Douglas Pflugradt submitted this photo and note: “Magnificent Cape Kiwanda and Pacific City, Oregon. I used to hang glide here in this exact location in the late 1970s. Now, I am ‘soaring’ in a Kitfox 7 SS.”
World War II pilot takes flight again to celebrate 101st birthday
San Antonio native and World War II aviator B.L. Craighead Jr. celebrated his milestone birthday on Dec. 30 with a Dream Flight, soaring 1,000 feet in a restored 1940 Stearman biplane, the same aircraft used by the U.S. Army to train military aviators during World War II.
FAA Finds KSMO Violated Federal Law Over Fees
A report in the Santa Monica Daily Press notes that the FAA has determined Santa Monica Municipal Airport (KSMO) in California violated federal law by accumulating surplus revenues it intends to spend on general city services when the airport closes, rather than using those funds for aviation purposes.
Calendar highlights flying art
The 2026 Aerospace Coatings calendar from Sherwin-Williams recognizes the craftsmanship of aircraft painters and scheme designers across the nation.
Pilot seriously injured when fuel exhaustion ends cross-country flight
Probable Cause: The pilots’ inadequate preflight fuel planning and in-flight fuel management, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Picture of the Day: Checking conditions
Grant Lutz submitted this photo and note: “Skiing looks great at Silver Star Resort in Vernon, British Columbia, Canada, from my 2005 T182T.”
CFI Tackles Confusing Roll Recovery Guidance
Master Instructor Rich Stowell has published a new paper that tackles decades of conflicting guidance on recovery from spiral dives and other roll upsets. The paper then offers “a simple, ready‑to‑adopt standard for general aviation: Power-Push-Roll.”
The Killing Zone Updated
In the book author Paul Craig leverages his knowledge as a flight instructor and researcher to analyze National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) accident reports with the goal of helping prevent accidents that injure or kill pilots and their passengers. His examination of 40 years of accident data found that pilots are at the greatest risk of being involved in an airplane accident when they have between 50 and 350 flight hours — what he calls the Killing Zone.
Cold weather, impatience, and the Impossible Turn prove fatal for Cirrus pilot
Probable Cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control after a partial loss of engine power during initial climb. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to follow airplane flight manual procedures and limitations for the turbocharged engine, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to cold weather effects on the turbocharger control system.