Flight Training

Starting May 1, anyone who wants to take part in an EAA-sanctioned Young Eagles event will have to take an online training course and undergo a standard background check before interacting with the young participants. EAA introduced its Youth Protection Policy earlier this year and got an earful from some volunteers who objected to what […]

EAA Young Eagles pilots fly up to 70,000 boys and girls every year, but until this year there has been no training or formal policy on keeping the events safe for all involved. EAA’s Rick Larsen spoke with AVweb’s Russ Niles about the new policy and the controversy it’s caused with some volunteers. Duration: 11:00 […]

When the vast majority of American pilots want to go flying they rent an airplane from their local FBO, flight school or flying club. That means they have to go through some sort of a checkout with the aircraft provider before they can take the aircraft on their own. Whether the checkout is in a […]

New FAA rules affecting how student pilots are certified took effect today. The new rules require all applicants to be vetted through the FAA’s Airmen Certification Branch, a process the FAA says will take about three weeks. Currently, the FAA completes the same vetting process, but not until after a student certificate has been issued, […]

Icon Aircraft founder Kirk Hawkins has famously said his company aims to reshape—actually reinvent—general aviation by “democratizing” access to it. What that means exactly is about as clear as mud, but this week, Icon’s buyer agreement escaped into the wild, and it appears as though Icon’s view of “democratization” centers on a legal construct that […]

Glasair Aviation’s Merlin LSA received FAA light-sport certification this week, marking the company’s first foray into factory-built aircraft as it continues to produce its series of kitplanes. Glasair announced on Wednesday it anticipates sales to personal owners as well as flight schools. The high-wing Merlin, which was introduced nearly two years ago at Sun ‘n […]

The phrase “rusty pilot” seems to be a thing now. Since we can’t find many new pilots, we’re stirring up the walking wounded, clearing out the ambulatory wards, perhaps enticing them with AOPA logo walkers and a discount on the early-bird special at the airport cafe. I get it. It’s as good a plan as […]

A reader recently questioned the wisdom of flying IFR in “old” aircraft with traditional flight displays that lack modern accouterments—GPS in particular. It’s a fair question and one that deserves some thought. I have to admit that growing up in an earlier age, and having flown IFR for almost a decade before I had the […]

Letter of the Week:Frequent Reporting Best Anyone who flies on VFR weekends knows that CTAFs are awash in squealing verbal garbage, making it often impossible to announce a position or identify the cluck who’s announcing every stinkin’ leg of the traffic pattern or that he’s taxiing to the runway at your airport so you can […]

We can argue about a lot in aviation, but one thing we rarely dispute is the unwritten rule that your AME and your doctor shouldn’t be the same person. Unpack the logic of that and two things become implicit: We don’t trust the government with our medical data (rightfully) and, if we’re honest, we want […]