From my love of aviation comes the Freedom Aviation Network

All I heard was, “It’s too dangerous, you don’t want to do that, it’s too expensive, you would need to go to the military to get enough hours, women aren’t pilots, and you would never get hired at an airline.”  So, I started to believe that maybe flying wasn’t for me. But I saw an ad for a free ground school class in aviation, so I signed up.

Friday photo: Hollywood sign

For destinations east, SoCal Departure will often direct pilots along the ridge of the Hollywood Hills. A glance and quick snap below delivered my new favorite view of this iconic landmark.

Video: Patty Wagstaff on flying aerobatics

Patty Wagstaff is one of the most famous airshow pilots in history as a six-time member of the U.S. Aerobatic Team, the first woman to win the title of U.S. National Aerobatic Champion, and one of the few people to win it three times. She'll share her decades of experience flying aerobatics to show you how aerobatics can help improve your pilot skills.
Airline takeoff

A runway incident that continues to haunt

After what seemed like centuries of silence, I looked to my right and noticed it was quickly getting brighter - much brighter - when all of a sudden, over the hump in the runway appeared a very large aircraft whose bright landing lights were mimicking noon. It was growing in size, accelerating by the second.
Microsoft copilot

What pilots can teach the world about AI

In 2023, Covid has rapidly receded from the headlines, but now artificial intelligence (AI) is here to kill us. That’s according to many prominent voices in the computer science community, and more than a few traffic-chasing news outlets too. Once again, I believe pilots have relevant experience to share on this topic. In fact, how to manage technology has been the defining aviation debate of the last 50 years.
Instrument approach from cockpit

Video: what really matters to ATC in an IFR flight plan

Most of the information filed in an IFR flight plan is based on weather forecasts that are released well before your wheels ever leave the ground. Here's a look at what parts of the flight plan actually matter to ATC so that you know how to react if and when the weather conditions don't match the forecast.
Cub in the grass

My secret forced landing

Then the Cub quit flying. It just fell out of the sky and plopped into a farmer’s field. The soft soil not only absorbed my abrupt landing, but also stopped the airplane in just a matter of feet. The tail plopped down. It was over.

Friday photo: Dutch flower fields…spring in the Netherlands

During April/May, each year, the Dutch flower fields are in bloom and many visitors from abroad come over to view the fields.

Memories of flying the L-1011

If there was a crosswind the autopilot would stop crabbing into it at 150’ and then side slip into it by dropping the upwind wing and adding top rudder to maintain runway centerline tracking.
Cessna 172

Strong crosswinds offer a lesson in risk management

When I was close enough, I tuned the Crossville ASOS.  Winds were from 320 degrees at 18, gusts to 25.  Another example that the only forecast you can believe is the one you see in the windshield.

From the archives: Richard Collins on general aviation safety

If the only accidents in General Aviation were those attributable to the machine itself we would have a safety record equaled by nothing else that moves. Maybe a better answer to “How safe are the flying machines?" would be that they are absolutely 100% safe. The question is: "How safe is the pilot who runs the flying machine?" and that's up to him.
Radar map

Go Or No Go: skirting a low

General aviation worked its magic for the first half of this trip, with your Piper Saratoga delivering you and your spouse to the Bonnaroo music festival in rural Tennessee in just over two hours compared to the six it would have taken to drive. Now can it work on the way home? Departure time is 1900Z—read the weather reports below and let us know if it's a go or a no go for you.

My first solo flights

I must have landed safely, because off I went, solo!  Holy moley, the airplane took off and climbed a lot quicker with only one person on board, all that weight gone.  Also, there was somewhat less yelling in the cockpit.  I went around the pattern and did touch and goes and then went out north of town to the “practice area.” 

Friday photo: Lake Tyrrell in northwestern Victoria, Australia

Capturing photos of this ancient salt lake which has evidence of indigenous occupation over the last 45,000 years. The lake is host to kangaroos, emus, white-faced chats and an inland gullery.

The mishaps that never happened and valuable words of wisdom

This is where overall pilot knowledge and experience comes in and I believe that a lot of that is distilled into words of wisdom that we sometimes take for granted. Not surprisingly,  I have some personal stories that make the case that our short words of wisdom are valuable assets if we use them.

My checkout in the Waco

There was no activity in the front seat and the airport was in sight. It was becoming clear that I would have to land the airplane with no advice or coaching from the front cockpit. Of course I had made a number of landings under supervision but this was a bit tricky.

IFR holding pattern interactive scenarios

Knowledge of holding procedures tends to fade over time since holding procedures are rarely flown. Refresh your holding entry procedure knowledge with these new interactive scenarios from Sporty's.
Upset

My near miss and partial panel recovery

I applied full left stick and pulled back.  I swear I could hear the engine of the other airplane as it passed the belly of mine.  After I realized that we had missed each other, I looked around and could see only black and no horizon.
Cessna stall

How Not to Lose Control: What We Can Learn from Colgan 3407

The captain of Colgan 3407, when faced with an impending stall while IFR at night and relatively close to the ground, pulled against the Stick Pusher, another safety system designed to help a pilot lower the nose in a stall. The stick pusher, in this case, activated three times, and at each successive activation the FDR indicates a stronger and stronger pull by the captain.

Friday photo: early morning over Sedona, AZ

We left in the early morning to avoid high winds and turbulence associated with winter storm Olive.  The shadows that the rock formations made around Sedona created a gorgeous view of the topography and was highlighted by the airport the rests on top of a mesa by Sedona.