Blog

It was one of those really challenging weather days in the Southeast. We were flying in and out of Atlanta, and a massive weather system had the region covered with embedded cumulonimbus. This Saturday morning in April saw me paired with a fairly young check airman as captain, and we were enjoying a pretty great […]

By Jonathan Welsh My son is reading The Great Gatsby in his 10th grade English class—the same school year when I first read it—and chatting with him about the story’s setting got me thinking about New York’s Long Island and how I have wanted for years to fly to Montauk on its eastern tip. Yes, […]

I admit to being a little nervous when I have to fly an airplane with only a GPS navigator in the panel, aided only by a single communications radio, albeit with flip-flop frequencies. I suppose it’s because I grew up back when things frequently broke, both in the airplane and on the ground. It was […]

As student pilots, why do we get tongue-tied with the simple press of the push-to-talk switch? It seems simple yet creates more anxiety than a nun in a smoke shop. It’s a phobia most of us have experienced at some point. In fact, we’ve all been there, done that, and lived to tell about it. […]

By David Offitzer | Illustrations by Barry Ross “Straight out departure approved, cleared for takeoff 29 Right” is a call I have received thousands of times as a commercial pilot and CFI at my home base of Zamperini Field in Torrance, California (KTOA). The seasonal “May gray” morning had predictably and gradually morphed into an […]

“Organization is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it’s not all mixed up.” These words from A.A. Milne, the author of the “Winnie-the-Pooh” series, turned out to be great advice for aviators. Flying is simply a series of planned and occasionally unplanned events. Takeoff, climb, cruise, descent, and […]

By Marc Cook Van’s Aircraft filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this week begs the question: How can the largest and most successful company in the kit-aircraft world find itself in this situation? With more than 11,000 RVs flying and record kit sales over the last three years, it seemed Van’s was set for success. But countering […]

Van’s Aircraft announced Monday that it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company pointed to recent material and financial challenges and emphasized that this move is crucial for its reorganization.  Van’s stated it will maintain operations, producing and delivering parts, servicing customers, and fulfilling kit orders, operating under court supervision for 90 days. […]

At 3 p.m. on August 4, 2021, a beautiful bright yellow T-6 took off from McCharen Field Airport (M83) in West Point, Mississippi. The sky was blue, with no clouds or obscurations to visibility. It was 88 degrees, with a light wind out of the north. It was a perfect day for a VFR pleasure […]

While nothing about aviation can really be called ‘cheap,’ there are a few projects you can do to extend the life of your airplane, protect its value, and improve your aviation skills. Most require less than $50, an hour or two of your time, and basic home improvement skills. Let’s look at one project that […]