Risk Management

Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than it is to be good but the pilot of an aircraft that ditched off Key Largo, Fla., on Thursday seemed to have everything working in his favor. According to a news release, the unidentified pilot’s distress calls were heard by Key West Seaplanes pilots Julie Ann Floyd and […]

The town of Deer Trail, Colo., Tuesday held a vote on a local ordinance that could financially encourage residents to shoot down UAVs operated over their land by the federal government, but the vote was inconclusive in spite of warnings from the FAA. The ordinance was drafted by a town resident and it would offer […]

Public comments from each agency suggest that Canada’s Transportation Safety Board and Transport Canada may be divided regarding how each would prefer to address the issue of post-crash fires, and those differences have sparked some finger pointing. The Safety Board recently released a report probing an October 2011 crash in which the two pilots of […]

Berringer, which produces wheels and brakes, including an anti-lock system for Cirrus aircraft, is currently acquiring worldwide patents for a new tailwheel that the company believes could greatly reduce the possibility of ground-loops in taildragger aircraft. The system is built as a drop-in replacement for Scott tailwheels, which it matches in weight and attachment configuration. […]

The FAA Friday issued an airworthiness directive (AD) as a final rule for Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners requiring removal or inspection of Honeywell’s heretofore unimpeachable fixed emergency locator transmitter (ELT), in part “to prevent a fire in the aft crown of the airplane.” The FAA action is the result of a fire that involved the Honeywell […]

A newly released 322-page report on the Sept. 3, 2010, fatal crash of a UPS Boeing 747-44F noted “catastrophic uncontained fire” in an area that carried a “significant number” of lithium batteries as cargo, but did not resolve how the batteries ignited.Both pilots were killed in the crash. There were no other people on board. […]

BAE Systems recently demonstrated a system that provides helicopter pilots with situational awareness of their immediate surroundings while flying in zero visibility conditions. The company seeks to improve statistics that show more combat helicopters have been lost in Afghanistan to low visibility conditions than to enemy fire. The Brownout Landing Aid System Technology (BLAST) mixes […]

The FAA is sending a letter and fact sheet to all U.S. pilots to make them aware of the potentially negative effects that certain types of common over-the-counter and prescription drugs could have on the safety of flight. Specifically, the FAA notes the “sedative effects” caused by “many medications” and the ability of some medications […]

Automation is a routine part of our lives now, dictated by sweeping new technologies and consumer preferences. Arguably, the trend toward automation began in aviation in the 1970s. It has been debated and resisted by many in the aviation community, but the game has recently changed for both the airlines and general aviation. Yet, our […]

IMC Club has partnered with Hartzell to help IFR pilots be at the top of their game when they leave AirVenture this year. Hartzell is providing a tent for the club to host an IFR Proficiency Center from July 29 to Aug. 2. The tent is on the flight line and the daily sessions will […]