Living beings have a strong tendency to travel in packs, schools, prides, pods, or convocations. Whether they find a home in the sea, on the land, or in the air, living in a congregation is the norm more often than not. Even early humans lived and travelled in tribes for very good reason. This propensity […]
Opinion
The little shows that could
In the world of airshows, two names quickly jump to mind: AirVenture Oshkosh and SUN ‘n FUN in Lakeland, Florida. These major events draw hundreds of thousands of pilots and capture the world’s attention. Little shows, not so much. But… Most readers may recall the childhood story of the “Little Engine That Could,” and that captions […]
Good job, just not good enough
Good news everyone, NTSB Chairman Christopher A. Hart says we are doing better. “Even though the fatality rate in 2015 was the lowest it has been in many years,” said Hart when the 2015 aviation accident statistics were released, “376 people still lost their lives.” If you click through to the “Data & Stats” link […]
Are you experienced?
It’s been said for many years the private pilot certificate is a license to learn. The underlying intent of the statement holds that with a private pilot certificate we have the freedom to get out and fly, to gain experience, and through that experience we might become better pilots. That was the idea, anyway. In […]
Cold case
“It was a close call,” wrote the captain in her report to NASA’s Aviation Safety Reporting System. “If we had not realized what was happening and acted on it, all the occupants of the aircraft would have likely lost consciousness and suffocated.” What catastrophic event caused one airline captain to have a near-death experience on […]
Full Stop: An attitude check
When I was a kid, I had big dreams. Really big dreams. If you’re the kind of person who regularly reads General Aviation News, you probably did too. For years I thought I might play in the NFL. That was until I played freshman football in high school. At a diminutive 4’ 11” and well […]
What engine is best for my Long-EZ?
As far as which engine is the most reliable high horsepower Lycoming engine for your plane, it’s a little difficult to name just one.
10,000 hours is much more than a lot of hours
Rich Stowell recently logged his “10,000th hour of total flight time.” For those who haven’t heard of Rich, he’s a flight instructor from Cascade, Idaho. He’s written a trio of books focused on stall/spin awareness and emergency maneuver training. I found out about Rich’s milestone via Facebook. He wrote it took “almost 34 years to the […]
Flying Clubs and FBOs: A match made in heaven
Not long ago Hurricane Hermine blew through Florida. This was a Category 1 hurricane. A relative pip-squeak on the spectrum of deadly storms. Relative in that it did result in a fatality, but for most of those affected it caused little more than an occasional tree blocking a road, stray limbs littering the yard, and […]