My friend Jack was flying under the hood, my wife Theresa was in the back with Stella, and I was about to begin a what-if scenario of IFR emergencies for Jack’s instrument training on our cross country.  I was going to discuss an inflight fire, engine trouble, or maybe electrical loss as the “what if”…

Thanks to guest poster Sam Stoddart for this excellent writeup and video sharing the flight of the Spitfires – great history with a great artist! ——————— On the 18th of August, thousands of spectators gathered at Biggin Hall to watch the World War 2 Spitfires take flight once more to commemorate the 75th anniversary of…

Flight Report: Phenom 300 Business Jet The Phenom 300 Business Jet is Embraer’s latest production aircraft (Legacy 450 just passed certification and sales should begin soon), and has shown great success in both aircraft sales, and aircraft performance. Both the Phenom 100 and Phenom 300 are part 23, single pilot certified, jet aircraft. I am not…

A Guy I Know Better Than Myself.  After switching frequencies, I heard a new voice come across my headset.  “Four Uniform Foxtrot.  Your are number two behind a Citation Sovereign on short final.  Cleared for the option” We had just hit our Comm Transfer button, changing our radio from Chicago Approach to Tower at Chicago…

Let’s be honest, cost is the single most prohibitive attribute of becoming a pilot.  Sure there are other reasons like fear, air sickness, and lack of interest, but for the vast majority of people I talk to, cost is the biggest issue, me included.  So how on earth can we make flying cheaper? It is…

I once heard my airline mechanic father say, “All pilots are good for is see light, push button, and get banana”.  It was funny but he may have had a point.  I remember when glass cockpits were brand new.  I once heard the nickname of the “new” Boeing 757 was the Atari Ferrari.  For those…

Want to go to the airport…but wx sucks.  Now what?  Hold on.  Today might be a perfect day to enjoy aviation for a fraction of the regular cost.  Consider calling ahead and asking either your flight school or fbo shop to see if you can stop by.  You may not have had the opportunity before,…

I have been very fortunate so far in my flying career. I have been able to progress in my professional flying more quickly than I had anticipated. I have also been fortunate enough to fly lots of different types of airplanes.  According to trusty LogTen Pro X, I have 43 different aircraft types in the…

Check out their line of headsets, camera cables, and LED lighting today! I realize that the majority of this audience is already pretty involved in aviation, but there is always more that all of us can do. Many of us are passionate about flying and are constantly looking for ways to help general aviation grow...

Here we are at the beginning of May and winter has finally released its firm grip and we can really focus on getting out there and enjoying our passion of flying.    I love May because it ushers in the air show and fly-in season for much of the Northern Hemisphere.  From this point forth…