Flight Safety

The controller rapped out the approach clearance with the ease of ordering a pizza: “Cross HOLOW at 3000, cleared approach, radar service terminated, change to advisory frequency approved, report canceling IFR this frequency or on the ground with flight service.” The airplane was miles from the airport, and the pilot later said that he “felt […]

Not long ago an AWweb reader wrote explaining that, as long as he has been flying, he keeps hearing about “natural pilots,” sort of Supermen of the air, who can do absolutely fantastic things with an airplane. My correspondent, Rick Grant, wrote, “From the day I started flight training in 1965 through today, during military, […]

AVweb’s John Deakin has told us a little (in “Pelican’s Perch #14” and “PP #47“) about his time with The Company. In this month’s Pelican’s Perch, he tells ALL the secrets – how he got in by the skin of his teeth, finally learned how to execute the “radius of action from a moving base” […]

Though it seldom happens, a passed-out pilot may be passengers’ greatest fear. For frequent passengers, just a little training can make for a happy ending, as Ken Ibold and his frequent passenger, Catherine Ibold, wrote recently in Aviation Safety. This article appears in the November 2002 edition of Aviation Safety and is reprinted here by […]

This week in my Area at Atlanta Center (ZTL) the main long-range radar site was out for maintenance. Yes it was Maiden, but we don’t have enough time to discuss that problem. We’ve got bigger fish to fry. So, without any chit-chat, let’s get busy. Some of you may be familiar with non-radar operations. The […]

According to Garrison Keillor, Lake Woebegone always has quiet weeks. That isn’t the case here in the Pilot’s Lounge at the virtual airport, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. We have been known to have some pretty raucous moments; particularly if Old Hack and a couple of other folks show up at the […]

In 1958 Bill Kershner was a student looking for a project to blend his interests in aeronautical engineering and journalism. He took a look at the Civil Air Manual 105, decided it was poorly written, and decided to write his Student Pilot’s Flight Manual. It’s now in its ninth edition with over 800,000 copies sold. […]

Smaller Stadiums Ask For Flyover Bans Its a tough time to be in the banner-towing business. No one wants anything that scary flying over a bunch of crazed, hairy-chested and painted patrons. The FAA recently released a new ruling that said flights would not be allowed over stadiums with more than 30,000 people unless a […]

When I was first recruited by AVweb to write a column coming fresh off my FLYING magazine column dealing with flight testing called “The Eye of the Examiner,” I was given the freedom to write whatever strikes my fancy (so long as it is in reasonably good taste). At that time, I informed the readers […]

You probably know when an alternate airport is required for an IFR flight. But if you pick an alternate that is affected by similar weather patterns as your destination, how useful will it really be? When the destination weather is in the toilet, you may have to motor down the airway some distance before you […]