The sky really isn’t crowded. Rather it is practically deserted, at least that 38’ X 30’ X6’ piece of it we want to use 2% of the time is practically deserted. With a little attention to the see and be seen concept as a recognized flight skill it can remain that way.
The seaplane patrol has special authority to fly at unusually low levels because the effectiveness of his work depends on his ability to see what’s going on at close range. When he’s “on target”—that is, when he has determined that a boat crew is fishing illegally—he is frequently within 75 feet of the pirate fishermen.
Datalink weather, either from ADS-B or SiriusXM, is an essential tool for almost all pilots. Once you’ve flown a cross country with in-flight radar, up-to-date METARs, and visual AIRMETs, it’s awfully hard to go back to flying without it. It makes flying safer, easier, and more comfortable – a rare combination – but only if you know how to use it properly.
Synthetic vision brings situational awareness to a new level especially when connected to an ADS-B receiver. This portable device provides real-time pitch and bank information and for the ultimate backup display.
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.
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.
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.
Air Force One, as the Presidential plane is identified when the Chief Executive is aboard, is a swept-wing Boeing VC-137C, basically the same design as the 707-320B, an intercontinental jetliner flown by many airlines. Delivered in late 1962, it has a top speed of 620 miles-an-hour, and a non-stop range of 7000 miles — 2500 miles more than the previous Presidential jet.
This article first appeared in the January 1947 edition of Air Facts. As amazing as it might seem today, Leighton Collins believed back then that flying cars had arrived. He wrote in the headline to this article, “Put it down for keeps that a successful car-airplane is now an accomplished fact.” Seventy five years later, flying cars are still in the headlines but not in any garages or hangars. Still, the description of the Airphibian offers a fascinating look at the post-war general aviation boom.
Just because the calendar says spring doesn’t mean in-flight icing is no longer a concern—especially around your home base in Chicago. So today’s proposed flight home from Detroit (PTK) to Gary, Indiana (GYY), might be a challenge. You are instrument rated and current, and you’re planning on an IFR flight. Your Cirrus SR22 has a TKS deice system but not a “known ice” system.
This article, from the November 1960 issue of Air Facts, is a classic example of Richard Bach’s mastery of both aviation and language. In telling the simple story of an hour in an air traffic control tower during the graveyard shift, he captures the beauty of airports and the common bond among pilots. “What if every pilot knew, I thought, that we are already brothers?”
In this trip through the archives, we’re republishing an article from the November 1965 edition of Air Facts. Here, regular contributor Neil Armstrong profiles “the Maestro of Flight—Max Conrad.” If the name sounds familiar it’s because he set numerous flying records in the 1950s and 1960s, most of them in general aviation airplanes.
We published over 250 articles on Air Facts in 2020, written by a diverse group of over 200 pilots from all over the world, but these 10 were the most popular. Read this list for some thought-provoking articles on all aspects of aviation, from close calls to airplane history to safety debates.
The Supermarine Spitfire is one of the most beautiful airplanes to ever take to the skies, and an effective one too, with a sterling record during the Battle of Britain. In this trip into the Air Facts archives, Nancy Miller takes us inside the famous Spit for a look at what it was like to fly one. She should know—she logged nearly 1,000 hours ferrying airplanes for the RAF.
Aviation lost a truly special person last week, but it’s not a name most pilots outside the publishing industry will know. Patricia Luebke, managing editor at Air Facts and one of the driving forces behind relaunching this magazine in 2011, passed away on Friday, November 22, 2019 after a brief illness. She was 69. Here we share remembrances from four colleagues.
Datalink weather has made flying both easier and safer. If you don’t believe that, read this fascinating article from 70 years ago. Legendary author Wolfgang Langewiesche explains why the weather information pilots had in 1949 was so limited, and what could be done to improve the situation. Many of his wish list items have become a reality.
The first solo – a red letter day in the life of a pilot. For most of us, that event is permanently etched in our memory. We can remember the airplane, hear the radio calls, and feel the relief and excitement when it was over. So this month we want to know what year you completed your first solo, and what the airplane was.
Since upgrading to a Cirrus SR22 Turbo a few years ago, you’ve really started using your instrument rating for serious travel. The airplane is well-equipped with a TKS deice system, Garmin glass cockpit, and built-in oxygen. All of those are useful for your typical flights around Montana, Idaho, Utah, and Oregon. Today is no exception, as the mission calls for a two-hour flight from Billings, Montana (BIL), to Boise, Idaho (BOI).
This inspiring article, first published in the October 1956 edition of Air Facts, reflects the big dreams of the mid-1950s and perhaps the missed opportunities for general aviation. Legendary writer Wolfgang Langewiesche argued for a nationwide network of landing strips (not airports, just a place to land), to be created as a part of the Interstate Highway System that was born with the passage of the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956.
When meeting someone for the first time, talk often turn to hobbies or professions – the dreaded, “what do you do?” question. For most of us that means flying and a long conversation about airplanes, weather, safety, and so much more. So this month’s question asks: when you tell someone you’re a pilot, what question do you know is coming next?