How do N-Numbers get assigned? Why are they so wildly different? Who has N-1? And what about other countries? These questions — and more — are answered by our Questions From the Cockpit columnist William E. Dubois.
Questions from the Cockpit: A toast to the law
While pilots have to report getting caught driving under the influence, what about other alcohol-related troubles? And why does the FAA care about our drinking behavior?
The art of weather watching
A METARmap is functional art. Or the synthesis of art and technology. Or perhaps artistic technology. Or tech-imbedded art. Whatever you want to call it, it’s totally frickin’ cool.
Questions from the Cockpit: Bright city lights (not)
Do the yellow shapes surrounding cities on the VFR Sectional Chart show the appearance of the various cities’ lights at night? Our intrepid columnist investigates this colorful query.
Questions from the Cockpit: What is a Fowler flap?
Fowler isn’t a what, but a who. They’re named after Harlan Davey Fowler, the guy who invented the most complicated flap in our arsenal.
Questions from the Cockpit: A long-winded answer to a short-field question
“How short must a field be to be a short field?” It’s a question that you’d think would have a simple answer…
Questions from the Cockpit: Fire starter
Is it true you can break a whiskey compass and use the liquid to start a fire in a survival situation? And why are they called “whiskey compasses” any way?
Questions from the Cockpit: Are non-towered airports more dangerous?
Are non-towered airports really like the wild, wild west? And should there be more laws governing them?
Questions from the Cockpit: Doing a barrel roll on ADM
The FAA tells us that learning effective aeronautical decision making (ADM) is critical. But how can CFIs do that? William E. Dubois suggests CFIs do a half barrel roll and look at things differently.