Rules |Tips |Questions |Winning FBOs AVweb’s “FBO of the Week” ribbon goes to the FBO at Henderson Executive Airport (HND) in Henderson, Nev. AVweb reader Christopher Dean heaps praise on the service team in Henderson: We spent eight days out there going up and coming back daily. The line crew simply rocks […]

Nominate an FBO |Rules |Tips |Questions |Winning FBOs AVweb’s “FBO of the Week” ribbon goes to TNT Air at N47 in Pottstown, Penn. AVweb reader Howard Whyte recommended the FBO after an unscheduled stop at Pottstown: Recently, while my wife and I were on a cross country flight to visit her brother, we experienced a […]

This article originally appeared in IFR magazine, Mar. 2005. Accident reports can make enlightening reading, but some of the NTSB reports from prior to 1983 are a bit cryptic. Like this one, from a Boeing 747 accident at Chicago O’Hare: DCA79AA009TYPE OF ACCIDENT: COLLISION WITH AIRCRAFT, BOTH ON GROUNDPHASE OF OPERATION: LANDING ROLLPROBABLE CAUSE(S): TRAFFIC […]

A Boeing 767 can taxi up a shallow-grade taxiway on one engine and no additional power. I should know — I have been taxiing big airplanes up the hill in Atlanta next to Delta’s Jet Base for over 28 years now.The key to the whole conga-line taxi thing is to take your time and not […]

This article originally appeared in IFR Refresher, Sep. 2006. An inherent problem that comes with familiarity is that it tempts us to take risks we would otherwise never consider. Think of the road you take home from work every day. Because you’re familiar with its every bounce and undulation, you probably take a turn or […]