Looking for sunshine – general aviation’s future

"GA is dying." We hear this statement so often that it's become accepted wisdom among many pilots. But it's wrong. Our new Special Report will highlight the aviation organizations that are innovating in the face of a declining industry.
Cessna 140

From the archives: Wolfgang Langewiesche flies across Africa

Today we are pleased to republish “140 in Africa,” a delightful article that will take you back in time. Legendary author Wolfgang Langewiesche shares the simple pleasures of flying low and slow across a vast continent. This originally appeared in the March, 1951 edition of Air Facts magazine.

Real Life Go/No Go: Air Facts reader shares his decision

A long time client in Leavenworth, Kansas, has invited you to a meeting to show your newest product. The key decision-makers are only available from 11 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. You scheduled a flight in your Cessna Turbo 182RG, equipped with a Stormscope, XM weather and S-TEC 55 autopilot.

7 instrument approaches you have to see to believe

In spite of what new instrument students might think, not all IFR approaches are straight-in ILSs to 200 and 1/2. Some airports just don't lend themselves to an approach. But one look at the examples in this article shows that where there's a will, there's a way.
Ercoupe flipped over

Hands off another pilot’s airplane: always the case?

As I tied my light sport airplane down, I couldn't help noticing the Ercoupe sitting adjacent to me. Not only is an Ercoupe a rare craft, this one was notable because it wasn't tied down--it just had two straps hanging loose from the wings--as if someone started to tie it down and stopped mid-process.

The Hungry Pilot: Annie Okie’s Runway Cafe

For our latest "Hungry Pilot" feature, regular contributor Will Eifert takes us to Oklahoma City and Annie Okie's Runway Cafe. The restaurant is right on the runway at the busy Wiley Post Airport, with great views of departing airplanes.

Renie – and the Block Island Wedding

I’m pretty sure the bride-to-be sent my mom the invitation just as a courtesy, never dreaming she’d actually be there. After all, it was a midweek wedding--on Block Island. Even the “local” East Coast guests had to carve at least a few days out of their calendars for travel. And my mom lived in Kentucky. It was just too far.

10 questions for new AOPA President Mark Baker

From time to time, we ask a particular aviation personality to answer some random questions. Today it's Mark Baker, the new president of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). We asked him about his background and his vision for the future of GA.

Crash of the B-23 Dragon Bomber

The afternoon I spent at the crash site of the B-23 “Dragon Bomber” was far different than what the eight crew men aboard the plane experienced when they went down on a routine training mission on January 29, 1943. As I sat in the shade of a pine by the lake next to one of the sheared off wings, I tried to imagine what they had gone through.
Hudson River flight

The moment I felt like a pilot: the Hudson River exclusion

In our latest Young Pilot article, high school senior Ben Conlin shares a memorable flight up the Hudson River. He says the flight was "a fresh breath to flight and reminder of why many pilots began flying in the first place."

The Great Debate: do you have to have an instrument rating to travel by GA?

"If you really want to use your license, better get an instrument rating." This is fairly common advice given to new pilots--the implication being that you can't really travel in a light general aviation airplane very effectively without an instrument rating. Is it really essential?

Oshkosh Odyssey – a 950 mile pilgrimage via seaplane

Throughout the yearlong building of my two-place, 100 hp SeaRey amphibian kitplane, I thought about flying it to the 2013 EAA Oshkosh event and landing at its Seaplane Base on nearby Lake Winnebago. This would be something of a pilgrimage.

Thunderstorm flying in the age of datalink weather

Datalink radar or onboard radar? XM or ADS-B? Panel mount display or iPad? The options for receiving and viewing in-flight weather have never been greater, with a proliferation of affordable and capable avionics. Which one is best? And what's the right way to use each tool?

Go or No Go: storms in the panhandle?

After a productive day of meetings in Savannah, GA, (KSAV) your plan is to return home to New Orleans, LA (KNEW) tonight in time for dinner with your family. Here's the weather picture that greets you as you sit down at the FBO computer in Savannah. Read the details, then tell us if you're making the trip or spending the night.

One dream, one goal

There is no history of pilots in my family. I always have to explain myself in a very detailed way to my family about what I want to do in the future. There are all of these pilots who have dads or moms who are pilots as well, but I am alone.

The Hungry Pilot: Skyline Diner, Salem Airpark

In our search for the best $100 hamburger, this one might take top prize. That's because the Skyline Diner in Ohio features a true $100 hamburger package--including an airplane ride.

Crash course: lessons to be learned

To show that things do happen in threes, there have been two more high-profile accidents on visual approaches since the Asiana crash. These accidents are equally thought-provoking and offer more lessons to learn.

What did you sign up for?

It is very easy as a pilot to become enthralled with becoming a more advanced aviator and completely lose touch with everything that called you to aviation in the first place. It doesn't take very long either. For me it happened in about 120 hours. I had fallen out of love.

President Paul – 1921 to 2013

Paul Poberezny, the legendary founder of EAA and the father of the Oshkosh airshow, died last week at 91. Here, Richard Collins--who knew Paul for over 45 years--reflects on his accomplishments in aviation and the legacy he leaves behind.

Connie flight from Paris to Cairo, 1951

From time to time, we revisit an original Air Facts article that we think would make enjoyable and worthwhile reading today. So it is with Bob Buck's “Flight to Cairo,” the legendary airline pilot's story of flying a TWA Constellation from Paris to Cairo in the days before jet engines and GPS.