Flight Design C4

Why you should care about the new Part 23 proposal

There has been a lot of talk lately (perhaps too much?) about aviation issues in Washington: Air Traffic Control privatization, the third class medical, and user fees to name just three. Somewhat obscured by these Capitol Hill battles is a more complicated but also arguably more important legislative issue: aircraft certification reform.

Friday Photo: Stearman over the Salton Sea

There's nothing like the yellow fabric of a Stearman to evoke the golden age of aviation. This week's beautiful Friday Photo shows that view, with the unique Salton Sea in California just beyond the wingtip.

Flying to Chicago for an important mission

Where to go when perfect early September weather presents itself on a Sunday and there are no commitments to either the weekday boss who pays the bills or the boss at home who spends the paycheck? It used to be that one could fly to the grand metropolis known as The Windy City and land at an airport conveniently located right on the downtown lakeshore, but as we all know, Meigs Field is no longer the pilot’s gateway to Chicago.

What it takes to be one sharp pilot, part three: coordination

Operating a private airplane has come to require more and more coordination as time has passed. In the good old days, coordination was thought of mainly in relation to the use of the elevator, ailerons, rudder and power. Now it has become a matter of getting all your stuff together before a flight and keeping it together until the airplane is secured after the flight. Multitasking might be a better word for that.
CFI in cockpit

How to do the world’s worst intro flight

Bellevue’s one small FBO sported a “Piper Flight Center” sign above the door, with a couple of relatively new Cherokees parked in front. I went inside and presented myself to the combination receptionist/ cashier/ scheduler/ Unicom radio operator, and told her I was interested in taking their $15 intro flight. She leaned past my shoulder to yell at someone behind me.
Marine layer

Friday photo: marine layer at night

Big city lights? Check. Ocean? Check. Marine layer rolling in? Check. Jim Yares shares a beautiful picture in this week's Friday photo, one that combines a city view, a sunset and a unique weather phenomenon. Just another view that's only possible from an airplane.
Diamond DA-40

My first real emergency

Despite all the times I’ve practised these things, both in the aircraft and the simulator, you know at the back of your mind that it’s not real, and that if things do not work out as planned, you can always open the throttle and go around. Only when it’s the real thing do you know whether you can actually handle it or not.

Air Facts turns five!

This magazine was founded in 1938 by Leighton Collins to advocate for "facts - knowledge - safety." Since then, its pages have been filled by some of aviation's greatest writers, including Richard Collins, Wolfgang Langewiesche, Bob Buck and Richard Bach. Given that rich history, it may seem odd to celebrate a fifth birthday, but Air Facts in its current form was relaunched five years ago, in March 2011.
Ice on King Air

Icing: the cold, hard (air) facts

There is a saying that goes, “In aviation there are three kinds of ice: good, bad, and hazardous. The good ice is found in the galley.” Most of us are not flying airplanes with galleys, but you get the point. So any ice on the outside of an aircraft is either bad or downright hazardous. Here's how to avoid it - no matter what time of year it is.

Friday Photo: Lexington sunset

Sometimes it's the simple flights that bring the best views. This week's Friday Photo was captured by Jack DeBrunner, who was sitting in the right seat as safety pilot while a friend practiced for his instrument rating. As he says, "it was a great sunset to cap off a great flight with a good friend."
Vickers Viscount

The little Viscount that coulda, woulda, shoulda – but didn’t?

When we approached the button, we saw the visibility had dropped to ¼ mile in S+ and, as we rolled onto the runway heading, there appeared to be half an inch of wet snow on the surface. The F/O was doing the flying and just after V1 he shouted out, “Jim she won’t fly.”

We’re thinking about electric airplanes all wrong

Bill Gates has famously said, "We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten." Thus we overhyped the internet in 2000, but failed to recognize how completely it would change life by 2010. The same could be said for electric aircraft, an emerging technology that seems to have been on the "coming soon" list for decades.
Clouds over ocean

The weather is what it is – all alone in a Cherokee Six

I descended until I was, in fact, right on top of the waves. The visibility was better there, but, of course, at that altitude, I could no longer receive any VOR signals, and the airplane had no GPS equipment – no airplane did back then. All I had was a coffee-stained sectional chart, and it looked coldly aloof and insultingly bare of any useful information at the time.

Friday Photo: snow-covered Utah mountains

For sure one of the best looking mountains in the whole state. Sundance ski resort is located here, and so is Robert Redford’s residence. It’s also a popular, long all-day hike to the summit in the summer. Flying here never gets old.
Thermometer 50 below zero

An upside down landing on a remote Alaska strip

When the Cessna went up ever so slowly, pausing when the cowling slipped into the snow cover, I still thought we’d be all right. Instead of settling back to earth, though, the tail paused for an eternity—and then went slowly over to put us upside down on this very remote bush strip. Our world was upside down and we were now really in for it...
Facebook flying posts

Facebook is bad for general aviation

How can we turn around the public’s fear and confusion about GA? Let’s all agree, and get other pilots we know, to take the three-item Facebook pilot pledge. The three items are simple: Don’t share bad news, share only good news and share the beauty we see.
Stabilized approach

The changing myths of aviation

In this wide-ranging article, Dick Collins explores 9 myths about flying - some of which the FAA wants to bust, some of which the FAA perpetuates. Is GA safe? Not safe enough. Is learning to fly hard? No, but it's not easy either. Read the complete article for a thought-provoking look at our shared wisdom.

Friday Photo: Toronto skyline aglow

Toronto, Canada has a unique skyline, with the sprawling city spread along the coast of Lake Ontario, and the massive CN Tower looming over the island airport. Pilot Mark Nye captured the beauty of this city in a stunning nighttime flight in his Cessna 185. Here's a photo you'll want to view full size.
Preflight with CFI

Not all preflights are created equal – 4 different approaches

The detail and depth of a preflight inspection can vary from day to day based on the type of airplane we are flying, where that airplane is parked, and even whether recent maintenance has been conducted. Let's talk about our preflight attitude or mindset for renters/flying clubs/partnerships, individual owners, Part 135 or Part 91 corporate operations, and airplanes fresh out of maintenance.
Passenger in RV-12

An unforgettable passenger shows the power of sharing a flight

I have given a lot of people rides in both my RV-6 and now in my RV-12, and I always enjoy it as least as much as they do. What I have failed to realize, though, is that what I consider to be nothing more than a small favor may very well be measured at a far higher worth to the recipient. Phil was one of those passengers.