The Latest

Given the dozens of forest fires burning out of control in southeastern Canada, mainly in Quebec and Nova Scotia, I have received many inquiries from my followers about how to deal with smoke from an aviation perspective. First and foremost, smoke can present a hazard to all pilots, but especially those flying under VFR. Smoke […]

On June 1, the National Gay Pilots Association (NGPA) announced the commencement of the most generous scholarship cycle in its history. The NGPA is offering over $500,000 in scholarship funds to its membership this year, honoring its 25-year anniversary milestone in supporting the global lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other (LGBTQ+) members of the […]

Like many parents, after the last of their four grown children left home, Betsy and Shane Miller went house shopping. What they ended up with, however, is a home away from home for other aviators located in a Diamonhead, Mississippi, aviation community. “When we looked at this house, it was way more than we needed,” […]

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 […]