News

Question: I have heard that the regulation regarding the accuracy of fuel gauges in airplanes states they are only required to read accurately when the fuel tank is empty. This doesn’t make much sense to me, and I couldn’t find it in the FARs. Is it true? Answer: You won’t find a reference in the federal […]

Mistakes are part of the learning process. With flying, often these mistakes can be expensive, even deadly when they result in incidents or accidents. When something happens, be sure the authorities investigating it will come back to the flight school—and the certified flight instructor (CFI) to see if there were any red flags. Liability: Part […]

It’s going to be a busy, crowded Memorial Day weekend, especially for those traveling by air, according to forecasts. The FAA said it expects nearly 313,000 flights during the seven days it counts as the holiday period. This would surpass last year’s total for the same period but fall several thousand flights short of pre-pandemic […]

The FAA announced it will award $100 million to 12 airports across the country to help prevent runway incursions. According to the agency, the Runway Incursion Mitigation Program grant money will be part of its annual distributions and fund projects such as reconfiguring taxiways that may be confusing, installing airfield lighting, and constructing new taxiways […]

Brian Shul—SR-71 Blackbird pilot, inspirational speaker, photographer, author, and gifted storyteller has flown west. He was 75. According to a social media post from his sister, Maureen Shul, on Monday, Shul was speaking in front of a large military group in Reno, Nevada, on Saturday night. As was his custom, he ended the event by […]

Pat Ackerman wants pilots to fly more. “I think that one of the biggest travesties that I see in general aviation is that people spend the time and money to get a pilot certificate and then not fly on a regular basis,” said Ackerman, who owns North Omaha Airport (91NE). “They use their resources to buy a […]

Barbie Brunson has been involved with nearly all of the operations at Hicks Airfield (T67) since first learning to fly there in the early 1990s. As Brunson recounts, she has worn “a lot of hats” over the years. One of the more memorable exchanges between her and her husband, Kevin occurred shortly after they purchased […]

It’s been more than a decade in the making, but now the “upside down” DeltaHawk engine has arrived. The company announced Thursday that its DeltaHawk DHK180 piston powerplant—set to run on jet-A—has gained FAA type certification after a significant period of development. The liquid-cooled,180 hp., 4-cylinder diesel engine uses an inverted “V” configuration and mechanical […]

Yesterday I flew our Cessna Citation CJ1 single pilot from Austin, Texas, to Tampa, Florida. The weather was good at both ends, but a cold front with thunderstorms reaching upwards of 45,000 feet into the sky lay in wait across the route. At FL 390 only a minor deviation was required and our flight time […]

The aircraft fleet at Southern Illinois University Carbondale is expanding this month. University officials announced they would be taking delivery of seven glass cockpit Cessna 172s earlier this month. The aircraft were slated to be ferried from Independence, Kansas, to Southern Illinois Airport (KMDH). Several SIU aviation program officials, including director José R. Ruiz, chief flight […]