Pilot Stories

The resurgence of COVID-19 in the form of the Delta variant is bad news. But there could be even worse news ahead.

The mystery of what happened to Gertrude Tompkins Silver is one of the most enduring missing aviator cases in American history.

The causes of most accidents and incidents are well known. Occasionally, something really extreme happens, and the outcome is a crapshoot.

The chain of causal events was so long and complex that investigators struggled to sort it all out. But the fatal crash itself was far from inevitable.

The VFR arrival into Oshkosh has changed, in part because new technology, primarily ADS-B, has allowed controllers to know precisely where arriving traffic is, and to call them out by N-number if need be.

Reflecting on my first solo flight during a birthday 24 years later spent under the instrument panel.

Whether it’s a float picker’s unexpected lift or a lucky ride on a rainy Anchorage night, simple, or sometimes not-so-simple, acts of thoughtfulness don’t seem random at all.

There must be a good reason for it, right? There is, and we tracked it down.

Light GA has been around for more than 100 years now, which is something of a miracle considering all the misconceptions it has had to overcome.

First Successful Aerial Refueling: 1921 Altitude Accomplished: 1,000 feet Gallons Transferred: 5 Transfer Method: Wingwalking, plane hopping Refueling Hoses Introduced: 1923 Nickname Of Flexible Hose System: “Probe-and-Drogue” Primarily Used By: U.S. Navy, Marines Hose Location On Tankers: Wingtips Speed Fuel Can Be Transferred: 420 gallons/minute Alternate Aerial Refueling System: “The Flying Boom” Primarily Used By: […]