Flight Safety

I know it will come as no surprise to you that the recent midair collision on the Swiss-German border has been dominating my thoughts this week. It’s the ultimate nightmare in ATC, for pilots, passengers, and controllers alike. We will have to wait months before we know precisely what went wrong. The waiting will be […]

Folks, I love being positive and cheerful. I’d much rather write about pleasant things, good memories, good products, good people, and fun things. I didn’t enjoy doing the Whyalla column, and I’m not going to enjoy this one. But Flying (July 2002, page 73, “Can your engine run too lean?“) missed the boat so badly, […]

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 […]