AVweb Insider

Predictably, when American Airlines and US Airways announced merger plans, US Airways CEO Doug Parker issued a bland statement straight out of the MBA-speak playbook: “The combined airline will have the scale, breadth and capabilities to compete more effectively and profitably in the global marketplace. Our combined network will provide a significantly more attractive offering […]

When Wilbur and Orville were sweeping the sand out of their Kitty Hawk work shed in 1903, could they have possibly imagined their little engineering project would one day lead to constitutional debates? It could very well come to that.As you’ve probably noticed, unmanned aircraft-military and civilian-are all over the news recently, and with good […]

Quite out of the blue, the local controller at Orlando Executive Airport couldn’t quite contain himself: “I really like that airplane,” he said. He was referring to the Eclipse 500 we had just landed on runway 7 at KORL. His unsolicited compliment almost prompted me to key the mic and ask why he liked the […]

Last week, in a moment of temporary insanity, I decided to renew my instrument currency. For Florida pilots, this is sheer sandcastle building, the ultimate act of futility. But I worked hard and paid a lot for those instrument skills, so I suppose getting them back is no less rational than, say, lighting the pool […]

Although I can’t be certain, it appears that most AVweb readers were spared last week’s pointless #^%$storm du jour, but it contained something interesting, so I’m compelled to mention it here. Specifically, our news inboxes took in some stories from the UK and a chemical specialty magazine that said Innospec, supplier of tetraethyl lead, the […]

As armchair observers and occasionally participants, most of us are ready, even unasked, to pontificate on how the various shows we attend should be improved. But I’ve come to the conclusion that the major shows are nearly a perfect reflection of the industries they represent. When the aviation industry is bubbling — which it hasn’t […]

This week’s announcement that the Senate aviation subcommittee will hold hearings on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner certification review should remind us of two things. First, the intersection of politics and aviation remains acute, not tangential and, second, a major transport aircraft like the Dreamliner is so stitched into the global economy that it inevitably becomes […]

Some of our readers and colleagues in the aviation media were full of righteous indignation last week when AOPA published a highly-charged account of a glider pilot who’d been arrested after flying over a nuclear power plant.Of course, anyone who reads AOPA or us knows just about how much damage a glider pilot with evil […]

It seems odd that based on one incident — those two pilots who flew right past their destination while absorbed in a discussion and looking at their laptops — the FAA wants to ban all airline pilots from ever using personal electronic devices while in the cockpit — ever. The FAA did cite a couple […]

The debate about flight training has escalated with the advent of the first officer 1,500 hour (ATP) requirement. Various aviation groups are weighing in. What I don’t see represented is the private pilot student perspective.As a recent student, I would like to offer a few thoughts. But first, a little background. Becoming a pilot at […]