The Latest

Among the couple hundred readers who commented on my recent Mosaic article, several referenced private pilots who consider a sport pilot to be “unqualified.” I’ve heard that, too. In fact, I’ve heard similar comments my entire career. It’s a pecking order thing, I suppose, a natural human response, but I dislike when one aviator puts down […]

The LEGO Group has produced numerous airplane and airport building sets over the decades, from crude, squared-off mini models comprising a handful of bricks to larger, more detailed representations of airliners, cargo planes, and small GA-type aircraft. Lego has even made several name-brand representations, including the Learjet, Sopwith Camel, and the Sud Aviation Caravelle. None, […]

The STOL (short takeoff and landing) demonstration at EAA AirVenture Twilight Flight Fest, hosted at the Ultralight Field in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in late July, saw fans lining up along the fences hours before the event to secure their spots. Thousands of STOL enthusiasts gathered to witness their favorite backcountry pilots showcase the remarkable capabilities of […]

Piper built thousands of L-4 “Grasshoppers” used as liaison and artillery spotters. Cessna’s T-41 trainer was a Skyhawk in military colors. Beechcraft has pressed a variety of designs, from Staggerwings to King Airs, into service. After a two-year restoration effort, the one surviving airframe from Mooney is all that remains of the company’s dual attempts […]

The aircraft passed off our right— not terribly close, as we saw it and avoided it with ease. But we had a mystery: Why didn’t the ADS-B give us an announcement? The answer came this week in the form of an email from ForeFlight that stated “the ForeFlight and Garmin teams identifying ‘a compatibility issue’ […]

Honeywell (NASDAQ: HON) said it has agreed to acquire the heads-up display, or HUD,  assets of the Swedish aerospace and defense company Saab for use in a range of its avionics products. Under the agreement, Saab will work with Honeywell to develop and strengthen its HUD product line. HUDs help increase pilots’ situational awareness, especially […]

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the midair collision of two firefighter helicopters in California that killed three people on Sunday. According to multiple media sources, the two helicopters, a Bell and a Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane, were part of a six ship response to a fire in Cabazon, a small community in Riverside County […]

Wings Over the Rockies (WINGS), a Colorado-based nonprofit organization centered on the state’s air and space museum and dedicated to aviation education, has selected recipients for its 2023 scholarship cycle.  A total of 22 Colorado students have been selected to receive 2023 WINGS’ flight training scholarships valued at either $8,000 or $12,000, based on their […]

There is a honeymoon phase after the check ride. You have that new certificate or rating in your pocket and it is natural to want to relax and do some fun just-for-you flying, like buying $100 hamburgers, make fly-out camping trips, attend fly-ins, and take trips to visit friends and family. The fun flying continues […]

A little after 9 o’clock in the morning, seconds after takeoff, one of the pilots of a Velocity V-Twin radioed the Janesville, Wisconsin (KJVL), tower: “We’d like to circle back and land runway 32 and…work through some engine issues if we could.” ATC acknowledged the request, asked the pilot to report turning final for Runway […]