Kenny, a flight instructor in Florida, asks: What’s the difference between a sailplane and a glider?
Human Factors: A competitive environment
What can we learn from a fatal crash at a STOL competition?
Seeing double
When most pilots hear “twins,” they can be forgiven for thinking of airplanes with two engines. But in this case, the twins are pilots: 17-year-old identical twins Sophia and Scarlette McIntyre, students at Albuquerque Aviation Academy, who earned their private pilot certificates before graduating from high school.
Questions from the Cockpit: Old(er) vs. new(er)
Adam, a private pilot in Georgia, writes: I’m tired of the hassles of renting to feed my passion. It’s time to pony up and become an airplane owner. I’ve read up on everything and think I know what I’m in for. But I do have one item that I’m getting differing opinions on, so I’d like your wisdom: Should I go for a good deal on an older airplane and have some money left over to make it nice, or should I go for something newer, basically buying all the airplane that I can afford? My budget is more in car-buying territory than in house-buying territory.
Human Factors: Break out the booze
If you think it’s OK for you to drink when you fly, that you can handle it, you are wrong. And if you know someone who drinks before flying, or drinks in-flight, you need to intervene.
Questions from the Cockpit: Fake weight
Becky, a student pilot in Florida, writes: I’m fully caffeinated and working my way through Chapter 10 of the Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge to get my head around this weight and balance stuff. I just encountered “standard weights.” The good book says that standard weights are “established weights” and “should be used if actual weights are not available.” Then the first thing on the list is gasoline at 6 pounds per gallon. Huh? How can the weight of gas be a mystery? It weighs what it weighs…right?
Human Factors: From the frying pan to the fire
What is the takeaway from the Red Bull Plane Swap debacle? While there are many lessons to be learned, a key one is dealing with external pressures.
Questions from the Cockpit: Crash course
Jessica, a CFI in Arizona, writes: Is it possible to crash an airplane on a checkride and still pass the exam?
Human Factors: A change of mind…or two
What can we learn from an accident where a pilot crashed in white-out conditions over a frozen lake in Alaska?