A 'first flight' experience can make or break a passenger -- or even a pilot -- for life.
The Skyhawk's directional gyro died during vectors for the Instrument Landing System (ILS) approach -- while I was…
Boy, it’s been a long time since I’ve done THAT! It feels good to know I still can.
It’s expensive, it’s dangerous, it takes a lot of time to learn, and even more to stay current…
Most pilots want two things: to fly fast, and to log as much time as possible -- the…
You're a fortunate pilot: you own your own airplane, but don't kid yourself, eventually someone is going to…
It’s too sweet a deal -- your friend says you can fly his/her airplane, but before you jump…
With a little guilt and the same morbid curiosity that prompts viewers to watch footage of the same…
Two months ago I could casually jump in an airplane and fly about wherever I wanted...
If you plan to fly with very young children, you need to be especially careful to protect her…
A plane slices through thickening fog, the pilot straining to find his destination ahead; another drones over an…
The night before, Flight Service reported a morning forecast with a 900-foot ceiling, visibility at two miles in…
Your choice of instructor determines the time it takes to meet your goal -- therefore, how much money…
Far down on the list of national priorities, but still part of the collateral damage of the 9/11/01…
This is not amateur-hour: Making sure you stay out of the wrong airspace can take some fancy footwork,…
Winds were calm, the Saturday morning skies hazy with scud, and I was in the right seat of…
'Baron 600 Romeo Victor, you’re cleared from the Hardwick Airport to the Hardwick NDB, then hold as published...'
The yellow and orange Aeronca Champ reflected off the bright morning lake as the pilot drew his craft…
Stomp hard on the rudder to control the yaw; force the pitch to stay slightly above the horizon,…
“Come to work for me. Here’s what I’ll pay you. And oh yeah, here’s your Baron.”
Very recently, in the dark of night, six persons aboard a piston twin died near Joplin, Missouri.
There’s a maneuver -- it's both easy to enter and easy to recover from -- that, when left…
Most of the time, “silent flight” means hitting the intercom’s “pilot isolation” switch to keep the passengers’ conversation…
It was a cloudless, hazy morning when the Cessna Skylane pilot preflighted for a hundred-mile business trip.
Who’s the wisest pilot -- the one who flies below the clouds, the one who flies above them,…
Sometimes it's the plane... sometimes it's the pilot... often, it's the way the two fit together -- or…
Through your windscreen, the runway rolls into view ... growing by the instant, with your extreme approach.
Most instructors do a great job of teaching the basics of flight -- unfortunately, there's more to it…
Don’t you just hate it when you show up to fly your rental airplane, and it’s not there?
A recent poll revealed that 60% of all pilots consider an alternate route or diversion airport when they…
One of the “rites of passage” of learning to fly is learning to compute the center of gravity…
Is it worth it to get an instrument rating -- or will it just encourage you to fly…
The day has come and it's time to show your stuff. You’ve amassed the flight experience required for…
It’s time to prepare for the flight test.
Yes, there will be a test -- study … hard.
Why would anyone in their right mind subject themselves to another written test and a checkride ... especially…
Flying a C172 toward Columbia, MO, one day, I grew nervous as the ATIS spoke of lower and…
Partial panel flying isn't hard, but it does take practice -- frequent practice -- and there are a…
Instrument pilots routinely bet their lives on the gauges and even VFR pilots depend on the instruments at…
Last week we discussed the difference between a broker and an agent -- this week, we discuss another…
No, it's not the beginning of a very bad joke ... hopefully.
'VFR Flight Not Recommended....' How often have you driven instead of flown, only to fume the entire way…
The Cessna 152 was 200 feet above the ground when its engine quit.
Your mechanic should have test-run the engine(s) before signing off the airplane as airworthy, but it’s unlikely that…
The annual is done, repairs are complete, the modification is installed ... whatever the reason your airplane was…
“The keys are in the airplane. Just fill it up when you get back.”
Boy, was I disappointed!
Lightning flashed and torrential rain blew in sheets as the 747-400 lined up for takeoff.