Flight Safety

I just finished giving my favorite curmudgeon here at the virtual airport, Old Hack, his flight review. He had the windows of his Super Cruiser open, so the pleasant breeze was a nice bonus to a flight that went well. After we flew, we went back to the big chairs in the pilot’s lounge to […]

Noel Merrill Wien was born April4, 1930, in Virginia, Minn. His father, Noel Wien, was born in Lake Nebagamon,Wisc., went to Alaska in 1924, was the first to fly the 350-mile route fromAnchorage to Fairbanks, the first pilot of a passenger flight from Seattle toFairbanks, and the first pilot to fly over and beyond the […]

The year was 1992 and my flying life was about to change forever — for the better. It could just as easily have ended. I took my first flying lesson in the fall of 1978. It was a happy diversion from the life of a first-year law student. I was so enthralled that I bought […]

Much has been written about the frailties of the vacuum pumps that power our crucial flight control instruments. Most recently, AVweb published the first article in this series (“How Can I Fail Thee? Let Me Count the Ways“), which took a close look at some of the weak links in vacuum systems and components installed […]

As AVweb recently reported, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued a Safety Recommendation to FAA Administrator Jane Garvey on September 24 suggesting that action be taken to address inadequate responses by air traffic controllers to emergencies relating to VFR flight into IMC and instrument or vacuum system failures. Although it is clear from the […]

The BE-76 Duchess is a 3,900-pound airplane with seating for four (including crew). Power is by Lycoming at 180 horsepower per side. At recommended cruise power settings, it’s good for about 750 nm (with reserves) at around 150 KTAS at 10,000 feet. The BE-300 Super King Air is a 14,000-pound airplane which is certified to […]

Aviation changes so rapidly that it’s easy to make yourself feel like an old-timer without spending a lot of time as a pilot. I jumped in right before the alphabet airspace arrived a few years back, and so I have always been able to tell those who came after me: “We didn’t have any of […]

I‘ve flown with a number of CFIs over the years. I’ve always claimed that every CFI, regardless of experience and style, has something to teach every pilot. At least, that had been my experience up until one day recently. It was then that I had to do something I’d never done before. I had to […]

I had this great idea, see. I’m always getting questions like, “What’s it like being a controller?” and, “So, what does a Safety Rep. do, exactly?” I never really have a good answer for either of those. At least, not an answer that I can give in less than a minute. So I thought I’d […]

On the morning of June 18, 2002, Scott perished doing what he loved:practicing aerobatics in a Yak-52, in the mountains of Brentwood, Calif. He hadrecently been working to advance his aerobatic skills, and placed 13th among 19pilots in his first competition, at Paso Robles, the weekend of June 8. He hadalso flown aerobatics in Citabrias […]