Pilot in cockpit with instructor

An accident waiting to happen – when should you speak up?

I didn’t want to speak up right away (I didn’t want to undermine the instructor, or speak up before my buddy did), but finally the worsening weather became too much of a concern to keep quiet. I told them that the weather was clearly deteriorating. The next day at work, some of the employees seemed to think that I should have just kept my mouth shut.

Global attacks on general aviation: freedom in retreat?

When I thought about why GA is distributed so unevenly across the world, and why it is so heavily assaulted by governments at all levels, I wondered if there is something about GA in particular that worries governments. Then it hit me: they don’t like the freedom that flying gives to their citizens.

Friday Photo: sunrise from an AWACS

This week's Friday Photo is a gorgeous picture of sunrise over Oklahoma, with thunderstorm clouds in the foreground. What makes the picture even more interesting is the photo platform: an Air Force E-3B Sentry AWACS airplane.
Wichita airport

The vanishing airplane – in the pattern with me

I tried looking forward on the downwind leg, high and low, right and left and back along the leg, high and low, right and left and saw no other airplane. I called and declared my intention to turn downwind, and the tower acknowledged my transmission, so I did. The other pilot called and said she was on downwind – my attitude changed to near panic.
Cirrus

Automation, technology and flying light aircraft

Sorry, the buck stops here with us pilots. Technology doesn't make us do anything, or enslave us. When we sign up to be aircraft pilots in command, we elect to use technology. We become solely responsible for flying the airplane, and for the safety of the flights that we conduct.

Friday Photo: Mt. Rainier in a frame

Mt. Rainier is a stunning sight for anyone, especially from the cockpit. But of all the in-flight mountain shots we've seen at Air Facts, this one may be the most interesting. Ethan Levi shares this great shot from his Mooney M20K on the way to Portland.

Debate: is registering drones a good idea?

The FAA kicked off one of its most aggressive rulemaking efforts in history this week, as the drone industry task force met to consider how to register the hundreds of thousands of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) projected to be sold this Christmas. Will it work?
iPad in cockpit

More than just a gadget – how the iPad is making flying safer

For all their cynicism, pilots have adopted tablets and apps like eager teenagers. Just five years ago, no one had ever heard of an "Electronic Flight Bag app." Today, the majority of general aviation pilots - and a whole bunch of airline and military pilots too - are flying with one. How many other tools are used by Air Force tanker pilots and J-3 Cub drivers alike?
Sabre hard left turn

Losing a wingman: the price we pay

Being a fighter pilot is not necessarily just a fun game; it is demanding, always serious, sometimes dangerous and particularly for when you deploy with hot guns and missiles – with no clothes in the ammo bins – just 30 mm canon ammunition as we did a very short time later… and went ready for war.

Friday Photo: astronaut runway

Flying over this runway made me think of the select number of people that have been able to see this sight picture through their windshield. Only astronauts and aviators have been able to see this great piece of American history.
T-33 in flight

Ten-hut: military flying excitement

In the latest installment in Richard Collins's fascinating Logbooks series, he takes us back to some of his most memorable military flying adventures. All those flights, from the T-33 to landings on an aircraft carrier, lead Collins to one conclusion: "Tell me I didn’t have the best job in the world."
Low clouds

Don’t be afraid to be afraid – a VFR into IMC story

I think the irony of the flight is that it was fear that drove me into that situation, when it should have been fear, or perhaps respect, that kept me out of it. Fear of failure and nerves pushed me to take off when respect for the weather and the lives that have been lost in that exact scenario should have kept me on the ground.

Friday Photo: sunset over Long Island

It was just another flight into New York for airline pilot John Power. That is, until he looked up and saw a magnificent sunset over Long Island Sound, complete with some unusual clouds. As he says, "The office with the million dollar view lived up to its billing."
Cavalier wing view

Continental drifter – why cross country flying is the best

Cross-country flying in the Cavalier is among the most enjoyable and satisfying time I've spent in my life. The Cav has allowed me to range farther across this continent than I could have done with any other plane I've owned. I've learned that it's somehow important to me to explore far away places in my own plane.
D-HAMR helicopter

Mistaken identity – mike romeo times two

Right after having passed the runway at merely 100 ft AGL, I heard ATC barking all over my headset: “Mike Romeo, are you crazy!! You weren’t cleared for takeoff!!” I was baffled, and my confidence was gone in one second.
Circling chart

New circling approaches – what’s changed and what hasn’t

Have you flown a circle-to-land approach recently, for real? By any chance did you notice that down in the profile view at the bottom, where the circling minimums are shown, the letter "C" is now in bold and it is just slightly larger? You might have missed it.

Friday Photo: Chinese Wall, Montana

This week's Friday Photo takes us to the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana, where the 12-mile long Chinese Wall offers a stunning display of Mother Nature's power. Pilot Jeff Morrison captured this spectacular vista at sunrise from an S-35 Bonanza.

7 ways to scare yourself in an airplane

Most pilots aren't dare devils, but sometimes the only way to learn an important lesson is to scare yourself just a little. That doesn't mean we should seek out frightening experiences, only that we should try to learn from them when we inevitably stumble into one. Here are seven common ways to scare yourself in an airplane, and I'm sad to say I've experienced all of them (but only once!).
Boeing 727 Pan Am

Troublesome trips over the pond – North Atlantic crossings the old fashioned way

I was headed to Pan Am’s flight dispatch center in Hangar 14, grateful for the quick ride in from Jersey because we had a long day - and night - ahead. The year was 1989, and I was picking up dispatch papers for a 4pm 727 ferry flight to Frankfurt with a fuel stop in Keflavik.

The lessons of the lake – a young pilot’s experience

It had been just four months since I climbed out of the plane with the beaming smile on my face that proved I was certified private pilot. At age 17, it truly seemed unreal to me. Nevertheless, today was the day, and a beautiful day at that, for the longest cross country flight of my young career.