Jamail Larkins has been spreading the gospel of aviation since 2004 with his first DreamLaunch tour. We decided to catch up with him during the 2025 tour to see where’s he at and who he has been talking to.
Women in Aviation reveal Class of 2026
The three women will be honored at the 37th annual Women in Aviation International Conference in Dallas, on March 20, 2026.
Garmin SmartCharts adds Graphical NOTAMs overlay to alert pilots of surface closures
The new Graphical NOTAMs overlay, when selected “On,” will depict active runway, taxiway, and ramp closures, as well as conditional closures. Additionally, current field condition (FICON) codes will appear on the runway label, allowing pilots to see the runway conditions while viewing the airport diagram.
Leaking fuel drain leads to fuel starvation and forced landing
Probable Cause: Loss of engine power due to fuel starvation that was the result of a leaking fuel drain.
Picture of the Day: The Badlands
Jim Thomas submitted this photo and note: “After landing at Spearfish, South Dakota, for the Badlands Fly-In in September 2025, a thunderstorm moved across the grass airplane parking.”
Questions from the Cockpit: Strength is relative
Staci, a student pilot in Arizona, asks: Why are airplanes less strong when it comes to negative Gs than positive Gs? Our “normal” trainers are said to be OK to 3.8 positive but only 1.52 negative. Even aerobatic airplanes, while stronger on both sides of the scale, are still weaker in the negative G area. It would seem to me you’d just build an airplane to be the same strength all the way around. I’m hoping you can tell me why there is a difference in strength between positive and negative.
Are larger tires in your future?
Backcountry Pilot put together a list of things to consider when increasing the size of the tires on your aircraft.
Virginia launches advanced air mobility and unmanned systems test site
Developed to support the deployment of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), urban air mobility solutions, and other advanced aviation platforms, the program will serve as an operational proving ground for new capabilities that align with Virginia’s Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) strategy, public-private priorities, and long-term economic goals, according to state aviation officials.
New partnership developing pilot training kit for Apple Vision Pro
The companies are developing LoftHOME, an at-home pilot training kit.