AVweb Insider

Many people think the year ends on December 31st, and the next one begins on January 1st, but I know from experience that the year really begins on the first day of school in the fall and ends on the first day of summer after school is over, with a two-week break in the middle for […]

I remember thinking how cool it was. Some students at an exalted university whose name I forget had taken what looked like kids’ toys and thrown chips and software and logic and all the other stuff that nerds in the early part of this century were consumed by and created an aerial dance choreographed by […]

“The Encyclopedia Galactica defines a robot as a mechanical apparatus designed to do the work of a man. The marketing division of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation defines a robot as ‘Your Plastic Pal Who’s Fun to Be With.’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy defines the marketing division of the Sirius Cybernetic Corporation as ‘a […]

It was one of those offhanded remarks that for some reason stuck with me. In fact I don’t even remember who said it or the circumstances under which it was said but I think I remember it because of the, uh, makeup of those in attendance. I can’t remember who they were but they were […]

It is that festive time of year. Frosty air combined with wet leaves blowing up against my hangar door signaled that this is the season for an owner-assisted annual for my humble Cessna 140.  I think that owner-assisted annuals are the best way to do this chore. I learn quite a few things every year, […]

Jeremiah FELIX is a pilot for a Canadian airline with concerns about the apparent move toward single-pilot airline operations. The rise of automation in aviation has transformed the flight deck, enhancing safety and operational efficiency by reducing pilot workload and minimizing human error. However, as automation evolves, discussions about potentially reducing the number of pilots […]

Rep. Sam Graves, the self-described airplane nut who also chairs the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, is apparently in the running to be the next Transportation Secretary and regardless of your politics, it would be tough to find a more qualified or more passionate choice. Too bad he’s not Elon Musk’s favorite for the job. […]

Well, I’m confused again, not that it will come as any surprise to some of those pulling the strings in the transition to unleaded avgas. You see, several titans of aviation have spoken, either in public forums, to my work superiors or to me directly about my brain-power-to-subject-matter ratio being a little on the lean […]

“I want to start a flight school that does not care about or teach any rules or FARs,” my friend Jeff said as he phlumped down in my favorite chair after taking a bottled water out of my hangar’s fridge.  I looked up from viewing videos of people flying airplanes and having fun (while I’m […]

In my driveway is, to the eye of certain beholders, an absolute work of art. Oh, there’s the rim of light surface rust on the bottoms of the doors, the kind that defies even the most diligent rustproofing campaign. Then there’s the almost prehistoric, in automotive terms, utterly mechanical drive train and other systems but […]