Who’s the wisest pilot -- the one who flies below the clouds, the one who flies above them,…
Flying in the clouds may be the most demanding of pilot skills, but does flying IFR stretch a…
What is all this DME jazz, anyway? Make no mistake, there are some special tricks to getting the…
I gave a talk about a month ago at a Pilot Proficiency program and, just to satisfy my…
We've all seen it. We've all felt it. And I'll bet there isn't anyone out there who can…
Sometimes it's the plane... sometimes it's the pilot... often, it's the way the two fit together -- or…
Take another look at the title -- we aren’t talking about the taxiway here!
Flying 'under the influence' of alcohol or drugs can produce disastrous consequences, but there is a more common…
I crashed and died the other day ... and took my CFII to the grave with me.
The EA6B that slashed through a ski lift cable in central Italy, killing dozens of people, was not…
To Fly Pro, Or Not To Fly Pro: Ten years ago, approaching age 40 and afraid that the…
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…
For many pilots, GPS somehow translates to fat, dumb and happy— and maybe in hot water!
Paper or Electric? If you asked most General Aviation pilots if having a handheld, color, moving-map GPS means…
I overheard two private pilots talking, recently, -- one was telling the other about the poor controller service…
The Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) recently received a report from a concerned Air Traffic Controller (ATC) who…
Pneumatic systems, while simple, can prove to be difficult to troubleshoot. If you're ever host to a pneumatic…
Knowledge is power in many of life's callings, but especially so in aviation -- our welfare often depends…
In the near future using barometric pressure to determine altitude will be a thing of the past, but…
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…
It happens every once and a while: You are flying, you hit the button to report something and…
One of the “rites of passage” of learning to fly is learning to compute the center of gravity…
The PRICE: At 11:09 AM on Sunday, December 1, 1974, TWA 514 was IMC and inbound to Virginia's…
The pilot of a single-engine airplane and the pilot of a twin-engine airplane both prepare to takeoff on…
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…
Private Pilot applicants once were required to perform a one-turn spin and recover within 10 degrees of original…
The Sport Pilot proposal is coming and it will establish a new subpart (“J”) under Part 61 of…
It’s time to prepare for the flight test.
Every plane has at least one -- a crack in a formed part, or more than likely, a…
Yes, there will be a test -- study … hard.
If you were flying in the military, and were in a hot spot where your aircraft was at…
No matter how many checkrides you take, you never completely get rid of what is commonly known as…
Why would anyone in their right mind subject themselves to another written test and a checkride ... especially…
It could happen to you at any time and, from the moment the ice begins to form, your…
The FAA is working on a new set of rules that could make flying a lot more accessible…
The phone call came as bad news: The doctor I’d hired to represent me before the FAA was…
Once you get your Private Pilot Certificate, you should celebrate -- take your family for a flight over…
A circling approach can be an uneventful VFR circle-to-land, or it can be the dicey, high-stakes IFR ordeal…
How many times have you stared at the display of your lightning detection equipment, and questioned whether it…
WORDS TO LIVE BY: Don't play cards with someone whose first name is a city, don't mess with…
Flying a C172 toward Columbia, MO, one day, I grew nervous as the ATIS spoke of lower and…
The purpose of becoming a student pilot is to become a private pilot, but there are some pilots…
Friends -- fellow pilots with more experience -- told me I was nuts ... crazy ... out of…
As I entered the downwind leg, the controller informed me he had visual contact, and cheerfully confirmed I…
Driving to Distraction: We've all noticed greater coverage in the media lately regarding the increasing number of automotive…